ã€ŠKobold Reborn: Dragon Bloodlineã€‹


 The Cave - A New Day

    <u>You are not worthy and you are not one of us.</u>

    Where am I? What was I doing? Who was talking? I don''t remember well, I was at home, or so I think; I need to stay calm, oh my God! think, rationalize things, panic won''t help me.

    Ok, first of all, I don''t know if I can move. I think I''m floating in some kind of liquid, am I dreaming, is it a lucid dream? No, everything feels very real.

    I try to open my eyes, but it''s hard and the little I manage to see isn''t much. So, I try to stretch my legs and arms. They feel strange! but what else can I do? One moment! I feel like I could move something else in the lower part of my back; it feels just as strange or even stranger than my limbs, but before I could even question what was happening, I started to feel like I was having trouble breathing, and to begin with, how was I breathing in this liquid? That doesn''t matter, I have to get out of here. I stretch out my hands and touch something solid; it''s hot, it burns! but I know I have to get out of here.

    Everything feels wrong, but this heat, I feel like I''m cooking alive! it hurts! At that moment, I try to push with all my strength; I know it''s hot outside because I can feel it, but if I stay here, I will die. I keep pushing and with the tips of my fingers, I don''t know how I manage to break what contains me and I push myself to get out.

    The first thing I manage to do when I come out is vomit a liquid; I suppose that, if I was floating in something, I see flames in it, I get it! I¡¯m in a fire, was I hallucinating from the smoke? That doesn''t matter, I have to get out of here. When I try to stand up, I immediately fall; my legs feel strange and, for the first time, I see what I think is my body and my legs. If they can be called that, they are more like, what, feet? With claws? They look like the legs of a reptile or bird, since I see scales, and speaking of seeing, something is blocking my vision; it''s as if I had a mask or a cone on my face. When I try to touch it, I see my hands or what I think they are; they have scales, fingers, but with claws. That explains how I broke what was containing me. Wait! what was containing me was an egg? this is a lot to process. Stay calm! I don''t know if I''m dreaming or hallucinating, but this place keeps burning. For a moment, I wonder if this is hell and I died and I''m paying for my sins. Oh my God! No! I have to get up! I have to get out of here! I can''t give up! I don''t understand anything, but that''s the least of my problems.

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    Everything is burning, but I know I must get up. This body feels strange; these legs or paws are weird. Wait a minute! What''s this at the back? A line! Just what I needed! I don''t know what happened to me or if this is a dream, but I have little time to process it. Without realizing it, I manage to see a person; they are hunched over, but they carry a torch. Is it the one who started the fire? I think he saw me! Maybe he''ll help me, so I''m trying to talk, but only growls come out. It can''t be! Why can''t I speak?

    My bewilderment at everything makes me not realize that the person who had seen me is already in front of me and, without warning, kicks me, sending me flying through the air, and when I hit the ground, I can barely move due to the pain. Wait! I try to tell him, but only growls come out of my mouth. He''s drawing a sword! He wants to kill me! I must flee, but I can barely move with this strange body and the pain; I''m scared! What is this? Where am I? When I turn to expect the worst, I see that man who from my perspective now looks like a giant, but who is now being attacked by some kind of... lizard?

    The creature moves across the person''s body, bites him, and attacks him with its claws. In the end, it makes the man stumble and fall. Immediately, the lizard turns towards me and lunges at me. I expect the worst again, but instead, it stops in front of me and emits a series of growls. I am so confused, I don''t know what to do, but there is no time to understand what is happening. This place is burning, and that man is getting up, and although my vision is strange, it is clear from his face that he intends to kill us. The creature growls at him and takes my hand to help me up. I don''t know if out of instinct or fear, but I understand that I must follow this bipedal lizard and flee this place.

 The cave - Getting to know each other and acceptance I

    Esto es tan surrealista, o es el sue?o m¨¢s loco que he tenido, o me he vuelto loca, honestamente, no lo s¨¦; pero segu¨ª a la criatura, porque ?qu¨¦ otra opci¨®n ten¨ªa? Este lugar se est¨¢ quemando y hay un gigante tratando de matarnos; suena loco, lo s¨¦. En ese momento, veo a la criatura saltar a trav¨¦s de una pared de llamas; creo que va hacia afuera y, sin pensarlo, hago lo mismo; y s¨ª, est¨¢ afuera.

    Lo primero que noto al salir son varias otras estructuras en llamas, as¨ª que creo que estoy en un pueblo que se est¨¢ quemando en una cueva. Supongo esto porque lo que veo, arriesg¨¢ndome a equivocarme, es que el techo y las paredes exteriores son de roca por todos lados. ?Qu¨¦ demonios! ?D¨®nde estoy? Pero antes de que pueda seguir mirando, la criatura reptil me agarra el brazo de nuevo, me gru?e y hace m¨¢s sonidos que son incomprensibles para m¨ª, pero no hay que ser un genio para saber que quiere que la siga.

    Vuelvo a ver la estructura de donde salimos en llamas, escucho a ese hombre gritar y el sonido de otros pasos, posiblemente m¨¢s personas tambi¨¦n gritando en un idioma que no entiendo, pero s¨¦ que si me quedo, podr¨ªan intentar matarme. ?M¨ªrame! Ya no soy humano, y ni siquiera puedo hablar; simplemente me giro hacia la criatura y la sigo.

    La verdad es que no s¨¦ c¨®mo puedo moverme con este cuerpo, instinto, miedo, ambos, en realidad no lo s¨¦, pero una cosa es cierta: se siente extra?o, estas piernas, esta cosa que cubre mi cara, que debe ser un hocico, y ni hablar de la cola; ?maldita sea! Todo esto se siente tan extra?o, me siento como si estuviera usando un traje; pero supongo que ser¨¢ un tema para pensar con m¨¢s calma. Por ahora, debo seguir a este lagarto b¨ªpedo; supongo que a donde sea que vaya es mejor que aqu¨ª.

    Sigo a la criatura a trav¨¦s de lo que debe ser un pueblo en llamas, escondi¨¦ndonos cada vez que escuchamos alg¨²n sonido extra?o, y finalmente, llegamos a una pared de roca. La criatura se gira hacia m¨ª y vuelve a hacer esos sonidos; supongo que es alg¨²n tipo de lenguaje y se?ala la parte superior de la pared, donde veo una especie de cueva o grieta. Creo que espera que lleguemos all¨ª, pero ?c¨®mo espera que lo hagamos? Nunca fue una persona atl¨¦tica, y mucho menos un escalador; as¨ª, sin m¨¢s, la criatura comienza a escalar; me recuerda a un lagarto que trepa por una pared y, a mitad de camino, me mira y supongo, ?comienza a hablar? Con esos sonidos, me hace re¨ªr un poco; en mi mente, imagino que lo que intentaba decir era: "?Qu¨¦ diablos est¨¢s haciendo ah¨ª abajo, sube y s¨ªgueme!"

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    Vale, si ¨¦l puede, yo tambi¨¦n, supongo que usa sus garras para agarrarse y yo tengo esas mismas garras, as¨ª que lo intento y para mi sorpresa consigo subir, aunque m¨¢s lento que el lagarto, ya que cuando vuelvo a mirar hacia arriba, ¨¦l ya me est¨¢ esperando en esa grieta. Sin m¨¢s dilaci¨®n, sigo subiendo con cautela, este cuerpo es extra?o, no puedo dejar de decirlo y casi lo dejo moverse por instinto, lo cual es m¨¢s extra?o a¨²n de por s¨ª, pero por ahora es mejor escapar y luego pensar¨¦ en todo esto, es lo ¨²nico que puedo decirme.

    Consegu¨ª, no s¨¦ ni c¨®mo, llegar a esa grieta donde la criatura me ayuda a subir. Respiro hondo y veo lo que me hab¨ªan dicho mis sospechas: un poblado, en una especie de cueva en llamas. La criatura emite otros sonidos hacia el poblado, suena triste, y pensando con un poco de calma, no s¨¦ c¨®mo, pero si esto es real, ?rezo a Dios que no lo sea! Y que tal vez est¨¦ so?ando o tal vez en coma; pero ?si no! Sal¨ª de un huevo, lo que ya no me hace humano, sino como esa criatura, una especie de criatura reptil b¨ªpeda. Al menos camino sobre dos piernas, que es algo, supongo, y ese poblado que queda debe ser su poblado, su gente.

    Sus gru?idos y sonidos bajos me hacen suponer que est¨¢ expresando tristeza; yo sentir¨ªa lo mismo si viera arder el lugar donde vivo, lo que me hace pensar que esta criatura es inteligente. No es que lo haya visto con todo lo que ha hecho desde que me salv¨®, pero ver a algo no humano expresar inteligencia y emociones humanas es extra?o; ?solo lo ves en pel¨ªculas o series de fantas¨ªa! Pero el dolor en mi cuerpo me recuerda que, aunque no quiera por el momento, esto es real y tengo que aceptarlo por ahora.

 The cave - Knowing Each Other and Acceptance II

    I barely manage to rest and stand up; the creature makes those sounds towards me again, and I point to what must be its village in flames. I don''t know what it expects from me; does it expect me to accompany it in its sorrow? Don''t get me wrong, I thank him for saving me and I know that, for now, even though it seems strange to me, I am a bipedal lizard like him, born from an egg of this town; with the mistake of making a mistake, I was reborn! Although I don''t believe in that. And I suppose my lizard parents are dead down there, but if I accept that, it would mean I can''t go back home, with my family and my friends, my life!

    For the first time since I woke up, I feel sadness, and I suppose my body instinctively responds to that, as I emit those same sounds that that creature made when looking towards the village; I suppose that''s how they express sadness. He accompanies me with those sounds, and each one expresses his sadness, although for different reasons; both stem from a feeling of loss: he for his village and his family, I for my humanity and my life.

    After a while, we calmed down and I try to think: maybe I can still go back, maybe it''s a dream, some test from God, I don''t know, but I won''t lose hope. The creature starts making those sounds again, which makes me think it will be a problem if I can''t communicate with it.

    Those sounds are undoubtedly a language, although growls and whistles hardly resemble vowels or consonants; it will be a difficult barrier to overcome, but that will be for later, as he begins to walk through the crack, which I suppose I should follow if I want, first, to return the favor and, second, to understand where I am and why I am here. if this last question will have any answer.

    Walking behind him and a bit calmer on my part, I observe him and try to understand what I am now. Certainly, it resembles a bipedal lizard, which is not new. Looking closely, our legs are like those of birds, I mean with that inverted part, which, believe me, feels strange. Walking is different from how I used to as a human, but I don''t think about it; I let instinct guide me, it''s better that way for now. Continuing with the legs, they end in four toes with four claws; there is a fifth claw or toe on the inner part of our legs. I suppose they are similar to the hind legs of most terrestrial vertebrates that I remember, only for bipedal locomotion.

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    Following my observation, there is the tail, and what can I say, it is an elongated reptilian tail and yes, it feels strange to have that behind like everything else in this body; our hands have five fingers like human ones with an opposable thumb and all that. Sure, there are the claws, but at least I''m glad I can feel somewhat human in that. The claws have a curvature that prevents them from piercing directly when I close my fist, and even if they manage to touch my skin, which is now scaly and prevents them from causing harm, at least that''s what I believe. Speaking of scaly skin, what can I say, I''m not an expert on reptiles, but it''s like that of a crocodile or lizards that I remember.

    Finally, the head: in the absence of mirrors, my reference is the lizard in front of me, and yes, it is like the head of a lizard with a thick and slightly elongated neck, although I would say it looks more like a Western dragon from those fantasy stories. Of course, there are no horns and other things, although I see some protrusions where I think there should be horns, which makes me suppose that maybe they will grow there.

    Speaking of growing up, I guess we are newborns; I mean, at least I am, in the sense that I''ve just hatched, wow! I hadn''t thought about it, but I became a child again, haha; although, not human, I''m afraid..........................However, it is surprising, although I remember that some reptiles can survive on their own right after hatching, they do it purely by instinct. In our case, or at least the one who saved me, it demonstrates not only intelligence but what seems to be applied knowledge, based on how they acted. It''s not just instinct, but cognitive intelligence. I have a few possibilities; either they are older than me and were taught, which shows a quick learning ability, being astonishing compared to a human, or they were born with that ability, which is still equally or more incredible. I think both, but I no longer believe they are much older than me, but that puts me in check. If it''s the latter, won''t they suspect if I didn''t act or speak like them?

 The cave - Getting to Know Each Other and Acceptance III

    Thinking about everything, this creature helped me because I suppose I am of its same species, whatever we are, and the village we came from was destroyed by what I think were humans, but that emphasizes to me that I am not on Earth; creatures like us didn''t exist, at least only in tales of fantasy worlds. About why I''m not sure if they were humans, it''s because, remembering, it was a giant! Possibly it didn''t even reach its knee, although that might be explained because I''m a newborn.

    Anyway, without realizing it because I was lost in thought, I bumped into the creature''s back, which turned around and spoke to me again. He points to the ground and the end of the crack that leads to another cave. I suppose we will have to go down, but instead, he sits down and keeps making the same sounds. The only thing I suppose is that for now we will rest here.

    When I sit down, the first thing that bothers me is that line. What the heck! I can''t lean against the wall because it gets in the way. Damn! I scream, but just like before, only a grunt comes out. I try to make myself comfortable as best as I can. When I look back at the creature, I see that it is watching me. It''s difficult to understand its expressions; it''s the face of a lizard and, unlike a human, I think it''s not very expressive and, if it is, I can''t distinguish or comprehend it. How to know if a lizard is confused, happy, or sad? Maybe if I get a mirror and express those emotions myself, I can see something and learn to recognize reptilian emotions. What madness I find myself in! However, the first thing is to try to understand this creature and communicate, since for now it has helped me, but if it decides to abandon me, I don''t know what I would do.

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    We just sat there looking at each other without saying anything; this is awkward. What do I do? My whole-body hurts; I guess the adrenaline shot is processing everything that happened to us and now my tail tip hurts, which, I reiterate, feels strange. But maybe I can try to communicate before that. I know he is intelligent, he has what I believe is a language, I know he knows that I am also intelligent, since I have been able to follow his instructions despite not understanding those sounds, and I think he suspects that I don''t know how to speak since I have never addressed him or responded, but for him, will that be normal?

    I try to pronounce the vowels and some come out, more or less, and others not even close. I try to pronounce a word, but I am far from being able to speak like I did as a human. I don''t think it''s impossible, but it will require practice, and even if I succeed, I don''t think this creature will speak my previous language; I don''t think the humans we saw will either, as the language they spoke, from what little I managed to hear, didn''t sound like any language I remember, so for now, this won''t be a solution to our communication problem.

 The cave - Get used to

    Where am I? I remember I was at home and then, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­, right, the creature! me like a bipedal lizard! the fire! was it all a dream? Or thank God! wait, am I still me? Yes! Having human legs, without a tail, arms and fingers without claws, nor a snout, nor skin with scales... Yes, it was all a dream! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Although quite strange and sad if I think about it calmly, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ but well, wait a minute! Where am I? What is this place? Why is everything empty and half-dark?

    <u>You don''t belong to us, you''re not just unworthy, but a human.</u>

    That voice! I heard it before when I woke up in that place. No! Everything is a dream, please, I don''t want to go back there. Without further ado, I feel something pulling me and pushing me towards the darkness. No, please!

    <u>Unworthy¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Humans</u>

    I open my eyes and scream, but it sounds like a growl, and I see that I''m still a lizard, no! no! no! This is the dream! This can''t be true! I panic, more than before, because now I know where I am, in hell! or something similar, I don''t want to be here! I know I haven''t been the best person, human, son, or friend, I''ve lived by my principles, I''ve tried not to do harm to anyone and if I did, I apologize, I''ve made mistakes like any other human being, I''m not perfect, but, but; I''m short of breath, now I know I have a panic attack, I try to calm down, then I see the creature from before holding me and I think talking to me; little by little I start to calm down, I try to do what I can.

    Minutes later, I think, I manage to get out of that attack; the creature keeps talking to me, I don''t know if it''s worried or what. I try to understand what that dream and that voice were, but nothing comes to mind. I am trapped here, wherever this place is, and in this strange body, but maybe I can still go back. I was human! At least in that place, I must not forget who I am or my life; I must hold on to this. I am human and I will return home! But for now, I must understand what this place is and adapt, even if I don''t like it.

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    I think I''m finally completely calm. The creature looks at me, I think with concern? I''m not sure; I don''t blame it, I bet I scared it with my awakening and my panic attack. Maybe it thought we were being attacked, which wouldn''t be possible from humans or at least that''s what I think, since the crack is small and only, we fit; a human wouldn''t fit, but any other creature might. I don''t know what other creatures might exist, but if there are intelligent bipedal lizards, I must keep an open mind and be constantly vigilant.

    Speaking of keeping watch, what time could it be? I know we are in a cave and I don''t know if it''s day or night; wait a moment! If it''s a cave, it should be dark, right? Thinking about it, I don''t see everything clearly, nor in full color, and this snout gets in the way. Even so, I can see in a certain scale of grays; wow; I think I have night vision, which means we are creatures of these caves. It must be our habitat, although I remember seeing the color of fire and certain colors in the village. I just hope to see colors as a human; for now, I am glad that this body is adapted to see in this darkness, although I wish I could see the sunlight again.

    Out of nowhere, I hear a growl. Oh no, something is attacking us! I search everywhere, but there''s nothing, just the two of us. Out of nowhere, it sounds again, but for my embarrassment, it''s my stomach, followed by a growl coming from the creature''s stomach; it''s true, we haven''t eaten anything. At least I just hatched yesterday, I''m a newborn, and I know how important it is to eat and drink to stay alive, what will we do?

 The cave - Decisions in the Rift

    Alright, what do we do? We need to find food. By our teeth and claws, I suppose we are carnivores. I''m not complaining, but where will we get meat or something to eat? Or at least water. I''m starting to get thirsty; and I know the creature is too. Speaking of her, she is watching the exit to the other cave. Does she think we should continue? For the moment, my best bet is to follow him and help each other; however, he turns back towards me, makes those sounds or gestures again, and points in the direction of the village we came from.

    Thinking it over calmly, if the humans are gone, maybe we can recover something: food and some kind of weapon, since, although we have claws and fangs, the truth is I have no idea how to use them to defend myself. Maybe we are too small, what damage could we do?

    Once he finishes speaking and I suppose explaining to me that we should go back, I nod my head, which I think leaves him with doubts. I also point towards the village, agreeing that we have made the same decision to return; then he starts walking back the way we came.

    As we walk back, I feel pain in my ribs, I guess from the kick they gave me. Damn! I literally flew out; it''s a miracle that I''m only bruised and I think I don''t have anything broken.

    The creature occasionally talks to me and I suppose it expects me to respond, but we still have the problem that I don''t understand it. However, if we want to have better chances of surviving, we must communicate better, and the least we can do is have names. Giving it my human name wouldn''t make sense, besides, I don''t want to raise suspicions that I''m a human trapped in this reptilian body. I don''t think this creature appreciates humans for everything I believe they did, although I don''t want to justify the attack by the humans, since I don''t know if this was retaliation or if they are at war. I can''t take a side until I understand more about this place; although genocide is not even remotely justified, and knowing humans at least from where I come from, I know the atrocities we can commit. Damn! I''m getting off topic, giving us names is what I can do for now.

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    Let''s see what I can call myself. I remember several names of dragons from fiction and legends where I come from; I could try it and see the look on my companion''s face, since I think we are like little bipedal dragons, although without wings. I don''t know if we can spit fire, although that would be awesome. Can we do magic? like in those fantasy stories; that would be incredible! I must stay calm, one step at a time. How do I name myself, without losing who I am and making it pronounceable, ?¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.?.

    After thinking about it, I decide to make up a name; after all, I know who I am on the inside. How they call me on the outside won''t change who I am; besides, I''m not a dragon, or at least I think so. Ok, let''s practice.

    After a while, I think I can pronounce my pseudonym decently. I was curious that the creature only turned to look at me while I practiced; I hope it doesn''t think I''m crazy, although I already believe I am at this point, but well, I''ve made my decision and, before reaching the end of the rift and returning to the village, I touch the creature''s man; here we go, I hope it works.

 The cave - Return I

    Breigon, Breigon; with great difficulty, I manage to pronounce this, which will be my pseudonym in this world, and I point to myself. At first, I think he is confused and tries to pronounce my pseudonym; maybe I made it too complicated, even I have trouble pronouncing it. I didn''t think it through, this creature doesn''t use vowels or consonants. Why did I come up with a name based on my language? What an idiot! But to my luck or surprise, he manages to pronounce it and points at me. I think he understood me, even with a reptilian face that says, "What kind of name is that!" Well, it''s done for better or worse; this will be my name or, rather, pseudonym, so I proceed to point it out to him and wait for him to tell me his name. I hope he has one; I don''t want to have to come up with another name.

    To my great surprise, and what a surprise it was, his way of telling me his name was to puff out his chest and hit himself on the chest with his hand. It seemed to me like he was saying that his name was a source of pride for him, or at least that''s what I understood, and he said GrrGrrrr and repeated GrrGrrr. But what the hell!

    I only understood the same old grunts. I try to repeat the growl he made. What else can I do? He was able to pronounce my pseudonym; the least I should try is to pronounce his name, even if it just sounds like growls to me. I think it''s important to him, so I try several times and he corrects me when I try; but how do I correct a grunt?

    After practicing and listening, I think I understand that the difference is that the tone of the growl is what makes one different from the other. Damn! this will be complicated. In the end, I think I can pronounce it, although not perfectly, since I see the look on their face that says, "Come on! How can''t you pronounce it!"

    I feel bad, giving us names was my idea and, in the end, I''m still the one who is always behind and doesn''t help, and in this case, I complicated everything; well, I guess for now, I''m Breigon and the GrrGrrr, I hope I said it right.

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    Once it was clear that we had names to warn each other of dangers, we resumed our march to the village. Of course, we peeked out cautiously; the last thing we expected was for an arrow or spear, or whatever, to hit us, but to my surprise, everything was calm and silent. It smelled of burning, it smelled of death, and that sent a shiver from the nape of my neck to the tip of my tail.

    We descended cautiously one by one, so that one would always keep watch. Once down, I see the sadness in his eyes; I don''t know how to feel, since I don''t know who lived in this village, but if they were like him, what they did here was not fair. These creatures are not mere animals, which, even if they were, does not make it fair to exterminate an entire village.

    There is also the possibility that I was reborn as one of them; if so, and I hope I''m wrong, it would mean that I died and won''t be able to go home, which terrifies me, but it would also mean that this was my future and new family, and they were murdered. Possibly, my parents are in some of those houses in ashes, and I don''t know what to think and feel about that.

    I hear the same sounds that GrrGrrr made when we were together; I know they mean sadness, however, unlike the last time I accompanied him thinking about my humanity and my life being taken away, something deep within me made me feel... sadness? Anger? Not for my losses, not for the injustice that occurred here, which I know happened and am aware of, but because I feel they hurt something valuable to me, even though I don''t know what it is; it''s as if it were something mine and not mine at the same time, it feels strange, just like being in this body; however, setting that aside, I focus on accompanying the sadness of my only friend and even possible littermate brother, as it is a possibility that it could be so, for which I wouldn''t mind being part of, although a part of me makes me feel that thinking this way feels strange, because I am human, right? What is happening to me?

 The cave - Return II

    I must calm down. It''s natural to feel empathy for these creatures; one of them saved me and I owe my new life to it. Whether I like it or not, he has even tried to help me despite not being able to communicate with him. He hasn''t left me to my own devices; wanting to support him is something normal from a human perspective, right? I don''t know why I expect someone to answer yes, but anyway, we stayed for a while until we recovered physically and emotionally.

    We began to walk cautiously through the village or what was left of it, everything is burned, suddenly I see it, another creature like us on the ground, I call GrrGrrr, he immediately walks to where the body is and I follow him, upon reaching the creature the first thing I confirm is that it is dead, how do I know, well all the blood surrounding it, the wound in its chest where I suppose its heart should be and of course the fact that it doesn''t breathe; taking advantage of the moment I confirm that we must be infants, not that I doubted it after hatching, but this creature is bigger than us, I suppose it is an adult, since it is just like us, only it has a horn that comes out from the back of its head, which tells me that we will grow horns too, I hope it doesn''t hurt, and above all I hope to be able to return to my home before they grow, if that is even possible to return or if this is a dream, I don''t want to experience whether it hurts or not.

    Returning to the creature''s size, well, calculating with us that we don''t even reach the man''s knee, this adult would at least reach the waist, maybe 1 meter or a little more. Anyway, that doesn''t matter now, as GrrGrrr places his claw on the chest of the dead creature and utters what I suppose will be some kind of prayer. I don''t really know if these creatures have any gods, but, well, I simply accompany him in silence and wish him a good journey where he finds peace.

    We kept walking and searching for anything that could be useful to us, which so far was nothing; everything was destroyed. We came across more corpses and GrrGrrr did the same thing of placing his claw on his chest and reciting what must be a prayer, as after hearing it several times I caught that he emits the same tone of growls and whistles. I think I''m understanding their language a little better, although I''m far from being able to even understand it.

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    We also found some bodies that I think are human; however, GrrGrrr always tried to keep us away from them and growled at them. While I was curious to see them and check if there was anything useful for us, I dismissed it for two reasons: I don''t have the stomach to see a torn and mutilated human body; it''s not that I wouldn''t be bothered by seeing the same with my new species, but just a few hours ago I was human. The second was that I didn''t want to raise suspicions in GrrGrrr, that he might see that I had any sympathy for those who destroyed his village.

    We kept walking until we reached the place where we came out, that is, where I arrived in this world and this life. I don''t feel well, I feel like my torment began here. Why me? Before I could continue down that line of thought, GrrGrrr calls me by my pseudonym for the first time.

    I think this is the entrance to this place; I suppose it was where they laid the eggs, as to my horror I observe several destroyed and burned. GrrGrrr begins to check the intact eggs; although I know it''s useless, as I almost ended up like them if I hadn''t gotten out, I still help him look for any survivors, but in the end, we don''t find any survivors, only death.

    I know it''s hard for me to feel the same sadness that GrrGrrr feels; however, when I compare it to what it is, an infanticide, I am horrified and I ask myself: why? And that feeling of anger, rage, and sadness wells up again, but I suppress it because, while I know that what happened here is horrible, those feelings are not mine. I empathize with GrrGrrr and with his pain, but those feelings are not mine. What''s happening to me? I am still me, right? I won''t forget who I am? Or will I? I was entering an existential dilemma, but GrrGrrr calls me for the second time and I know it must be important, so I immediately attend to his call and leave my existential issues for later.

    Arriving where he is, I see him next to another body of another adult, only that he is in a position that indicates he was trying to protect the eggs and even has some cradled, although they are also destroyed; I suppose he was the one who took care of this place or tried to protect them. Unlike the other bodies, this one is larger, its head has a more developed horn, and its scales are thicker than those of the other adults we have seen. Why is it different? And why does GrrGrrr look more restless?

 The cave - Return III

    GrrGrrr approaches the body cautiously; I suppose he will also say the prayer, so I stand beside him in silence and wait. However, to my surprise, he takes my hand and makes me place it on the adult''s chest. Oh crap, I think he expects me to pray this time, along with him; I try to pull my hand away, but he puts it back again. I don''t feel good doing this; I try to remove it and he puts it back and says my name and his while we have our hands on his chest. It can''t be! Could it be that ¡­? No, no, no, no, he pronounces our names and makes the same sounds of sadness. Of all the corpses we came across, he only paid his respects, but this one is different; maybe because.......................... or my God, what should I feel and do in this situation if it''s what I suspect?

    What do I do? GrrGrrr insists that we have to pray together, and I think he''s trying to explain something to me that, for obvious reasons, I don''t understand, but that doesn''t mean I don''t suspect what he''s trying to tell me, family! I have to assume that this reptile is one of our parents! It sounds strange just thinking about it, very strange, to be honest; I already had parents, they raised me, taught me what they could, they weren''t perfect, just humans with virtues and flaws; I loved them and they loved me, but this reptile........................... I can''t; this is too much. I think I''m about to panic again; don''t get me wrong, I knew this could happen, if I was reborn and I''m still hoping it won''t, but if it''s possible, I have to come out from somewhere and I knew we could find them, but I''m not ready to accept this; I''m afraid that, by doing so, it will mean I''m accepting this new life and that I''ll never be able to go back. I don''t want to lose that hope, I want to return to my home, to my life.

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    GrrGrrr knows I''m panicking, or at least that I''m going through what happened to me in the rift, and is trying to help me. What''s happening to me? I must be the most pathetic person in the world, panicking over something I can''t control and scaring and refusing to help the only being who has been helping me since I arrived in this hell.

    I promised myself to return the favor and earn his trust; and what do I do? I try to distance myself and leave him alone in his anguish, besides making him worry more about me. Damn! I''m pathetic! The adult here is me, or at least in mind and spirit.

    I begin to calm down, breathing little by little. If this reptile is one of our parents, well, nothing changes who I am. I don''t know if I will ever be able to return to my old life, but if not, I must move forward, even if it hurts, and even if I don''t want to. Life is the greatest gift, it has its ups and downs, but that''s what living is about, and I will fight for this life and the one before it, if that''s what it takes; I will not give up, nor lose hope.

    He finally managed to calm me down and tried to apologize to GrrGrrr, although I don''t think he understands me. I took his hand and, together with mine, placed them on the chest of someone I assume, if not one of our parents, at least must be someone important to him; I hope to ask him someday.

    For the moment, I wait for him to begin his prayer, and I try as much as possible to repeat the same sounds, although it is difficult for me. GrrGrrr takes his time to correct me; in the end, we stand up and, at least on my part, I pray another prayer for whoever my reptilian father was or wasn''t, but beyond that, whoever he was, he was someone who gave his life to protect children, and that says a lot.

 The cave - Recount

    After continuing to check the eggs just in case, we leave the place, without any success of any other survivor; GrrGrrr approaches the adult''s body for the last time, says something and we leave. I wish I could understand him. I turn my head before leaving this place, having thousands of questions.

    Recapitulating a little everything that has happened and hoping to be wrong, but aware that I must also accept everything once and for all, it seems that yes, I was reborn as a biped reptile.

    These beings, taking GrrGrrr as a reference, are intelligent and express emotions like a human being; possibly their customs and way of seeing the world will be different, but until I communicate properly with GrrGrrr I cannot assume anything else.

    I am almost sure that I am not on Earth; although there are humans, this type of cavemen and intelligent biped reptiles makes me think that I am in another world, like those in fantasy. I really don''t know, since I wasn''t a big fan of those stories; it could also be a post-apocalyptic Earth from my future, which would explain humans and maybe we are the results of experiments. Damn! This is very complicated; I''ll have to wait until I explore this world better before thinking about these crazy theories.

    As for me, "reincarnation" is a concept from some religions that I remember and that I wasn''t, and I''m not practically, but, anyway, beyond that I couldn''t assume more, thinking that someone or something swallowed me, or that this is what happens when you die; how the hell do I look for answers to that? I remember that voice before I got here and when I was asleep; maybe it has answers, although from its tone and words it wasn''t very happy with me. It will be about being prepared when I go back to sleep.

    Speaking of sleeping, maybe I''m dreaming. I know that because of everything I''ve been through this possibility is far away, but if I were in a coma and my soul, I don''t know, astrally left and fell into this body, it would mean that I could still come back. Why do I think about that? you might ask. Well, at least in that dream I had I still saw myself as a human, and I even still feel like I''m piloting this body and that''s why I feel strange, although it could be explained by going from being a human to a bipedal reptile, with its clear physical differences, it''s to be expected that I feel strange: snout, tail, claws, legs, lightning! I think anyone would feel strange.

    As for myself, I have my memories of my previous life, I remember my family and friends, my work, I think everything; I know that I came home to sleep, but up to that point, I don''t remember anything else. If it was that I died, I don''t remember; in fact, nothing between lying down in my bed and waking up in that egg with this body.

    Speaking of this body, I know that I have said more than once that it feels strange, but at the same time, I can move naturally; I think it''s by instinct, I don''t know, but at least it''s better this way than not being able to move.

    There are also those feelings that I know weren''t mine, are they part of something instinctive maybe? I have empathy for what happened to GrrGrrr people, and of course I see it as unfair, but those feelings were more than that; I hope not to lose my identity and forget who I was, it''s not that human life was the best in the world, but it was my life, they are my memories and I appreciate them, and I don''t want to forget them, so for now I will be constantly vigilant if I start to think or share myself differently, maybe when I manage to find a way to communicate with GrrGrrr, I can tell him to help me with that; of course without telling him anything about my origin, this for two reasons that I think are obvious, the first is that I was human and with what I''ve seen so far I don''t think GrrGrrr would appreciate being with someone who claims to have been human, I feel bad having to lie to him but I think it''s for the best for now; and second maybe he thinks I''m crazy; Regardless of which of the two he thinks or any other option, I don''t want to be alone or create distrust between the two.

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    There is also, and no less important, the thing about GrrGrrr and his people, reptilian people! Wow, that sounds crazy! However, if they are able to build a town, it means that they have a culture and everything that entails. I don''t know if there are other towns that we can reach and that accept us, but thinking about living with them, I don''t know, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. maybe I''m thinking too far ahead.

    But going back to where I was thinking, as far as I know, we are infants, although if all their hatchlings already know how to talk, have knowledge, and the level of intelligence that GrrGrrr has, well, I can only say "incredible"; it would also partly explain why he is not surprised that I show intelligence, although I get the impression that he expects something more from me or doesn''t understand why I can''t talk like him; then there''s the issue of the larger bodies we found, which I suppose are adults, and considering their height, we are not a large race, this compared to the human beings we encountered, and there''s the question of reptile dad or mom, are they of the same race or a variant or sub-race?

    And I can''t help but think, even though the question about my gender is uncomfortable. I hope to remain male; I already have enough with being a bipedal reptile without them also changing my gender, but that will have to wait, since, just like the reptiles I remember, their reproductive organs are internal; I couldn''t tell any difference between males and females either. This thing about the bodies we found, although mutilated and burned bodies, wasn''t exactly a good reference either, but, well, I''ll figure it out when the time comes.

    And finally, there are the humans and what happened here; as for the humans, for now, I must be cautious. Of course, I would like to be able to talk to someone, eat something decent, and see how these humans live and their technological level. I know they had clothes, which I believe were armor and swords, but that''s about it. They must have some form of government, but from what they did here and how they tried to kill me, I know I must be cautious.

    On their part, what they did here is clearly a massacre or an extermination; could it be that they are at war or was it retaliation for something these reptiles did? But reaching this extreme, I don''t know, could it be that humans don''t see them as sentient beings or that they did or are doing things similar to what happened here in human towns? The truth is, I don''t know; regardless of what triggered this conflict, it cannot justify the destruction of an entire village; damn it! Who am I kidding, I know what humans are capable of doing, but I also know that we are capable of dialogue and I hope this ability is present in this world.

