There is a fundamental difference between alive and dead, for me the lines were blurred, the states of existence ephemeral. But the first breath that hit my lungs were painful, like cold dry razors running through my lungs... it was as if it was the first time I have used them.

The second was cold pushing my consciousness to the edge of alacrity, the third breath was sweet, I could not get enough of it. My eyes opened to a new world, it should be getting to the break of dawn for the skies were orange and pale red, I stared at the sky for minutes on end, my heart numb, a dull throb of sorrow sharing its beat.

The rising sun shed its glow on the land and I reach for it, the light travelling through the Web of my fingers, fingers pale like milk, they were long and dainty the hands of a pianist. Was I a woman?

I let my eyes trail down my arm to my torso, a brief glance at my form showed me my familiar male body parts, I let out a breath I was unconsciously holding.

After occupying the bodies of various creatures and entities even an egg, I still find new ways of surprising myself for caring about my gender. Go figure.

I laid on grass, the pleasant smell of vegetation being drawn into my lungs was bliss. I rose to my feet with the morning sun, immediately I was struck by a change of perspective. I was taller.

But I was still dwarfed by the old man that walked towards me with slitted golden eyes. Every step he took towards me brought an ephemeral pressure, until sweat bead my brows and I struggled to stay on my feet.

I could not breathe, my bones creaked as I clenched my jaw so tight, it bled. The old man stood before me and the pressure vanished. My legs turned to air, as I collapsed boneless to the ground, fighting for breath in deep mouthful.

“ of course she finds someone as stubborn as a chulzor for a successor.” He scanned me “ get up! You stand before your father.” A voice deep and mellow as silk flowed into my ears.

Gasp.... “you are not..” gasp... “my father.”

“Believe me, I wish it were not. But you have taken all of my daughter inheritance, and mine. My blood flows through your veins, and my divine authority resides in your bones. All the host in the aether declare my glory, for the sire of Zarathul The Golden walks the planes once more.”

“uh.. Is that suppose to impress me sir dragon?”

“No its suppose to apprise you of your duties”

He seized me by the waist, with a single arm and carried me, my legs above the ground. I have never felt so small, even in my memories as a baby. I sputtered in shock and embarrassment.

“Put... put me down!” I wiggled to no effect. He shook me in a peculiar manner that made my bones to dissolve into milk.

“ you shall not shirk your duties, until you come to your seat of power, you shall conquer planes in my name, sire a hatchling to continue my noble blood, and if you are worthy one day, hold the keys to the gates of oblivion”. He paused “ Miranda failed in this task, but she bequeathed her will to you".

“Eeyeehh....shluminngss... brrssh" my tongue was dead, I glared at him from my side eye. He ignored me, I slumped there in his arm, my hands trailing in the grass, on my peripheral vision, I saw a cat leisurely trailing us. Was that a smoking pipe in her mouth?... what do I care, stranger sight I have witnessed. What the hell, did the cat just winked at me?

“Now listen well hatchling for your very life depends on it.”

I sniffed, death was not something I feared much.

The old man looked at me, aware of my thought and laughed a booming guffaw, that shook the grass, and the damn clouds turned to gold. Damn old man got his own background effect for his emotions, what! Will the sky rain fire and brimstone if he get annoyed accompanied by BGM...

He sighed “The dragon blood encompasses all, and my golden blood flows through your veins, your pseudo- immortality is gone hatchling”.

Seeing the look of shock on my face he continued “you do not know the magnitude of the events that just transpired, in the grand scales of things, something must be given when something is taken".

His words flowed like water through basket, for a while now I have been thrusted into the most ridiculous of situations. from the enslavement of a Demon God, the collector sealed jar where I was sold like product, the warlock experiments with my soul, and finally Miranda the dragon.

I have hopped into many bodies, I had began to disdain the frailties of flesh, for I know even if I did not fully understand: I was an Absolute Soul and that was my birth right, every living being was my vessel!.

“Surprised Hatchling?” Zarathul looked at me. Don’t over rate the gift of your soul, it was the downfall of your race... Their recklessness in challenging the entire universe was their undoing. A recklessness I see also in you.”

He walked to a pool like area that was filled with glowing diamond like gems, and set me gently in the middle. I felt a sudden wave of comfort drill into me, it was hard to not yawn and curl myself in the gems, the hard edges seem to scratch an unknown Itch I didn’t know I had.

“Essence stones hatchling, you need them to finally leave your shell! I will be back every circle for your shedding.”

The words he said were lost to me, as I sought to drill myself deeper into the gems like a little snake, it seemed this body came with instincts that could overcome my conscious mind, a little burst of panic assailed me before it was thrown down into the depth of my pleasure. I sank into deep and contented sleep.

A distant part of me noted the setting of the sun and its rising, many times over. I felt no hunger or thirst, just a cool wave rolling inside my body, as my very cell consumed every speck of energy that was in these gemstones, they were dimming rapidly however.

On a particular day I felt satiated, and I felt I couldn’t draw any more energy, my stupid body betrayed me and kept drawing in more. I gasp in pain, the only sound I had made for a while, my skin suddenly felt tight, an ill fitting suit for my new form, I was distinctly aware of a tearing sound in my back, which suddenly felt itchy, and it was all I could do not to scrap myself bloody to get rid of it. The tear continued down my spine, my arms and legs developing new tears, in a short while I has shed my entire skin, down to the hair on my head, which I noticed in amusement was silvery white, and flowed longer than my waist.

My new body that emerged felt lighter. My eyesight better and I breath in longer than before, I should know this, because I was getting obsessed with breathing, my skin was transparent, and I could see the inner workings of my anatomy, I was no biologist, but I could see my chest packed with armoured like bones, and rib cages with barely any gap in between, there were too many joints in my hands and feet and my bowel seemed to contain only a single organ. That was round and beat in time with my heartbeat, oh I’ve got six of that!. six heart that was arranged in a star like formation inside my chest. Where the hell are my lungs?.

Any further musings were cut short by the footsteps of Zarathul announced his arrival, he bent down and picked my shed skin, and folded them carefully. He kept them in a satchel by his waist, a sweep of his hand made all the dimming gems brightened and protesting words that were to leave my mouth was silenced as the pleasure got hold of me again.

“this was going to take a while.”