I woke up to see a large plane's area stretching on for miles. But something was... Off. The colors were slightly faded, like looking through a slightly Grey lens. Was I dead again? I don't remember this part of being dead. I hear a static a constant static faded but there never wavering in pitch nor volume, like one of those old TV's I started walking and it felt like a thousand years and just a moment at the same time.

  Everything had this incorrect feel to it that I couldn't shake off, very similar to the Uncanny Valley Effect. I looked down and saw my hands... Not the draconic ones, the human hands, I touched my face and felt skin instead of scales. I reached down to the swaying grass and felt it, truly felt it. Then I looked to the sky I saw the drifting Grey clouds and the dull blue sky above,

  I heard the birdsongs and the crickets chirping over the faint static, I felt the tears rolling down my face before I knew I was crying. Not tears of pain nor tears of sorrow but of joy and peace. I felt the weight of worry, sorrow, pain, and fear leave me. Every negative thought evaporated from my mind, I was at true peace, for how long I truly do not know but when it ended I got up and started walking for what felt like moments,

  I walked crossing miles of land and arriving at a cherry blossom tree in the beach where I sat just watching the waves crash listening to the calming sounds of the ocean, smelling the salty air and feeling the cool breeze, feeling deep down that everything would be okay, that I would be safe in this little realm of mine and could return anytime, and it would care for me and listen to me when I needed it most. Getting up again, I returned to the planes area and saw a house.

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  My childhood house with my parents and other family members that I have fond memories of, walking in I saw friends at the dining room table sitting around a cake with a banner behind it saying happy birthday, I sat at the empty chair infront of the cake and my best friend Thomas said with a chuckle "It's been awhile hasn't it?" My grandfather, who had passed away when I was young, walked up to me and said. "You may not know me well, but you made me a very proud man." And I felt the tears stream down my face as I hugged the man I had not seen in over 12 years. "I missed you so much," I said, stuttering through tears and a burning throat. "I know, I missed you too." He responded with a smile after that I sat back down in the chair and everyone I missed sang happy birthday to me and when the song ended I blew out the candles and wished for this to last forever,

  I knew it was impossible so I hugged everyone goodbye and started running another direction to see what this place could gift me I saw a dark figure that radiated an aura of knowledge so I approached him he bowed to me and said. 'There will be challenges in the near future and an opportunity to travel, take it to protect the innocent and grow strong' nodding I watched him disappear and decided to go back to the beach to sit and watch the sun set and the waves crash. As the sun neared the horizon, the sky darkened slowly until it was night, and there was nothing to see nor to hear anymore. Just the black of my closed eyes and a joyfull nostalgic feeling

  Dragon-Marksman