    So many questions, so many hypotheses and possibilities. My head hurts from thinking so much, but I know I have to do it; at least for now, I''ll try to find answers, but first, I need to keep looking for something we can use or some kind of food. I''m starving! If not, we''ll have to hunt something and I have no idea how to do that or what to look for; not to mention not knowing what creatures are here and where we stand in the food chain. We need some kind of tool or weapon.

    Lost in my thoughts and searching through the burned remains of another house, for the third time I hear GrrGrrr say my name, I mean pseudonym, oh damn it! who cares, the point is that he calls me. We had separated to cover more area; it didn''t seem like a good idea to me, but it wasn''t like we were getting too far apart either. He keeps repeating it, over and over. He found something and it must be important. I must hurry!

 The Cave - Possibilities I

    How many possibilities are there of being reincarnated as an intelligent bipedal reptile? I have no idea, but what are the chances of someone surviving an extermination attempt? Well, I don''t know that either. However, before my eyes, GrrGrrr tries to help what I believe must be an adult of our species; he is injured and has several debris on top of him. I stand there observing and thinking about the new possibilities that open up for us with him, but GrrGrrr brings me back and I don''t need to be an expert in his language and gestures to know that he is saying: Don''t just stand there, help me!

    Immediately, I start removing some debris; the adult reptile looks disoriented. I see as we gradually remove everything covering it; several wounds and burns, one wound located on its right leg, and without being a doctor, I know it doesn''t look good; what do we do? Of course, helping him is the right thing to do, but what else can we do? I don''t know anything about first aid. The adult says something in the same growls that GrrGrrr makes, causing him to run towards some rubble. Did he ask him to look for something? What do I do? I look back at the adult who is watching me and makes the same growls again, pointing to where GrrGrrr is. He must do something there and wants us to look for it, but what? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, whatever! And I go where GrrGrrr is and start looking for I don''t know what, maybe some kind of first aid kit?

    While searching, I find a kind of glass bottles and point them out to GrrGrrr. He nods, I think, with joy, as he takes all he can and brings them to the adult; I do the same with the ones that are left. The adult says something again and takes one of the bottles and drinks from it; another one he pours on his wounds, mainly on his injured leg. This confirms it, it must be some kind of medicine; he then speaks to GrrGrrr again, who pays him full attention. For the moment, I can only wait and see what GrrGrrr does, since I don''t understand anything. I feel useless again. Damn!

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    In the end, the adult starts to get up and GrrGrrr, takes the remaining jars and follows him, and of course, I do the same; the adult walks limping and we both follow him. Emerging from the rubble, I try to get a better look at the adult; it is still bleeding, part of its tail is missing, and I think it lost an eye. Poor thing, it''s a mess; out of nowhere, it starts making a series of growls I''ve never heard before, but that GrrGrrr also starts to make. Could it be some kind of call? Could they be screaming? Is there anyone alive around here! The truth is, I don''t know, but I''m worried that this will attract humans again or anything else. We are already at our limit, he is very injured and we haven''t eaten anything, and at least for me, I feel the effects of the lack of food and, added to everything that has happened to us, the truth is that I am at my limit.

    The adult stops, but GrrGrrr keeps making the sounds; then I see him staring at me, oh no! Is he expecting me to make those same sounds? The truth is, they are very different from the ones GrrGrrr has taught me, and I don''t think I can imitate them, not without practice; just then, the adult approaches me, looks at me with greater attention, emits new growls, and waits. What do I do?

    I was paralyzed, I didn''t know what to do. He makes the same sounds again, or so I think; honestly, I don''t know. What does he expect me to do? I didn''t think this through. When we brought him in, I thought that with him we would have a better chance of surviving and maybe finding some answers, but if the fact that he can''t understand his language means something bad for me, I don''t know their customs, I don''t know anything about these creatures. GrrGrrr accepts and helps me because he is like a child; maybe he doesn''t understand everything and that''s why he helps me, but this adult, what will he think of me?

 The cave - Possibilities II

    What does he expect me to do? I repeat to myself over and over; he just looks at me, waiting for something from me, while making those sounds that must be some language, I am far from understanding, but what if he rejects me for some strange custom! That their offspring are born with the ability to understand and speak their language or who knows! But he rejects me! I would be alone and my chances of survival would plummet. I desperately try to make the same sounds that got me into this predicament, but combined with the fear of failing and my lack of practice, the sounds I make don''t even come close to what they were making, and he just watches me with more doubts. What do I do?

    In that moment, GrrGrrr appears out of nowhere like an angel brought from heaven, or at least I hope so. He starts talking to him, I suppose about me and my evident lack of speech and communication skills. He only occasionally turns to look at me and continues listening to GrrGrrr; occasionally, he emits sounds to which GrrGrrr responds without hesitation, and now I know they are communicating in their language. I just stand there paralyzed, hoping for the best; please, be understanding, I am one of their offspring! For the first time since I woke up here in this world, I hope to be considered what I am now, a bipedal lizard hatchling.

    GrrGrrr approaches me, touches my chest, and says my pseudonym, which I think raises more doubts and questions for the adult. It''s so difficult to read a lizard''s expressions, and what a terrible mistake it was to invent a name based on my previous human language; GrrGrrr touches his chest and looks at me, I think he expects me to say his name, so I do, and thus it begins, I don''t know if it''s a game of touching my chest and saying my pseudonym and touching his chest and saying his name.

    In the end, the adult, who doesn''t seem very convinced, speaks to GrrGrrr again while pointing at me, and I just think: what are the chances of being reborn into a species where if a child isn''t born knowing how to speak, it''s a problem? For God''s sake, what possibilities! And why is this happening to me? I am trying to help and survive. What harm am I doing, please?

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    Without further ado, the adult approaches me, touches my head, and continues to observe and examine me. Out of nowhere, he opens his tooth-filled maw in front of me. Oh God, it wants to eat me! They are cannibals with the offspring that are born with some deformity! which in my case is not being able to speak. Without thinking, I throw some of the recent ones I have and try to flee; but he grabs me, I try to free myself, but he is stronger and bigger, and he presses me to the ground. I try to do anything to try to free myself, but it''s all in vain; then I see GrrGrrr in front of me and see him open his mouth: No! do you also want to eat me? It''s the only thing I manage to think; however, he only repeats the motion of opening his mouth, and then I finally realize my mistake, as the adult, while holding me down with one hand, examines GrrGrrr''s mouth and throat with the other. Damn! How embarrassing! I was just trying to see if I had any problem with my throat, asking me to open my mouth and, instead, I threw a bottle at him and made all this drama.

    With the greatest embarrassment in the world, I stand still while he frees me, I get up and open my mouth. If he had doubts about me before, I don''t want to think about it now, I''m an idiot! However, he just keeps examining me and talking to me. In the end, he just gets up as best he can due to his wounds, looks at me, puts his hand on his chest, and pronounces what I think is his name. GrrGrrr does the same with the same pride as always and says his. So, I do the same and pronounce mine. I think in the end, he accepts me, so at this moment my chances are back in my favor; thank God! Although I still feel extremely embarrassed for thinking they were cannibals, I''ll take this to my second grave without a doubt. Meanwhile, we continue the search for more survivors.

 The cave - What remains

    We continued searching through what was left of the village and finding more corpses. Both GrrGrrr and the adult recite what I now believe to be a prayer. I try to do the same, but quickly stop, as I think it is not right to intrude on this ritual if I don''t even understand what they are saying or if I am disrespecting their dead by saying it myself. However, GrrGrrr approaches me and accompanies me to recite the prayer, correcting me. Of course, the adult watches us, but anyway, I think it would be foolish to try to hide my already evident lack of mastery of their language. The best I can do is show that I am willing to learn, and as for the dead, I will do it with the utmost respect possible and hope they understand my situation.

    GrrGrrr accompanies me whenever he can, but when he can''t, I try to do it alone. To my great surprise, every time it ended like that, the adult would come up to me. I am still afraid that he wants to harm me, but it was only to correct me in the prayer; if I pronounced something wrong, he made me repeat it again. This confirms it for me, and it must be obvious that this ritual is important in their culture.

    In the end, all we found was death, although the adult picked up some things and placed them in a kind of cloth he used as a bag. He started talking to GrrGrrr and pointed out our route when we entered the village; so, we retraced our steps. I suppose he wants to make sure we didn''t overlook something, I don''t blame him, to him we are just kids.

    When we turn back, all I can think about is all this death; it''s still hard for me to process it, not just the fact of this massacre itself, but that it''s just the three of us left. What will we do? What do we have left? At least for my part, it will be to be with them and try to learn as much as I can; besides, I am worried about the adult. I know he is very injured; I occasionally see him staggering and taking breaks to catch his breath; I hope he doesn''t die. I know we haven''t had the best relationship or impression in this short time of knowing each other, but he has helped us, and besides, I see that GrrGrrr looks more lively. I don''t blame him; he must feel more secure with an adult of his own kind.

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    In the end, we arrived at the nest or the place where the eggs were. I see the adult kneel in front of the body of mom or dad reptile and also look again at the destroyed and burned eggs. At first, he does nothing, not a sound; but suddenly he begins with a low, sad sound in his throat that gradually builds up until it ends in a roar, if I can call it that, since I have never in my life heard anything even remotely similar. It''s like a combination of sadness and anger; it''s the best description I can give. In the end, he just stays there kneeling and dejected. How can I blame him? His entire village was destroyed; GrrGrrr approaches him and begins, I suppose, to speak to him. He just nods and calls me; I also approach, and upon reaching us, he places a hand on each of our heads and says something that I wish I could understand, but I suppose we are all he has left, or at least that''s the impression I get.

    The adult, once satisfied with talking to us, sits down next to mom or dad reptile; they look very exhausted. He speaks to GrrGrrr again, it''s not clear to me, but I think he wants him to look for something; because just like the first time, he goes out to search through the rubble. What will it be now? More jars than the ones we found at the beginning? I still don''t understand his language at all, but I think the tone was different when he growled and whistled; then he looks at me again, I see him take a deep breath and pause there, I suppose he doesn''t know how to explain to me what to look for.

 The cave - Coexistence I

    After a while and after the adult unsuccessfully tried to explain to me what to look for in his language, and given the complete lack of progress we had, he just stood there, lost in thought. In that, he calls GrrGrrr again; I suppose he hopes that GrrGrrr can communicate with me, since we''ve been together longer. In that, I remember making drawings with GrrGrrr; maybe he can draw me what to look for, GrrGrrr used to make drawings, although I didn''t understand them, it''s to be expected that this adult should know how to draw. So, I start by drawing us and this place; I hope he understands that not being able to speak or understand his language doesn''t mean I''m stupid.

    I finish my supposed drawing, to which the adult just keeps looking. I point to his drawing and then I point to him. I do the same with GrrGrrr''s, mine, and other objects I tried to draw from this place; I still find it hard to see any expression on his lizard face, but I think he is somewhat impressed or at least curious.

    He talks to me again, but I''m the same as before, I don''t understand anything. In the end, I think he makes a gesture as if he is confused, touches his head, and sighs. I''m not an expert, but he must definitely be wondering why I''m different; but in the end, he draws a square; finally! I think I can communicate with them or at least with him, even if it''s through drawings; I suppose that''s what he wants us to look for, something square! And luckily, I think I know what it is and where it is.

    When we were here for the second time, I had noticed a square stone on top of a stone slab. I assumed it was some kind of chest or mini vault. However, no matter how much I tried to move it, I couldn''t; it was too heavy, and even when I showed it to GrrGrrr, he didn''t pay attention because he was focused on searching for survivors in the eggs. In the end, I thought that maybe we would find something to try to move it, some lever or whatever; but now, to my luck and curiosity, this adult I think is what was being sought. Finally, I have something I can help with. I can show this adult that we can communicate and that I can be useful, but also find out what''s inside, and hopefully, whatever''s inside can be of great use to us.

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    Next, I take the adult by the hand and try to get them to follow. Faced with his refusal and doubt, I point to the square he drew and indicate where I know that tile is. I just hope to God I don''t make a mistake and mess things up! He struggles to stand up again and follows me. Upon reaching the slab, I think I see a look of happiness on his face that this is indeed what he was asking us to look for. With effort, he bends down and moves the slab, and yes, it was a kind of mini vault. I try to see what''s inside, but I only see more containers with liquids inside, a kind of dagger, but whose blade, at the risk of being mistaken, is a tooth? There are also what I think are stone tablets with something written on them. So, they have some kind of writing! It''s not that I didn''t suspect it, but more than that, this opens up more possibilities for me to communicate with them. I think it will be easier for me to learn to write and read than to make those sounds to speak.

    The adult takes everything out and puts it in their bag. GrrGrrr constantly talks to him, to which the adult responds; I suppose he didn''t know about this dish, even when I showed it to him, he didn''t show any interest. This only brings me more doubts. It seems that GrrGrrr doesn''t know everything, but why does he know some things and not others? I say he knows how to talk, he knew where the crack was, he knows how to pray, draw, and who knows what else; but well, it''s also that he is a child, I still don''t know if he was born before me, since we are almost the same size, but all this brings me more questions than answers.

 The cave - Coexistence II

    The adult takes everything out and puts it away, but also goes back to take more of the brews; both GrrGrrr and I watch him. Damn! I''m so thirsty and hungry; he keeps watching us and takes out and opens two containers with a liquid different from the one he took and gives us one each; finally, something to drink!

    At first, I try to smell it to figure out what it is; but seeing GrrGrr drink his immediately and start asking the adult for more, combined with my terrible thirst, made me set aside my precautions; besides, why would they give us something that would harm us? And GrrGrr definitely liked it, so I tried it with my tongue. I don''t know how to describe its flavor; it was somewhat simple, but it didn''t taste bad, although it wasn''t the best, I''ve ever tried either. But who am I to complain in these circumstances? It was hard and felt strange to drink it, since now I have a snout; besides, it''s the first thing I''ve ingested since I woke up in this strange body, but I guess I''ll have to get used to it.

    The adult pulls me out of my thoughts as he calls my nickname, and I see that he is offering me another drink of the same. I notice that GrrGrrr is also drinking his with happiness; I approach and try to thank him, but I suppose my growls make no sense to him, as he just looks at me with doubt. I hope I didn''t say something stupid in his language.

    In the end, he managed to quench my thirst and put something in my stomach, although I''m still hungry; I think I can handle it better. For his part, the time spent together drinking was pleasant. Seeing GrrGrrr and the adult talk was like watching a man giving a gift to a child, while the child asked him thousands of questions; of course, putting aside the scaly skin, tails, and claws, it seemed somewhat human to me. It was a bit of peace in this madness I had awakened to, it was knowing that I wouldn''t be alone in all of this.

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    Before leaving, the adult tried to tell me something, but when I showed that I still didn''t understand, they decided to draw it. It was something oval-shaped, an egg? But there are several here! How to know which one he wants, but before my doubts increase, he points to the drawn egg and points to me, ahhhhhh! You want to know where my egg is, or at least the shell; I suppose? And while he does that, he takes out one of the tablets, shows it to me, and says something; while pointing at the drawing and me, honestly, I don''t know what wax, but so far, he has only helped us, besides, he is an adult, he must know something more; so, I go in search of where I think what was left of my egg should be. Damn! It sounds so strange to say that, but, anyway. Upon arriving where I think it should be, the memories of everything that happened to me flash through my mind. Why am I here and why me? Questions that I know I am far from having any answer to.

    In the end, I manage to find not much, but something of my egg. It''s somewhat burnt, of course; when I give it to the adult, he takes a piece, the least burnt one, and gives the rest to me. I don''t know what he expects me to do with a burnt eggshell that left me traumatized. To keep it as a memento! Anyway, I just hold it; while he tries to explain something to me, touching the piece of shell with the tablet, but in the end, he keeps them; well! I don''t know what he wants to do, but I guess I''ll have to wait to find out.

    GrrGrrr, who had also gone to look for something in my direction; had returned. I thought he would help me look for my shell, but no, he was searching a bit further away. I thought maybe he was searching incorrectly, since I was sure of the place I was looking for; and even when I growled at him and pointed to my egg, he kept searching the same way, and yes, in the end, he came back with another shell, which I''m almost sure isn''t mine, but his, and he shows it to the adult.

 The cave - Coexistence III

    The adult touches GrrGrrr''s head and says something that makes him take my hand and lead me to where the body of mom or dad reptile is; if I''m not mistaken, upon arriving, he places the shell he carries next to his body and watches me, to which I also place my shell. This only increases my suspicions of the hypothesis that this lizard is either our father or mother, and if not, at the very least, we must be related, or we owe them in some way for being alive. Also, the fact that GrrGrrr carried and searched for this shell means it is his. This would mean that yes, he is a newborn like me; so, he was indeed born with all those abilities he has; could he be reincarnated like me? No, and if it is, at least it''s not human; since its behavior, despite some similarities, is not entirely human; Damn! As soon as I can communicate, I will have to clarify these doubts and others with GrrGrrr or with the adult. Speaking of the adult, he arrived shortly after us; I forget that he is still injured and his mobility is limited. He, just like us, approaches the body, places his claw on the chest of mom or dad reptile, which GrrGrrr also does and I repeat.

    I keep waiting for someone to start the ritual or prayer, even though we''ve already done it; I suppose for them it must be someone important. For my part, I still find it strange to think of him or her as my father or mother. At the very least, I know I owe him respect, not only because I owe him in some way my new and strange life, but also for GrrGrrr and the adult. The three of us fell silent; then I noticed that they were both watching me. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Of course! They expect me to do it; well, in an unwelcome manner, I have practiced, I think, enough, so I start and they follow me. When the one I believe is a prayer for the deceased ended, both GrrGrrr and the adult say and express their respects and sadness; I, on my part, only pray internally, thanking him for any help he may have given us and wishing him peace.

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    Before we leave and continue with this new and strange life, I point to myself and say my pseudonym, I do the same with the names of the adult and GrrGrrr, and finally, I point to mom or dad reptile and wait; the adult understands since I avoided a sound and touches mom or dad reptile, and I repeat it a couple of times until I can, I think, say it correctly; GrrGrrr also does it with the same pride, if not more, by saying his name; the truth is, I wanted to know his name for two reasons, first out of respect and second to try to find answers, since if he is one of our parents, he or she is physically different, as far as I can see none of the three of us look alike, but anyway, these will be questions I hope to have answers to later; in the meantime, we just move away, with a feeling of sadness from them, and a thousand questions from me; although deep down, I also feel sadness.

    GrrGrr takes us to the crack where we escaped and hid to show it to the adult; after that, the adult decides to rest for now near the crack; I think they think it''s the safest place for us, in case we need it. Next, he takes out of his bag a kind of segmented balls he had collected; there are five, and they fit in the palm of his hand; they look like a grapefruit. The truth is, I didn''t pay much attention to it; maybe it''s some kind of fruit or food! I hope that''s the case, I''m starving! I think they are Oh, no! No!! No!! No! One was created, did it move? And to my horror, the one that moved was taken by the adult and with its claws, it opened it, and if it''s some kind of insect, I hope it doesn''t expect us to eat that! He checks the others and opens them, but I suppose they are dead since they didn''t move; they possibly died in the fire, but that''s the least of my concerns, because without a doubt and to my horror, I think I''m seeing our dinner.

 The Cave - Fire

    The adult begins to search the nearby rubble, I think for wood; GrrGrr and I immediately help him. Next, he starts stacking the wood, which seems to me like he wants to make a campfire. Next, he places the insects, all on their shells on the ground and spread out; once done, he says something to us again, and I wait to see what GrrGrrr does, but he does nothing, just watches him, which I also do; then the adult leans towards the fire and out of nowhere starts spewing what? Fire from his mouth? and this in turn ignites the wood we found, starting to cook the insects.

    I am left astounded, so yes, we are dragons! Or at least something similar; my idea of a dragon is related to the images of Western and Eastern dragons, from my world and previous life, and I know that each has different characteristics and legends, but I don''t remember any dragon that looked like us; however, breathing fire, I think, tips the scale a bit more in favor of the idea that we are more than just simple bipedal reptiles.

    GrrGrrr tries to imitate what the adult did, but nothing comes out; it might be that we are still very young, but spitting fire would not only be incredible, but also very useful, as we would be our own mobile lighters; we could start a campfire whenever we need it and we could also defend ourselves with fire.

    GrrGrrr keeps practicing, so I decide to join him; I no longer want to fall behind in the possibility of breathing fire. The adult watches us and then calls us over and shows us again how it''s done; this time I watch closely, since I can''t ask him; however, what I see confuses me, as it all starts with a small sphere that appears inside his mouth and then he expels the fire. Did that sphere trigger the fiery explosion? And where did that sphere come from and what is it made of?

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    GrrGrrr has the advantage of asking him and doesn''t waste it, and I, not wanting to fall behind, start drawing, hoping he understands me; when GrrGrrr finishes speaking and I suppose asking him how to breathe fire, he starts trying again, but without success. I draw the adult''s attention to a drawing of their head, the sphere, and the flames; I try to emphasize from the sphere to the flames; I try to make them understand, "How do you do that?" Where does it come from? How do you produce it? These are the questions I hope he understands.

    I know that energy is neither created nor destroyed, it only transforms; so that way of producing fire must follow that universal principle, that ball of energy must come from somewhere and then some kind of reaction must trigger the rest; that''s all, I think. He shows us a couple more times, and it''s the same: a small ball of energy appears and then flames follow; I consider the possibility that this energy might be magic! It''s what I remember from fantasy worlds, and if I''m in such a world, it might be possible; I still believe, even if it were magic, that it must have some scientific explanation or at least be governed by some natural principle, but I suppose I''ll have to wait to find out, since I still have the language barrier; and besides, I think our food is ready, because a not-so-unpleasant smell is starting to come from the campfire.

 The cave - Its not a dream.

    Magic! The idea captivates me, the possibilities! Meanwhile, my imagination soars, and for the first time, I believe my mind and body align with my new age; as I feel like a child dreaming. But reality is reality, and in my grasp, I have that reality¡ªan insect cooked over the fire! I must admit it doesn''t smell that bad; I watch as GrrGrrr, simply with his snout, tears off pieces of the fleshy part and devours them, not even chewing, just swallowing. The adult, for his part, begins removing the exoskeleton with his claws, which I imitate, and honestly, I don''t even know why I do it; I think I''m just trying to waste time because I know it''s inevitable; I need to eat; but why must a cooked insect be my first meal! it''s not fair! Could this be our main source of food? I pray that it isn''t; I understand that food is food, and my body knows it because my mouth is salivating as if demanding: hurry up!

    The adult pulls me out of my thoughts and swaps my insect for theirs, now without an exoskeleton, so there''s no excuse; without thinking any further and with hunger besieging me, I simply bite it and swallow it whole. It was a bit difficult to do that, having to eat with a snout feels strange and different, just like when I tried to drink that liquid, they gave us; however, for now, I try to focus on the insect I''m trying to eat. It has a gummy consistency, its flavor was similar to... chicken? to my pleasant surprise; with my next bite, I try to chew it to savor it better, but I realize that I no longer have molars, I suppose I will have to get used to swallowing my food whole.

    I had just finished eating when I saw GrrGrrr approach the adult and lie down next to him; it had been a second very exhausting day both physically and mentally, I still don''t know if it''s day or night or if two days have already passed, but I know that at least several hours have passed, I wonder if the day will also last 24 hours or if it will be different; at that moment I start to nod off, the fatigue and the full stomach want to take me to the world of dreams, although I wish this were the dream and I would wake up in my bed, I know that from good to bad I must be realistic and be aware of my situation as much as possible in case I can get some answers while I sleep; I still remember that voice and I intend to try to find answers; but before falling asleep the adult calls me; still drowsy, I approach him and to my surprise, he picks me up and places me next to GrrGrrr, I appreciate the gesture, but it feels a bit strange to be treated like a child, but anyway, while I slowly fall back into the world of dreams, the adult takes out what I think is the same tablet he showed me in the nest and tries to explain something, obviously, I don''t understand, but I suppose something must be related to me in some way that I still don''t know, however, it will be for later, as little by little I fall into the world of dreams.

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    Where am I? It''s dark, was it all a dream? No; it''s not a dream; I wish it were, but it''s not; I still hold some hope, but I am aware of ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­; aware? Can one be aware in a dream? Not that I remember or that I had any experience before all this; a lucid dream? No, it''s more than that.

    - Hello! Heeelllooooo! Strange voice, can you hear me, I have many questions, could you help me? Please! What silence! If you want something from me, I''m listening.

    Nothing, I continue what could be described as floating in the darkness; I feel my hands without claws, I don''t feel a tail, and my legs are normal; I''m human! What''s happening?

    - Can anyone hear me? Help! Please! I just want to go home! And if not, at least... I just want to understand what''s going on!

    I''m starting to get scared and, what if I get trapped in this darkness? No, I must calm down, think, I need answers, some clue, but what?

    - Voice, if I somehow offended you, I apologize, it was never my intention!

    I still have nothing, just darkness and emptiness; getting angry or scared won''t help me.

    - Well, if at any point you want to talk, I think I''ll be coming back every time I sleep; I hope we get along!

    <u>- You don''t understand, human; but you will understand, you will never be worthy.</u>

    - Wait! But I begin to fall into darkness again.

 The cave - It hasnt finished.

    - Breigon! Breigon!

    Who is calling me? Where am I? In that moment, I open my eyes and see myself next to GrrGrrr, being carried in the arms of the adult, who looks very agitated while carrying us; I see fear in GrrGrrr''s eyes. I try to compose myself and understand what''s happening; we were sleeping and why are we like fleeing and from what? I try to ask, but only those same strange growls and whistles come out, yet I think the adult responded to me, although what I believe most is that they were trying to calm me down; but, damn it! Not being able to speak or understand their language is so frustrating! But then I hear them, behind us, and I know that what happened in that village is not over, with us.

    Humans! It''s the same language I heard when we fled the first time; but why and how? Somehow, while we were still asleep, the humans returned and we are fleeing from them. Am I such a heavy sleeper that I didn''t wake up? That''s the least of our worries now; if the humans catch us, they will undoubtedly kill us. Think! Think! What can I do?

    I try to move and look around, but the adult hugs us tighter. While he tries to keep running, I feel his rapid breathing and his worry when he turns to look at us. His walking is becoming slower and more erratic. We''re going to die here! Why do they hate us? If only I could talk to them! Would it be of any use or would they always kill us?.....................................

    It''s not fair, I know I haven''t even been with GrrGrrr and the adult for two days, but they are not bad people or lizards, or whatever they are! They have helped me, they know how to show affection and have feelings, they suffer the losses of their loved ones, I''ve seen them show sympathy, joy, sadness, pain, it''s not fair! It''s not fair! I know they have helped me because they think I am one of them, but, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ but, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ it''s so frustrating not being able to help!

    In that, I remember what the voice said: "You don''t understand, human; but you will understand........................" That voice knew this was happening. The feeling of floating was that the adult was carrying me in their arms. Is it because I still feel human in my soul that this is happening to us? Is it because I remember my other life that GrrGrrr and this adult are going to die? Is it all my fault? They are not to blame; take me instead, not them! I tell myself internally, as if anyone could hear my plea! But it becomes even clearer to me that no one listens to it, and it becomes even clearer when we reach the edge of what seems to me like a cliff.

    That''s it! it''s the only thing I can think of. What a shorter new life, but at least I met good lizard people, I think with total sadness. The adult brings us down; I can''t see the bottom of this cliff and it''s wide enough to know we won''t be able to cross it and there''s nowhere else to run. We are trapped. Jumping into the void, is it better than dying at the hands of a human? No! I can''t think like that; at least I have to fight, and I must do it, even if I don''t know how; it''s the least I can do before dying again, help as much as I can those who helped me in this strange world, even if I''m scared. I must fight!

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    But, why did the adult bring us here? To this dead-end place; or is it ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I turn immediately, the adult is rearranging what we found, making the suitcase smaller, takes out two planks, the dagger, my shell, and calls us both. I still don''t understand it, but I know without having to see GrrGrrr that this is where we part ways.

    He ties the bag to GrrGrrr and gives us some sort of hug. He''s saying goodbye to us! He''s going to fight the humans somehow! I barely know him, maybe not even a day. I say his name, GrrGrrr''s and mine; it''s my only way of trying to say that we should be together. I say it over and over again, hoping for a miracle, hoping to wake up and find this is a dream, but I ask for too much.

    - Breigon!

    He says my name and I turn to look at him, holding one of the tablets, along with the shell of my egg while he cuts his hand with the dagger and places his blood on them, to finally put that tablet on my chest; but what is he doing? And everything turns to darkness.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    <u>- ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­you dare to come here and ask me this, you, whose lineage is not pure, even knowing the cost to pay, just look at him!, he is not one of us!, he is not worthy of inheriting anything!</u>

    - I know and yes, I am surprised, but this explains a lot of his behavior. I don''t know why this is happening and I wish I could understand this design, but we no longer have time. I just want to give both of you the chance to survive. Please, great ancestor, they are all I have left to protect.

    <u>- Even if you want to, as I told you, your blood is not pure, your body won''t withstand it, and even if it did, you would suffer. Even so, will you, do it? For him?</u>

    - It is true that your essence is that of those we swore to take revenge on and whose responsibility to achieve it you inherited from us, but I only see two young ones trying to survive. My blood is not pure, but theirs is; if it weren''t, they wouldn''t be here, and I already know what it is to suffer and I don''t care.

    <u>- I understand, but you know that he, even though he is one of my descendants and his body and blood confirm it, his essence says otherwise. There are no guarantees that he will continue our legacy, and even if he does, I will not help him; I cannot forget everything they did to us.</u>

    - I am not one to refute or judge his judgment, I don''t know what will happen to him, but I decide on my part to bet on him or, rather, on both. It is my duty and decision to protect both offspring.

    <u>- Your name.</u>

    - Kirkarrg, but no ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    <u>- I recognize you, Kirkarrg, and time will tell if your bet is the right one.</u>

    - Thank you, great ancestor.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    What happened? Who was talking? My head, I feel like it''s going to explode. It hurts! At that moment, I hear.

    - Garrl, help your brother and jump off the cliff; there''s a river at the bottom, the humans won''t be able to follow you, I''ll take care of it. Now go.

    - But we are together. We can fight, I can fight! it''s my heritage and duty.

    - I know, but not today, I don''t have time left; even if I go with you, I''ll still die, and I don''t care if that means you manage to stay safe. Your brother is special, guide him; you both must take care of each other. Now go!

    My head, everything is spinning. Who spoke? Who is Garrl? That is the adult, why does its body shine? In that, I see the humans, with armor, swords, spears, and shields; they shout something I can''t understand, but they head towards us, to which the adult turns around and heads towards them, with the same roar I remember it made inside the nest.

 The cave - Thank you and goodbye

    Garrl, we must help him! I tell GrrGrrr: Wait? Is GrrGrr Garrl? How do I know that? Why is the sound that comes out of my mouth understandable to me? My head! I see how the adult spits fire at the humans; they hide behind their shields, and he takes the opportunity to leap onto one of those shields and breathe fire at whoever is behind it. The other humans try to attack him immediately with their spears, but he narrowly dodges them.

    He keeps moving and breathing fire while the humans keep their distance. The cave we are in is small, making it difficult for the humans and their weapons to move; but he looks exhausted and was already injured; the glow he had starts to fade. At that moment, he turns towards us and screams.

    - Just go already!

    - Breigon, we must leave! He tells me, Garrl.

    Did they speak and I understood them? How?

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    At that moment, a glimmer appears in the cave; it comes from a human and specifically from his spear. There was no time when the human threw it; it was already in the adult''s chest. He manages to stay standing, but falls to his knees, spitting blood. Noooooo! Garrl grabs me by force, taking us towards the cliff.

    Garrl, we must help him! He helped us! It''s the only thing I can think of; but the moment I see Garrl''s face, I know: he doesn''t want to leave either, but if we stay, his sacrifice will be in vain; because they will kill us too.

    Before jumping into the chasm, I see him for one last second, turning towards us, while something he holds in his claw begins to glow. I can only scream his name and try to say it right this time, as we fall into the abyss.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­

    - Kirkarrggggggg!

    - Wow, you finally said my name correctly; this is my inheritance for you; take care and goodbye.

    - And for you, humans, your massacre ends here; this is for my people, my family, for our great ancestors and my duty to them.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    As we fell, I saw a great flash before hitting the water, and the current carried us away, and then I saw nothing else; I could only think, "Why?". While I try to stay afloat, alongside Garrl, being carried by the current, God knows where.

 The Cave II - Together

    Kirkarrg was right; there was a river at the bottom of the cliff, the current was strong and took us through an underground tunnel; I thought we would drown, but we managed to get out, our ancestors protect us! Emerging to the surface, I helped Breigon reach the shore; it''s the first time I''ve seen water. The inheritance that was given to me helps a lot in all of this; I am grateful to my lineage for that. I don''t know if Breigon is like me or if he is a "wanderer"; he behaves strangely, seems to have some heritage, but not of speech; he also has a strange name with an even stranger sound, but I know that my heritage has limits. When we found Kirkarrg, he thought Breigon was a "wanderer" too, but he listens and tries to understand; a "wanderer" doesn''t do that. Kirkarrg told me that if we found a ¡°wise¡±, they might be able to help him as long as he has some lineage, so I will trust Kirkarrg; but, even if he has no lineage, Breigon is my only litter brother and I will not abandon him. I will fulfill the promise to Kirkarrg and my duty to the ancestors; I will guide my brother and we will take care of each other. I try to be strong, but that doesn''t make the death of Kirkarrg and our village hurt any less.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Garrl helps me reach the shore; it seems my instincts don''t know how to swim, and I don''t either, much less with this body, but that''s the least of my concerns. Kirkarrg was the name of the adult of our species who helped us and gave his life for us. I feel guilty for not doing anything, but I know we are just young and there were too many humans, they would have killed us. It''s a poor excuse, but what else could I have done. I suppose it''s just the two of us again, together in this strange world; at least for me; however, I thank Kirkarrg for this opportunity and swear that I will fight for this life; I would have liked to get to know you better, Kirkarrg, I will never forget you.

    We both lay panting on the shore, trying to catch our breath. I don''t think the humans can follow us. At that moment, I hear Garrl crying; I don''t know why, but now it''s clear to me that those sounds express sadness, and while I want to comfort him, there''s something that intrigues me, and I think I already understand the language and gestures of my new species, I don''t know how, maybe Kirkarrg had something to do with it? When I place that tablet on my chest, I''m not sure what happened, but something did; however, for now, I set that aside, as Garrl needs me.

