Kali's transformation wasn't new to Lucas, but it was surprising how much she had grown in just a couple of weeks while she was away.
Her pink-scaly skin was no longer intimidating to Lucas, but more welcoming this time as he hoped to see it more often from now on.
The smile that suddenly had turned into a scary-fire-breathing lizard also made Lucas feel more at ease now.
There was nothing else he could wish for, but to see Kali happy, and she was. She looked happy with her new control and attitude. She looked strong and confident and that was the only thing that mattered to Lucas right now.
The burn he had felt ever since she turned into one was slowly fading away, "Haya, we should find Xina and Kalaini and move from here as soon as possible!" He said it while looking at him.
"Renexa, return!" Lucas ordered the phoenix to go back now.
"You're right, let's hope they're not in danger," Haya sighed as he placed his daggers inside his bag.
The cold breeze was blowing into their faces, and Lucas didn't like that, 'something is not right here,' he said as he glanced at Kali whose look was completely focused on the mountains.
"Guys, you might not like this, but something feels off," she spoke slowly with a deep, cracking voice.
She was right. They couldn't sense anything dangerous around them, but they could sense an eerie feeling that was making everyone uncomfortable.
"Come on, let's keep going," Lucas urged them, "we have no idea what's happening up there."
They all agreed and started moving forward once again, but this time the air seemed to be even colder than before.
What could be causing that?
That was when everything changed.
A loud roar filled the entire area which instantly caused everyone to freeze in fear.
All of them were staring at the mountain when they saw a huge shadow approaching them, fast.
It was a dragon!
They weren't sure if it was one of the dragons from the legend or just another creature, but it was coming very fast.
"Run!" Lucas yelled as the dragon flew above them and then landed right next to them.
This dragon was different from the others they had seen so far. It wasn't red like the other ones, but it looked black, almost purple in colour.
The dragon was breathing fire continuously, making everyone feel the heat on their skin.
Kali was standing next to Lucas who had his sword drawn, ready to fight.
Kali shook her head, and her scales started glowing yellow. Her body became bigger, stronger and harder.
Her tail extended, growing longer and thicker.
And finally, her face changed too, becoming more reptilian, with sharp teeth visible behind the jaws.
She was transforming into a dragon!
Just before the dragon attacked them, she took a breath and opened her mouth wide.
A blast of flame and lightning came out of her throat, turning her whole body into a ball of fire that was hard to miss.
Everyone was terrified and tried to run, but they weren't fast enough.
The dragon caught all of them in its claws and threw them across the forest.
As soon as he landed on the ground, Lucas quickly stood up and grabbed his bow.
He pulled an arrow and aimed at the dragon, but before he could release it, a spear hit him in the chest, knocking him down to the ground.
Another one hit his shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon.
He rolled over and tried to get up, but the dragon was already there, growling and ready to attack.
"Let's see how you can survive without your weapons," Kali said with a snarl as she pointed her finger at the dragon.
The dragon released Lucas and his friends and turned its attention towards Kali.
Kali was still transforming into her dragon form, and the dragon wasn't scared anymore.
The dragon jumped into the air and readied itself to attack Kali.
Kali held her hand out, and a ball of light started forming between her fingers. As soon as the ball of light was formed, it exploded in front of the dragon, sending it flying backwards.
She used her flames to create a wall of fire around them, protecting them from the dragon.
The dragon was trying to reach them through the smoke and flames, but Kali kept it back and protected them.
"Stop fighting!" Lucas yelled as he got up and ran towards the dragon, but he stopped when he noticed that it was way too close to him.
"Kali! Stop!" Lucas screamed as the dragon leaped at him, preparing itself to bite his head off.
Just before the dragon attacked, Kali shot her fireballs right in the dragon's face.
The dragon was thrown back and crashed against a tree.
Lucas knew that the dragon was injured, but it would recover easily.
"We need to leave!" Lucas told his friends as he ran towards the direction they had come from.
The dragon was getting up again and chasing Lucas and his friends.
"Can you stop this?" Kali asked the dragon as she faced it.
The dragon was enraged and was ready to attack them.
But just as it was about to charge, it stopped and stared at her.
It started trembling and then it fell on the floor, unconscious.
"What happened to it?" Lucas questioned as he walked closer to the dragon.
He bent down, picked the dragon up by its neck and carried it with him.
"I don't know," Kali said as she watched the dragon closely, "but I think we should go."
They didn't waste any time and started running.
"Where are you going?" Kali called after them, but Lucas didn't answer.
He was too busy watching the dragon as it regained consciousness and tried to follow them.
The dragon followed them for a while until it tripped and fell on the ground, unable to move.
'A trap!' Lucas thought. 'The dragon was meant to attack us and then we would have been trapped.'
"This isn't good," Lucas said as he pulled an arrow out of his quiver and aimed it at the dragon.
"No, we don't want to hurt it," Kali spoke, placing her hand in front of the arrow.
The arrow started to glow, and when it did, the dragon started to move again.
"What's wrong with this thing?" Kali asked as she moved the dragon back into the bushes where it was safe.
"Let's keep going," Lucas said as he started walking.
They kept running until they reached the place where they had first met the orcs.
"We should rest here," Kali said as she sat down and closed her eyes.
"Good idea," Lucas nodded.
They both laid down and started doing the same.
Lucas didn't sleep immediately because he wanted to make sure that the dragon wasn't following them.
After a few minutes of waiting, he was sure that the dragon wouldn't dare to come near them. He decided to fall asleep.
"So, how was the training?" Kali asked Lucas while waking up.
"Not bad," he replied with a yawn, "it got me tired though."
Kali smiled, "Yeah, it did."
She walked to her bag and pulled out some dried fruits and nuts.
She handed one to Lucas, and they ate together.
"So, what do you think of my new power?" Kali asked, "Do you like it?"
"Yes, I'm starting to like it," Lucas answered as he chewed on a piece of fruit, "it's really helpful in combat."
"It is, isn't it? I was afraid that it would scare you, but it looks like you don't mind it," Kali said as she saw Lucas eating happily.
"I don't think I'll be able to control it properly until we get home," Lucas said as he swallowed another piece of fruit.
"Hmm… Is there something else bothering you, Lucas?" Kali asked as she stared at her friend.
"Yeah, it's that dragon. What was that all about?" Lucas asked.
"I don't know either," Kali sighed, "but I guess we'll find out soon enough."
They continued resting for a while until the sun started rising in the sky.
It was time to continue their journey again.
"How long will it take us to get back home?" Lucas asked as they began walking.
"At least two weeks," Kali told him, "but the sooner the better."
"Two weeks?!" Lucas exclaimed. "That's too many days!"
"We can start early tomorrow morning," Kali suggested.
"Really? You're sure?" Lucas asked.
Kali nodded, "I am. We need to hurry if we want to reach our destination before winter comes."
"Okay, fine," Lucas agreed.
They packed their things and walked further into the forest until they found a small clearing where they could hide from the rain.
"Now, we wait," Kali said as she went to her bag and pulled out a blanket, "we will stay here until tomorrow morning."
Lucas crawled under the blanket and rested his head on his backpack. He was so exhausted that he didn't even notice when Kali fell asleep next to him.
He woke up a little later when he heard someone talking.
"You've grown stronger, haven't you?"
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