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    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Breigon accompanies me in our sorrow, just as he did for our village; this shows that he is not a "wanderer," he is my littermate and I am glad to know it. After a while, I manage to compose myself. I know we need to find shelter; we are easy prey to stay here, we no longer have an adult to protect and guide us. Those damn humans are also around, they''ll pay for everything, but now is not the time. How do I explain it to Breigon? I suppose he will follow me as always; but then I hear my name, but also something else, coming from Breigon''s mouth.

    - Garrl, tell me if you understand me?

    - Breigon! You can talk! How? I thought you only repeated words.

    - Well, I think I now do more than just repeat words, and about the how? That''s what I would like to know, I think it was KirKarrg with that tablet, honestly, I don''t know, do you know anything about it?

    - Brother! I knew you weren''t a "wanderer" thanks to the great ancestors.

    Garrl hugs me tightly, while he keeps repeating that he knew it and thanks his ancestors, I suppose? The truth is, I am extremely grateful to be able to understand and speak Garrl''s language. This will help us a lot, although I must point out that this adds to everything else that is already strange about this new life; it''s as if my brain knows and understands what words to say. I know I make the same growls and whistles as Garrl, but now I understand them and also know how to make them; it''s strange, but the truth is it doesn''t matter much now. I can understand and talk to Garrl! I can also look for answers to my multiple questions, of course, once Garrl finishes celebrating.

    But you know what? To hell with it! and I take this opportunity to celebrate with Garrl that we can now communicate.

 The cave II - Where to start?

    I was hugging my brother and thanking our great ancestors, I was so happy, but I know we must continue.

    - Brother, I''m glad that your lineage is strong and I want to know your heritage; I don''t know if Kirkarrg had anything to do with it, he was a warrior not a wise, although I saw what he did and even if it were related to what wises do, I don''t know, it''s not part of my heritage.

    How crazy, that''s all I can think; everything Garrl said was those growls and whistles, but I understood them perfectly, but from there to comprehend, what does he mean by lineage and inheritance? Who are the wise ones? It seems that instead of having some answers, they only increase my questions.

    - Garrl, honestly, I have a lot of questions, but before that, I''m sorry about Kirkarrg.

    - He honored the great ancestors and we will honor him; it is all the fault of humans and while I would like to share our heritage, for now, brother, it is better to find refuge.

    The inheritance thing again, what could it be? But Garrl is right, it''s better to be in a safe place before sharing information.

    - I follow you, Garrl.

    Following our first brief conversation, we start walking; honestly, Garrl has already shown that he knows more about this place than I do, so I just follow him without thinking much about where we''re going; my thoughts are directed towards where to start asking questions. For my part, I would ask him everything, but I don''t know if the fact that I know nothing about the "heritage," the "ancestors," the "wise ones," and so on, would make Garrl distrust me. He said something that he was happy I wasn''t a wanderer? I don''t know if that''s bad or what; I can suspect that being "wanderer" is related to not being able to speak their language, but I don''t know more than that; I can guess the meaning of that word and others; however, staying like this can be dangerous, as I would be left with half-knowledge; I also know that telling him the truth that I believe I am reincarnated or that I was human is out of the question for now. Until I get to know Garrl better, I don''t like having to hide it from him, but what happened in the village with the humans leaves me no other choice. I hope to be able to change that, I need to talk to someone, above all, I need to get it out of my system; it''s so stressful, but it will have to wait and be patient.

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    Breigon is very quiet; it''s not different from how we were before, him following me and making weird gestures every time I turn to look at him. So, I try to talk to him again.

    - Hey, brother, you said you wanted to share our inheritance, tell me, what did the great ancestors give you? Apart from our duty, of course.

    - Damn! Garrl started to ask. I was hoping it would be me who started this conversation. What do I say to him? And what "duty" is he referring to? This happens to me for overthinking things, I''ve always been like this; Damn! Calming my thoughts, I remember that Kirkarrg expected us to take care of each other and that is achieved with trust, to know our strengths and weaknesses, and thus be able to communicate and get to know each other better. Well, here we go!

 The cave II - Impression

    - Garrl, I will be honest with you because I know you deserve it and I believe it''s the right thing for both of us. The truth is, I have many questions; some may sound strange, but I ask you to please at least listen to me.

    Inside me, I feel the fear of rejection, but I see Garrl just staying silent and waiting for me to keep talking; I pray that this decision is the right one.

    - Well, where do I start? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ The truth is, I don''t know what you mean by "heritage." If you''re referring to some knowledge, then yes, I have some, but I don''t think it will be useful to us for now. I don''t know anything about our people, I don''t even know who we are! I don''t know anything about the "great ancestors" or the "wise ones"; I don''t even know if I''m a "wanderer," what the heck! I don''t even know what being one means, but I do know that if it weren''t for you, I would already be dead. You helped me, and I want to return the favor. I want to honor the memory of Kirkarrg; I want to understand why I''m here, why everything that happened to us happened, and above all, I want to get along with you. That''s why I''m being sincere at this moment, because I believe, I truly believe! That by getting to know each other and trusting one another, we can move forward together. So, please, be understanding and I am open to any questions you may have.

    I wait for Garrl''s reaction, but there''s only silence between us; he doesn''t say anything, nor does he do anything, but suddenly he stops and turns back to me.

    - Do you truly say you know nothing of the great ancestors, of our people and our duty? So, are you a wanderer? But, how? You can understand me now and speak, you even accompanied me in our pain; doesn''t a wanderer do that?

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    To my momentary joy, the way Garrl expressed himself was more confusion than anger, so I cautiously continued our conversation.

    - As I told you, I think I can understand and speak your language, I mean, our language. Thank you, Kirkarrg. Before, I only relied on intuition about what you were trying to tell me. Can I ask you some questions or do you need time?

    - I, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.., I don''t know?, it''s strange, my inheritance, it didn''t leave me anything about a "wanderer," "non-wanderer," ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ and if Kirkarrg managed to inherit from you, it could only be if you had lineage, or at least that''s what he told me, how strange.

    - Sorry, Garrl, is it so bad if I''m a wanderer? What does it mean to be a wanderer?

    - A wanderer? Well, a wanderer is a littermate whose lineage separated from our great ancestors and does not allow them to inherit. They tend to be aggressive and are driven by their wildest instincts, they are not seen as worthy of our lineage and are abandoned.

    Abandoned! That would explain why Kirkarrg acts the way he does. He thought I was a wanderer and what they taught him in his culture and customs was that he should abandon me, but he didn''t, I suppose because of my behavior of not acting like a savage, and yes, unfortunately, the destruction of the village must have influenced it; but I don''t blame you for anything, Kirkarrg, in the end, you decided to protect me and even help me. The question is: What impression does Garrl have of me?

    Meanwhile, Garrl was lost in his own thoughts. It''s strange, if Kirkarrg were here, maybe he would know about Breigon and whether or not he is a wanderer, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­., but the truth is I had already decided to be with my litter brother, whether he is a wanderer or not, since it''s just the two of us; I will guide him as Kirkarrg asked me to and together we will survive. For me, he is my brother Breigon.

 The cave II - Some answers

    I see concern in Breigon, or not! he thinks I''m going to abandon him. So, I immediately talk to him, to clarify that I would never do that to him.

    - Breigon, to me you are a brother from the same litter; we are together. I won''t lie to you, this is all strange, but in my inheritance, I wasn''t given everything either. Maybe something similar happened to you, maybe because of those humans, I don''t know, but I will guide you, brother, you can be sure of that; although I also have questions.

    Yes! Garrl is very understanding; maybe because he is a child, his mind is more open to accepting differences, but the truth is important, now I can try to find some answers; and as for his possible questions, I have no problem trying to answer him, leaving aside the topic of reincarnation, as I still believe it is not the right time. Yes! Thank God!

    - Thanks, Garrl, if you agree, we can take turns asking questions, and we''ll continue until we''re satisfied with the answers. What do you think?

    - I don''t see a problem, but we should keep walking; I feel like it''s not safe here.

    - Sure, let''s continue and if you don''t mind, I''ll ask you first, is that okay?

    - Of course, Breigon, ask whatever you want.

    - Well, this might be strange, but I have to ask: What are we? That is to say, what do we call or identify our people? I mean, I know we look like a lizard, but...

    - Oh brother, if an adult heard you, they would think that, if you''re not a "wanderer," they would at least think your half crazy. We are not lizards and that is offensive, remember it, be proud of our great lineage that comes from our great ancestors and the duty we have to them. We are kobolds! Descendants of the great dragons.

    - Dragons? Kobolds?

    That confirms to me that I am no longer on Earth. It''s not something I didn''t already know, but I still had some hope. I seem to remember in my previous life fantasy stories about kobolds, but the truth is, I don''t know much. But putting that aside, I''m related to dragons? Seriously!

    - I see you deep in thought, brother, tell me, do you know about our great ancestors? Right?

    - Well, Garrl, I honestly remember something about dragons; they are like us, but bigger, they breathe fire like Kirkarrg did, they are lizardsssss I mean reptileeee they are very powerful and majestic! I hope I''m not mistaken, sorry.

    - Mmmm ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Have more respect for our great ancestors. I can be understanding, but an adult or a wise person will not be; they might also punish you. "Great ancestors, have compassion for my brother!" I will guide him, I swear" But yes, our great ancestors are powerful and majestic, they do much more than breathe fire; and yes, they are much greater than us. You know, I''m glad to know that you did inherit something, but I emphasize: have more respect.

    - I''m sorry, Garrl, I''ll have it. I guess it''s my turn to ask, right?

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    - Hey! It''s not fair, my doubt about whether you knew about our great ancestors was more of a concern than a question, but I''ll let it slide. What else do you want to know?

    - Well, thank you. You mention something about "inheriting." What is that? I have my suspicions, but I would like to confirm them.

    - It is a magical ritual to bestow knowledge upon those whose lineage does not separate from our great ancestors and to never forget our duty. I don''t know how it''s done, as it wasn''t passed down to me, but I know that the "wise ones" perform it; moreover, the tablets we carry are from the "wise ones" of our village.

    This clarifies a lot for me. Garrl didn''t exactly come into this knowledge; they were implanted, or rather, inherited in some way, through a magical ritual? It sounds chilling, but I can''t judge them. Focus, did they try to do the same to me? Is that voice related? Does remembering my previous life affect anything? How much knowledge does Garrl have? Is there a limit? So many new questions, this seems never-ending.

    - Breigon! brother! Can you hear me? Do you hear me? And just to be clear, this doesn''t count as a question! And for the record, this doesn''t count as a question!

    - Ahhhhhhh, I''m sorry, Garrl. Generally, I get lost in my thoughts. What do you want to know?

    - Mmmmmm ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I was asking if your name comes from one of our great ancestors? And yes, is that why it sounds and is pronounced so strangely?

    My name? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, my pseudonym that I made up. Oh, darn! What did he say? Does he expect me to tell him which ancestor he comes from? I just made it up by putting words together, and the ending "gon" was to make it sound like dragon, since I thought we resembled them, but what an irony; and the pronunciation and sound is because I was trying to speak my previous language. What did he say?

    - Well, Garrl, I just came up with my name; it sounds weird and is pronounced weird, but I just invented it. The truth is, I don''t think it comes from any dragon ancestor.

    - Did you make it up? That just makes it weirder, although if you''re a "wanderer," it could be, I don''t know, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Wait! You told me that you inherited knowledge, is that where your name comes from?

    - Well, the truth is yes.

    - Then there''s no problem, your inheritance guided you, just as it guided me, since my name comes from the great Orgarrl; that''s what I remember when I received my inheritance and then I knew my name would be Garrl.

    - ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I suppose? I suppose? If you say so, Garrl. But rest assured that it comes from my knowledge, that I am sure of.

    - Don''t worry, brother, if we find a wise man, he will guide you about your ancestor. It''s in our lineage. Kirkarrg said that they might be able to help you, and you might even be able to reclaim your entire heritage. I know you say you believe you don''t have it, but the fact of this conversation proves otherwise; a "wanderer" couldn''t. Those skills you have come from our ancestors and were passed down to you. Remember, you must always be grateful to them and fulfill our duty to them.

    I wish I could tell Garrl that this knowledge doesn''t come from his ancestors, unless there was a draconian secret society pulling the strings in my world, haha, but seriously, I can talk to Garrl because I am an adult human inside a kobold hatchling; it sounds very crazy, but this is now my reality. I don''t know what to think about reclaiming my supposed draconic heritage; I''m afraid to think that something might happen to my current self. I don''t want to forget who I am nor lose my humanity, even if it sounds silly in my current situation.

    - Brother! I think we can rest there. From up high, we can watch if something moves and if it''s dangerous.

    The truth is, I had completely lost interest in our surroundings due to our brief conversation, but since we left the river, we had only walked to the nearest wall. This place was just another cave, quite large like the one where the village was; Garrl points to an elevation on the wall, like a cliff or crag. So, we proceeded to climb, and I''m glad to know that this body is designed for climbing, as it was relatively easy to ascend just like in the crevice; once we were up, we rested. I still had questions, one in particular worried me, but a little rest doesn''t hurt.

 The cave II - To scream

    We sat there, just resting at the edge of the cliff. I observe my clawed paws and hands, move my tail, see my snout and scales; and I can only think that I still feel strange, but I believe I am getting used to it. A part of me still wishes this were a dream, but another doesn''t want to leave Garrl alone in this cave; I want to help him in any way I can. In this short time that we have been together, we have experienced so much, and although it is incredible for me to be talking with a lizarddddd, I mean kobold and for me to be one of them, the truth is that I don''t see the difference, apart from the physical one, obviously, of being with a human.

    I know that Kirkarrg did something to me; I still feel like myself and I think I remember my entire previous life without any alteration, so I believe that whatever it was, it only allowed me to understand and speak the language of the kobolds, as the language of the humans who were chasing us was still incomprehensible to me. But putting that aside. What will we do now? I see Garrl also lost in thought.

    Poor thing, he''s just a child and he''s already lost everything and everyone: his family, his village. I''m not a psychologist, but it''s not good for anyone, even for me, to live through what we did; still, I know it''s much harder for him. I can still see it as a spectator, and yes, I am outraged, angry, and sad about what I saw, but for him, it is his world, a world that was destroyed. In that, an idea occurs to me, to try to help Garrl.

    - Hey, Garrl, do you want to do something? We can keep talking and asking questions, but first tell me, would there be any problem if we shout here? Would we attract any danger?

    ¡ªScream? Why would we do that? But answering you, I don''t think so, in these caves, according to my heritage, there are only insects, snakes, some amphibians, and lesser lizards, and as for humans, Kirkarrg took care of them.

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    - Insect? Snakes! amphibians and lesser lizards.

    - Yes, the insects are like the ones we ate; there are various types, they have different shapes and generally have tough skin. Snakes are elongated and have no legs; it''s best to avoid them, we don''t get along with them. Amphibians are creatures with soft, wet skin; we just need to be careful with the big ones and the lizards; ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ they are just lizards. Humans like to compare us to them, but our lineage is of the great dragons. I know there are other creatures, but they are near or outside the great cavern, and they go beyond my heritage.

    - Well, if you think it''s safe, join me in screaming, let''s release some stress.

    - Stress? Let go?

    - Yes, look at me. To hell with those humans! We will survive! For Kirkarrg, we will not give up! For Kirkarrg, we will not give up! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

    - You see, just let out what you have here in your mind and heart, let it out, it''s not good to keep it inside, believe me, I know.

    At first, Garrl hesitated a bit, but in the end, he did it and screamed.

    - For Kirkarrg, we will not give up! Kirkarrg, thank you! May the great ancestors recognize and honor you! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

    After his roar, I saw that Garrl was a bit surprised and continued.

    - I''m sorry! To my brothers! We will avenge them! Great ancestors, we will fulfill our duty! Let everyone rest under your scales! Grrrrrrrrrrr!

    And so, we continued, shouting. Garrl continued to honor his people and ancestors, shouting for them to give him strength, that he was not alone, that he would avenge them and fulfill his duty; for my part, my focus was on not giving up, on fighting; and I joined in Garrl''s roars, although the truth was I wanted to shout other things, but this was not for me, it was for Garrl, and so we continued, two little kobold pups shouting on a small ledge deep inside a cave.

 The cave II - Conversations I

    Seguimos gritando hasta quedarnos exhaustos, pero al menos Garrl parece un poco m¨¢s relajado. No es que esto lo resuelva todo, ni un poquito, pero al menos creo que entiendo un poco mejor a Garrl: su tristeza y su gran respeto por sus antepasados.

    ¡ªAmigo, ?puedo preguntarte algo? Puede ser un tema delicado, y si no quieres responder, lo entender¨¦ y esperar¨¦ hasta que sientas o creas que es el momento adecuado.

    -Est¨¢ bien hermano, ?qu¨¦ quieres saber?

    ?Qu¨¦ pas¨® en la aldea? ?Por qu¨¦ hicieron eso los humanos? ?Estamos en conflicto con ellos?

    ¡ªEs cierto, todav¨ªa me confunde cu¨¢l es tu linaje; pero antes de responderte, ?sabes cu¨¢l es nuestro deber para con nuestros grandes ancestros? ?Sabes qui¨¦nes son los humanos?

    ¡ªLo siento, no s¨¦ nada del ?deber? que tenemos hacia los ?ancestros?. De los humanos, s¨ª s¨¦, a riesgo de no equivocarme, que fueron ellos quienes nos atacaron y persiguieron; tambi¨¦n s¨¦ de lo que son capaces, o al menos tengo una idea.

    Ya veo ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. S¨ª, nuestra aldea fue atacada por humanos; no s¨¦ c¨®mo sucedi¨® ni c¨®mo llegaron aqu¨ª. Nac¨ª un poco antes que t¨², y s¨ª, estamos en guerra con ellos por lo que les hicieron a nuestros ancestros. Fue hace mucho tiempo y no tengo muchos detalles; los sabios conocen mejor la historia, pero hubo una gran guerra contra ellos. Claro, nuestros ancestros eran m¨¢s fuertes, pero usaban magia muy oscura, tan oscura que no pudieron hacerle frente, y por eso nos crearon, para que nadie olvidara su existencia y poder vengarlos. Al recibir su herencia, tambi¨¦n recibes el dolor de nuestros ancestros, y entonces sabes que nuestro deber es honrarlos y vengarlos; aunque, como dije, quiz¨¢s con la ayuda de una persona sabia, puedas comprender mejor nuestro deber; si no, espero que lo entiendas; que les debes gratitud y respeto, adem¨¢s de sentirte siempre orgulloso de tu linaje.

    Vaya, me lo tem¨ªa. El ataque a la aldea no fue casualidad; se debi¨® a un conflicto entre humanos y k¨®bolds; una guerra entre humanos y dragones, qui¨¦n sabe cu¨¢nto tiempo atr¨¢s. Eso descarta, al menos por ahora, intentar negociar con los humanos, ya que nos ven como una amenaza; ni siquiera me dan tiempo para hablar, e incluso si lo logro, no creo que conf¨ªen en un enemigo. ?Maldici¨®n! No es que perdone a los humanos que destruyeron la aldea, pero al menos esperaba que buscaran una soluci¨®n pac¨ªfica.

    - Garrl, ?sabes por qu¨¦ empez¨® el conflicto?

    ¡ªNo, los sabios deben saberlo, pero supongo que los humanos empezaron. ?Miren lo que les hicieron a nuestros hermanos!

    - Lo siento, Garrl, no dudo de lo que dices; recuerda que posiblemente sea un "vagabundo", o al menos me falta gran parte de mi herencia drac¨®nica, pero juro que nunca olvidar¨¦ lo que le pas¨® a nuestra aldea y el dolor que nos causaron; solo busco comprender el panorama completo.

    ¡ªEst¨¢ bien, Breigon , yo tambi¨¦n lo siento, ?es que los odio much¨ªsimo! El dolor de nuestros antepasados ??y el nuestro.

    Seeing Garrl like this seriously makes me doubt whether I want to be inherited or given some draconian knowledge; the truth is, it worries me. I know that, if it''s similar to what Kirkarrg did to me, it wouldn''t be so bad. As far as I know, he only gave me the ability to speak and understand the kobold language, nothing more, but I wouldn''t like to have other people''s ideas and feelings imposed on me, especially if they are related to hatred and revenge; I already have my own conflicts brought from my previous life, so I don''t need more. Moreover, I don''t want my decisions to be affected or influenced. As I said, I will not forgive those who attacked us, but that doesn''t mean I have to hate all of humanity. I know as a human that we are not the best and that we are capable of great atrocities, but also of doing good things. Haha, look at me, I still see myself as human and still empathize with my former humanity; if Garrl heard me, he would surely hate me.

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    - Garrl wanted to ask you something else: are you referring to the magic that Kirkarrg did, like throwing fire and shining; and the rituals?

    - Yes, honestly, I don''t know much, nor do I know how to do it; the wise handle it better, and warriors like Kirkarrg learn it, that''s what he told me.

    Well, this opens and closes doors. Now I know that some kind of "magic" does exist, but without Kirkarrg or at least until we find a wise, which sounds like the equivalent of a wizard; we are adrift on that topic.

    - Garrl, do you know if there are more kobold villages where we can go and be accepted?

    - In the great caves, I don''t think so; we were the last village, but there must be more, and they would accept us, of course, as long as we prove our lineage.

    Well, it seems that the kobolds are very particular about lineage; honestly, I''m not in a position to judge them, I''m just beginning to understand their culture. I will have to be patient and learn everything I can from Garrl. On the other hand, our best bet is to look for another village and have them accept us. I think we can start from there to plan our plan. Well, let''s see what else I can learn; knowledge is power.

    - Garrl, in the nest or rather the place where we were born, there was, I think it was also a Kobold like us, but it looked different, I didn''t see anyone like him or her; and I think it was important to you, their name if I''m not mistaken was ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Tammat? Who was it?

    Once again, Garrl lowers his head and becomes thoughtful.

    - If you think it''s not the right time, we''ll leave it here with the questions; I don''t want to force you into anything.

    - It''s not that, brother, it''s just that I can''t imagine how you must feel with so many gaps in your heritage, especially for not recognizing the one who gave us life and our inheritance. I''m sorry, brother, but yes, her name was Tammat, I didn''t know her name either until Kirkarrg told us, but I do know that she was our mother because we have her inheritance. It had to be her who initiated the ritual to inherit us and make us hatch earlier, that''s what Kirkarrg told me. She also had to try it with all our siblings, but it only had a greater effect on us, as we were the only ones who managed to hatch on time, before the humans arrived; that''s why they managed to kill her. She was very weakened by the ritual, but Kirkarrg told me that she must have fought like the great ancestors, seeking to protect us all until her last breath. We owe it to Tammat to be here.

    - I see, Garrl, I''m sorry for not knowing and participating in your prayers without knowing.

    - It''s not your fault, brother, she still protected you and she is also your mother, even if you didn''t know it until now, although I suspect you did.

    - Yes, I just suspected it, thanks for telling me and including me in his farewell.

    My kobold mother, how should I feel? She gave her life for us, I already suspected it, but it''s very different to hear it from Garrl, with the pride and sadness with which he says it. However, if she is the voice I hear, I think she is not very happy with me. I wouldn''t blame her; it''ll be a wait to ask.

    - Breigon, you also have questions because she was different, and the reason is that she was the only one to achieve her "awakening" in the village.

    - Awakening?

    - I suppose you don''t know either; I didn''t know it either, at least not so well until Kirkarrg explained it to me. The "awakening" is when a kobold manages to connect with the blood of our ancestors, achieving to express more of their greatness within themselves; that''s why she was different and unique. It''s not something common, Kirkarrg told me. That''s why those who achieve it are highly appreciated and revered, but we are their children, we can also achieve it, right, brother? Although I have no idea how; however, we must trust the great ancestors, they will guide us, and for that reason, we must respect them and fulfill our duty. Breigon, I don''t think you are a wanderer; you hatched, which means you are like me, we are brothers, although perhaps the ritual didn''t go well for you, maybe because of the human attack. It''s the only thing I can think of for now.

    ?Bum! Eso fue lo que mi cabeza y mi mente hicieron metaf¨®ricamente: ?Despertar?. ?Mi sangre draconiana! Me gustar¨ªa compartir el entusiasmo de Garrl; si nos hace m¨¢s fuertes, claro que bienvenido sea, pero a¨²n me da miedo lo que me pueda pasar; afectar¨ªa mis recuerdos, mi forma de pensar y qui¨¦n soy. El ¨²nico consuelo que tengo por ahora es que creo que estamos lejos de lograr algo as¨ª; a¨²n somos j¨®venes, y adem¨¢s, no es algo que se consiga com¨²nmente seg¨²n Garrl, as¨ª que por ahora, me lo tomar¨¦ con calma.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Y as¨ª, los dos kobolds continuaron conversando, sin embargo, sin que ellos lo supieran, estaban siendo observados por algo de la oscuridad, que, si bien los ve¨ªa como presas potenciales, tambi¨¦n estaba intrigado por su extra?o comportamiento; adem¨¢s, hab¨ªa humanos en las cuevas y eso nunca es bueno.

 The cave II - Conversations II

    The conversation continued, I let Garrl speak for the most part and I just listened and asked questions when I needed clarification. Among the topics he focused on was emphasizing the reverence for dragons. I get the impression that he sees them as deities or something similar. He showed me the prayers we made in the village, confirmed that Kirkarrg saw me as a wanderer, and explained a bit about what this place is. Apparently, its name roughly indicates "the great caverns." They are a series of caves that a group of kobolds decided to see as their home, apparently on the advice of an ancestor and as a hideout against humans. We are also in an intermediate layer of this place. As for the creatures that inhabit here, since we are young, most of them are dangerous to us, so we must be very careful.

    On their part, regarding kobold physiology, I learned a couple of important things. The first is that we are mostly carnivores; I suspected it, but unfortunately, insects and amphibians are our main dish. Also, to my relief, I am male; don''t ask how I know, but I do know. Also, Garrl is. I was a bit curious about how Garrl didn''t understand my concern about this topic, but, oh well.

    Regarding kobold culture, I learned that the young who are not "wanderers" are cared for until they are ready to integrate into the village''s tasks, such as wise ones, hunters, warriors, gatherers, and other professions, which generally depend greatly on the type of inheritance the young one receives. Apparently, they can''t control that, or at least as far as Garrl understands. Their social structure, as I understood it, is that each kobold fulfills the role for which it was born. If you ask me, it seems more like a social structure similar to that of ants than humans. It''s not that they don''t respect individualism, but the good of the majority is above the individual. Unfortunately, those who are born as wanderers are literally abandoned and end up being prey to the other creatures of this cave. When I asked Garrl and tried to question him, he only answered that it has always been this way, that they do it because of lineage, and if you are a "wanderer," it is because the ancestors do not see you as worthy. This makes me question what would have happened to me if I had been born in the village, but the truth is, it is time past, and for now, although it seems like a very murky and questionable issue, I can''t do anything about it in our current condition where we only seek to survive. I suspect that being a "wanderer" or not is more of a genetic issue, and those who are born this way behave instinctively simply because they were not given prior knowledge. However, I don''t believe they cannot be educated or that they cannot learn. The truth is, it is just a conjecture on my part.

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    Lastly, there is the topic of family. As such, all kobolds see themselves as one single family. The figure of a father or mother is not relevant; what matters is your lineage and what you contribute to the village. Our case is special because, in theory, we know who our mother was since we were born. However, generally, for the mating season, kobolds of purer lineage have the right to procreate and choose their partner first, as long as they are not directly related. The females lay their eggs all together, then wait for the offspring to be sufficiently developed to perform the ritual, this before the eggs hatch, to finally separate the wanderers from the non-wanderers with the hatching. While the parents know which ones are their children, their upbringing does not fall on them; they are raised according to their heritage, by adults who share the same heritage. A child may resemble one of their biological parents, but it will be mere coincidence. It''s not that there isn''t a relationship between parents and children; the parents are very proud of their "non-wanderer" children and their heritage, just as they lament if "wanderer" children are born, but as such, they do not form a family like the human one.

    And that was broadly what I was able to learn about Garrl. In general, if you ask me, he knows quite a lot for a newborn. He doesn''t know the exact details of many things, for example; he knows that magic exists, but he doesn''t know how to do it. However, he knows a lot about this cave, which is why he suspects he is a gatherer, although he wishes to be a warrior like his mother. As for me, I avoided the topic of my knowledge. I don''t want to confuse Garrl or provoke misunderstandings. I understand that I need to find where I fit in; otherwise, the village might reject me. Although it''s unlikely since Garrl assured me that the fact that I can speak and understand things proves my lineage. So, they wouldn''t kick me out until they see what I''m good at. If only he knew the origin of my supposed lineage! Another reason to hide my previous life. How stressful, really! Another reason to hide my previous life, how stressful it is, really! Although being alone with Garrl and the fact that he is a child has allowed me, and I believe will allow me, to say and act in a certain way and justify that they come from my lineage, I still believe it is not fair to deceive him; I even feel bad, but for now, it is the best for both of us, or at least I think so.

 The cave II - Another point of view

    I talked quite a bit with my brother, he mostly listened and sometimes asked very obvious questions that I thought he should know, but I suppose it''s partly because he is a "wanderer" although it''s confusing since his speech and comprehension are not what I inherited that a "wanderer" should be, besides we are blood brothers, our mother achieved the "awakening," although I know that doesn''t guarantee we will achieve it. I know that Kirkarrg seems to have managed to give him an understanding of our language, that''s what Breigon believes, although I don''t know if it''s possible, it''s the only explanation we came up with; maybe by finding a wise person, Breigon will understand or recover his heritage, the truth is I don''t know, but I hope so.

    The other thing I find strange about my brother is that he is hiding something from me. He says he has an inheritance, but whenever I asked him, he would change the subject or say it wasn''t important. Maybe if he is a "wanderer" and is ashamed of it, I would be the same, I don''t blame him; but since I met him and before he could speak, he showed to be as aware as I am, he just didn''t know how to speak. Besides, we are brothers, right?.............. Mmmmmmmm¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I don''t know what to think! My inheritance is not that great despite what Breigon says. I miss Kirkarrg; he would know what to do as an adult, he would guide and protect us, but I cannot fall into sadness, it is not worthy of our lineage, nor of the sacrifice of Kirkarrg or Tammat, so I will be strong.

    As for Breigon, despite his strange way of being, to me he is a brother; we will be fair and help each other, and I know he will find his lineage. I''m worried about his lack of respect towards our great ancestors, but I will teach him; he learns quickly and is very curious. He asked me about how we kobolds live, some customs and such; he was concerned about his gender and I was surprised he didn''t know, but I suppose this shows that he is in some way special or different, but at the same time his desire not to give up shows that his lineage and heritage are present. I''m happy for him.

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    Something did leave me thinking when I talked to him, and it was when he questioned what they do to the "wanderers." I am not the one to question our customs or our lineage; things are as they are, and that''s it. One must serve the village, our lineage, and our ancestors, nothing more. However, Breigon mentioned if it wasn''t a mistake, a mistake! Just the thought of questioning that the ancestors are wrong, no! No! No! Please, ancestors, have patience with my brother! It''s the only thing I can think of. However, if he is a "wanderer," then ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­.., no, the truth is I don''t know; it gives me a headache to think about all this; but what I am sure of is what I will do, and that is to teach my brother how to be a kobold and above all to respect and honor our great ancestors, so that together we fulfill our duty to them. But also, if we find a village, so that no one can realize he was a "wanderer," if he is, and only, if necessary, explain to a wise person, if Breigon still doesn''t know his legacy and heritage.

    ¡°Great ancestors, give me strength and wisdom to guide my brother! Help my brother to know his lineage! Help my brother learn about his lineage! My heritage is not great, but I will fulfill my duty and so will he! My inheritance is not large, but I will fulfill my duty and he will too!¡±

 The cave - Planning

    After getting to know each other better and, for my part, understanding what I''m getting into, we started discussing what we were going to do.

    The first thing was to check what Kirkarrg had given us. In the bag he gave us, there were only some potions and tablets. There was also the dagger that Garrl kept and two of those insects we ate, and nothing else, so we must first ensure we have food. The water is safe from the river, although I''m worried it might not be drinkable; I wish I could boil it. We will also have to hunt something since those two insects are only enough for a day or two if we ration them, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    - Hey Garrl, do you know where we can hunt around here that isn''t too dangerous?

    - The truth is everything is dangerous, but some insects would be the best option, the small ones.

    - Well, luckily the river is nearby, we can watch its shore from here, every living being needs water to survive. Do you think it would be best to wait here for now, before venturing into the caves or looking for another village?

    - ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Yes, brother, I agree that it''s better to wait here for now. We have a good view and water as you mentioned, we still have food so we can prepare to hunt properly, besides, there might still be humans, we must be cautious, so preparing ourselves would be the best. As for looking for a village, it''s difficult. While the caves are dangerous, I don''t know what''s outside of them, and I also don''t know where any of the other villages are, so I think the best thing is for us to fortify ourselves here before venturing into the unknown.

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    - It''s true, I was at least hoping to see the sunlight again, but it''s correct that it can be dangerous to go out just like that, darn it! With our current size, we are easy prey for almost anything, even a bird of prey could catch us.

    - Sunlight? Bird of prey?

    - Yes, the sun is a giant ball of nuclear fusion, similar to the fire that Kirkarrg made, only it''s in a plasma state, it''s in the sky, although I don''t know if there''s just one or several, but there is, there is. Birds, if they exist, are other creatures with feathers. They usually can fly and, depending on their size, they can be predators, which with our current size would be a danger.

    - Fusion ball? Plasma? Feathers?

    -I''m sorry Garrl, sometimes I talk too much, you know, don''t worry, those are just some of my inherited knowledge and I''m still not sure about the veracity of some, but it would be better if I show you.

    I proceeded to draw for Garrl what birds look like, at least the ones from my world; I wasn''t a Picasso, but I did something. I also took the opportunity to explain to him about other possible animals, as well as a bit of geology and basic astronomy, of course, very basic. At first, he looked at me with doubt, but then he trusted that if they were part of my heritage, they should be true. I barely got off the hook, I think that if I can speak confidently with him and justify anything with my supposed draconian inheritance, at least for now.

    We continued planning, and generally agreed that it was best to stay in the caves for as long as necessary until we felt ready to travel in search of another village. It''s not like we''ll spend our entire lives here, but the truth is, we have to take it easy. For now, we decided this place would be our sort of base or temporary home, and from there we''ll begin exploring the caves.

 The cave II - Finishing the day

    In the end, we talked so much that our throats went dry. Of the vials we had, according to Garrl, Kirkarrg explained to him that the red vials are a kind of pain medication; we only had two left, while the only blue one was just a type of regular drink. In the end, I told Garrl to drink that beverage and I would drink the river water, so if it wasn''t potable, only one of us would get sick. Besides, we still had the red jars, although I don''t know if they would help, but we need to confirm if that water is drinkable. I hope that, being underground, it is better filtered and less contaminated.

    After convincing Garrl, who would be fine, to drink the vial, we cautiously descended from the cliff. Upon reaching the river, I told him to watch out for any danger, but before we started drinking, I was able to see my reflection. It wasn''t very clear, but for the first time since I woke up in this new life, I could see my face. I know Garrl doesn''t like us comparing ourselves to lizards, but the truth is that what I see is the face of a lizard.

    - Breigon, are you okay?

    - I''m sorry, I was just thinking that this water looks clean; I hope it''s drinkable, I don''t want to get sick. Pass me the empty jar to fill it and keep watching, don''t worry.

    I drank in moderation; although I was still thirsty, I didn''t want to fill up too much and then we returned to the cliff. I took the opportunity to pick up some stones; Garrl asked me what they were for, and I told him they would be used for throwing. It''s not a very high place we''re in, but gravity and good aim would do the job. We took the opportunity to eat one of the insects we had left; it was difficult, as it wasn''t cooked, its meat was harder to separate from its exoskeleton, but in the end, we ate it. Honestly, I need to figure out how to start a fire; Garrl didn''t seem to care. "Food is food," he told me.

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    In the end, when we felt somewhat tired, I suggested to Garrl that we take turns so that one of us would always be on watch. He insisted that I rest first and that he would keep watch. I just emphasized that we should take turns, since we both need to rest, so I lay down as best as I could; I really miss my bed! That was the last thing I remember.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Breigon finally fell asleep. It''s curious the things he inherited; they are somewhat complicated and strange concepts: "drinkable," "gravity," "microbes," "astro...". The truth is, I don''t even remember. Some I see their value for survival, others not; however, these are things I didn''t know.

    He also plans with that knowledge, along with mine. He reminds me of Kirkarrg, mostly in that he behaves like an adult, doesn''t make hasty decisions, seems confident when saying or asking something, and doesn''t need things explained to him as much, unlike me who does need things explained, especially when he talks about things related to his heritage. I also know that his heritage is real, it''s not that I doubt it. Shouting did help me and made me feel better. The potable water thing makes perfect sense, although it didn''t seem to me that he took the risk, but his justification also made sense, taking turns to keep watch, using stones as weapons; all those things remind me of an adult. I''m glad to see that he seems less like a "wanderer" each time, maybe he''s a bit strange, and he gets lost in his thoughts a lot, but his heritage is there and it''s helping us survive or at least he''s trying, just like I tried with my heritage. I believe that together we can do it.

    After some time and just when he was about to wake Breigon, he managed to see something near the river, that is ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

 The cave II - Silence

    I''m back in this void and darkness, I feel human again, at least in body, since I don''t feel my tail or claws. It seems that every time I sleep, I end up here unconsciously. This can''t be a coincidence, there must be some reason or motive behind this.

    - Hellooo! Please! If anyone is listening or is here, I need or rather we need any kind of help! If anyone is listening to me or is here, I need or rather we need any kind of help! If someone is listening or is here, I need or rather we need any kind of help! Everything is welcome and appreciated! Everything is welcome and appreciated!

    I wait, but all I get is silence.

    - Voice, I will be honest: I still want to think that everything that has happened to me is a dream, that I am in some kind of coma, that this cannot be real, that I can still return to my life; but, at the risk of not going crazy, I can try to accept starting over; of course, it is and will always be difficult for me to process. It will take me time to do it; I won''t deny that. I don''t want to forget my previous life, nor who I was; I cherish it all, the good and the bad, because that''s life and it makes me who I am. I''m not saying it was easy and that I didn''t make mistakes or lose my way; I don''t deny that I let many people down, including myself, but I tried, and if that''s not enough, well, I''m sorry, it''s the only thing I can say.

    I waited for some response, but silence is what I received, so I continued.

    - I am going to fight and learn how to live this life, even if it is difficult and I know it will be. I will fight! Because that''s what I was taught, not just because I owe it to Kirkarrg, but because I can''t abandon Garrl, he''s just a child, I''ve already lived my life and I think I appreciate this new opportunity, but he deserves to live his own and for that and more I will help him and I hope one day to be honest with him; so if there''s anyone out there, or if you are one of his ancestors, please, any kind of help or guidance would seriously help us and I would be grateful, not for myself, but for him; and if this silence is because I was and still feel human in my soul and even though I don''t fully understand the conflict they have with humanity, I ask you to think of him; he believes in and highly respects his ancestors; I, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I don''t know what else to say, but please be understanding.

    Still only silence; all I have left to say is this last thing, I hope not to anger that voice.

    - If you are Tammat, all I can say is thank you and I''m sorry for not being the son you expected, but Garrl is; please, don''t condemn him for me.

    Still just silence, well, nothing worked, at least I tried; maybe all that about the voice was just my imagination. What do I do now? I guess I can try to wake up or I''ll have to wait for Garrl to wake me up, because honestly, I hope I don''t stay here. I really hoped to find some answers or help of any kind and ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

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    <u>- Why should I help you? human.</u>

    - The voice! Are you real? I knew it! Who are you? Are you Tammat?

    <u>- You are not worthy of knowing my name and no, I am not Tammat.</u>

    - Sorry, I...................................

    Mmmmmmmm, what do I tell him? It''s clear that he won''t help me because I''m human, at least in my soul? Or is it because I still perceive myself as human? That doesn''t matter, although it does matter. If it''s an ancestor of the ones Garrl mentioned to me, it definitely hates humans; Garrl made that more than clear. But then, what can I ask him? How do I convince him to help us? Think......thinks...

    <u>- Listen to what I''m going to tell you because I''ll only do it once, human...¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I hear your thoughts, see what you see, and listen to what you listen to; and yes, I am one of the ancestors of all kobolds. I hate humans and I don''t expect you to understand. I don''t intend to help you not only because your essence or, as you call it, "soul" shows that you are not one of my descendants, which is already enough reason not to help you, but above all because you are ashamed of your lineage!</u>

    - Am I ashamed of my lineage?

    <u>- Do you really think you can deceive me or act like you don''t know? What did you feel when you saw your reflection in the water?</u>

    - That ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. That''s not fair! You blame me for feeling confused; I was asleep at home and suddenly wake up as a kobold! How do you expect me to react? I remember my entire life as a human and that''s why you blame me, for feeling uncomfortable in this body and for ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­ and for missing my old life and my family.

    Only silence remained after my complaint, silence in this dark void.

    - Hey ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to blame you for what is happening to me, I didn''t come here to fight or want to fight, I was just looking for answers or some guidance; this is difficult for me, I just ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Please.

    <u>- Tell me, human, how much do you really want to help your brother Garrl and honor the sacrifices of Kirkarrg and Tammat?; and how much do you wish this were a dream and to leave them behind?</u>

    - I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­¡­¡­.

    <u>- You don''t say anything, can''t you choose? Your silence says a lot, but what can you expect from a human. The fact that Kirkarrg and Tammat will help you doesn''t mean I have to; and as for Garrl, he knows very well that he must prove himself worthy of his lineage.</u>

    - But ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    <u>- Well, I think I''ve made things clear, but just in case, I''ll tell you two things because I don''t want you to keep bothering me. The first, I don''t know why you are here or how it is possible that one of my descendants was born with a human essence; and the second, and let this be clear: if your true desire is to help your brother Garrl, that doesn''t change the fact that you are still human and I don''t intend to help you, so you will have to fight on your own and prove to me that you are worthy of your lineage.</u>

    But, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I tried to think and say something, but I think he left me in check; it''s clear that he won''t help us, whoever he is. I still think it''s unfair, but anyway, what more can I do? In that moment, I hear Garrl calling me from afar, and I feel like I''m starting to emerge from this void with some answers, though not the ones I expected.

    - Breigon, Breigon, brother, wake up quickly, come see.

 The cave II - First hunt

    I open my eyes and see Garrl in front of me.

    - Brother, sorry for waking you up, but come see the river, I think it''s important.

    - Give me a moment, I just need to clear my thoughts.

    How bad, it''s the only thing I can think if those dreams, I have are real and the voice didn''t lie to me, which I don''t believe. Not only will it not help us, but it is constantly watching me! This is uncomfortable and above all unfair, why? Why do I remember being human? For feeling uncomfortable even in this body. I didn''t ask for any of this! But before I continue down that line of thought, I look back at Garrl; he looks worried and anxious. Did he say he wanted to show me something at the river? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. What am I doing? You know what? To hell with it, if my life now is to be a kobold, then I''ll be a kobold, but I won''t forget who I am or my former humanity; I''ll help my brother Garrl and somehow, we''ll get through this together. It feels a bit strange to think of Garrl as my brother, but that''s technically what we are, right? Damn! I need to stop overthinking things.

    - Come on, Garrl, show me what''s in the river, brother.

    To my surprise, as we got closer, what we could see in the distance, I think it was a toad or a frog; it''s hard to tell. I know it''s big. Well, compared to us, almost anything seems big. In that, Garrl speaks to me.

    - Brother, I think we can hunt it, I don''t know how, but I know our village used to hunt them, would something from your heritage help us?

    - Hunt him?

    Honestly, in my previous life with modern times, humans stopped hunting out of necessity, and what you needed was just a click away; everything was raised or produced on farms or ranches, and thinking about it. You don''t know what you have until you lose it; but I must focus on our situation, how do we hunt it? Our only weapon is the fang dagger; it''s not the best, but it''s what we have. Our claws and fangs are also there, but I don''t think they would do much damage; anyway, on my part, I don''t know how it would be to use them. Mental note: I need to learn to properly use my body and understand its capabilities and limits.

    - Garrl, what do you know about that amphibian? Whatever it is, it will be useful for us to come up with a plan.

    - Well, brother, what I inherited is that they can be hunted, but by adults, since some young ones, mainly strays, are devoured by the bigger ones; they are not poisonous and their skin is soft unlike ours.

    - So, if we get closer, it will see us as potential prey. You know what? I think I have an idea.

    Never in my life have I hunted or killed something out of necessity, and I don''t like having to do it, but we can''t afford to miss this opportunity. We must eat properly, especially since we are young; a toad wasn''t on my menu, but it is on a kobold''s diet. I suppose its way of hunting is to wait hidden in the water for something to come close and then catch it. We were lucky when we arrived, it wasn''t nearby, or maybe it did see us and is looking for us; beyond that, we have to hunt it.

    I begin by approaching the river, hopefully pretending to be injured, and end up falling, apparently unconscious. The idea is simple: if this toad has hunted kobold spawn, it won''t miss the opportunity of an injured spawn and will have to leave the river.

    I''m waiting for Garrl''s signal to confirm that he is approaching, and of course, I''m scared, but I think I can run faster than a toad. Garrl would distract it with rocks if necessary, and besides, we would both run towards the nearest wall, where I don''t think the toad could reach us; finally, we took the dagger, although Garrl didn''t want to at first because, according to his heritage, the fang it is made from belonged to one of our ancestors and is only for ritual use. But then again, it''s the fang of a dragon! And what a fang it is. I know we are not big, but I can''t remember, unless it was some dinosaur, a fang of that size. But well, in the end, I convinced Garrl that if we want to honor our ancestors, we must first survive, so we took it.

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    I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly Garrl gave the signal. I start to crawl when I hear something coming out of the water. We must get it away from the river. I stand up and see it: a toad that, while larger than any I remember from my previous life, isn''t exactly giant, but is indeed large enough against us, and combined with a surprise attack, where it seeks to drown its prey, we would have a hunting method similar to that of a crocodile; but now it has lost its surprise and is out of the water. At that, I shout at the toad.

    - Come on, follow me, do you want an easy prey or not?

    I throw him the last insect we had as bait and it works, because not only does he eat it, but he also starts following me with greater interest and I lead him to a nearby rock.

    - Yes, focus on my damn frog, now, Garrl!

    Without further ado, Garrl jumps from the rocky elevation where he was hiding and plunges the dagger into the back of the toad, while he begins to attack it with his claws and fangs on one of its limbs; I do the same, although I don''t think I do it with the same efficiency as Garrl.

    The poor toad was confused, making various sounds and trying to move, but there were two of us, and Garrl had already torn off the first limb. While I was attacking it on the side, the truth is that he did most of the work, because by the time I realized, the toad was already on the ground, gasping its last breaths.

    Valla Garrl knows how to defend himself and knows how to attack. I explained to him before coming here that, as soon as he could, he should attack one of the toad''s limbs to prevent it from escaping, and he did it without hesitation and efficiently; I suppose his kobold instincts are more present than mine. In that moment, I see the frog and the only thing I can think and say to it is that I''m sorry, I couldn''t come up with a less painful way to catch you.

    - Yes! brother, it worked! The great ancestors will be proud of us; Oh no! The ancestors! The dagger! Come on, get out of there, comeeee onnnnn, brother, don''t just stand there and help me get it out; I think it''s stuck.

    - Haha, I''m coming, Garrl.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    In the end, Breigon''s plan worked. I didn''t think it was right to make ourselves seem weak, as it is not worthy of our great ancestors, let alone to use the dagger, but it worked; the toad didn''t stand a chance and now we have plenty of food. I''m starving, I never told my brother to avoid worrying him, but now, thanks to the great ancestors, we have enough food!

    Before eating, Breigon told me that we had to cut it into smaller pieces to take it to the cliff where we were, and that it was best to do it here before other predators arrived, so we did. I asked him if he didn''t see a problem with us eating because I was starving, and he asked me if eating raw meat wouldn''t affect us. "Of course not," I replied; I''m still surprised by some of the questions my brother asks me. How do you plan this hunt, without a hunter''s heritage? But you don''t know what we can or can''t eat; but, in the end, together we achieved this great hunt and that''s all that matters.

    In the end, I managed to fill my stomach like never before since I hatched. We brought up several pieces of meat and washed the blood off. Breigon didn''t want to eat until he finished all the work; although in the end he did eat, he did it as he always does, with small pieces and making gasping sounds as if he were wishing for or missing something. I suppose he liked the food cooked with fire. I liked it too, but we can''t make fire like Kirkarrg; none of us inherited how to do magic, and food is food; the important thing is that we can grow. In that, my brother speaks to me.

    - Garrl, sleep, I''ll keep watch and don''t worry, I''ll wake you up if something happens; I''ve already rested, you should do the same.

    - Are you sure, brother?

    - Of course, I don''t want to, nor do I think I can sleep; I have some things on my mind, but you really need it. Besides, I need my kobold brother to be fully recovered, so don''t worry.

    - Well, but brother, don''t forget to thank the ancestors who watch over us; we owe them.....................

    I can''t even finish the sentence; he must be exhausted. Sleep well, Garrl.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    These kobolds are different from the ones their village abandons, I will keep watching them, but first I need to know why they are here. I will have to talk to the village elder, if they were expelled, although that would be strange, but there are still humans in the caves and I prefer not to have to move. I wonder how the kobolds in their village are taking it that these humans are around here.

 The cave II - Thoughts

    "That the ancestors watch over us?"  said Garrl before falling asleep.

    What was I thinking hunting that frog, that was dangerous; it would have been better to analyze everything calmly. We still had food, we were short on weapons, there were so many variables, but instead, I felt I had to prove something. to whom? To the ancestor or dragon that is in my head, and who is very possibly watching and listening to me now!

    I must calm down, I''m not like this, I''m not impulsive ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ok think, these feelings that I have felt before and that make me act differently from how I usually am, must be my kobold side, and why do I believe that? Well, because they are similar to how Garrl acts and thinks. I don''t know if they are natural like instincts or if they are part of that ritual Garrl mentioned that Tammat performed, but, although it worries me, they are now part of me.

    Now I am a kobold and fighting with myself makes no sense, I have to learn to accept myself, but without ceasing to be me. I also don''t think it''s related to the dragon; I mean the ancestor! In my dreams, he made it clear that he didn''t want anything to do with me, although I can''t rule it out either. I suppose he must be laughing at me now or not, I really don''t know, but going back to those "instincts," as long as I''m aware that something is happening to me, it means I can still control it.

    On the other hand, Garrl showed me what we kobold hatchlings are capable of. How he attacked that toad was impressive; his movements, his bites, and slashes were coordinated and quick. Kirkarrg also did it, although I think he used some magic. Both have shown me that as kobolds we are not completely defenseless.

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    I must learn and, if necessary, train with Garrl; we need to coordinate better. This time everything went well, but nothing guarantees it will be the same in the future. Moreover, we concluded that we need to become stronger if we want to leave the great caves and explore to find a kobold village that will accept us.

    There''s also the issue of my dreams; I know that the ancestor in my head doesn''t want me, and on top of that, I don''t know how to control reaching that empty and dark place where he is, and I hope he understands; "you hear me, right? I will need to sleep at some point, and if I end up where you are, please don''t blame me." I hope not to encounter a furious ancestor; but I must admit that he did tell me some truths. It''s true that I thought and wished I was dreaming and longed to go home, but I know this won''t be possible. Now I am a kobold and have a new brother to protect; I can''t just abandon him to his fate. Who in their right mind would do that to a child? And although it may seem like I''m doing it out of obligation, the truth is that I''m doing it by my own decision and under my principles, that is, it''s what I want to do. So that''s my answer, great ancestor, although I understand that it doesn''t mean you will help us. However, I felt I owed you an answer.

    What a day, talking to a dragon in my dreams and hunting and eating a toad. I don''t know what else this world has in store for us, but I hope to live it, enjoying the good things and learning and moving forward from the bad things; ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I just hope to be able to adapt.

 The cave II - Things and more things

    We took turns a couple of times to keep watch and sleep; it''s complicated not knowing if it''s day or night, however, I have some clues. I managed to perceive a change in temperature in the cave; it''s slight, but my new senses detect it. It''s not the first time I''ve noticed it, and it seems periodic, indicating a pattern. It possibly has some connection with the outside and whether it is day or night, since the thermal variable, although it increases gradually, reaches a point of stability that lasts for a prolonged period, then gradually declines and remains stable, and it repeats. For now, I will use it to measure and count the time we spend in the cave, until we go outside.

    On the other hand, I believe that the dragon of my dreams or great ancestor, as Garrl likes me to refer to him, fulfills his role of not communicating with me, since on the occasions when, besides sleeping, I managed to reach that place where I know he is, he didn''t speak to me, nor did I make any attempts to communicate; I think he made his points quite clear, even though I know he is there, wherever that place may be.

    I also need to plan with Garrl what we will do. We still have the toad meat, but due to the lack of ways to preserve it, it won''t last long before it starts to decompose; although with Garrl''s and my appetite, I don''t think it will last much longer anyway. Also, I miss being able to cook and season; I wonder if the kobolds have a cookbook; I hope they do. Oh God, I miss so many things! But I can''t get depressed about what I no longer have any control over; besides, I hope that with time and finding the right ingredients, I can teach Garrl the great art of cooking. It''s not that I was a great cook, but I managed to get by.

    Another factor in our favor is being able to eat raw meat without complications. I also haven''t felt bad since I drank the river water, so I think it''s safe to drink for now; it''s not like I can boil it.

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    Which reminds me of the topic of magic: secretly and while Garrl was sleeping, I tried to imitate what Kirkarrg was doing, with a cup of zero success; I have no idea how to do that magic thing or maybe we are still too young, honestly, I don''t know.

    Finally, as expected, several types of arthropods arrived on the remains we left of the toad. I also had to scare away some that wanted to come up where we are, but in general, they were like the ones we ate at the beginning with Kirkarrg, apart from something resembling cockroaches, worms, among others that I couldn''t distinguish; it wasn''t a pleasant sight, but it confirmed to me that there is a great source of protein, which I think will be easier to catch than a toad; what a situation I''m in! from being in a comfortable, warm house with food in a refrigerator or with a call; to sleeping on dirt and rocks; and feeding on a toad and insects, it''s depressing, I can''t cover the sun with a finger; or better yet, cover it with a claw, haha, ...¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..How did I end up here and why? I couldn''t stop asking myself every time I wake up; the truth...¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    - Brother! Are you lost in your thoughts again? What are you worried about?

    It''s true: I''m not alone! I have Garrl. I don''t know why I ended up here and I don''t know if I''ll ever find out; it hurts not being able to say goodbye to my family and friends, but I can''t fall into depression, I must be positive. This new opportunity that was given to me may not have started in the best way, but it doesn''t mean it can''t be a good life: being a kobold! I wonder what it will be like? What does fate have in store for us?

    - Don''t worry, Garrl, just thinking about what the future holds for us, as you taught me that the ancestors guide us, right?

    - Well said, brother! But may the GREAT ancestors guide and protect us in our duty!

    - Yes, I already know, Garrl, come on, tell me more about our village and, please, tell me that they do season the food!

    - Season the food?

 The cave II - Learning

    To my unpleasant surprise Garrl doesn''t know anything about seasonings or kobold dishes, however, I still have some hope, since he reiterated to me that it''s not part of his heritage, so perhaps the "kobold cuisine" does exist. Putting that aside, once we felt fully recovered and our stomachs full, we decided to explore the cave and see what we could find that might be useful; always keeping our distance from the river in case another toad was hiding and wanted to ambush us. We also took the dagger, despite Garrl''s complaints.

    We walked for a good while, encountering some arthropods that would scurry away as soon as we made any noise. We also found remnants of branches by the riverbank, which means that at some point in this cave, this river connects with the outside; similarly, we carefully took the larger and thicker branches, thinking I might be able to make some kind of spear. We also found several exits from the cave; I suppose they connect with other parts of the large caves, but we decided not to explore them until we are better prepared. We also didn''t attempt to cross the river that runs through the entire cave, although what we managed to observe on the other side was no different from what we have on our side, so we are in no hurry to cross it. It would also be dangerous if something were hidden in those waters. Lastly, and most intriguingly, we found some stones or minerals¡ªI don''t know how to describe them¡ªbut they are fluorescent. At first, I was terrified they might be some radioactive mineral, and I told Garrl not to approach or touch them. He didn''t know what they were either, but Garrl reminded me that they glowed like the tablets. I hadn''t thought of that! I hadn''t noticed, with so much that had happened to us, but yes, he was right. However, given the doubt and the possibility of a radioactive element, I told him to leave them, which he did. I have to investigate if those tablets and minerals are related and if they are dangerous in any way, although I have some suspicions; Kirkarrg used one of the tablets to do something similar to the "inheritance ritual" and thanks to that I understand and speak the kobold language, and before jumping through the crack I saw that another tablet was shining in Kirkarrg''s hand, before what I think was an explosion; if I had to bet, it seems to be some type of mineral catalyst for magic?, no! it''s still too early to deduce that without conducting tests first, but I must be cautious.

    When we were heading back, I took the opportunity to ask Garrl some questions, hoping not to anger a certain dragon in my head.

    - Hey Garrl, by any chance, do you know if there are ways to communicate with the ancestors? I mean, is it possible to communicate with them? I understand that they are no longer with us.

    - Communicating with the great ancestors? Of course, the ritual offers us and bequeaths us its legacy.

    - I understand you, but if I''m not mistaken, the ritual only gives us knowledge or memories, it''s not that we talk directly to them. Is there anyone who can speak directly with them?

    - Mmmmm, brother, I''m telling you again, speak with more respect, they are not "them," they are the great ancestors. But the truth is, I don''t know, it would be incredible to be in the presence of a great ancestor, can you imagine!

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    - I think so, and I don''t know if it would be incredible.

    - Did you say something, brother?

    - No, nothing, I''m just saying that of course it would be incredible. But in case it were possible, how do I talk to themmmmmm...........? I mean with a great ancestor! I don''t know if there''s something I should say or not say, how do I become worthy of your respect?

    - Worthy of their respect? Oh brother! I understand that you did not receive much inheritance from the great ancestors, however, any non-stray is already worthy in the eyes of anyone, because you receive their inheritance. Although yes, one must always honor them and strive to earn their favor and perhaps thus achieve recognition, and who knows, maybe even achieve the "awakening of their blood," or at least that''s what I believe. Otherwise, fulfilling our duty is enough. I know you''re worried about being a wanderer, but you have an inheritance and you''re not wild. You managed to hatch just like I did, and our mother achieved the "awakening." Maybe you behave a bit strangely, but I believe you are already worthy in their eyes. Just have more respect when talking about the great ancestors, and let''s strive together to earn their favor.

    Well, that didn''t get me anywhere. I appreciate Garrl''s vote of confidence; I know he inherited respect for his ancestors and reminds me of it all the time, but my "heritage" doesn''t come from them, I mean, from the great ancestors! And because of that and what the humanity of this world did to them, I don''t know if I can earn their favor, however, how do I behave strangely?

    - Hey Garrl, what do you mean I act strange?

    - Well, brother, without meaning to offend you or the great ancestors, but your heritage is complicated, it has concepts that are very strange and difficult to understand, at least for me, but I know they must come from a great ancestor, otherwise, where else; however, other strange things are your way of eating, you don''t swallow big bites, you do it slowly and with small bites; also, the way you walk, you keep your tail very stiff, you should balance it, just watch how I walk and look at yourself and you''ll understand.

    It was true! At least the walking part, we walk differently, as for the tail, the truth is that I''ve always felt it strange, so I tried not to move it much. However, after seeing Garrl walk, I try to imitate it, and although I still feel it strange, part of me feels it more... comfortable? Before, I felt like I was walking on stilts and trying to maintain balance. I suppose it makes sense; I was still trying to walk like a human, but now my center of gravity is different. As for eating, well, I still try to chew the food, I know my teeth are no longer made for that, but I can try to eat like Garrl, I don''t think it''s a problem. Well, today has been a day of learning. Even though I still don''t walk like Garrl, it will just take some practice and getting used to.

    Garrl kept mentioning other behaviors that he found strange about me, nothing out of this world, but certain, for example, how I slept, how I got lost in my thoughts and the gestures I made, the sound and pronunciation of my name, my terrible way of moving when attacking the toad; these and others were true and justified by my previous life and thinking that my body was still human; I could and should correct some, the physical ones of course, my body is already different, but the mental ones are mine and part of my personality and those don''t go away; so I asked Garrl to teach me to move and control my body better; of course, he found it strange since for him that''s something instinctive and obvious to do, but I was already strange in his eyes and in the end, he tried to teach me.

 The cave II - The passage of time

    It has been what I believe was a week since we arrived at this cave, justifying this with the temperature variations; since then, we have hunted some arthropods since we ran out of toad meat. It wasn''t that difficult since we used the spoiled meat as bait to attract and catch them.

    I also managed to make two small spears with the branches we found; nothing spectacular, to be honest, but something is something. I also managed to make some small knives with sharp-edged stones, to use as little knives and to cut things.

    For my part, regarding getting used to my new body, it wasn''t easy at first; I still had the mindset of my old body. But as I practiced, I gradually got used to it and made my mind understand that this was my new body. And while Garrl moves more agilely and quickly than I do, it''s not something that keeps me up at night. I wasn''t the most athletic person in my previous life; besides, I don''t know if it''s because we are young, but I have plenty of energy to practice. The advantages of youth, I suppose, haha. I also took advantage of our free time to play with Garrl. As I said, we had plenty of energy, and sitting in a cave watching rocks was neither a physical nor mental way to spend time. Luckily, I knew a game or two, the typical "you bring them," "hide and seek," "whoever throws the most rocks," and so on¡ªgames that, although simple for me, were very entertaining for Garrl. At first, he didn''t see them that way, as apparently, kobolds in his culture don''t see the need for young ones to have fun. Instead, they spend their time training for what they are supposedly destined to be. There''s no time or reason for young ones to enjoy their childhood with games that are just for fun and have no other purpose. But well, once Garrl got into them, just as soon as we didn''t have any tasks or obligations, he would ask me to play. Honestly, for me, it was quality time with Garrl and a way to not be so bored. It''s not that I didn''t have other things to do, like researching fluorescent minerals or continuing to plan and prepare for exploration, but it did remind me of my childhood, and for me, that was more than enough.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Breigon is incredible, he knows many things, his heritage is greater than mine, although he says it isn''t; he taught me how he believes the outside world should be, he explained where various things come from, like making weapons, the importance of planning and anticipating things, playing, which is very fun. In my heritage, I have nothing similar to what the adults in our village did; if I had to bet, my brother will be a wise man.

    Something very curious was when he asked me to teach him how to move better and how to defend himself with his claws and fangs. It surprised me, but I know Breigon is different; and I think I now understand why Kirkarrg told me he was special and that we should look out for each other.

    When I was trying to teach him how to defend himself and move, he taught me something incredible; it all started when we began training together. He was worried that we might hurt each other, but I told him that our scales were strong and that we wouldn''t be going all out either. Besides, it''s normal for the young ones to face off to see if any of them can become a warrior.

    At first, I defeated him over and over again, much to his frustration; it was as if he didn''t know how to use his claws and fangs. But little by little, he improved. However, one day while we were training, he asked if he could try something different that he called "self-defense techniques." He told me it was part of his heritage and that he only knew the basics. According to him, he hadn''t tried it before because, in his words, "he hadn''t gotten used to his body yet." Yes! That last part sounded strange, but it''s Breigon, what can I say; in the end, as always, I attacked him, and to my great surprise, he sent me flying. On other occasions, he immobilized me with something he called " joint lock," strange name, and instead of slashing, he would kick and punch without extending or using his claws; it was incredible. I begged him to teach me everything, with this we could become warriors! He was surprised by what I said, emphasized that it wasn''t such a big deal, and told me that he wasn''t an expert and that it worked against me because he caught me off guard; but that wasn''t true, and after much begging, he said that of course, he would teach me the little he knew, but not to get my hopes up.

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    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Another week passed, and during it, I learned how to use my claws and fangs, as well as how to move, similar to how Garrl does; it was somewhat difficult to get used to the fact that I can swipe and that I should take advantage of my bite, but the incredible part was when I taught Garrl some self-defense techniques. Honestly, I didn''t think they would work, but in the end, they did. However, that wasn''t the incredible part. I only know the basics because I took a couple of courses, but when I taught them to Garrl, he not only learned them quickly but also started practicing other moves, using his tail and claws. Soon, and just like that, my only advantage against him was gone. Of course, I should have seen it coming; he knows how to handle his body better and does it instinctively. I had to think before acting. But I also believe he has talent; I hope it helps him defend himself in this life.

    By the middle of the third week, we felt confident enough to explore the caves. We took our spears, stones, the dagger, and one of the medicine vials; since it was just exploring, we would always return to this cave as it was quite safe. Also, while we had grown, it wasn''t that much, just a couple of centimeters at most. I know our species isn''t exactly giant, which is strange considering we descend from dragons, but anyway; we also started to grow what must be the horns and, wow! How much it itched! Garrl explained to me that the moment our antlers fully grew, we would no longer be considered younglings, well, that would be a short childhood, which made me curious to know our life expectancy, but Garrl didn''t know anything about it, I''ll find out later, I hope.

    Returning to the topic of exploration, we agreed to only explore, not to seek conflicts, especially if we encountered humans. Garrl didn''t like it; he wanted revenge and to fulfill his duty. But I insisted he be patient. I felt bad not telling him the whole truth; while I harbored resentment for what the humans did to us, I honestly didn''t know if I could attack and kill a human being. Killing a frog or arthropod to survive is one thing, but killing a person is another; the very idea terrified me. I know that if I have to defend myself or Garrl, I won''t hesitate; or will I? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. But I don''t want to enter this cycle of violence, hatred, and revenge; I don''t want that for Garrl either. There has to be another solution. I am aware that what they did to Garrl is something that cannot be forgiven and forgotten just like that; but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. the truth is, I don''t know. I sincerely hope to explore this cave peacefully and, if possible, to be able to leave it without incidents, so that I can then find a kobold village, and after that, I would think about what to do. Well, here we go!

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    The kobold pups are leaving; they behaved very strangely during all the time I was watching them. I already know what happened to their village, and it saddens me, especially for my friend Tammat. One of my offspring confirmed it to me; I don''t know if I should have helped them or if I should help them now. The kobolds are very proud of their descent from the great dragons and almost never ask for help; that fool Tammat and his foolish pride, why didn''t he warn me about the attack? I would have helped them; I know our species are not on good terms, but, mmmmmmmmmm. Silly Tammat! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ We were friends! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ We were friends! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Why didn''t you ask me for help? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    I tried to help these two kobold hatchlings without them noticing; after all, they are the last descendants of the great dragons in these caves. I got the frog to them, and luckily, although in a strange way, they caught it. I also prevented other dangerous creatures from arriving; but they, of their own accord, are moving away from here. Should I follow them? Should I tell them that there are still humans? No, even if I wanted to, I couldn''t follow them wherever they go; besides, I must respect my friend''s memory. Even if I don''t agree with it, they must prove that they are worthy of the lineage of the great dragons, right?

 The cave III - Discussions

    - Run, Garrl, run! He''ll catch up to us!

    - I already know, brother, you don''t have to tell me!

    Fortunately, we managed to reach a wall that we quickly climbed.

    - But what the hell, Garrl! I thought that when you mentioned "minor lizards" it would be, I don''t know, an iguana or something, but that thing is a damn Komodo dragon!

    - First, brother! I''m telling you for the last time: do not disrespect the great ancestors! That''s why what''s happening to us is happening, and that is a lizard! It has nothing to do with our great ancestors or with us!

    - Sssssssssshhhhhhhh

    - You shut up! Alright, Garrl, but to begin with, I told you we shouldn''t attack him; we agreed not to put ourselves at risk.

    - But it''s a minor lizard! We can defeat it, the adults do; I thought it would be the same as with the toad.

    - SssshhhhhhhHHHHHHHHh

    - SHUT UP ALREADY! Look, Garrl, we tricked the toad and its skin was smooth; that thing has skin with scales as tough or tougher than ours. And among all things, why did you use the wooden spear to attack it? At least you could have used the dagger!

    - The dagger! It''s not a weapon, brother, it''s a treasure from our great ancestors, a testament to their existence, and it''s for rituals; besides, look! With the spear, I damaged one of his eyes; my goal was to pierce him and kill him.

    - Well, that ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ That''s not a bad idea, but that doesn''t change the fact that...

    - Sssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    - Okay, you have my attention! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Look! Garrl, the spear is still lodged in his eye; if we manage to push him, maybe we''ll kill him. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­. Let''s do this: I''ll distract him and you finish what you started. He lost part of his vision, so he won''t see you if his only eye is on me.

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    - Alright, let''s do it, brother, I promise to finish what I started.

    Ok, instincts and training, don''t fail me.

    - Hey, little lizard, get ready to suffer the wrath of the kobold brothers. Come for me!

    As it falls to the ground, the lizard lunges directly at me. I barely manage to avoid its bite and attack its other eye with my claws; however, I couldn''t fully damage it; nor could I avoid its tail, which came out of nowhere and sent me flying. As soon as I fell to the ground, I immediately tried to get back on my feet. At that moment, I saw the lizard direct all its attention to attacking me again; however, it was in that moment of carelessness that Garrl ended up pushing the spear, and after a terrifying growl, the lizard stopped moving.

    - What the heck, that was close!

    - Brother, are you okay? I told you we could beat him.

    - Seriously, Garrl! Look, I love you, brother, but seriously, you need to think before you act. We had a strong bond again, but it won''t always be like this.

    - I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I''m sorry.

    - A "sorry" is not enough, Garrl!

    I manage to calm down after seeing Garrl very remorseful. Damn! I forget that he''s still like a child. Moreover, it''s the first time we''ve argued and right in the worst place and moment.

    - Look, Garrl, I''m sorry too, I shouldn''t have yelled at you. I know you want to prove yourself worthy of your lineage, but we must be smart.

    - I know, brother, and I''m really sorry, I thought we were already strong and I still believe we are because we managed to defeat him, but you''re right, we put ourselves at risk.

    - Alright, just promise that you won''t do it again and we''ll be fine; and help me get up.

    - I promise, brother.

    - Well, now let''s go back to our shelter; my tail tip hurts and that''s saying a lot.

    - And what are we going to do with the lizard? We''re not going to leave it, it''s our hunt.

    - I don''t know, Garrl, its skin is too tough to cut; besides, we still have insects to eat and I''m worried that the noise we made might attract something else; I think what we explored today is more than enough.

    With reluctance, Garrl accepted, but I didn''t want to tell him that besides everything I said; the truth is I didn''t want to eat anything from that lizard, because I honestly believe that in some way we are related, and that felt strange. I know I can''t tell Garrl that, he would get furious; although what he says about us not being lizards, he might be right, despite us resembling them in certain ways. Lizards crawl on four legs, we are not like that, nor are dragons if they are like I remember from my past life. At most, we might share a common ancestor, but we come from different evolutionary lines. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Look at me! Looking for a way to justify that we are not lizards, Garrl''s influence has already rubbed off on me, oh my God! Surely, it''s because of the tail whip that lizard gave me.

 The cave III - Reconciliation and confrontation

    When we returned, Garrl was still very downcast; I think he still feels bad about everything. I yelled at him very loudly; maybe I was too hard on him. He put us in danger, yes, but it wasn''t with bad intentions. So, I decide to talk to him.

    - Hey, Garrl, do you think the great ancestors are proud of us? Because at least for my part, I am proud that you are my brother and for what you did today. You are incredible when you move! You are quite agile and fast. I wouldn''t have been able to pull off that attack, stabbing the spear right in the eye; I''ll say it again: "You''re incredible!" but don''t do it again, unless that''s the plan, haha.

    - I don''t know if the great ancestors are proud, I don''t think what I do is incredible; but thanks for believing it, brother.

    - Hey, Garrl, you need to believe more in yourself and your strength; don''t think that because of today everything is falling apart. We all have some bad days; however, you decide whether they affect you or not. I''m not saying you should suppress what you feel, but you must always get back up; you are strong, Garrl, and let no one say otherwise.

    At that moment, I hear Garrl sobbing.

    - ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Do you really think so, Breigon? That I''m strong? Because I don''t forgive myself for not being able to help anyone in the village or Kirkarrg.

    - What do you mean you didn''t help anyone? You saved me, Garrl, you trusted me despite maybe being a wanderer. We had just saved Kirkarrg when you decided to return to the village to help. You did what was within your power, Kirkarrg decided to protect them because he believed in us, and everything that happened was not your fault.

    In that hug with Garrl, I can only think that I made a grave mistake in coming and pressuring him to explore. I thought he was fine because all this time he didn''t show any signs of depression; instead, I think he was pretending to be the strong brother so as not to worry me. How did I think that Garrl, after what happened, would be okay? And after that, I ruin it, admitting that what he did today was wrong, what an idiot!

    - Look, Garrl, I repeat and stand by this: nothing was your fault, but remember that you are not alone, we are together, and together we are stronger; never forget it, your burden is my burden and I help you carry it.

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    God would have been a great moment of reconciliation, but it seems that misfortune pursues us; because in the distance, I hear, to my horror, a sound that changes Garrl''s vision from sadness to anger. Humans! Seriously, I made a grave mistake!

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    - Are you sure you heard something out there? Because we are only here to explore and kill low-level monsters; I won''t put myself at risk, I have a family waiting for me.

    - Oh, come on, just calm down. The kobold village was destroyed and, although there were casualties, they wiped them all out. Those damn lizards aren''t strong, but they''re a nuisance. For their part, the "big monsters" haven''t been seen in a long time. So just calm down; at most, I heard it was a lizard or amphibian, and that''s why they paid us, to eliminate them, so do your job.

    - Alright, alright, do your location spell and I''ll take care of killing whatever''s there, because I want to leave to see my son. I told you he will be a great warrior like his father, haha.

    - Whatever you say.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    - Listen to me! Garrl. Seriously, listen to me! We are NOT going to attack those humans!

    - But! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.... but it is our duty to the great ancestors! It''s for what they did to our village! It''s for Kirkarrg!

    - I understand you, but we are not prepared. You saw, even Kirkkarg couldn''t handle them and he knew how to use magic. We must be better prepared; besides, we don''t know if they were the ones who attacked the village.

    - And so, what if they weren''t! All humans are our enemies! Maybe it wasn''t passed down to you, brother, but they mercilessly exterminated the great ancestors and their pain is my pain; Understand! And if not, at least feel the pain and suffering of our village, Breigon! They killed them all!

    I was left speechless; Garrl''s hatred is immense and the worst part is that he''s right, but even so, I can''t allow us to die here because of that same hatred.

    - I know I can''t fully understand or feel what you feel, maybe I am a wanderer, but I don''t want you to die here, not with all that hatred. Please, Garrl, brother, just this once listen to me, you promised me, please, we are together, do you remember?

    - But, but .......... It''s not fair, it''s not worthy of our lineage to flee.

    - Let me show you that there is another way, something that will be worthy of our lineage, but for that, we need to not die today; believe in me, as I believe in you, Garrl, just this once.

    Create something worthy of our lineage? What the hell am I saying! But what matters is that Garrl calmed down and accepted that we leave. Thank God! It''s the only thing I can think of, however, out of nowhere we both felt it; it was like a chill that made us turn and see a human with his sword heading towards us. But how? We are still far away and it''s dark! How does he know we''re here? Out of nowhere, I see that we start to shine, which made us completely visible to that human who was trying to kill us.

    There was no choice, we had to defend ourselves.

    - Garrl, how we trained! Together, remember! You''re not alone!

 The cave III - Confrontation and decisions

    What we trained, if it can be called that, was coordinating our movements, where one was always attacking; although we are small, we are agile and fast, and that has to be taken advantage of. It would have been very advantageous to have a fire attack like Kirkarrg''s and take advantage of the darkness, but to hell with it. However, why do we shine?

    I don''t have time to think about that; we pounced on the human. At first, we approached together, but before we got there, we separated. That confused him. We tried to attack him, but he stood firm, attacking us with his sword and protecting himself with a shield. Moreover, he had some kind of armor that left few places to bite or tear. What do we do? Out of nowhere, his sword starts to shine, oh no! It will be an attack like the one they did to Kirkarrg; he didn''t even have time to defend himself. What do we do?

    - Garrl! Stay on the move; I''ll distract him. Take advantage when he''s distracted and go all out.

    I stop in front of the human, knowing that I will only have one chance; if this doesn''t distract him, I''m dead. I take in all the air I can; I''ve been practicing it in secret, I think out of nostalgia, or honestly, I don''t know. I hope it''s enough to distract him and then I scream.

    - Hey, human, I don''t know if you understand me! Do you speak English? ?Hablas espa?ol tal vez?

    I just needed him to focus on me for a few seconds and speak in the languages of my previous life; although it was hard for me to say, it wasn''t impossible, and yes! That made the human hesitate for the seconds we needed, as he stopped his attack. For his part, Garrl had already propelled himself from a wall and launched himself, delivering a double kick directly to the human''s head, making him lose his helmet. Without it, I think I see intrigue on the human''s face, but I can''t hesitate now. I go straight for his hand where the sword is and try to take it from him; I bite and scratch at the joints of the armor, making him scream in pain and drop the sword, which I immediately try to take away from him. And while he tries to attack me, he has completely forgotten about Garrl, who takes the opportunity to climb up his back and, with a rock in his mouth, uses it to hit him on the head. The human screams in pain, but Garrl doesn''t stop until the human collapses; however, he keeps attacking and attacking. I must stop him!

    - Garrl! Stop! We already defeated him. You don''t have to kill him!

    But Garrl didn''t stop despite my words. I had to throw myself at him, as he wasn''t listening to me.

    - What are you doing, Breigon? He''s still alive. Let me go! They must pay for everything they have done! They must pay for everything they have done! It is our duty! It is our duty!

    - And then what! What will change? Tell me! I know I can''t understand you despite being brothers, I know it hurts and I know you suffer, and I''m sorry for not realizing it, but don''t be like those who took everything from us. You are more than that! Allow yourself to be more than a killer.

    - ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ No ¡­¡­¡­¡­. I don''t understand you! It is our duty, it is for our village, for Kirkarrg!

    - I¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    I couldn''t finish what I was going to say to Garrl, because out of nowhere I saw a kind of light approaching us; I only had time to push Garrl when I felt a great pain and then nothing.

    - BREIGON!

    We hadn''t noticed, but there was another human; this one attacked Breigon, I don''t know with what, but it sent him flying. I don''t know if he''s dead; he''s not moving. I try to go to him, but I don''t have time; the human attacks again and I can barely dodge it. What should I do?

    I am not strong, I failed, I am not worthy of my lineage; it''s the only thing I can think about while dodging the human''s attacks. I don''t plan to leave Breigon, I won''t leave him!, but¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    "Hey, Garrl, do you think the great ancestors are proud of us?" Because at least for my part, I am proud that you are my brother and for what you did today. You are incredible ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    But........................

    "........you are strong, Garrl, and let no one say otherwise."

    But...

    "¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I repeat and stand by it: nothing was your fault, but remember that you are not alone, we are together, and together we are stronger; never forget it, your burden is my burden and I help you carry it."

    My brother always believed in me, he was always there; I help him and he helps me, not out of obligation.

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    "Let me show you that there is another path, something that becomes worthy of our lineage.........."

    Then I remember it, when we were with Kirkarrg.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    - That''s incredible! Is that the fire of the great ancestors? How do I do it? Tell me, tell me.

    - You are still very young.

    - That''s not fair, please, I want to be worthy of my lineage, my brother too.

    - Your brother? Look at him, he''s just as amazed as you are; look at the gestures he''s making, haha.

    - Don''t make fun of him, he just doesn''t know how to speak, but he hatched just like me, we have our lineage, and ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. and¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I can make fire like the great ancestors, just look at me.

    - Don''t overexert yourself, it''s not going to work out. What kind of offspring did I run into? What is Breigon doing? Ahhhhhhhhhhh, more drawings, you''re weird; when I think you''re a wanderer, you show me the opposite, but well, what did you draw? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Ahhhhhhh, do you want to know how I concentrate the mana? Well, since you both want to know, I''ll tell you.

    - Hey, Garrl, come, look, I''ll show them to you as many times as I can. Look and try to learn; this is magic. What you do is concentrate your mana; it is close to our heart. Its size varies; it is usually larger in the wise, but warriors are not far behind either, and with the right training, you can do this ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    - You must feel your mana and concentrate it in your snout to finally release it; now try to do it.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    I must feel my mana! As Kirkarrg said, and I concentrate it in my snout.

    Brother, you say I''m strong; the truth is I''m not. It hurts what they did to us. I know they didn''t pass down the pain of our great ancestors to you, I don''t know if that makes you different, but you believed in me and taught me many things. I want to learn more; I want to prove our lineage and fulfill our duty. Sorry for not understanding you and being very impulsive, but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ just wait for me and, just as Kirkarrg wanted, we will decide what our lineage will be, one worthy of our great ancestors.

    - "Concentrate it and release it."

    - Thank you, Kirkarrg.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    - Where am I? Everything hurts, I was... Garrl! The humans! No, no, no, something attacked us after defeating the human, but what? That doesn''t matter; I must help Garrl. Where am I? It''s dark and empty. I''m unconscious! I must wake up. Wake up! Wake up! Garrl needs you! It can''t end like this, not again, please.

    - The dragon!

    - Great ancestor! I know you''re there, please, just this once set aside your hatred for me, let me help Garrl, please!................................ You will only leave me in this silence and let one of your descendants die. Garrl is worthy of your lineage, I understand that I am not; please, do not punish him for my fault, please.

    My screams only sound like an empty echo that no one hears, and because of that, my desperation only grows; I don''t want it to end like this, it''s all I can think about.

    - Please, great ancestor!

    <u>- And then what! What will change? Tell me! Those were your words, human, the ones you said to Garrl when you decided to save the human who attacked them. Do you think he will thank you? What do you gain by regaining your humanity? I know you don''t understand many things, but humans not only killed us, they also hunt and treat the kobolds, our descendants, as mere pests that must be eradicated. And those are the humans you defend and cling to?</u>

    - I, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­, know that I ignore many things, that is true; I know that humanity can be and is very self-destructive towards itself and others, but I know that not everything is darkness in the human heart. In my world, while there were great evils, there were also great people, people who fought and fight for what is right, even though it is never easy. I know you have every reason to hate humanity in your world, and I don''t expect to convince you otherwise. I don''t understand how to be worthy of your lineage, but inheriting a path of hatred only destroys, it doesn''t build; I have no answers for you, I''m just a simple person who ended up here by the whims of fate, I don''t even know why I''m here, but I just want to help Garrl in whatever way I can, that''s all, please.

    <u>- Do you only destroy, not build? ...I still choose not to trust you. I still decide not to trust you. You fill Garrl''s head with a lot of ideas, but you''ve shown me that you only seek to help him; however, I remind you that a path without blood will not be possible and you will have to decide, whether you like it or not, so wake up and decide.</u>

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    The first thing I see when I open my eyes is Garrl fighting another human, but Garrl is breathing fire from his snout! How did he learn to use magic? You never cease to amaze me, Garrl. But I have to help him, when I move my chest and whole body hurt. Damn it! Move! As I stand up, I see the other human, I still think he is unconscious. I approach him at all costs; I look for some kind of weapon that could help us. Luckily, I find a dagger that fits my size. I look at the human again and, although a thought of avenging what they did to Garrl crossed my mind, I decide to push it to the back of my mind. I''m sorry, great ancestor, I know the bloodless path will be impossible, but I decide to only take it if there is no other option. Call me stubborn, foolish, idealistic, or naive; but now I am going to help Garrl.

    I must not distract Garrl, and the human is focused on him; however, I stopped shining, I don''t know if it''s because I lost consciousness or if it''s some kind of spell from the human who is still fighting, since Garrl is still shining; however, it''s my chance to slip away into the darkness and end this, and that''s what I do.

    As I approach, I see that Garrl''s fire attacks hit like a wall that glows every time they manage to hit the human, causing no damage; Garrl looks exhausted, and I can''t say the same for myself. I''m sorry! It''s the only thing I can think of as I attack the human from behind and insert the dagger; luckily, there was no shining shield behind him, but there was blood gushing from the human, as well as a cry of pain. Garrl is surprised, but upon seeing me held on the human''s back, he shouts my name and proceeds to attack the human, who is still stunned by my attack; however, he begins to concentrate some kind of energy in his staff. Please, no! I try to say it even knowing that he doesn''t understand me, and I make the decision to attack his neck looking for his carotid artery, and with pain and fear I do it; the human falls unconscious in seconds. It''s over! But I killed a person, oh my God! What did I do?

 The cave III - Sequelae

    I don''t know how, but Breigon got up and managed to sneak up behind the human and attacked him. Immediately, I tried to help him while the human was distracted, when I saw a great light accumulating in the staff with which the human was attacking me, and I knew it was dangerous, it was denser and stronger than the mana I managed to concentrate in my mouth. We have to stop him, but before I could do anything, the human collapses; Breigon defeated him. I don''t know how, but we won. We have come to our village and are fulfilling our duty; but why does Breigon express sadness and fear on his face?

    - Brother, are you okay? We won! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. brother?

    - Garrl? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Kill a person! I, I, I just, I didn''t see any other option; he was preparing some kind of attack, I didn''t want him to hurt us anymore. I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­ I, I''m sorry.

    - Alright, brother, this is for ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    NO, it''s not okay! None of this is okay! I was just at home, I wasn''t hurting anyone, why? I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­.

    It''s one of the attacks my brother suffers from; they''re strange, I don''t know why they happen. No matter how much I asked him, he avoided the topic, he didn''t want to explain to me more than that it was called a "panic attack."

    - Calm down, brother, listen to me, it''s one of those panic attacks, what did you tell me, what should I do? How can I help you?

    When I try to go with him, I feel like my whole body has lost all its strength, while a pain runs through everything. What''s happening?

    - Brother, I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­

    Garrl collapsed in front of me. What happened to him? They tied him up or injured him when he was unconscious. Is there another human? I must calm down. Calm down, calm down, there will be time to think about what I did; Garrl needs my help.

    Little by little, I managed to pull myself together. Thank God, there was no other human, but then what happened to Garrl? I try to talk to him, but he is unconscious and his body is burning, mainly in his chest; I try to look for the medicine bottle we brought, but it is broken, surely when I flew out it shattered. We must return to the cave, it''s not safe here. Drawing on strength I don''t know where it comes from, I lift Garrl and throw him over my shoulder as I walk towards where I know our cave is. I turn before we leave for where the humans are.

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    - It shouldn''t have ended this way, I''m truly sorry.

    Walking back to the cave, I fell more than once; everything hurt, I couldn''t get everything that happened out of my head, especially who I killed. Would he have family? Children, wife, siblings, parents? Who may not even know what happened; I wanted to lie on the ground and wait for my death, as punishment for what I did, but no, I must help Garrl. I push all those thoughts aside for now and focus on the fact that I have to reach the cave where the other vial is; it''s the only thing I can do now. We really made a terrible mistake in exploring, No! I made that mistake. Don''t stop, don''t stop .............................

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    I can feel and see from afar how the two kobold pups returned to the cave; one of them is carrying the other on top, and both look terribly injured. No! I knew I had to warn them, what did they get into? While they weren''t that strong, they weren''t weak either; I saw them train and hunt. Wait, humans! They would be so foolish to confront humans.

    In that moment, I see that he was bringing the other one; on top of that, he leaves him on the ground while he runs to his hideout. He falls more than once, but he gets back up. Is he going to look for something? I return to the other and perceive with my tongue what is happening to him: "Mana accumulation," but if he is still a pup, he shouldn''t be able to, but if he did it, he''s going to die if he doesn''t stabilize his crystal!

    I see that the other kid has a jar that I perceive contains some mana concentration, among other things. Could it be medicine? But when trying to take it, he stops and looks back at the other cub. No, no, don''t be foolish, if you give him that, you''ll kill him. Don''t give more mana to someone who''s hoarding it; take it for yourself and survive. Your brother won''t make it. But no, he doesn''t take anything and starts to go down, not before falling, but he protects the jar. I don''t know how he manages to get up and heads towards the other cub; he''s willing to sacrifice himself just to help the other cub! But he doesn''t know that if he gives that to him, it will only make things worse! They will both end up dying!

    Enough already! I can''t just stand by and watch the last descendants of the great dragons die. I''m sorry, Tammat, I must intervene; I just hope you let yourself be helped, if not, I''ll do it by force.

 The cave III - Friendships

    I must give all the medicine to Garrl; if anyone should survive, it''s him, not me. At that moment, I hear a sound of something emerging from the river and heading towards where Garrl is. It''s enormous! It can''t be! It''s a snake! Garrl always told me that he felt like something was watching; I never paid much attention to it because nothing ever happened. It''s serious! Why is it attacking us now? I hurried to get to where Garrl is, the only thing I can do is stand between that snake and my brother, I won''t let him die alone, but in that, I hear in my mind.

    - Listen, Kobold brat, I think your name is Breigon? I couldn''t care less about your pride, but if you don''t let me help you and your brother. I swear I''ll do it by force!

    - I think I''m hallucinating. Did this snake just talk to me and wants to help us?

    - Yes, I am a snake, and as I told you, I am going to help you by force, whether you like it or not, since I will not allow ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    - Alright, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Please, help Garrl first! ... I no longer have the strength.

    Out of nowhere, the kobold hatchling faints. Did she accept my help without protesting or hesitating? I know it seems very strange, but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I must concentrate. How do I help them? The jar must be some medicine imbued with mana, well, then with the help of my offspring, I make them give it to the cub that fainted. I am too big to give it to him myself; I also give him a bit of my mana to help him heal. It''s not the right thing to do, but it''s the only thing I can do for this little one; the problem is the other: How do I stabilize his crystal?

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    <u>- Human, wake up.</u>

    - Where am I? Everything hurts; Garrl! A snake spoke to me and offered us its help, oh no! I imagined everything and lost consciousness. I failed Garrl, I must wake up!

    <u>- Before you do that, let me tell you a couple of things. You haven''t failed your brother yet, but you will if you don''t do what I''m about to tell you; your brother has a mana buildup because his mana crystal was fractured, if it continues like this he will die, so first tell the serpent to channel its mana through you, more than what I used now to heal you; before that, take the locker with this symbol and put a bit of your blood in it and place it on Garrl''s chest, what will happen is that Garrl''s mana will try to reject the serpent''s mana that you will have and at that moment just let it out, let it pass through you, don''t hold it back or both of you will die; they are still too young to store and handle mana, their crystals have not grown enough; I''ll take care of the rest.</u>

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    - Thank you! really thank you for helping us!

    <u>- I only pay a bet that I think I''m losing. Now wake up and hurry up; and one last thing: it''s going to hurt.</u>

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    I open my eyes and see the snake watching Garrl. At great cost, I manage to get up; I can''t waste time.

    - Hey! You should rest, but how the hell are you still awake? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. That doesn''t matter, I''m sorry, I don''t know how to help your brother, his mana just keeps accumulating and accumulating, he must have broken his crystal.

    - I think I know how to help him, but I still need your help and truly, thank you for everything.

    - You''re strange, you know that.

    - Yes, I''ve already been told.

    I explain to him what the dragon is. No! What the great ancestor explained to me, while I gather everything necessary to fulfill what he asked.

    - Listen, even though what you''re saying makes sense, it will be very dangerous and painful for you; and are you really telling me that one of their dragon ancestors told you this? But isn''t it true that there are no more left? You are the closest thing to them. Right?

    - I don''t know how to respond to you about the great ancestors; I''ve been just as confused as you, but if it helps save Garrl, it''s worth the risk.

    - Well, just promise that you won''t both die; Tammat wouldn''t forgive me.

    - Of course, if you promise me after all this, to tell me how you met Tammat.

    - I''ll repeat it: you''re strange, but let''s start, your brother doesn''t have much time left.

    I cut my hand with the dagger, the same one Garrl defended so much, which is only for rituals, and I place my blood on the tablet; the serpent begins to give me its mana. It''s strange, it''s as if something warm entered my body, but soon my chest starts to hurt.

    <u>- Tell him it''s enough, your body and crystal are already trying to reject the serpent''s mana.</u>

    - Can you still talk to me if I''m awake?

    <u>- I told you I see and hear everything you see and hear; of course, I can communicate with you, but focus, now comes the difficult part. Place the tablet on Garrl''s chest and get ready.</u>

    I do what the great ancestor tells me, and yes, of course it hurt, but at the same time I knew it was nothing if I couldn''t save Garrl.

    <u>- Listen, let the mana flow, don''t try to accumulate it, just let it pass. Do you hear me? I''m going to regenerate his crystal and remind him not to do what he did again, nor you, until they stop being cubs.</u>

    It was incredible to see how Breigon kept touching his brother Garrl''s chest, despite the pain it caused him; however, even more incredible was seeing a mana different from theirs, yet at the same time similar, coming from Breigon and somehow restoring the mana crystal of the other cub. That shouldn''t be possible!If your crystal breaks, you die. So, he wasn''t lying about his ancestor! This changes everything, everything in these caves.

    -<u> Ready, you can let it go and remember, don''t do any magic until you stop being cubs.</u>

    - Thank you was the last thing I remember saying to the great ancestor before falling unconscious.

 The Cave III - Confidence I

    Where am I? I was with Breigon when ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. The humans! Did we win? I can''t move my body. Are we in the cave? In our home? Did Breigon bring me? I don''t remember, I was with him and then my whole body hurt, especially my chest ¡­I don''t remember, I was with him and then my whole body hurt, especially my chest ¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­ Where is Breigon? Where is Breigon? Brother! Brother!

    - Calm down, little kobold, your name is Garrl, right? Your brother is fine, a bit injured, but fine.

    - Who''s speaking? Who are you? Where are you? Where is Breigon?

    - I don''t have a name as such. About where I am, well, by the river I watch over my offspring as they clean your brother''s wounds. I can''t imbue him with more mana without him rejecting it, so we need to make sure his wounds don''t get infected; but don''t worry, he''s just unconscious, but he''s fine. It was incredible what he did for you.

    - Why are you helping us? Are you a kobold?

    - No, I''m not a kobold and I help them because of my friendship with Tammat, and for other reasons, but that can wait. Can you move? Or do you need help with something?

    - Do you promise me that Breigon is okay? I want to see my brother, but I can''t move.

    - It''s natural that you can''t move. What you did was very irresponsible. Didn''t they teach you that you shouldn''t manipulate mana until your crystal is developed? But well, I guess you had no choice or maybe you weren''t taught. I''m sorry, give me some time, I''ll finish with your brother and bring him to you. Don''t you want anything else?

    - Water, if possible.

    - Good.

    I don''t know who she is, but she''s nice, she says she was a friend of Tammat; I suppose then that I can trust her. What she said about not manipulating mana ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. It''s true! I could breathe fire like the great ancestors! Oh, my chest! It hurts!

    - Well, I already brought your brother and the water, but I hope you are as understanding as your brother when you see me.

    - And why wouldn''t I be understanding with the one who helped us? ¡­.......................... Oh no! Hey, there''s a big snake that ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Is it taking my brother?

    - See? Your brother is fine, and my young ones will soon bring the water. I suppose you have questions.

    - Why are you helping us? Not only are you a snake, you are a great snake; my heritage tells me that the village did not get along with snakes, I ...¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­

    - Well, it''s true, your kobolds are generally too proud to listen to reasons other than your own, and yes, I didn''t get along very well with your village; in fact, few down here get along with you since you arrived, proclaiming that you were the owners of the great caverns because one of your great ancestors sent you here, but, well, things change. I met Tammat, not under the best circumstances, but we respected each other and over time we became friends; ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I''m sorry for her death and for what happened to your village; despite our differences, they didn''t deserve what happened to them.

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    - I ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Thank you for everything and I''m sorry if I offended you in any way, it''s just that my heritage ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...

    - Don''t worry, I know it''s difficult for kobolds to go against something defined by their heritage. But tell me. What happened to them?

    I told the great serpent everything; I know my heritage tells me not to distrust it, but being with Breigon has shown me that anything is possible and that I must be open to possibilities. Besides, if she wanted to harm us, she would have already done it. And after listening to me, she told me what happened and how Breigon saved me.

    - So, humans? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ They will be a problem; I will send one of my young ones to see if more have arrived, if not, to get rid of the bodies.

    - You must be careful; a human was still alive; Breigon didn''t let me kill him. I don''t know why?

    - Wow, your brother is really strange, a kobold who doesn''t want to kill humans; at least in these caves, I''ve never met one like that until now.

    - Right! I wonder the same thing. I know my brother didn''t inherit the pain of the great ancestors, but at least he should hate them for what they did to us, but instead, when he killed the other human, he panicked and said very strange things: That he was sorry? But why? If they are the ones who have harmed us, I don''t understand; and with the other human who prevented me from killing him, he tried to tell me that there had to be another way, he made me understand that it wasn''t the right thing to do, but it is our duty to the great ancestors, because all humans are evil, they have harmed us and will harm us.

    - Look, Garrl, I don''t quite understand their heritage. I know that humans wiped out the great dragons and yes, some are very bad; but not all are like that, I can testify to that. I know you might not believe me, but when I was a little hatchling like you, a human saved me; I''ve also seen and spoken with humans who don''t seek to harm us.

    - But ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Isn''t that possible? They only destroy.

    - Listen, I''m not going to argue with you, but I''ll tell you the same thing I told Tammat: not everything his heritage says is correct; don''t get angry, but it''s the truth. As for your brother, ask him why he says and does what he does; I won''t deny that you are very different from other kobolds I''ve known, especially your brother, but one thing I can be almost sure of: he is willing to give his life for you without hesitation, so at the very least, you should listen to him and try to understand why he is the way he is. Sorry if I''m being too direct, but that''s just how I am. Sorry if I''m being too direct, but that''s just how I am. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Oh, almost forgot, before I leave, since you both need to rest, what do you know about your ancestors? Oh yes, I almost forgot, before I leave, since you both need to rest, what do you know about your ancestors? How do you communicate with them? I thought it was impossible.

    - Communicate with the great ancestors? You ask the same strange questions as Breigon; all we have is his legacy.

    - I see ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Well, don''t worry, rest, you both need it, and think about what I told you: be honest with your brother and be patient when listening to him.

    When the great serpent left, I began to question what it told me: That our heritage might be wrong? Are there good humans? Is that possible? What did I hear my brother say? Of course, I listen to him! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Well, as long as what he says doesn''t go against our duty.¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I ¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Was it my fault again, everything that happened to us? But is it our duty? Is it what we should do? Right?

 The Cave III - Confidence II

    "Try to live life the best you can, live by your principles and ideals." Not everything will always go well, but both the good and the bad are part of living. It''s not bad to cry and be frustrated; what''s bad is staying there. Move forward and enjoy the journey, so at least when the day comes, you can say you did what was within your reach, and that should be enough to at least say goodbye with a smile¡±

    I remember it, I remember it, I don''t think I could say goodbye with a smile, Dad. I keep making the same mistakes and I know you taught me that I should get up and keep going, but now I did something horrible, or at least I think it was in self-defense, but it doesn''t stop being horrible. I don''t know if I can forgive myself, but I also don''t have the right to give up. Right? I don''t know why I was brought here; the truth is, I am or at least was just an ordinary person. I miss you all and I''m sorry. You know, if they saw me now, they wouldn''t recognize me, literally, I''m not even human anymore. Now I have a new brother; his name is Garrl, and I will try to help him in everything I can and enjoy this life, so this time I can say goodbye with a smile or at least I hope so.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    - Breigon! !Breigon! Please wake up, brother! Please wake up, brother! Please wake up, brother! I''m sorry, please don''t leave me! I¡¯m sorry, please don''t leave me!

    - Garrl? .................. I can''t move, everything hurts. Where are we?

    - Brother! I''m here next to you, I can''t move either.

    - You two stop trying to move! I''m worse than my offspring.

    - Helloooooo, so, just to be sure, confirm something for me, Garrl, is there a very large talking snake? And that helped us? Right? And is it in front of us now?

    - That''s right, brother, but thanks to the great ancestors. You''re fine! I¡¯m sorry, it was all my fault! If I had listened to you, none of this would have happened.

    - No, quite the opposite, Garrl, sorry for not realizing that you were suffering. You''re just a kid ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. sorry, but now I want to listen to you and I''m here to help you, and together we''ll move forward, but we need to trust each other, we can''t make the same mistakes. Look at how we ended up, haha, oh dear.

    - Of course, brother, but you are also a hatchling; I even hatched before you, I am older.

    - Oh, damn it! I hadn''t thought about it, I''m the younger brother.

    - Hahaha brother, but seriously, I also want to listen to you. There are many things I don''t understand about you, but I want to understand them and help each other; you said it yourself; ¡°your burden is my burden and I''ll help you carry it¡±.

    - Well, that''s quite touching; I didn''t think kobolds were so open in expressing emotions. Tammat at least wasn''t, she was as cold as a rock. But I have several inquiries especially for you, Breigon, but first try to rest and catch up with each other; I need to check a few things. And don''t move!

    - Thank you, I don''t know if you have a name, so I can thank you better.

    - No, as I told your brother, I don''t have a name and I haven''t needed one throughout my life; calling me snake or great snake is fine.

    - Thank you, great serpent; on behalf of my brother and myself, thank you for helping us.

    - You''re welcome, just recover, I''ll be back soon.

    The great serpent left as it said, leaving me alone with Garrl. He began to tell me what happened when he woke up; I did too since we encountered the great serpent. In the end, we were left in an uncomfortable silence; we both had questions we didn''t know how to ask, but Garrl spoke first.

    - Brother. Can I ask you something I don''t understand? But if it''s going to cause you a panic attack, better not, I wouldn''t know how to help you.

    - Calm down, Garrl, that happens when something impacts me too much and catches me by surprise; if it happens again, just give me a little space to calm down, having you by my side supporting me is more than enough.

    - Are you sure? Why did I want to know why they happen to you and if I can help you prevent them?

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    - It''s complicated, Garrl, but as I told you, they happen to me because something impacted me a lot mentally, but I think little by little I will be able to assimilate everything, and then they shouldn''t happen anymore. I''m sorry for worrying you.

    - Did it shock you to kill the human? Why? I know you don''t carry the legacy of pain from our great ancestors, and it''s not that I''m blaming you, but they destroyed our village and killed Kirkarrg; my heritage taught me that humans are the enemy and that, if you can end one, you shouldn''t hesitate, it''s our duty.

    - I understand, Garrl ... I understand, Garrl ... you know, for me, killing is wrong; I can justify and accept it if it''s for survival, like we have been doing, but doing it for revenge or hatred or just because, I don''t think it''s right. You know, for me, killing is wrong; I can justify and accept it if it''s for survival, as we have been doing, but doing it for revenge or hatred or just because, I don''t think it''s right. You are right that I did not inherit the pain of the great ancestors, and while, of course, I feel the hurt of what they did to us and especially the sacrifice of Kirkarrg, there has to be another way to impart and seek justice. Regarding humans, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­., how do I say it? ... I hope you don''t misunderstand me; I think we should find some way to get along with them. I understand that it is not possible with those who destroyed our village, and I know that the great ancestors hate them and I don''t blame them; wars are horrible and there is only death, destruction, and pain; but if you ask me, I believe that if we want to honor them and their lineage, we must create, not destroy. The little I know about our people shows me that they have great potential. Of course, we are not perfect either, but there is always room for improvement. In short, I don''t hate humans, not to the point of wanting to kill any human I come across, or at least not unless I have no other choice but to defend myself. I''m sorry for not telling you; I was afraid you would reject me for thinking that way.

    - But ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ it hurts and it''s confusing. Are you telling me that the legacy of our great ancestors is wrong?

    - No, I would never contradict the pain of the great ancestors. I can''t even imagine seeing your people destroyed and being driven to the extinction of your species. I am not one to say that this hatred is unjustified, but with the utmost respect to the great ancestors, I would like to honor them in another way, not with more death and destruction, but by building. The truth is, I don''t have it clear either; maybe it''s just a foolishness of a foolish kobold whelp, but at least I would like to try. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Garrl, I know you hate humans and with good reason, and I promise to seek justice for what they did to you, but you must move on, not remain in that dark sadness. Life is not just hate, Garrl; allow yourself to be happy and fill that void with happiness. Let me try to help you; of course, it won''t be an easy or short path; there are no easy solutions.

    At that moment, I hear and see Garrl sobbing.

    - Garrl, I''m sorry if I said something that offended or insulted you.

    - No, that''s it, brother, it''s just ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. it hurts, but I also thank the great ancestors for having you as a brother. I wish I could understand everything you say; my heritage is not as great, but I know you want to help me, not just me, but our people. I don''t know if we should go or think beyond what the great ancestors bequeathed to us, but I promise to always listen to you. Thank you, Breigon.

    - Thank you, Garrl, for listening, and I also promise to help you in any way I can; don''t hesitate to ask me for help, you are not alone.

    - Thanks, brother, but can I ask you another question?

    - Of course.

    - How do you know so much? What is your heritage, that even seeks to go beyond what the great ancestors bequeathed to us?

    - That can be something complicated to explain, honestly ...¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    - If we comment, I also want to know.

    - What the heck! Since when have you been there? Weren''t you going to check something?

    - I already did, and I just arrived by luck, because what your brother is asking you is similar to what I wanted to ask you. Tell me, can you really communicate with one of your draconian ancestors, a great dragon? Is that why you are different? Is it related to your heritage?

    - Brother. Why does the great serpent say that you communicate with a great ancestor? That is disrespectful to them, you can''t be saying that, only the wise speak in their name.

    - Yes! I mean no! It''s complicated. How do I explain it?

    - I''ll help you a little; your brother explained to me how to help you with your mana accumulation problem, and while he only made a hatchling know how to do that, it''s already incredible by itself. At first, I didn''t believe him when he told me that one of the great dragons had said it; however, I saw and perceived how an external mana to yours regenerated your mana crystal, and that is impossible, unless you were lying to me about communicating with one of your ancestors and he helped you. So, tell me, can you really communicate with one of your great draconian ancestors?

    - Well, I think so, although ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­

    - Yes! What Tammat searched for so much, maybe you can finish it and help us all in the great caverns. I can''t believe it, oh! Tammat was, in this batch of kobolds, what you were looking for so much.

    - Brother! Is it true that you communicate with a great ancestor? Aren''t you lying? Is that why you were asking me about how to talk to a great ancestor? How? When? Why?

    - Ok, ok, ok, calm down both of you. Let me explain it to avoid misunderstandings. Yes, I believe I have been communicating, and I don''t know how or why, with a great ancestor. The truth is, I thought it was my imagination at first, but due to various things, including how I help Garrl, I have no doubt that it must be a great ancestor.

    - You can ask him something on my behalf; we truly need his wisdom. Tammat needed her to help us all.

    - Maybe there could be a small problem there.

 The Cave III - History

    - What do you mean by small problem?

    - Well, it''s just that I don''t think he likes me; he''s told me so on more than one occasion, and he''s the one who decides when to talk to me, it''s not like I can just call him and that''s it. I can''t guarantee or promise you that he will help you.

    - Is it because I''m a snake?

    - No, no, as I told you, I think it''s more about me.

    - But are you, his descendant? And why wouldn''t you help finish what Tammat fought so hard for? She was just trying to fulfill the duty of her heritage that was given by one of her great ancestors, and that would help us all.

    - Well, it''s just that ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    <u>- Stop beating around the bush.</u>

    - They heard it! Maybe your great serpent that speaks through the mind?

    <u>- She can''t hear me, only you can. Don''t complicate things any further and tell her to share her story with Tammat and what she was trying to do, and from there I''ll decide if I can or want to help.</u>

    I felt overwhelmed. What was I getting myself into? I must look like a crazy person talking to myself, but, oh well.

    - I don''t think anyone heard it, but well, the great ancestor told me to tell your story with Tammat and what you wanted to do, and from there he would see if he could help. Don''t worry, everything I hear and see, he also sees and hears, so I suppose he is listening to you now.

    - Wait! Brother A great ancestor! A great ancestor! It''s incredible! It¡¯s incredible! That''s why you are different, that''s why you have that strange heritage. Was it given to you directly by a great ancestor? That, that...¡­. oh, oh, oh¡­¡­¡­

    - Hey, I already told you not to move; I''m repeating it to both of you. And thank you, Breigon, for this opportunity and great ancestor of the kobolds; I appreciate that you want to listen to me. I will tell you the story of your descendant Tammat and above all about my friend and her struggle to be worthy of her lineage.

    - Well, where do I start? I know little about Tammat''s life before I met her, but she told me that since she hatched, she was destined to be a wise. She had great mana, and her control over it was exemplary. However, it wasn''t until she achieved the "awakening of her blood," as she told me, that she understood why the kobolds were sent here to the great caverns. She tried to explain it to the wise man of her village, but they ignored her; they only wanted her to lay eggs in the hope that others would also achieve the "awakening." She also told me that her village had strayed from their true lineage, however, she never blamed them, and despite that, she decided to fulfill both tasks, her duty to the village and her duty to her great ancestors.

    - I met her when I was looking to fulfill one of her duties; Personally, I didn''t get along with her village, they killed many of my young, and while I know it''s part of living and surviving in these caves, I didn''t like it, even more so because it was almost impossible to argue with the wise men of her village. They were adamant that it was their right to dispose of what existed in the great caves. Tammat was however different, well maybe not at the beginning, since they sent her to kill me; it was a very close fight, many times my life was at risk, but never since I awakened my consciousness and managed to become a great snake, but that changed during my fight against Tammat, although I usually don''t look to start a fight, I do seek to be the one to finish it; however, something in Tammat didn''t allow me to do it, I could have killed her in the end, but I couldn''t, such mercy, respect, the truth is I don''t know; She for her part did not stop looking for me and challenging me, not to hunt me but because her pride told her to defeat me, we fought countless times, and we got to the point where we forgot who won and who lost and we only sought to challenge each other for fun, in the end we became friends; She also made the kobold village stop hunting indiscriminately not only my young, but all the species in the great caves; She told me that thanks to our fights she had gained enough strength so that no wise man would say no to her; In addition, they still hoped that she would give them more descendants who would achieve the "awakening of their blood", so they depended on her; although Tammat knew that it was not that simple, since awakening is not only about lineage, which is important of course, but something else is needed and unfortunately her village had already forgotten that; but she never lost hope and hoped that one of her offspring would be like her, and help her fulfill her duty that her ancestors inherited from her, but that she could not fulfill alone, she even had the crazy idea and hope that if one of her offspring could communicate with their ancestors, everything would be simpler, at least that''s what I understood¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

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    - I''m sorry, I miss her so much. Why didn''t she look for me when the humans attacked her village? I would have helped her without hesitation; perhaps it was because of her pride ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    - I''m sorry, I think it was because of us and to protect all the hatchlings that hadn''t hatched yet. Possibly the humans attacked by surprise, and if she had left the village to look for you, it would have been too late; thanks to her, we are here, that''s what Kirkarrg told us.

    - I see, thanks for telling me; now it all makes more sense. I would have done the same for my offspring ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Tammat, I swear to protect your offspring and yes, you were right, your hope did come true; I regret that you couldn''t see it.

    - That reminds me of the reason for telling you all this and my hope that Tammat''s efforts do not end up being in vain. As I told you, when she achieved the "awakening," she said she understood the reason why the kobolds were sent here to the great caves. She told me that in their heritage, it was written that they had to complete a seal that the great Orgarrl could not finish during the war against the humans, and this would accomplish two things: the first, to help kobolds fight against the humans, and the second, to protect the great caves. I don''t know if you know this, but in this place, mana accumulates in the rocks, and this accumulation allows other species, given enough time, to awaken their consciousness. That happened to me and others, however, humans only want the mineral to make magical tools. A human told me that. Personally, I don''t see a problem with it; humans don''t have mana crystals like us, so they need objects that have them to do magic, apart from the pact with the great spirits. The problem is that lately, more of them are coming, and they only care about the mineral, extracting it so quickly and in ever-increasing quantities that it doesn''t allow for natural replenishment. Not to mention they kill every living being they encounter. But as I told Garrl, not all humans are bad, but these ones are. My hope and Tammat''s was to finish the seal. It''s not that I can''t fight against the humans, but they would just keep coming until one of them manages to kill me; and unfortunately, they don''t listen to reason. So, with the seal, we hoped to strengthen the kobold village to protect us, and in turn, they would fulfill their duty to their ancestors. Unfortunately, that won''t be possible without the village. However, the seal could still protect us in some way; it''s the only thing I can think of.

    - Tammat moved forward and worked for a long time to finish the seal; however, as she said, her heritage had limits. But I beg you, great ancestor, who listens through Breigon: help us finish the seal. Please, allow Tammat''s sacrifice not to be in vain and that his descendants fulfill the duty you entrusted to them, please.

    I was stunned. Everything the great serpent told us, the story of Tammat, the one who gave her life to protect us, filled me with mixed feelings of sadness and pride. I understand a bit more about the kobold society and their struggle, also about what this place is and why the great serpent speaks, the magic, about humans and what is at stake, the survival of this habitat and all the beings that inhabit it. I know how we humans are when we want to exploit a resource; if we are determined, we won''t stop. But the only one who could change and give hope to the great serpent is not me, but the great ancestor who is listening to your plea through me.

    <u>- Tell this to the great serpent¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­</u>

 The Cave III - Hope

    - Tell this to the great serpent: I will help her as much as I can. The old Orgarrl was a great specialist in making magics seals, so I hope to be able to finish his work; however, both Garrl and you need to be recovered and able to use and manipulate mana, and for that, we will have to wait until you stop being pups! Not before!

    - Tell them that Tammat was worthy of her lineage and that I recognize her; her effort will not be forgotten nor the desire of Orgarrl. I don''t know how much the seal against humans will help them, until we see what the old man wanted to do; so as soon as they are physically recovered, tell him to take them to where Tammat worked on making the magic seal.

    - Thank her on my behalf for helping Tammat grow and for what she did for you; without her, both of you would have died.

    - That''s all for now, I must take my leave; being here talking to you wears me out, besides I haven''t recovered from restoring Garrl''s crystal yet, so don''t bother me unless it''s necessary and I believe it''s necessary. Lastly, tell me, human, are you willing to do this? Making the seal is confronting humans. Aren''t you against this, or are you?

    I''m not against it; as far as I understand, the magic seal will help keep humans away. I know how dangerous human ambition for resources is, however, if the cost is greater than the benefit, they will not return, or at least it will give time to look for other solutions. Moreover, doing this is the least I can do for the sacrifices of Tammat and Kirkarrg for us, not to mention the help we have received from the great serpent. I promise to help, even if I have to make tough decisions; I will do so for the benefit of the great caves and their habitat.

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    <u>- Interesting, we''ll see then. Build instead of destroy? That''s what you said, right? Let''s see where this takes us, Breigon.</u>

    It was the first time he didn''t call me "human." I know it''s not my real name, although I think it already is. What will your name be? I don''t want to be rude if I ask.

    <u>- No, you are not yet worthy of knowing my name; I prefer to call you Breigon, unless you would rather, I call you "human" again because that is still what you are at your core.</u>

    - No, sorry, Breigon is fine, but if it''s not too much to ask, I have so many questions, would there be any possibility of ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­?

    <u>- Listen, Breigon, I know you have many doubts; however, I am helping because I recognize Tammat and Garrl as worthy descendants, and I can only help them through you, but it doesn''t mean I trust you. If you decide not to help because of this, I will understand.</u>

    - I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I understand, at least to some extent; trust sometimes has to be earned. I hope and will have the hope of earning yours someday, but I reaffirm that I will help in every way I can. I am willing to be the bridge that allows helping everyone.

    <u>- ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­See you, Breigon, and remember not to try using the mana.</u>

    After speaking with the great ancestor, I told the great serpent his response. Never in my life had I seen a snake jump for joy, but I suppose there''s always a first time. I also believe that snakes cannot cry, but if they could, it would have done so, this upon telling him that the great ancestor recognized Tammat. Apparently, it is something very important to the kobolds, as Garrl was also surprised to hear it, but to the great serpent, it seemed to bring peace knowing that her friend was recognized by a great draconian ancestor. There is still much I don''t understand and much I have to learn, but for now, the first thing is to recover.

 The Cave III - The passage of time I

    It took us several days to recover from our wounds, but the snake helped us at all times; we never lacked food or water, nor safety, as she drove away any threats. During those days, I took the opportunity to talk to her and learn as much as I could, and I realized several things.

    From the great caverns, its name indicated it, a vast network of tunnels and caves, but what I learned new is that this must be part of an immense mountain range, or at least that was what I understood from the great serpent, describing that above us there were immense rocks that extended as far as she could not see, both upwards and sideways; besides, outside she described to me what I believe is a forest or jungle, full of many creatures. The great serpent told us that she didn''t usually go out, she didn''t like it, she emphasized; she preferred to stay in the caves, I suppose it must be because this is her natural habitat. As a final topic regarding the caves, she confirmed that the glowing rocks or minerals were due to them having mana and told us that they were not dangerous for creatures like us, as long as we didn''t expose ourselves too much or use them for magic, but the latter was currently ruled out for us.

    About the ecosystem inside the caves, it turns out that, yes, there are other creatures that are thinking and self-aware of themselves and their surroundings; luckily and for my peace of mind, it seems that not all creatures achieve this. It gave me peace of mind about the creatures we hunted, who, the great serpent confirmed to me, were normal creatures, not like her and the others. However, despite my concern, it turns out that in the great caves, the survival of the fittest and strongest prevails; there is no social structure among the thinking creatures, and it''s not that they don''t communicate or get along, but each one is in their own world, and if I ate you, I''m sorry, it''s part of the natural cycle; only the kobolds were the only ones who did have a more complex social structure of living in villages and having a society and culture.

    He didn''t know much about humans; it had been a while since he had spoken to one. She understood that, like the kobolds, they lived in villages, but she had never seen one, nor did she know if there was any near the great caverns. Although she thought there wasn''t one, since humans, while they have been coming more frequently, don''t come every day either. They come occasionally, every now and then, or they arrive for several days where they stay for a while and then leave.

    Of the few humans she was able to talk to, they were, according to what they told her, explorers, people who recognized her and respected the caves and their ecosystem; however, lately, no more humans like that have arrived. The last humans she tried to talk to only attacked her or got scared; so, she stopped dealing with them. Fortunately, she didn''t hate them per se, but if anyone started a fight with her or did something she didn''t like and didn''t understand reason, well, she took care of putting them in their place and, if necessary, killing them.

    Apparently, she is very strong, not only because of her size, which is already impressive on its own, but also because of her control over mana and her ability to perform magic; although she always emphasized that there could always be someone stronger. In the case of humans, they are dangerous because of their magical tools and their ability to work as a team, and as for other creatures, so far, she hadn''t encountered anything stronger than herself, except for Tammat. That last part did catch my attention; apparently, achieving the awakening of our draconian blood would indeed make us stronger. As a final note, he told us that, regarding the war between humans and the great dragons, he didn''t know anything apart from the fact that it happened, according to what Tammat told him.

    The days went by and, while it was pleasant to be with Garrl and talk to the great serpent, the truth was I needed to find a way to distract my mind. That''s why I started a small experiment to try to measure how long a day lasted here. The great serpent confirmed that the temperature changes were due to it being day or night on the surface, and knowing that, I just had to measure how long they lasted. For that, I tried to create a type of hourglass, using some exoskeletons in the shape of bowls: one with a hole for the sand to pass through and placed on top of a frame made of dry branches, and the other bowl below to collect the sand. I had to do several trial and error tests, and the time interval was neither precise nor exact, as I estimated it based on how long I thought it took for the sand to fall.

    Garrl initially looked for ways to help me with my experiment, but in the end, he got bored and decided to continue training to, in his words, become stronger. But before he did, I emphasized the great ancestor''s warning about not using our mana and took the opportunity to warn him that if we didn''t let our bodies recover properly, it would also affect us, violating the great ancestor''s request. So, upon hearing my words, he sadly decided to continue resting.

    Continuing with my experiment, I finally managed to estimate a time range between 13 to 15 hours between day and night, and if I consider all my variables that add some error to my measurements, to my pleasant surprise and for future calculations, the day in this world must be similar to that of my previous life.

    - Yessssssss! Victory for science! Being on the surface, I''ll just have to make a sundial, or some other idea will come to me, to try to measure time more accurately. Yessss!

    - Your brother is quite special. Right, Garrl?

    - Yes, it is, but I still love him just the way he is.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    It was terribly uncomfortable not being able to move; however, Breigon used all that time and even afterwards to ask the great serpent about the large caves, the other creatures, the humans, and magic. That last part was what I was most interested in knowing, since my heritage lacked much about magic and what it was; the great serpent told us that, just like her, we had a mana crystal growing near our heart, and that when we stopped being cubs, we would obtain our mana from it to do magic; I had already achieved it, but I made the mistake of doing it before my body and my crystal could handle it and almost died because of it; I accept the mistake, but not for having done it, since I wouldn''t have been able to face that human and without that distraction, Breigon might not have been able to surprise him. Of course, I had to apologize to the great ancestor through Breigon and thank him for saving me.

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    Speaking of the great ancestor, it''s incredible that Breigon was chosen to communicate with one of our great ancestors. I would be lying if I said I wasn''t envious; I would have liked to have had such an honor. But I know my brother is also worthy, otherwise he wouldn''t have been chosen. Besides, that explains a lot about his strange way of being and his heritage, or at least that''s what I think. Within my heritage, I don''t find anything similar, but as the great serpent told us, it seemed that our village had somehow lost the direction of its lineage. And although Tammat tried to recover it, and even though I don''t know what happened, that would explain why the heritage of my village is at least not so correct. However, I would never doubt the heritage of the great ancestors, but perhaps I might about that of our people.

    I had so many questions I wanted to ask the great ancestor, but I was afraid of offending or bothering him, especially because a simple kobold like me might not matter to him. However, Breigon told me to never think like that, that I was incredible. Moreover, the great ancestor saved me because he recognized me as his descendant, my brother told me; Can you imagine it! A great ancestor! He recognized me! I know that I still have to prove to the great ancestor that I am worthy of his lineage, and for that recognition, I will give everything I have to achieve it, but he recognized me! If I could have, I would have jumped for joy, if it weren''t for the fact that we were still injured. As for asking the questions, Breigon told me I could do so, however, to understand that in the end, it is the great ancestor who decides whether to answer or not, so in the end, I decided not to; I didn''t want to offend him or waste his time, despite Breigon''s insistence that I try.

    As for humans, I still hate them despite what the great serpent says, that not all of them are bad; however, after talking with Breigon, and even though I still don''t understand many of the things he told me, I could give them a chance to surrender or to seek another path with the humans, this for my brother, and of course, as long as they weren''t the ones who destroyed our village; those I won''t forgive. I don''t know if it''s possible to get along with other humans, but if Breigon, who was chosen by a great ancestor, thinks we should try, for my brother and for the great ancestors, I will try.

    There''s also the issue of the humans we defeated: the offspring of the great serpent didn''t find their bodies, and although they could have been devoured, she doesn''t believe so, as there would have been some trace of that; my brother asked, what if the one we didn''t kill survived and took the body of the other? And what if that would cause the humans to seek revenge or for more to come? To which the great serpent replied that she didn''t believe it was possible, since she herself had already killed humans before and nothing had happened; however, I know that this answer did not leave Breigon calm, nor me either. Apart from that, what the great serpent, or at least its offspring, did find were some of their weapons and the things the humans were wearing that were left where we fought; that did interest Breigon, he said that as soon as we moved, he would see what he would do with them.

    After my brother explained to me what a day was for him and how he measured it with what he explained to me was the change in temperature, several of these passed when we finally managed to move, even with pain, but we could move! Thanks to the great ancestors! I was going crazy, but unfortunately, my brother insisted that I neither perform nor attempt to do magic, nor physical effort, if I didn''t want to disobey the great ancestor who was watching me through him; but then, what could I do? The great serpent already provided us with food and protection, but Breigon then asked me to help him make armor and clothing for us, using what the humans left behind and the remains of the creatures we ate; I know our people wear garments, since, although our scales are strong, any extra protection is welcome. However, using the humans'' things did not please me, nor having to use their weapons; but once again my brother convinced me that the important thing was to make ourselves strong and that everything counted.

    Another thing we did to distract ourselves was play. I love playing with my brother, but he started saying that he wanted to measure what he explained to me was a day. At first, I helped him, but then I got bored and told him I didn''t understand what use it would be to do that; that I might as well go train, but he sentenced me again that the ancestor was watching me through him, and if I thought of disobeying him, and of course, with sadness, I swore I would never do it, but I was bored, and my brother knew it, then he started explaining to me the importance of measuring time. Then, one question led to another, and before I knew it, he told me he was going to teach me the basics and that my "general education" was starting. By the great ancestors, what had I gotten myself into!

    The days passed between games and my brother''s "general education," and while some things he passed on to me were interesting, others were not so much, but it was his heritage that he was transmitting to me, and since I couldn''t do anything physical or magic, I put in the effort. I also thought that the great ancestor wanted me to learn that; however, one day when my head hurt from not knowing how to do a math operation, I asked my brother, "Why did the great ancestor want me to learn how to do that?" To which he replied that it was not a command from the great ancestor, but that it was he who wanted to teach me how to do that; I swear I thought about cutting off my brother''s tail. Although, as I said, I liked some things, I hated others, but I never complained or said anything because I thought it was what the great ancestor wanted; however, despite my anger, I knew my brother was just trying to share his great inheritance, just as I shared mine with him. In the end, I just told my brother that next time he should clarify when he was teaching me something, to tell me if it was him or the great ancestor imparting that inheritance; and yes, I asked him to explain to me again how to solve that operation. What I do for my brother!

 The cave III - The Passage of Time II

    It''s been about three months since I woke up in this new life. Although we have been physically recovered since the first month, we had not yet gone to see the place of the seal; the reason is that we are still young and the great serpent was concerned that the high concentration of mana where the seal is located might affect the growth of our crystal. Also, in a direct and simple manner, the great ancestor said that the serpent was right, so we have been waiting since then.

    It''s strange to know that a crystal is growing in our chest near the heart and that thanks to it, we will have our own mana to do magic, but few things surprise me in this world anymore. Besides, I''m somewhat excited to learn how to do magic. Who am I kidding! Who as a child doesn''t dream of being able to do magic? Even as adults. Although as far as I understand, this magic focuses on using mana to perform chemical or physical reactions, depending on how you handle it; it''s like a kind of malleable energy, if you can say that. I am eager to study mana and magic, but as I said, we still have to wait.

    Now then, while at first I got distracted measuring how long a day lasted, I also took the time to teach Garrl a bit of basic education, of course, many of the topics were conceptual, nothing complex, although I did teach him mathematics, physics, biology, even part of an ancient language and writing; honestly, I did the above for several reasons; the first is that I already had the confidence to talk to Garrl, so I would mention various concepts from my previous life even without realizing it, which left Garrl in the clouds without understanding anything; so I thought it was better to try to be in sync or leveled on certain concepts; good communication is essential; Another reason is that I wanted to know the learning capacity of a kobold, which honestly surprised me. I don''t know if Garrl is some kind of genius or prodigy, or if all kobold offspring are like this, but he is like a sponge that absorbs knowledge. Of course, it''s not that it''s unlimited and he doesn''t struggle with certain things, but at just three months old, it''s quite impressive.

    Another interesting thing was that the great serpent brought us various things, not only from the humans we defeated but also from other humans; there were two types of objects: those imbued with mana and those that weren''t; and of course, I only worked with those that didn''t have mana for safety; with which I was able to make clothes and reuse some weapons, shields, and make armor for us; nothing extraordinary, but everything adds up.

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    I would like to think that everything has gone relatively well since the fight with the humans, but it hasn''t. I started doing various things to keep my mind active and out of curiosity; however, I still can''t forget that I killed someone. I know that Garrl and the great serpent keep telling me it was self-defense and that it''s normal in these caves; however, I don''t want to do it again, nor do I want Garrl to do it, and of course, I understand that our situation with the humans is not the best and if we had no other choice ... ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. What am I thinking? There has to be an option, we just have to look for it; I hope I can find it.

    For his part, Garrl was honest with me when he said he would try to avoid killing humans and see if we can get along with them; although he does not forgive those who harmed us, neither us nor the great ancestors; I can''t blame him, however, I think it''s a great step forward with Garrl. As for me, well, I will have to live with what I did and be prepared for the worst. I''m worried about what the humans will do, I don''t know if I made a mistake by letting that human live, I hope not; but we must be as prepared as we can be.

    Of the great ancestor, then, he fulfilled his role by not speaking to me only when he wanted to, and it was only to confirm or deny something that the great serpent said, mainly about our health; he also spoke directly and without much beating around the bush. For my part, I didn''t even bother asking him questions; I know he knows I have them, but he made his conditions clear. Neither did Garrl want to ask him, despite my insistence; he hopes to see if maybe Garrl could get some kind of information, but in the end, he refused to ask a single question to the great ancestor. On the other hand, the fact that a great draconian ancestor communicates with me seems to be a mystery to everyone, even to him, although I think he is hiding something from me; but I won''t question it. Someday I hope to earn his trust. "One step at a time," I tell myself every day; and although Garrl was very surprised and proud, and even jealous of my situation with the great ancestor, the truth is, he didn''t stop treating me as he always did.

    And this has been my new life as a kobold these past few months. I won''t lie, I still miss a lot from my previous life, but putting the negatives aside, I have an amazing brother, a giant snake as a friend, I communicate with a dragon, a dragon!, maybe not yet on the best terms, but it''s a dragon!, not to mention that I am now, at least in body, his descendant; there''s the possibility of doing magic; and above all, we have a mission to fulfill before looking for another kobold village; it''s an adventure with its good and bad things. How could I complain? And so the days kept passing.

 The cave III - Path to the magic seal I

    Finally, we had the approval from both the great ancestor and the great serpent to go see the place where the magic seal was. Finally! Almost 5 months, a very short childhood compared to my human life; part of me is worried about our life expectancy, but that will be for later investigation. It also turns out that, while we are no longer cubs, we are not adults either, as is evident; we still don''t have the height or the antlers of Kirkarrg, and speaking of having those things coming out of my head, it was a nuisance at least for me, it itched and hurt while they grew, and now I understand why Garrl stopped lying on his back when he slept. These things are a nuisance! I had to get used to this new part of my body again, especially when it came to sleeping; I seriously thought about cutting them or tying them up, but Garrl emphasized that having a good set of antlers is a symbol of pride for any kobold, especially for the males. He made me understand that they were important in our culture, so if I wanted to be accepted in any village, those things stay and I am the one who has to get used to them.

    Another thing I noticed over time is that Garrl and I have increasingly notable physical differences. He was more robust than me, his scales were thicker and more prominent, while mine were small and smooth. Our snouts also have their differences: mine is more elongated and pointed; his was equally long, but wider. Every time I realized that maybe ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­ That doesn''t matter.

    Returning to the journey, the great serpent told us that it would take us some time to arrive, and that along the way, it would introduce us to someone, although it mentioned that it was a surprise. He also said that he could only accompany us to a certain point due to his size and something he called "magical barriers," which protected the place where the seal was, but he emphasized that we shouldn''t worry, that we would understand when we arrived. So, we prepared our equipment and began our journey through the caves.

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    - Great serpent, may I ask you a question?

    - Yes, Breigon, tell me.

    - I know we shouldn''t do or try to perform magic yet, as we must first get used to feeling how the mana flows through our body from our crystal; but, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I still can''t feel anything. What am I doing wrong?

    - Oh, come on, brother, it''s easy. Don''t you feel how the mana flows from your crystal? It feels incredible.

    - Garrl, don''t you dare try to do magic; remember what I told you, just let it flow and try to move it, NOT concentrate it. As for you, Breigon, let me see you again... ... No, everything is fine with your crystal, and your mana flows well; I don''t understand why you can''t feel it. It''s something that should be normal and natural for any creature with a mana crystal.

    - What if you push your mana into me like last time? Maybe I can feel something.

    - No! That''s dangerous, I did it before out of the need to help you heal, besides, your mana flow was small, so the rejection wasn''t that strong; but now it flows strongly. As I explained to you, each species has its own mana, and it flows from your crystal to the outside, not the other way around.

    - Brother, I''ll explain it to you again, just like the times it takes.

    - I appreciate it, Garrl, but even if you explain it to me for the umpteenth time, I can''t feel it; honestly, I don''t know.

    - Listen, Breigon, we will soon arrive at an old friend''s place of mine; maybe she can help you or give you another idea. Don''t worry, your mana is there; maybe you just overthink things too much. Don''t you say that sometimes?

    - Yes, I suppose, thank you, great serpent, I will keep trying.

    We kept walking for a couple more hours, or at least I think so, and during all that time, I had zero success in feeling my mana, much to my frustration; and in the end, we reached a place where there was an impressive waterfall.

    - This place is incredible and beautiful, great serpent.

    - I''m glad you like Breigon, but I brought you here not for the scenery, but so you could meet an old friend; besides, she will help you get to where the seal is.

    At that moment, I managed to see something starting to come out from one side of the waterfall.

    - Is that it?

 The cave III - Path to the magic seal II

    - Great snake. Is your friend, who will help us, by any chance a giant spider coming out of the waterfall?

    - That''s right, Breigon.

    - How are you, old friend? Can we enter your territory? They are the last offspring of Tammat and the last kobolds remaining in the great caves, and as I told you, we need your help to reach the seal where Tammat worked.

    Little by little, the spider began to descend from a cave hidden behind the waterfall. I thank God for not being arachnophobic; however, if I didn''t know that the great serpent trusts her, I would be terrified. It''s like those giant spiders in horror movies. In the end, it came to us; I expected it to speak to us like the great serpent did, but it didn''t.

    - Yes, let me introduce you, this is Garrl and this one here is Breigon, they need your help. Would you, do it?

    -¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    - Of course, this will help us all; we are trying to prevent humans from continuing to arrive. Do you know how problematic they are becoming?

    -¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    - No, never, they won''t harm any of your young. Right, Garrl and Breigon? Right, Garrl and Breigon? You won''t harm or hunt their young while you roam your territory? You won''t hurt or hunt their young while they roam their territory?

    - Great snake, excuse me, I don''t know if it''s just me or not, but I don''t hear the spider lady''s voice like yours or do you, Garrl?

    - No, brother. But I was able to perceive his intentions through the mana.

    - Feel their intentions through the mana? What do you mean, Garrl? What do you mean, Garrl?

    - Tell me something, Breigon, during the whole time we were coming here. Did you not manage to perceive your mana?

    - I''m sorry, I couldn''t.

    - Don''t you also perceive the mana of others?

    - I don''t think so.

    - I''ll be honest with you, Breigon, it''s very strange that you still can''t, but one of the reasons you need to learn is that the "spider lady," as you called my friend, as well as other creatures like her, don''t communicate through vocabulary, but through emotions and expressions via mana that you have to interpret into words; that''s why I wanted you to practice while we were coming here.

    - I truly feel sorry; I really try, but I don''t know why I can''t.

    - I''m sorry, old friend, but we have a problem; something strange is happening to Breigon, he says he can''t perceive his mana. Could you check him? Maybe it''s me who doesn''t notice something that''s affecting him.

    I was starting to worry about my situation with not being able to perceive my mana; but then the lady spider, as I decided to call her for now, approached me and placed one of her legs on my chest. After what I believe was a minute, she removed it.

    - ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    - Yes, I know, everything is fine with his crystal and flow, but he says he can''t perceive it. Any idea?

    - ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    - I understand now, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I didn''t know that, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Do you think it will work?

    - ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    - Listen Breigon says she doesn''t understand why you can''t perceive it since everything is fine with your body, however, she did feel something different in you, something in your being; something she never perceived in any other Kobold and that reminded her more of humans in part, yes, I know, it sounds strange; she doesn''t understand it either; but you know humans not only don''t have their own mana, but they also can''t perceive it, unless it is highly concentrated, that''s why they use magical tools that only they can use thanks to the pact with the great spirits, but returning to your problem, she would expect that by getting closer to the seal where there are high concentrations of mana and with it being naturally rejected by your body, you might be able to feel it, for now, it''s our only idea. The other option is that you ask your great ancestor; maybe he can give us another idea.

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    - I''ll try, I''ll ask him.

    Next, I sit down and begin to meditate to reach that place where I first met the great ancestor, and it turns out that I could get there not only through dreams or when I was asleep; if I concentrate enough, I can get there. Although I still don''t know what that place is, but, anyway.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    - Hi, it''s me. I know you heard and saw my problem. Sorry to ask, I know you haven''t said anything, but if you could give me some guidance, I would appreciate it. great ancestor .... ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I fear it is related to my previous life as a human, but I still can''t tell them. Please!

    When I thought he wouldn''t answer me, out of nowhere I hear.

    <u>- What you assume could be a possibility; the ability to manipulate mana and perform magic is a matter of body and essence; and in your case, your essence is human and your body is kobold. What the great serpent said is true: humans cannot perceive mana; and if your essence is mostly human, that could explain your problem.</u>

    - Mostly human? I''m losing my humanity! Will I forget who I am if I use mana and magic?

    <u>- Calm down already! The truth is, I don''t know, but I don''t think so; neither magic nor mana can alter the essence of any being; and what I mean by it being mostly human is that the so-called "instincts" are what have helped you adapt to your body; they are part of you and it would be good if you didn''t suppress them. Listen to me, Breigon. Do you remember when you felt sadness and anger in the village and didn''t know where it was coming from? Well, that''s where they came from; your instincts are part of our heritage and they are part of you.</u>

    - So, if I accept my instincts. Maybe I can perceive the mana?

    <u>- I don''t know, although it could be; do you remember when the great serpent pushed its mana into you to save Garrl, and you managed to feel that mana; you said it was warm. At that moment, you were at your limit and not trying to suppress your instincts ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Listen, Breigon, I''ll be honest with you: I know you cling to your humanity and think that your instincts will drive you away from it, you''re even thinking that now, and I don''t like that way of thinking of yours; it reminds me of that little kobold who saw his reflection for the first time and, instead of feeling pride in his lineage, felt sadness.</u>

    Was what the great ancestor said true? If I''m honest with myself, in these 5 months, every time I trained or played with Garrl and felt my instincts rising, I immediately suppressed them, not because I hated them, but because I told myself that wasn''t me; that''s why, in part, I cling to doing things from my former humanity. However, they are always there; even with the antlers, a part of me was happy and proud, and I didn''t want to admit it just because I couldn''t sleep well. I hadn''t realized that even today I haven''t adapted to myself in this new life, but ¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­

    <u>- Listen Breigon, I can''t force you to be anything you don''t want to be, it''s your decision; however, if you''re still worried about the mana, the idea of the spider could also work. Besides, we''re just going to look at the Seal; you don''t need to manipulate mana or do magic yet. Similarly, if you need it, Garrl is here.</u>

    - No, you are right, great ancestor, I must accept myself as I am. I sincerely apologize if I offended your lineage with my way of thinking and acting; I didn''t know, I am still learning and trying to understand who I am in this new life that was given to me. I will try not to suppress my instincts and trust them more.

    <u>- No, Breigon, you still see it as if they were two separate parts of you, when they are one and the same; that''s why this place reflects your insecurities and fears, and you hide them in this darkness. Why do you fear your heritage?</u>

    - I, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­, hope not to offend you, great ancestor, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ but I fear forgetting who I am. I''ve seen in Garrl how the hatred he inherited sometimes consumes him; I''m afraid it will happen to me too. I am human even in my soul, I don''t want to hate or kill other human beings, due to some inherited impulse; I''m sorry, I don''t want to offend you, seriously, but that''s what I fear.

    <u>- ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I must admit that you are partly right, perhaps we should have inherited our knowledge instead of our hatred for the kobolds, but what''s done is done; however, you have changed that in Garrl, and even he is considering the possibility of getting along with humans. Although I don''t know if that''s possible in the end, our heritage is so that our descendants don''t forget us and feel proud of their lineage. You can keep running from it or grow like Garrl and be proud of who you are now. It''s your choice.</u>

    - You know, great ancestor, I''m glad to know that I think we can get along well. Thank you for everything, I know we didn''t start on good terms, but both Garrl and you show me that I shouldn''t hold my lineage against you. That said. How do I get rid of this darkness?

    - What strange things you say, but, well, it''s not about taking away, it''s about accepting, and it starts with him.

 The cave III - Me and the other me

    Without realizing it, I manage to see a small kobold that I immediately recognize as myself, sitting with its back to me. I can also see my former human body after so long; I can see my hands. I try to see the great ancestor, but there is still darkness; it''s just him and me. I don''t know what to do. Should I just talk to him? The great ancestor told me that I must accept myself, then. Should I accept that I am now him? But then what will happen to me? I don''t know if I can; I don''t want to lose who I am.

    When it was still debating, the little kobold turned around and saw me; at first, it got scared and tried to flee. Does it fear me? Why?

    - Hey, don''t go, please, I just want to get to know you.

    He stops, but keeps his distance; I see fear in his eyes, but then I feel it and know who he is.

    - It was thanks to you that I was able to move the day I hatched, that I could climb the rock wall. You are those feelings I always felt and didn''t know where they came from. It was with you that Kirkarrg connected, not with me, but with you. You were the one who never gave up when we carried Garrl, after the fight with the humans, the one who kept getting up over and over again; because you wanted to save him. You are not just my instincts. You are who I should have been! Not remembering who I was in my previous life. I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I''m sorry, truly I''m sorry; I owe you my life and Garrl''s. You just wanted to play with your brother and feel proud of your lineage, but I, on the other hand, just pushed you away; I truly am sorry, this is your life not mine and that''s why I apologize ...¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    - Can we play with Garrl? Aren''t you ashamed of me? I like my antlers! I want to be worthy of my lineage like Garrl! I want to be worthy of my lineage as a Garrl! I fear and hate humans because they took our family from us! I fear and hate humans because they took our family away! It hurts! But you don''t acknowledge it. Why?

    - I,¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..., it''s not that I don''t want to play with Garrl, it''s just that it''s hard for me to see myself as a child again, I''m not ashamed, I just miss my former body, it''s not that I''m resentful towards humans, but we lived as humans before, you don''t remember but I do, we had a family and friends, and I miss them; we were never the kind to seek revenge or get into trouble; our human parents taught us that we should be better people and that killing is wrong, as well as harming others; I was afraid that the lineage of the great ancestors would make me forget who I was. I don''t want to forget! And sorry about the antlers, they''re great, but as you see, humans don''t have them, it''s something new like everything in our body and I''m having a hard time getting used to it.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    I don''t know if the little kobold understood everything, I told him; he just stayed there, without saying anything. Then he asked me to sit down, and I did; next, he began to examine my body, my hands, my head, my face, my feet, my teeth; I just let him do it. Finally, he stood in front of me, took my hands, and made me feel his claws, fangs, scales, his horns, and then he said:

    - We can''t become human again, this is our body and I help you understand it; our skin is not soft, we have strong scales, our claws allow us to defend ourselves and climb walls; our teeth and snout are for tearing and swallowing, not chewing ... ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I don''t remember anything about being human, nor do I have heritage like Garrl, I only know about our great ancestors and our village from what Garrl has told us; but that doesn''t mean I don''t feel proud to be born as a kobold; and I want to prove it, that''s all.

    - So yes, we are wanderers.

    - Yes, but I am not ashamed of that, we shouldn''t be, you don''t have to worry about forgetting, they didn''t leave us anything, neither the pain of the great ancestors nor the knowledge of the village; what I know, I only know because I wanted to survive and be accepted by Garrl. It hurts me about our village because I know, through my senses, that they were our family; even though they abandoned us. They were our family! And Garrl''s too; humans attacked us so many times and we did nothing to provoke them, that''s why I was afraid of them; I hated them for hurting and killing Kirkarrg, who recognized us, and for trying to hurt our brother; it''s not that I hate them all, don''t worry about that; if we were humans, we weren''t that bad, so not all of them can be. Right?

    - I don''t know if we weren''t bad, we made many mistakes and hurt some people; but being a human or a kobold, as far as I understand, is the same; there are no bad or good humans or kobolds, just living beings trying to live their lives the way they believe they should. Thank you for everything you have done, and from today I promise that we are just in this adventure.

    We continued talking for a while, just chatting, he asking about our human life and me about the instincts I felt and no longer wanted to repress. A curious topic was when I asked him about Tammat; I had my suspicions. Physically, Garrl and I are different, and that we are wanderers only confirmed my suspicions even more: she was not our biological mother, he knew it, but he didn''t care, and he told me.

    - She protected us, tried to protect all of us; she was incredible, worthy of her lineage. I want to be like her, to carry on her legacy. Garrl is our litter brother, and that''s enough.

    Out of nowhere, we both heard someone calling us.

    - Breigon, Breigon. Are you there, brother? We are worried out here.

    - I think our brother Garrl is calling us; before he forgets. Do you know anything about how to perceive mana?

    - No, no idea.

    - What!

    - I''m just kidding, I''ll help you. Tell Garrl that we won''t lose to him again.

    - It''s better if we tell them together, don''t you think it''s better?

    - Yes, it''s better.

 The cave III â€“ Magic Seal I

    ¡°Since I woke up in this new life, I have tried to adapt to being a kobold, just that, and although I still miss my old life and I''m not afraid to admit it, I now have the blood of ancient dragons coursing through my body. I remember since I was a child that, in mythological stories, fantasy, cartoons, movies, and books, dragons are seen as beings of great power. Why wouldn''t I be proud of this blood? Of course, because deep down inside me, I still clung to the hope that there was still some possibility of returning to my old life. It''s very difficult to let go of the things you love, but now I''m ready to move on. I will make the most of what has been given to me, this body, my memories, everything, and as my parents taught me, I will not give up! I will enjoy the good moments and cry in the difficult ones, and I will prove that, despite being born a wanderer, I can be worthy of the lineage of my great ancestors¡±.

    When I opened my eyes, I saw Garrl, the great serpent, and the lady spider in front of me. I felt different, as if a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Of course, I still felt human, at least in my soul, but now my body and senses, I don''t know how to explain it, but I no longer felt uncomfortable in the slightest. I also managed to feel something flowing from my chest throughout my body; it was warm and comforting. It was my mana! And it felt incredible as Garrl said; I also managed to perceive everyone''s mana and it was overwhelming, incredible, and strange; of course, I still didn''t understand the lady spider, because I still lack practice, Garrl has been doing it for several days now, not to mention that he has known this sensation for months, but it doesn''t matter, I won''t fall behind; I will learn and study what mana is.

    After telling everyone that I could now feel my mana and celebrating with Garrl, the great serpent thought it would be better to wait a few days for me to get used to my mana; Garrl became my instructor, and this time I was able to understand him, being able to perceive my mana. I also practiced with the spider lady to try to understand her, but I was still far from achieving it. It''s strange to communicate with emotions; however, the same warmth I feel from Garrl and the great serpent, I also feel from her, so I know I can trust the spider lady. Lastly and not least, I trained and played with Garrl like never before in this new life; the truth is, I was never competitive in any sport, but I wanted to beat Garrl, I wanted to show him that I had also grown, and even though I didn''t beat him, I put him in a bind once or twice, "next time, brother," I told him, ¡°Next time I''ll beat you."

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    We stayed for 3 days near the great spider''s nest; it was better to wait to help Breigon with his mana control and get some good rest. The great serpent withdrew and told us it would wait for us at our home; after all, I already knew how to communicate with the great spider, and my brother, although he still had some way to go, had made enough progress, so we prepared to continue.

    It was incredible that the great ancestor helped my brother with his mana problem, I can''t fall behind; also, I feel something different in him, and I saw it when we trained and played, he moves differently, this time he doesn''t hesitate and is faster; even so, I always beat him, but I''m happy for him; he also told me that he realized he was a wanderer, which means we are only littermates, that didn''t matter to me, we were brothers and that''s it, he also told me that he would prove he was worthy of his lineage, it was the first time I heard him say it with pride, to which I replied that we would both do it; however, inside I kept a great doubt that I hoped my brother would answer me in his own time. If he is a wanderer, without the heritage of the great ancestors and our village, where does everything he inherited to me come from?

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    After some time, the great spider sent us with one of her offspring to continue our journey and, after promising her not to harm any of her offspring and thanking her for everything, we proceeded to climb the waterfall wall until we reached a crevice. From there, we continued our journey; and during that time, I realized something: my village heritage, although true in some aspects, was not so much in others; especially regarding how our people interacted with the other creatures in the caves; they are not our enemies, nor are they a threat, the great serpent and the great spider have shown me that; but there is also the matter of my brother, who confirmed to me that he is indeed a wanderer and, despite that, was chosen by a great ancestor. With all that, I think I understand what Tammat wanted to do and why our village was losing its lineage; it''s also what I believe Breigon is trying to demonstrate, a lineage and heritage that seeks to "create" instead of "destroy," a lineage that creates alliances that allow us to live and fight together, as we are doing now to fulfill the legacy of Tammat, our mother, our village, and our great ancestors.

    In all that thinking, I didn''t realize we had reached the magical magic barrier; I caught Breigon''s habit of getting lost in his thoughts, but now I understand why he did it: if you have a lot of heritage, you have a lot to think about. The great spider told us that her offspring could only go this far, as the magic barrier only allows the entry of descendants of the great dragons. So, my brother and I proceeded to enter, but the moment my brother stepped into the magic barrier, something happened.

    - Garrl, I don''t feel well.

    - Breigon, what''s up, brother?

    At first, I thought the high concentration of mana was affecting him, just 3 days of feeling it and starting to manipulate it, but no, his mana was stable; so, what''s wrong with my brother?

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    I felt bad, dizzy, my head hurt. Why? Wait, it was when I crossed the magic barrier.

    - Garrl! Help me get out of the magic barrier.

    But even after being out of it, I still felt the symptoms. What happened? Garrl looked fine, he didn''t feel any effect; could it be ... ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    <u>- You were lucky; the magic barrier only attacked your human essence; if a human had entered, they would have died.</u>

    But you said, great ancestor, that neither mana nor magic can alter the essence of any living being, so how can it kill a human?

    <u>- First, altering is not the same as attacking or destroying; as for killing, it is what protective magic magic barriers do: they prevent the passage of something, and in this case, specifically humans, although also other beings.</u>

    So, this is as far as I go, only Garrl can enter.

    <u>- No, all the more reason for you to go in; I need to see what this seal Orgarrl wanted to make is, I need you to see it.</u>

 The cave III - Magic seal II

    - But I couldn''t even walk a meter before falling!

    <u>- But now we know it attacks the magic barrier and I can protect you; unfortunately, you will feel some unwanted effects, but I promise I won''t allow it to cause you any permanent harm, I swear on my honor.</u>

    - Alright, I trust you, great ancestor.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    - Garrl, sorry for worrying you, let''s go back inside.

    - But are you okay? Did the magic barrier affect you? Shouldn''t that happen, or should it?

    - Calm down, Garrl, it could have been anything, but the great ancestor says he will protect me.

    - Fine, but go to the front so I can keep an eye on you better.

    Upon re-entering the magic barrier, I felt a slight dizziness and a lack of air again, but it wasn''t like the first time, so I proceeded. This seal could help avoid a greater conflict with the humans; we must know what this place is. We have come too far to turn back empty-handed.

    We walked several meters until we reached a cave; inside, there were several stones carved with symbols I didn''t recognize. The walls and the rock floor were also carved. The mana overflowed in this place like in no other he had ever felt; and Garrl was equally astonished.

    - Brother, what was our mother trying to do?

    - That''s exactly what I''m asking myself, Garrl. Great ancestor, you see what I see!

    <u>- Incredible, Orgarrl''s legacy and heritage have made it here. Did Tammat do this alone? No, a kobold alone wouldn''t have been able to, how far does it extend? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Breigon, I need you to help me with what I''m about to tell you, see that stone in the center, go to where that stone is and tell Garrl to do what I''m going to tell you.</u>

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    - Garrl, the great ancestor asks if you can place your hand on that stone in the center and infuse it with your mana, letting it reach the center of the stone and then pulling it outward, pushing it with all your strength to release it immediately. Do you think you can?

    - Of course, I can! I will not disappoint our great ancestor!

    - Wait, Garrl, you must do it carefully; you must let go without hesitation, otherwise, it can be dangerous.

    - Don''t worry, brother, are you going to do something?

    - A madness, I''m afraid; but I trust in the great ancestor. Listen, Garrl, once you do what I just explained, I will place my hands on the stone and I need you to help me stay upright, as I will experience the same thing that happened when I entered the magic barrier. If I faint, just get me out of this place and I''ll be fine.

    - Are you sure, brother? What are we going to do?

    - Simple, see the extent of this seal. Listen, Garrl, this magic barrier is the seal or at least part of it. Then I''ll explain everything to you, let''s do this first; the great ancestor can''t hold on for much longer. So on the count of one, two,¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­., THREE.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Out of nowhere, I open my eyes, and the last thing I remember was putting my hands on the stone, and now I''m with Garrl outside the magic barrier; well, I guess I fainted and Garrl got me out; great ancestor, are you there? ¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I think I''ll have to wait. I think I''ll have to wait.

    - Brother, you''re awake! Don''t do that again, I thought you were dead, you fainted immediately; I know it could happen, but I still got scared. We need to plan things better, like you taught me.

    - I''m sorry, Garrl, the great ancestor had a limited time and it was important to know how far the seal could be extended before activating it.

    - Activate it? I thought it was unfinished, that''s why we were coming here to see how much was left.

    - Surprise! It''s practically finished; Tammat almost finished it without realizing; only a few details are missing, according to the great ancestor.

    - So, will it scare away the humans? Will they make them stay away from the caves?

    - Don''t doubt that, but let''s go back to where Mrs. Spider is; we need to prepare to finish the seal.

    - Yessss! Our mother is incredible! Worthy of the lineage of the great ancestors!

    It was funny to see Garrl jump and celebrate with the excitement of what I had just told him, although to be honest, what Tammat and his people managed to do here is incredible. Out of nowhere, Garrl stops and looks at me again; and asks me something I didn''t expect.

    - Brother, I am very happy, but I have a question: Why does it affect you?

 The cave III - Explanations

    I truly wish I could stop hiding my past and my former life; it is becoming increasingly difficult to make excuses to Garrl, but just a little more time, just a little more. For the moment, the justification of being a wanderer and my lack of mana control convinced Garrl. The only thing I can tell myself is that I hope you forgive me, brother, but if you are going to hate me for my previous life, let it be when you are safe with other kobolds, but first we must finish Tammat''s legacy.

    After feeling a bit better, we returned to the spider lady''s nest, and I told Garrl that we would decide what to do when the great ancestor communicated with me again. Upon arrival, I was exhausted. That magic seal is designed to weaken and affect humans and even kill them if they get too close. It makes sense; however, it worries me. I don''t want to kill anyone; I just want them to stay away or at least think twice before entering. I need the great ancestor to give me more explanations before activating it. Meanwhile, Garrl explained to Mrs. Spider what we had found and if she could call the Great Serpent to explain to everyone what we were going to do; but I felt so tired that little by little I fell asleep.

    <u>-Breigon, we need to talk.</u>

    - Hello, great ancestor, I thought you would need more time.

    <u>- It''s different if you''re in this place; you come to me, not me to you. But putting that aside, I will explain what that magic seal is and what its purpose is. First, the seal aims to create two magic magic barriers. The first one is already active, and you have already seen and felt it. This first magic barrier is so that only those who are our descendants can reach the magic seal; the second one, which would be generated by fully activating it, would create a miasma field that would only affect humans. Don''t worry, it won''t kill them immediately, but long exposure or proximity to one of the seals could; Orgarrl knew that creating a seal that killed humans would consume the mana of the caverns and its reach would be limited. That''s why the miasma field is more effective; it not only consumes less mana, but part of it will naturally reintegrate while weakening the humans. It''s like what the great serpent who knew Tammat told us; this magic seal would give our descendants an advantage in fighting weakened humans, and it would also protect the caverns.</u>

    <u>- Now then, there''s the matter of its reach. To my pleasant surprise, there are several seals placed throughout the great caverns. It''s incredible, and I would like to acknowledge the effort not only of Tammat but of all the Kobolds who achieved this feat. I must assume they were the first generations. I regret not being able to recognize their names, but today I acknowledge their effort and that of Tammat. This seal is almost ready, just a few details are left, and its reach will cover all the great caverns and even a bit more; but I ask you again, Breigon: Will you finish the work not only of Tammat but of all the kobolds who sought to honor their lineage, even though they are no longer here? Do you want to protect these caverns from humans?</u>

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    - I had already decided to help, although I have some questions. It will be an honor to complete the effort of our people; even if only Garrl and I remain, I want to help the great serpent and the great spider, I want to protect this place, I want to be worthy of my lineage.

    <u>- I''m glad you identify with my descendants; that being the case, Breigon, there''s work to be done; but first, you mentioned you had some questions, I''m listening.</u>

    I took the opportunity to clear up all my doubts about the seal with the great ancestor and to have him explain what we needed to do. Then I woke up with renewed strength and, to my luck, the great serpent had already returned, so I proceeded to explain to them what we had to do.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    - Tammat, my dear friend, you did it. The great caverns may be safe; your effort and sacrifice, as well as that of your ancestors, will protect us all; but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. the humans ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Will they know that this magic barrier will be there, Breigon? It''s not that I wish death upon every human who enters the caves.

    - I share the same view, great serpent, and in response to you, they must have ways to detect it; if not, upon entering, they will feel the lesser effects and will only have to turn back for them to disappear. I don''t think they''re foolish enough to follow and venture in.

    - It''s a shame to have to do this; it was nice talking to some of them, but the safety of our home comes first.

    - Maybe over time we will find ways to get along with them, don''t worry, great serpent.

    - I don''t know if that''s possible, brother, but I have a question, then, are there more magic seal?

    - Yes, several, to be honest, only these are less complex and function like relay antennas. Thanks to you casting your mana, Garrl, it was repeated at several points, and the ancestor used that to see how far your mana reached. In the same way, the miasma field will extend; we will generate the signal from this one, which is the main magic seal, to the others, which in turn will pass it on to others, and so on successively, until covering all the large caverns and even a bit more. It''s incredible how our people achieved this feat; although it seems simple, it wasn''t. They had to find the mana concentration points that matched the required amount for the distance needed to transmit. There are also the carvings, made from mana-infused rocks that, in some cases, had to be moved over great distances. This work must have required time, patience, and total commitment. We''re talking about several magics seals spread over kilometers. I''m eager to learn how mana flow and magic generation work. I wonder if it behaves similarly to electricity and electromagnetic waves. Are there more efficient ways to transmit it, like alternating current? Just imagine the possibilities, a sustainable natural energy source.

    - Brother, we lost you; I barely understand certain things from what you just said, thanks to your

    - Sorry! I get excited sometimes. In short, we need to finish some impressions on mana rocks, take them to the seal and connect them; you know, it''s like a big circuit thaaaaaaaaaa ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Sorry again! The point is that finally, it would just be a matter of activating it; and it will maintain itself, minimally affecting the mana of the great caverns, and the seals would be not only undetectable but also impenetrable only for us kobolds; practically Orgarrl thought of everything. But before we start, we need to manipulate our mana and know how to do magic properly, so let''s get to work, we need to train Garrl.

 The Cave III - Mana and magic

    We began training first with the management of mana flow in our bodies, moving it from one point to another and being able to concentrate it, as well as imbuing our mana into other objects.

    Of course, Garrl already knew this, but he still accompanied me. I also took the opportunity to conduct tests to understand what mana is, and although it doesn''t resemble anything I could compare from my previous life, it adheres to some fundamental natural principles.

    As a source of energy that releases heat; I not only feel it in my body, but when I infused mana into water, it heated up slightly, to a saturation point where no more mana could be added. I wonder if we can purify water with mana. Also, unlike solid bodies, in water mana flowed more easily and, in the air, it dissipated completely; so, the challenge when mana leaves our bodies is to be able to contain it and concentrate it. This difference in the various transmission mediums must be due to the molecular structure of the materials, or at least that''s what I think; I need to investigate further as soon as I can.

    Also, the fact that mana flows easily in water would explain why it travels through our bodies and why we can manipulate it; every living being is mostly made up of water. And the fact that our crystal is close to our heart makes perfect sense¡ªif you want to pump mana, what better medium to use than our blood and circulatory system? I confirmed this by doing physical activity where the more active I was, the more mana flowed. The only thing I can think of is that our evolution and that of other beings with mana crystals occurred in such a way that the creatures that adapted and developed these crystals gained a natural source of heat that doesn''t accumulate in the body since, once it reaches the skin, it dissipates easily into the air, so the body doesn''t overheat. I still don''t know if we are cold-blooded or warm-blooded, but that wouldn''t matter much since our crystals help us regulate our temperature. The same goes for the great serpent and the lady spider, but how did this particular evolution occur? It''s the only thing I can wonder about. On the other hand, I would like to conduct more tests on different minerals, but it''s better to focus on learning to manipulate my mana; I''ll have time to research later.

    Now then, there''s the topic of magic; it is basically the manipulation of mana to perform some physical, chemical, or biological reaction. It''s not like the magic from fantasy stories, it''s just a manipulable source of energy with its limits. In our case, performing magic requires concentrating the mana that we initially radiate and that is distributed throughout our body.

    By concentrating it, we exhaust it and have to wait for it to redistribute throughout the body, through the circulatory system, so in the case of a fight, the first magical attack is essential and it must be effective, because the subsequent ones will have a lower concentration of mana, and so on until only the one circulating in the blood remains. It is also possible to overcharge our crystal to produce more mana, but it is not advisable; it can literally explode, and I don''t have to tell you what would happen if the crystal were next to our heart, and that''s what almost happened to Garrl.

    Returning to magic, once the mana is concentrated, the topic of manipulating it comes into play; and that''s where the magic literally happens. The great serpent told us that any creature with a mana crystal can manipulate their mana and give it a specific characteristic; of course, depending on what reaction you want to perform, it will consume more or less mana. For example, the great serpent taught us what she specialized in, which was using her mana to harden a part of her body. In her case, her tail, with which she managed to destroy solid rock without suffering any damage, was incredible.

    Feeling this hardening up close, it was literally a mana armor covering his tail; he could also sharpen that mana like a sword to make clean cuts even in solid rock. It was astonishing; it only required replacing the mana lost due to the inertia of the blow, but it also required concentration and knowing that the accumulated mana would withstand the impact. Similarly, the more you want to cover, the more mana consumption there will be, so a full-time body armor is not effective and wears you out quickly.

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    Another thing the great serpent showed us is that she could also launch sharp mana blades which, combined with the speed at which she launched them, caused great damage. Of course, it had the limitation that the moment the shaped mana leaves your body, it begins to lose its properties; therefore, factors such as distance and speed are fundamental for such an attack to be effective; of course, she had more than enough experience and made it all seem very easy.

    Then there''s the use of mana to imbue it into a target. The spider lady showed us with her webs, increasing their strength and elasticity; or at least that''s what Garrl explained to me, since I still can''t fully understand the spider lady. But what she told us is that with mana one can enhance the properties of a material and that it consumes less mana if this property is innate to the material itself; otherwise, it will consume more and, of course, it''s not like one can give any property to any material.

    He also taught us how to heal with mana; apparently, what you do is reinforce cellular regeneration. Of course, he didn''t say it with those words or emotions, I should say; ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ but anyway, the point is that only creatures of the same species can help each other heal, as our bodies become accustomed to their specific mana, so a different mana is usually rejected; it''s also not that you can heal any wound, as it''s more of a stimulation than an instant regeneration.

    Lastly and not least, there is provoking reactions with mana; curiously, the expert turned out to be Garrl, although his initial explanation was "you concentrate it and release it," something that generated more questions than answers for me. While he showed me the same thing Kirkarrg did when launching fire, the trick is to concentrate the mana in a single point, which makes it violent and unstable, and before it explodes, you release it with your mana out of your mouth if you don''t want it to explode in your mouth; it seems risky, and of course, it is; but it turns out that in our mouths, we have sensitive terminals that allow us to concentrate mana more easily and, secondly, to know when it''s about to explode. The great serpent and the lady spider do something similar, only they don''t take it to the point of exploding but just release the mana violently.

    In summary, they taught me that magic is manipulating mana, whether by changing its properties or hardening it. You can also improve or alter the properties of other materials to a certain extent by infusing them with mana, you can stimulate cellular regeneration to a certain point, and you can concentrate and compact the mana to make it violent before releasing it; in short, it''s incredible, but it also has its limitations.

    Now, as a separate point, there are the spells or seals with mana; in this case, the great ancestor explained to us that you do this if you want to perform something more complex, for example, the Orgarrl seal. To create a miasma magic barrier, you need not only mana as an energy source but also part of it must be altered in different stages, and each rock and symbol serves a specific function to work together and thus create the magic barrier. There are also the tablets we have that together allow the inheritance ritual; however, the great ancestor did not want to explain more details to me because he said that this knowledge belongs to the wise kobolds, and until I prove that this will be my path, he would not teach me. Honestly, I was disappointed, but I also understand, besides, what matters for now is to finish the seal, and if what needs to be done is to move stones and make some symbols and imbue it with mana to complete the mana circuit; so be it, if that protects the caves; I will have time later to learn and discover the hidden secrets of more advanced magic.

    Also, there is what humans do, which are mainly spells and magic magic barriers; the great serpent explained to us that in the absence of mana, humans must use tools imbued with it, and to be able to use them, they have the pact with the great spirits; these are the ones who give their mana to perform or activate the spell; these beings, apparently invisible to most, decided to help humans during the war against the dragons, or at least that is what the great serpent understood, and since then they have been collaborating with humans; this means that only humans can use their own mana weapons or tools because the great spirits know when a human uses them, due to the pact they have with humanity; I wanted to ask the great ancestor, but he only confirmed what the great serpent said and that, as their descendants, we don''t get along well with the great spirits, nor could we use the humans'' mana weapons, because they would be useless to us. He told me to forget about that possibility, and he didn''t say anything more. I didn''t insist either, given the tone he used; it was clear that our race is not on good terms with the great spirits. Although I have several questions, they will have to wait because we need to practice everything we were taught and demonstrated to us, to finally begin to complete the magic seal.

 The Cave III â€“ Thoughts I

    A couple of months passed before both Breigon and I managed to control our mana and do magic. It was a bit slower with my brother, as he overthought everything and always tried to understand how it worked. The hardest part for him was breathing fire. He told me he was afraid his head would explode.

    But in the end, we learned a little bit of everything, although I was better at manipulating mana than my brother, in addition to generating more because apparently my crystal is bigger. For my part, I focused more on manipulating mana to achieve its hardening for different parts of my body, and along with my fighting moves and the ability to shoot fire, I felt confident in proving myself as a warrior; the great serpent was very surprised by my progress, saying that I reminded her of Tammat, although she assured me that I was still far from the level she had. However, I am glad to know that I am worthy of my mother''s lineage and the great ancestors.

    Breigon, for his part, focused more on imbuing mana into objects, for his "future experiments," he told me; I wish my brother wanted to be a warrior like me, but it seems that wisdom is what he seeks; however, the great serpent reminded me that Tammat, although born to be wise, was also a warrior. It was true! We can be more than what our heritage gave us; my brother firmly supported this idea and that''s why since then I told him I would help him improve his skills to be a better warrior; he, in turn, would help me become a better sage. Unfortunately, I didn''t consider that this included more of his famous "General Education" classes, me and my big mouth; but the truth was that it was fun and useful in many ways.

    Finally, as a final test, we fought the great serpent; that was my idea, although Breigon was worried that we might accidentally get hurt during the fights, especially since neither of us was good at healing. However, the great serpent told us that she would always be careful, so we tried it. The truth was beatdown after beatdown, even fighting together. She was very fast and her mana armor was impenetrable to our attacks, not to mention the strength of her attacks, and after each defeat, the only thing I thought was: How did our mother manage to defeat her?

    The passing of these months with my brother has been incredible, as well as having the great serpent and the great spider; although I still feel the pain of our village and there is also my inheritance from the great ancestors that demands I take revenge on all humans, but I want to honor them in other ways. I have thought a lot about what Breigon told me that time, and I have had time to see and compare my heritage with what I have lived through until today, and I have an idea, and today I will tell it to my brother.

    - Brother, can I ask you a question?

    - Of course, Garrl, you know you can always do it.

    - Have you thought about what we will do after completing our people''s legacy by activating the seal and protecting the great caverns? I know we are shortening the search for a village of our people, and even the great serpent has already told us that it believes it knows where there might be one, and even though it is quite far away; I know we will find it. But have you thought about what we will do afterwards?

    Stolen novel; please report.

    - Honestly, Garrl, not yet. My goals are to finish this seal and find a new village that will accept us; after that, we''ll see what to do, or at least that''s what I think. I admit that I have several ideas floating around, but they depend on how things go in the village, but tell me, have you thought of anything?

    - Do you doubt that they will accept us? Oh, brother, if it''s because you were a wanderer, don''t worry, I won''t tell anyone. Besides, not only have you demonstrated your skills and your great heritage, but you also communicate with a great ancestor; they would never reject you. You don''t have to worry about me; I know I will be a great warrior; I believe in my abilities. You know, you have taught me a lot and I have thought about everything that has happened to us and I want to honor the great ancestors, as you say, "by building," but for that, we must change the way our people think and live. I don''t think other villages are very different from ours, but we can make a change and I believe we could do it together. Of course, we would have to earn our status in the village first to then challenge the leader and convince the council of elders, but with our combined heritage and the great ancestor on our side, we can achieve it. You know, brother, I want our people to grow, and to achieve that, many things need to change; ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Abandoning wanderers would be eliminated! We would seek alliances with other species! and, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­..and we would build, I don''t know,¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ but we would build something, it would be ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I don''t know how to say it, but it would be as if all the kobolds were together, all the villages! In ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­.., I don''t know, but together, fighting and helping each other to improve and grow and be able to proudly show our lineage to everyone.

    - Like a nation, but of kobolds? You want to create a nation!

    - A nation? What is that, brother? Is it bad? Oh no! The great ancestor doesn''t like it; tell him to forgive me, it''s just a silly idea. Sorry.

    - What? No, Garrl, I''m just surprised, it''s incredible that you think of that. Honestly, it makes any of my ideas look mediocre; it makes me question myself a lot. But a "nation" is more or less what you think; it is a large group of individuals, under a common culture and living under the unified mandate called "state." Generally, it is democratic and seeks the well-being of the nation itself, that is, of its inhabitants or citizens.

    - Demo what?

    - Sorry, Garrl, I haven''t taught you any of those concepts because I didn''t think they would be useful to us. Honestly, I don''t know if our lives will give us the time to achieve something so ambitious; however, maybe we can do something. I don''t think I have the makings of a leader, but you know what? I support you! Our people have shown with this seal that they are capable of great things; perhaps some new and fresh ideas for change are needed, and we can sow the seeds of that change. It will be a long road with many obstacles; look, for example, at Tammat: she tried as much as she could to make some changes and, although she succeeded in some, she failed in others; because there will always be resistance to such change, but if we show them that it is for the good of all, maybe they will support us.

    - So. Isn''t it a silly idea? Didn''t the great ancestor get angry?

    - Of course not, Garrl! You know, you give me a new purpose in life. I will support you and help you in whatever I can for the good of our people; but "one step at a time," Garrl, we must be patient. First, let''s finish this seal, then we''ll look for our people and try to make your dream come true.

    - Our dream, brother! You wanted to build instead of destroy; that''s what inspired me. Thanks to you, I have this dream, which I hope we can share, because I trust you, brother, and I know that together we can achieve it, but "one step at a time," you always know what to say; it''s true, let''s finish and honor the heritage and sacrifice of our people and help everyone in the great caves; that creates instead of destroys, right?

    - Yes, Garrl, create instead of destroy.

 The Cave III â€“ Thoughts II

    I couldn''t sleep that night when Garrl told me his dream: "a kobold nation." I know it''s very ambitious; besides, changing the way a people think is not easy, but you have to start somewhere.

    I questioned whether this was the reason for my being here, to help Garrl; honestly, I don''t know and I don''t think anyone will answer me, but it''s a great dream; sincerely, on my part, I just thought I would find the village and see if I could adapt, investigate, and try to help in whatever way I could; of course, all that depending on what happened after telling Garrl the truth about my previous life; I almost told him when we were talking, especially when he said he trusted me, but I don''t want him to hate me, I want to be by his side and see how far he can go or, rather, how far we can go. I know he has shown me great maturity, but I know he still hates humans; and how can I blame him.

    <u>- Tell me, Breigon, do you think Garrl''s dream is possible?</u>

    - Great ancestor! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Well, to be honest, it''s something that where I come from doesn''t happen overnight, but it is possible.

    <u>- I understand ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Honestly, I don''t want to interfere in the decisions my descendants make; I think we''ve already done enough by inheriting our pain and hatred, and that, where did it lead us? To almost oblivion. If it weren''t for you and Garrl, Orgarrl''s legacy would have been forgotten¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Look, Breigon, there are many things you don''t know. The war against the humans was terrible; they did us a lot of harm, but I won''t deny that we did too. Hearing Garrl has made me question many things, but it is not easy to forget or forgive; I will help you as much as I can, but it is you who must prove, as you have done until today, that you are worthy of your lineage.</u>

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    - Thank you, great ancestor, I know Garrl will appreciate your support in whatever way you can in his dream.

    <u>- Listen, it''s not right to lie to your brother, it''s not good for him or for you, but your concern is valid. I know you didn''t ask to be here and I know you''ve lost a lot and don''t want to lose more; I won''t tell you what to do, I''ll just tell you that I understand you and that you shouldn''t blame yourself for being afraid.</u>

    - Thank you ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ truly thank you ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­, I just, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­thank you, great ancestor.

    <u>- Drazird, that is my name, and I recognize you, Breigon, and Garrl, for the effort you have shown up to today. They are worthy of their lineage and I hope they manage to make a change; but first, we must complete this seal, so I will bequeath part of my knowledge to you, although it will be in the way you teach Garrl, since the ritual is not made for humans, and we won''t take the risk of seeing what happens with a kobold with human essence, right? So, pay attention: this is the structure of the magic seal and this is what you need to add, because you are already ready.</u>

    <u>¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.</u>

    <u>How did I end up recognizing this human? I, the great Drazird, but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. All this time he has only tried to understand, adapt, and help; I have seen him suffer and still rise; he accepted himself as a kobold, without forgetting his former humanity. Since he hatched, I could see his essence and I hated it; I thought it was a cruel joke of fate that I ended up with him, but I believe it has a purpose. Kirkarrg knew it or at least made a good bet; I have seen how his influence has changed Garrl and strengthened him. I still don''t trust his ideas that come from a human world that, although not our world, is still human; however, I can''t deny that they are partly useful.</u>

    <u>Breigon, I don''t know why you are here, but I do know why I am here and I hope we both share the same path. Just this once, I will trust a human and only you; I will watch your growth and that of Garrl; and I hope you prove yourselves worthy of your lineage for the good of all kobolds.</u>

 The Cave IV - Finishing the magic seal

    Hearing the recognition of the great ancestor Drazird and him saying my name means that I am proving to be worthy of my lineage. I know that inside me a part was jumping with joy; seeing that so much effort was recognized gave me that joy, but what I appreciate the most is that, despite not starting on good terms and knowing my greatest fear, he just supported me and told me he "understood" me; that simple word made me break down in tears, not of sadness, but of peace. Someone knew who I was and everything I had lived through until today. There was someone! That was all I wanted, and although the only thing I could say to him was a simple "thank you," it was one that came from the depths of my being.

    The next morning, I told everyone about the seal and that we were ready to begin; we also shared our future plans with the great serpent and the lady spider, it was only fair, and although they were sad that we would leave once the magic seal was finished, they understood that we wanted to find our people; we also promised them that it wouldn''t be immediate, and that of course, we would come back to visit them. Moreover, someone would have to keep an eye on the good condition of the magic seal; even, with a bit of luck, we could convince some of our people to repopulate the great caverns; with the magic seal active, it would be a safe place to live.

    Finally, I told Garrl the name of the great ancestor and that he recognized us as worthy of our lineage, but that it didn''t mean we shouldn''t keep growing; as well as that he would support us in our dream as much as he could. What can I say? Garrl didn''t know how to react from the excitement.

    And so, several days passed where I was teaching Garrl how to draw the symbols we needed, the shape, size, and type of mana minerals we would require to complete the magic seal, where it should be placed, and how much mana we needed to infuse to connect them. Now with the snake and lady Spider, we sought to define where we would get those materials and how to transport them, so we proceeded to outline a plan of action together.

    The first thing we defined and agreed upon was to go for materials closer to us, where the great serpent would help us obtain the materials in the approximate dimensions we needed or as far as she could; for that, I had to make an approximate scale of one meter with its respective centimeters. I took advantage of human items to estimate it, according to the size of humans and comparing it with ours; and I had to explain those measurement scales to everyone to work with greater precision.

    Next, after the great serpent gave us the blocks, it was up to Garrl and me to finish the details, including carving the symbol; luckily, the hardening and sharpening of the mana for our claws that the great serpent taught us was very useful. Once that was done, we had to carefully move the rock slabs; both the great serpent and the lady spider''s offspring were of great help; that was until we reached the magic barrier, where Garrl and I had to finish the transfer and place the stones; of course, the magic barrier still affected me, and that was the hardest part for me, but with the help of the great ancestor, I managed to endure it.

    Finally, it was Garrl''s turn to close the mana circuits; unfortunately, my control and amount of mana were not optimal for this job; and even for Garrl, it was complicated and exhausting. On many occasions, I could only place one rock slab a day; I know the great ancestor told us it was almost done, but that was more than 70 rock slabs in different sizes, weights, and shapes; but compared to everything Tammat and his predecessors did, I know it''s little.

    We continued like this for months and even had to negotiate passage with other creatures of the great caves due to the remoteness of the materials. Luckily, none of them refused or put any obstacles in our way, although I think part of it was because we had both the great serpent and the lady spider as bodyguards, and I don''t blame them, haha. However, something curious was meeting other mana creatures with self-awareness. As the great serpent explained to us, each one lives in their own world; some had never even seen a human. They also didn''t care about the magic seal as long as it didn''t harm them. For their part, their way of living, at least for me, is peculiar. They just seek to live peacefully, as long as they can feed and survive. They generally live alone or in pairs. I tried to invite them to join a community, thinking of Garrl''s idea, but for them, it didn''t make sense. In their own words, "that''s only what kobolds do." While most rejected my proposal, some at least accepted that if we needed them for something, we could just look for them, and they would see if they could help us. I suppose it''s a start.

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    Later, the great serpent also told us that she used to think the same way about all the cave creatures, and that the three of us being together, helping each other despite being from three different species, is not common in the great caves; however, she learned from Tammat that what you can''t do alone, you can do with others; because that''s how kobolds think, Tammat told her, and it was true, that way of thinking was very convenient, so she advised us not to stop insisting on seeking alliances in the caves with other species. Maybe we wouldn''t form a community, but we would have allies, she told us.

    - I told you, brother. Our dream can start here. We can create alliances and, if we manage to convince our people to return, we would create a community that gets along with all the cave creatures, just as our mother tried to do.

    - Yes, I know, Garrl, but remember "One step at a time."

    We kept at it, and it was about three months of hard work, by the time we only had 10 rock slabs left to finish the seal.

    - Come on, Garrl, almost theeeere ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. That''s it! Damn! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I''m exhausted!

    - Yes! We did it, Breigon; I just need to connect these 10 rock slabs before activating the seal. We did it, Breigon; I just have to connect these 10 rock slabs before activating the magic seal. We did it, brother! We did it, brother!

    - Yes, remind me to celebrate when I catch my breath.

    <u>- Breigon.</u>

    - Yes, great ancestor.

    <u>- I need you to be the one to connect that last rock slab they placed and imbue it with your mana.</u>

    - But, great ancestor, Garrl is better at that than I am.

    <u>- It''s not because of that, you promised that they would return and maybe even with more kobolds, the great serpent and the great spider, right? You don''t expect me to keep protecting you from the miasma field when it''s active in all the great caverns, do you?</u>

    - That means this rock slab ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­

    <u>- If you allow the miasma field not to affect your essence, unfortunately, it will only be in the miasma field; for the magic barrier, it was impossible for me to correct it without affecting it.</u>

    - Thank you, great ancestor Drazird, I ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. don''t know what to say.

    <u>- Just tell Garrl to help you, and remember only your mana.</u>

    After asking Garrl to help me connect this rock slab, as the great ancestor requested it, I understood the difficult work Garrl was doing and how skilled he is.

    - Damn, Garrl! How do you do it? That left me without mana.

    - Well, brother, after practicing with the 20th rock slab, I think I''ve got the hang of it, haha, but don''t worry, I''ve run out of mana too. Come on, let''s rest for today and in the coming days I''ll finish this work, and together we''ll honor the great ancestors and our people, unless you want to practice more.

    - I''ll think about it, Garrl, haha, but I think I''ll pass for now.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Unbeknownst to both kobolds, on that very day, a group of humans, whose numbers far exceeded any that had come before, was at the main entrance of the great caverns. Their objective, although unknown, was clear: they would finish what they had started several months ago.

 The cave IV - The inevitable

    The next morning, my brother surprised me with breakfast. He had started collecting different ingredients during our explorations and used human armor and weapons to create what he called "kitchen utensils"; honestly, I didn''t pay much attention at first, just another one of my brother''s strange ideas, I thought, but his food was delicious, and he always said it was missing something called "seasonings."

    - Brother, as always, this is very good.

    - Well, Garrl, I thought it would be fair to celebrate the near completion of the magic seal; I wish I could make something for the great serpent and lady Spider, but I wouldn''t know what to cook for them.

    - Don''t worry, you''ll come up with something, but remember that you have to teach me. What do you call it? Recipe?

    - The truth is, it''s not a big deal, Garrl; you just use frog fat and what I think are mushrooms give it the flavor. What you have to do is saut¨¦, just don''t let it burn. The truth is, it''s very simple, but you''ll see when we''re on the surface, because I''ll find more ingredients and seasonings, and I''ll show you how to enjoy good cooking haha.

    - One more reason to finish the stamp, brother; ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ufffff I''m full ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I feel very energetic. Do you know where the great serpent is? I think today I will be able to defeat it.

    - Hahaha, you are very optimistic, Garrl, but remember that we first need to finish the magic seal. As for the great serpent, he told me in the morning that he had to check something and that he would return later.

    - It''s a shame I wanted to train a bit today, but oh well. So, brother. Will you accompany me to finish the magic seal today?

    - Of course! I wouldn''t miss this last one, although I''ll only help you with the simplest connection, I don''t want to run out of mana like yesterday; so, let''s go.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Meanwhile, near the surface.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    I''m almost there. I don''t like going to the surface; the many different things there overwhelm my senses compared to the caves. But I want to surprise those two little kobolds, although I think they are already adults. Mmmmm, better ask them later, so they can clarify it for me.

    Breigon told me that he wanted to cook something special or different for Garrl, but that he didn''t have the ingredients and hoped to find them on the surface, but they have never gone up and it can be dangerous, so I will hunt something for them myself and bring it to them; they have worked hard, they deserve it.

    I wish they wouldn''t leave, but I know it''s inevitable; they want to find more of their kind. It''s understandable: the kobolds live in communities, unlike all the other creatures in these caves, including me. However, since I met Tammat and his stubbornness to defeat me, I began to enjoy not being alone and being able to talk to someone.

    These two are very talkative; mainly, Breigon is very curious, and Garrl, being Tammat''s offspring, inherited his pride, as well as his strength and ability to manipulate mana. Breigon seems to want to make changes, although, to be fair, both want to make those changes; however, there is something different about Breigon, his strange way of being and behaving, which doesn''t remind me of how a kobold should behave, but rather gives the impression of talking to a human. It''s very strange.

    And to add to the strangeness, every time Garrl or I asked him where he got all those ideas from, if he was a wanderer, he always looked for a way to change the subject; we both know he hides something, but Garrl once told me that, no matter what it is, he will still be his brother and that he will wait for him to tell him; those words from Garrl showed me that not only Breigon is different, but also, he is. Both of them are, I don''t know if it was because they weren''t raised in their village, but both are good kobolds. I will be sad when they leave, but I will eagerly await their return, and I even hope that more kobolds will want to live here.

    You see, Tammat, old friend! Your legacy continued and will continue with them. It makes me envious; maybe I should ask Breigon if he can teach me the inheritance spell that the kobolds use. I would like my offspring not to forget me and also to be able to inherit everything I have learned; if not, I will teach them as I taught those two; yes, that will work too.

    Finally the surface, I thought I would never get here, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. and yes, everything is as overwhelming as always, I should have come at night instead. Wait, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Why is there a magic barrier covering part of the entrance?

    At that moment, I noticed a source of mana approaching me at great speed. I slid away quickly, but that same source of mana split into several smaller sources before falling, scattering in all directions. I had to harden my mana to avoid being hit, but the problem was that I had moved away from the cave entrance, and before I could return, another attack came, and then another and another. There were too many attacks in a row, and while I protected myself with my hardening, I was spending too much mana covering my entire body. On top of all this, I was disoriented from the multiple attacks and being on the surface. I could only head towards the forest, but I knew it was a trap, and I knew who was attacking me¡ªhumans!

    I have fought humans before, and those attacks are from their weapons; I also know they usually fight in groups, so they must be hiding in the forest waiting to attack me, but I knew where those attacks were coming from, I had already pinpointed the exact spot, so I prepared my mana attack, gathered it in my mouth, and launched it.

    Immediately, when my attack hit its target, I was able to perceive with my senses: it was the smell of blood, as well as the attacks ceasing, and without thinking twice, I headed back to the entrance of the caves. I wasn''t afraid of humans, but it was more important to tell Garrl and Breigon that they had returned. However, to my surprise, the magic barrier was now covering the entire entrance, and behind it, there were humans generating; damn it! They surrounded me to prevent me from returning while I was distracted; but if they think that barrier can stop me, they are very mistaken. immediately I gathered mana in my tail and charged at the magic barrier, the impact was immense, but it didn''t break the magic barrier, however, it was weakened, another hit and it would fall; I was gathering mana for another attack when I noticed it, several humans appeared and attacked me with their mana spears, I struck two humans with my tail, killing them instantly, but others managed to pierce my scales, I couldn''t cover my entire body, I had already spent too much mana, the attacks continued, they had cornered me between their barrier and themselves, I defended myself with everything I had, taking down several, why were there so many humans?

    Suddenly, I saw them; they weren''t just a few humans, there were dozens of them, all in armor and weapons surrounding me. I had never seen so many of them, and armed. I remember Breigon told me he feared the humans would return and be better prepared. I didn''t believe him. Tammat!  ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... This is what you and your people faced! I must buy time to think about what to do, I won''t be able to kill them all, then I see a human with different armor approaching, I know from the mana emitted by their weapons that they are dangerous, even for my mana hardening, so I decide to try to talk to this human.

    - Why are they attacking me? I haven''t done anything to start this attack! ¡­¡­¡­.... I have only defended myself!

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    At that moment, I notice that the human seems surprised, speaking with other humans in a language I don''t understand. Then I notice again the magic barrier they placed at the entrance, and it has been reinforced. I''ll have to escape another way! So, I decide to keep talking to buy time to think.

    - They know me as the great serpent of the great caves; I have gotten along well with several humans and fought with others, but I have never sought to kill their kind, I have only defended myself and the caves. What are you doing here? What do you want?

    At that, the human draws his sword and approaches me; the other humans keep their distance.

    - So, he wants a one-on-one fight. Fine by me! You are just like all the last humans who have come, they only want to kill us and take the mana minerals from the caves; that will destroy our home and I won''t allow it.

    I lunge at the human and attack him with bursts of mana from a distance; however, he dodges them, and immediately moves at high speed towards me. I manage to harden my mana, but as I knew, it wouldn''t be enough. I hissed in pain, but managed to compose myself and strike the human, and although I sent him flying, I knew upon touching his armor that it also had a magic barrier spell that saved him from being split in half, but it wouldn''t work again and he knew it, as other humans gathered around him to protect him.

    - Wasn''t it that you wanted a one-on-one fight? ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Tell me something human: Did you attack and destroy the kobold village a long time ago? Did you fight in the same cowardly way against a kobold defending its nest?

    The human didn''t say anything, just stared at me, but I knew it was them. These humans were the ones who killed Tammat, and they would pay for it. However, the human retreated, no matter how many times I told him he was a coward, and ordered the other humans in their strange language to continue the attack against me. I knew that what they wanted was to wear me down, as they always kept their distance, and while I was able to take out a few more, that didn''t solve my situation, so I lowered my defense to gather all my mana into a single attack. It was risky and they managed to hurt me more, but it was my best bet to destroy that magic barrier.

    I was so tired, but I wouldn''t give up, I would never do it, and before I launched my attack on the magic barrier, the human I believe to be their leader returned to fight again. I wanted to kill him and I knew I could with the mana I had gathered; I wanted to avenge Tammat, but even if I killed him, the other humans would kill me and continue. No! I must inform Breigon and Garrl, that''s the best thing to do, but just then the human finally decided to talk to me.

    <u>- Can you hear me? ¡­Are you listening? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I think so. I think so. It''s strange talking with this magic, but answering your questions, yes, it was us who killed those lizards; it was a surprise attack, by the time they realized it was too late, and yes, there was a kobold who was quite annoying, or should I say two. That last idiot exploded in a fireball, can you imagine? He almost killed me. Luckily, my armor protected me, although not completely as you can see. You know, there are legends that spoke of you, one of the great mana beasts that inhabit the caves, the great serpent! I admit that you are strong, you destroyed and survived our long-range crossbows and killed several of my soldiers with mana armor with just one attack</u>.

    - Why are they doing all this?

    <u>- Why? And why not? These lands, or at least this part, belong to us and you are just beasts who literally live in a hole, you know nothing about how the world works, and why should you; but well, I wonder if your mana core will be as peculiar as that of that kobold who was different from the other kobolds. I took it on a whim, everyone knows that the cores of those lizards are worthless, but it turns out this one can lead us to a great vein or deposit of mana mineral.</u>

    - Mana core? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Are you referring to our mana crystals? Are you talking about our mana crystals? You say you took it from that different kobold! You say you took it from that different kobold! Did you take Tammat''s crystal? Why? Don''t our crystals produce mana when we die, making them useless to you?

    <u>- That''s why you''re an ignorant beast, but as a gift before I kill you, I''ll try to explain it to you, even though I''m not an expert on the subject. It''s true that their cores gradually stop emitting mana when they die, until they end up being mere decorative stones or, at most, used for some spells or treatments, but that kobold''s core turned out to be exposed to large concentrations of mana, and of course, we''re talking about these caves, there must be an undiscovered vein, and we came for it, even though we had already planned to mine these caves. However, finding a mana-rich deposit is the best way to start; that''s why it took us so long to return, we had to prepare better to explore and delve deeper. How lucky I was to go back for that core! Although I had to pay with these burns. Damn lizard! But well, it will be worth it for everyone in the end.</u>

    It must be Tammat''s crystal, that''s all I thought. She was not only the only kobold to awaken the heritage of her ancestors, making her different from other kobolds, but she also worked for so long on the magic seal that it was exposed to natural mana, which must have affected her crystal in some way, and now these humans want to use it to reach where Breigon and Garrl are. They will discover the magic seal! No! They want to and are going to destroy the great caverns! If they take all the mana ore, they will kill everyone and those who remain won''t be able to achieve their awakening, and they want to start everything by using my friend''s crystal!

    - Give me back the Tammat crystal, it doesn''t belong to you! These caves do not belong to you!

    But no matter my complaints, the human didn''t respond to me anymore; he just smiled and spoke in his language to the other humans. He mocked me, he mocked Tammat''s sacrifice. These humans are not good, they are nothing like those I spoke with or the one who saved me when I was just a cub. These humans are like the ones described in the legacy of Tammat and Garrl, they only destroy. Breigon, I don''t think it''s possible to dialogue or get along with these humans. I know you believe there must be a way to coexist, that there are good humans, and I know there are, but this time we will have to fight.

    The human lunges at me; I want nothing more than to kill this human and reclaim the Tammat crystal, but it''s not the right moment. I strike the ground with mana to create a distraction and head towards the magic barrier, but before I hit it, I feel my body not responding.

    Where am I? Where am I? ................ Is that you, Tammat? Are you Tammat? ................................. Tammat! Old friend, I have missed you so much. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I met one of your latest offspring and another for whom you fought to protect; their names are Garrl and Breigon. They are somewhat different, but worthy of their lineage; even one of your great ancestors named Drazird helps them. Can you imagine that? One of your craziest ideas became a reality. They will complete the magic seal that you and your village started, protect the great caverns, and then I will teach my offspring how you do it; I will pass on everything I have learned in my life ¡­¡­.... but now I am very sleepy ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... but now I''m very sleepy ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ very sleepy ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Will you allow me to rest just this once? I promise you that, once I recover, we will fight like before; I just need to rest a little. Thank you, old friend ¡­ ... Breigon, Garrl, I will bring you something you can enjoy; I hope Breigon knows how to cook it. I would like to try it... I would like to try it ¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Did you have anything else to do? \nText to translate: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Did I have anything else to do? It was very important. What was it? But I''m so tired... ¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Please, always take care of yourselves, Please, always take care of yourselves, Breeiiigooon, Garrrrrrl ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Unbeknownst to her, the great serpent was attacked by another human; it could have been exhaustion, her lack of mana, her multiple wounds, or anything else, or perhaps all of it, but the attack was lethal. Little by little, the human who challenged her approached the great serpent, and a final attack ended her life, driving his sword into the head of the great serpent.

    <u>- Prepare everything to go down, and I want you to extract the core from this beast; it might have some use.</u>

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    - Garrl, did you feel that?

    - Yes, it was strange; I think we should leave it at that for today. Don''t you think, brother? I don''t feel well.

    - Yes, only five more rock slabs to connect, but I don''t feel well either; let''s rest instead. In two days, we will finish with the magic seal and on the third day we will activate it. I can already imagine the joy of the great serpent.

    - Have you thought about what you''ll cook for them? To celebrate.

    - No, I''d better ask them what their tastes might be, to give them something they like, if I may say so; they deserve it for all the help they''ve given us.

    - Yes, I support you in everything you need, brother, count on me. Let''s go ask her; I also want to challenge her, but when the magic seal is active, we can''t leave without at least beating her once.

    - Oh, Garrl, you and your warrior pride.

    - What? We are kobolds; the blood of our great ancestors runs in our veins. Besides, our mother was able to defeat her; we just need to come up with a plan together. Do you remember?

    - Well, honestly, I also want to beat her; she has given me many beatings, but I want to do it to show her that we have grown thanks to her teachings.

    - That''s how it''s said, brother. For our great ancestors and for her and her teachings! We will beat her at least once.

 The Cave IV - Loss of a loved one

    When we arrived at Lady Spider''s place, the great serpent was not there; it was strange, but we expected to see her the next day. Even so, I couldn''t sleep well that night, nor could Garrl, but we justified it by the fatigue from work and the eagerness to finish the magic seal. Upon waking up, I prepared breakfast as usual, we ate it and waited, but she didn''t show up and, although we were worried, the spider lady conveyed to us that she would send her offspring to look for her, that she should be around and not to worry, that we should continue with the magic seal, and that''s what we did or at least tried to do; but something didn''t feel right.

    - I already finished this connection. How''s it going, brother? Do you need help?

    - What? ......................... I''m sorry, Garrl, yes, I''m fine, but as always, I''m a bit slow.

    - Don''t worry, brother, in the meantime, I think I can make one more ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Breigon, the great ancestor Drazird, couldn''t help you locate the great serpent in some way, perhaps with the help of the magic seal. Sorry for the question, it''s just that I''m a bit worried; she never just left without telling us she would be away for several days and she always returned early.

    - That''s a great idea, Garrl! I was thinking the same thing and was worried too. I will ask the great ancestor.

    <u>- I already heard them, Breigon, and yes, it would be possible to locate it, but it would be like the last time we saw the extent of the magic seal, so it would be dangerous for you. It''s better to continue with the connections; the big spider is already looking for it, after all.</u>

    - Garrl, if it''s possible, but it''s like the last time I fainted; the great ancestor can''t protect me while searching at the same time.

    - I understand, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­, but if it''s not too much to ask. And if I protected you with my mana? While the great ancestor searches for her.

    <u>- Fine, tell him I''ll do it and that his idea would actually work. I know you are both worried about her. Tell Garrl to completely envelop you with his mana; that should protect you, however, it will be less effective. It''s up to you if you want to take the risk?</u>

    - I can do it! I don''t mind taking the risk.

    <u>- Well, but tell Garrl that before he helps you with this last connection, and we''ll do it.</u>

    - Thank you, great ancestor Drazird.

    I explained the situation to Garrl and he immediately helped me finish the connection. Fortunately, the great ancestor already knew what the mana of the great serpent was like, from the first day we met, when he infused his mana into my body. I just had to place my hands on the central stone, have Garrl protect me, and the great ancestor would take care of the rest; with the magic seal covering all the great caverns, it would be impossible not to locate the great serpent; so, we proceeded.

    - Damn it! I hate this feeling.

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    - Are you okay, brother?

    - Yes Garrl, calm down, I can handle it.

    <u>- It''s strange. Breigon, may Garrl protect you a little more.</u>

    - Garrl, are you okay? Can you keep protecting me?

    - Of course! I can!

    <u>- NO!</u>

    It was the last thing I heard from the great ancestor, before I sensed from his mana a feeling of anger and sadness, which overwhelmed me, but also Garrl, making him lose his concentration, and then, I remembered nothing more.

    What was that? He wondered. He felt the same as the anger of the ancestors who inherited me, but there was also great sadness. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Oh no! Breigon, I have to get him out of the magic barrier.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    <u>How much time has passed since that stupid war? We did what we had to do, or at least what we could, and for what? Just to come back and see that we failed and that humans haven''t changed; with or without us, they remain the same. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I could use the magic seal and finish them off, but that would damage the caves that Orgarrl sought so hard to protect and that passed down his legacy to Tammat and the great serpent. No, I can''t, I also promised Breigon that it wouldn''t be used that way, but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I want to kill them! They deserve death! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. She was not one of our descendants, but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ even so, she helped our lineage and I acknowledge it, without her, none of our legacy would be here; she helped Tammat to strengthen, until reaching Garrl and Breigon. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I''m sorry, great serpent, truly I''m sorry.</u>

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Everything hurts. What were we doing? I don''t remember, am I in this place again? Did I faint? But, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. We are locating the great serpent; I remember it now!

    - Great ancestor Drazird, what happened? Did you locate the great serpent? Is she okay? Please, answer, great ¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­

    In that moment, I felt it and knew it: I still cannot see the great ancestor Drazird, but thanks to my kobold self, I perceive his mana, and I know there is sadness in him when asking about the great serpent, and then I know.

    - No, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ tell me no, she is fine, she is very strong, nothing in these caves can harm her.

    <u>- Humans, they have their crystal, and I don''t know how, but it seems they are coming this way.</u>

    - What humans are coming this way? But then, if she sensed her mana crystal, then she is still okay! We must save her! I must wake up and coordinate a rescue for ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­

    <u>- You don''t understand, it''s just her crystal and that''s it, she''s no longer here, I''m sorry, Breigon.</u>

    Upon hearing Drazird, I finally understand: "only his crystal" and "the humans have it." Did she die? No! She was killed by humans! But how? When and why did they arrive? Why did she confront them alone? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Did she die? She died! .......................................... After the shock of understanding what happened, all that was left was sadness, a deep sadness. I recalled all these months with her, how she saved us, took care of us, and helped us. It could have been a short time, considering my previous life, but for me, she saved me in more than one way, she gave me hope, she gave me her friendship, and although anger and a desire for revenge arose within me, I held them back, for now.

    - I must tell Garrl, great ancestor, can you help me wake up?

    <u>- Yes, I can, but Breigon, I know how you think and I know your principles, but they must pay, they must be stopped here and now!</u>

    It was the last thing I heard from the great ancestor, before seeing Garrl in front of me, looking very worried, because of course, I fainted like last time, but ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ how do I tell him? Instinctively, my body reacted to my feelings and I began to emit the same sounds we made when we cried for the destruction of the village and for Kirkarrg; it was how the kobolds express their sadness and, while doing so, I told him in a choked voice.

    - The great serpent, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. humans, ....................they killed her, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.they killed her, Garrl.

    Garrl said nothing, he just began to accompany him, as I accompanied him, or rather, as we accompanied each other. We had lost a friend, a teacher, an ally; and there, next to the magic seal she helped almost finish, we bitterly cried her loss.

 The Cave IV - Making decisions I

    I poured out my sadness to my brother; together we cried over the loss of our friend and teacher. I felt for the first time that my brother''s pain came from the depths of him. Before, it was more that he accompanied me in my pain, but now it was our pain; it hurt us both equally. We couldn''t celebrate with her, we couldn''t challenge her once more, we couldn''t show her how much we had grown thanks to her; again, and since I was born, them! They took it from me, THEM! They must pay! My heritage from the great ancestors does not lie, humans only destroy, only harm, they must pay! I was being overwhelmed by anger, but then I see Breigon and I know by his look that he doesn''t want me to get lost in my emotions. He doesn''t need a brother driven mad by anger, he needs a brother to accompany him in his pain, just as he accompanied me; it''s true, I''m no longer a child.

    - Garrl, they, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. who killed her are coming this way, the great ancestor doesn''t know how, I don''t know if they know about the magic seal or if it''s just a coincidence? Which I don''t believe, but regardless, this is the worst scenario that could happen to us, although they won''t be able to get here so easily, but if they suspect or realize the magic seal, they might find a way not only to destroy the main magic seal but also to locate any of the other magics seals. We must not only stop these humans, but we must also know how they do it. How do they know where the magic seal is? It shouldn''t be possible.

    In that, I understand the gravity of Breigon''s words.

    - But, ¡­¡­¡­¡­. then, we have to finish the connections and activate the magic seal! How much time do we have before they arrive? I barely have any mana left, brother. I don''t think I can make even one more connection; we would have to wait until tomorrow and even then, we would have to wait another day to activate it, and we can''t forget about the great spider either. We must warn and help him, I don''t want to lose anyone else, I couldn''t bear it.

    - I''m sorry, Garrl, but we hardly have any time; they will arrive shortly. Sorry, Garrl, I thought we would have more time to activate the magic seal and coordinate with the creatures of the great caverns, and thus defend ourselves in case they returned. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. It was my mistake, I got complacent when I saw that months went by and they didn''t arrive. Sorry, because of me the great serpent ..¡­¡­¡­..¡­

    - Don''t say that! How could it possibly be your fault, brother? I don''t want to hear you say that. We worked very hard these months; we all gave our best. Besides, you say we still have some time, so let''s think about making the most of it. Come on, we can''t give up; the great serpent wouldn''t have wanted that, nor Tammat, nor Kirkarrg, nor our people, nor the great ancestors.

    It''s true, Garrl is right, I need to calm down. All these months were not in vain, so breathe and think, what can we do? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Great ancestor Drazird, is there any way to activate the magic seal? Even if it''s only partially?

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    <u>- I''m afraid not, its activation can only be total, not partial; however, there is a way to achieve the latter, but it is very dangerous and only Garrl could accomplish it.</u>

    - No! He is already at his limit; we both know that not only is his mana exhausted, but he is also physically and emotionally drained. We both are, and why only him? I know I''m not the best at manipulating mana, but I could still help in some way.

    <u>- BREIGON!, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. listen, you know we don''t have time; every minute that passes they get closer, and I''m sorry, but you can''t do it, your lineage wouldn''t allow it, and before you ask, I don''t mean that your essence is human, which also influences, or don''t you remember what just happened to you: the magic barrier would kill you, but equally and more importantly, your lineage doesn''t come from Orgarrl. You remember that Garrl mentioned his heritage came from him; if that''s the case, there might be a possibility that he could communicate with Orgarrl and, through him, activate the magic seal, but I''m afraid that could also kill him.</u>

    - Kill Garrl? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ ?NO! ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Then we''ll think of another way! Then we''ll think of another way! We won''t put Garrl in danger, the humans don''t know we''re here, and even getting here would be very difficult for them. Maybe we can wait to replenish our mana; it''s only two days. We will inform lady Spider and everyone else to wait.

    <u>- And you choose to put at risk the legacy and effort of dozens of kobolds and the death of all the creatures that the humans will attack in those two days and even those that are already attacking now? They won''t stop, and you know it better than anyone.</u>

    - But, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. But ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. I don''t want to lose Garrl; I''ve already lost all my loved ones in my previous life; I don''t want to lose him. I lost Kirkarrg and the great serpent in this life, and now you ask me to choose to endanger my brother, so I choose not to do it! I will think of another way.

    <u>- And you choose for him too? Every kobold knows what sacrifice is and puts their well-being before their legacy; this is how it was passed down to our descendants. Tammat did it, Kirkarrg did it, and all those who came after them did it. I''m sorry, Breigon, I truly understand you and your fear, but I ask you and Garrl to fight for your lineage, here and now. The humans must already be arriving at the great spider''s cave; we have no time left. They will find the magic seal and destroy it before even activating it. While the magic barrier prevents them from entering, it doesn''t mean they can''t destroy it from the outside.</u>

    I was going to refute the great ancestor, I had to do it, even though I didn''t know how, but then I felt it in his mana, I felt it from my kobold self, I don''t know how to explain it, but it was as if a great pain and sadness overwhelmed me, and they were asking me, No! They begged me! to also sacrifice myself for their legacy; the legacy of an entire people, a legacy of joys and sorrows, a legacy of sacrifice and pride, a legacy of mistakes and successes, it was the legacy of the kobolds! From the people of Garrl, they didn''t force me, they only asked; they asked me to believe in Garrl and in Drazird. It was too much, and with the greatest pain, fear, and sadness, I was honest with Garrl.

    - Garrl, there is a way to activate the seal, but I don''t want you to do it.

 The Cave IV - Making decisions II

    I explained to Garrl what the great ancestor said and how to activate the magic seal, I explained everything I felt and the fear of losing him, not because I didn''t believe in him, but because of how dangerous it was. I wanted to tell him to let me think of another solution, but I knew it didn''t exist and we didn''t have time; I thought he would get angry with you for thinking of hiding that information from him, for thinking of fleeing and putting his people''s legacy at risk; but instead, he hugged me and said.

    - I''m glad you could feel the legacy of our lineage, it''s not just anger and hatred, I''m glad you made the decision to honor it, thank you Breigon. I''ll take care of activating the magic seal, you go and inform the great spider and everyone else to take advantage of that moment to fight.

    - Garrl, I have to tell you something, it''s about me, I''ve been hiding it because ¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­..

    - You''ll tell me when all this is over, brother, or do you think I''ll die? We will be warriors, wise and leaders of our people, and this will start here, because we are going to fulfill our dream, so I''ll see you later, to tell me everything, okay? "One step at a time," as you say.

    - Ah, I almost forgot, Breigon, I know you don''t like killing and I know you hope that one day we can get along with humans, and although I don''t think it''s possible, I promised to help and support you, and I keep that promise for you. However, I don''t think today is possible, brother, they sought to continue this confrontation, they keep hurting us, and while I wish to kill them out of hatred, I promise you that I will only do it to defend you, our allies and friends, the great caves, and our legacy. That''s why I ask you to fight today and not blame yourself, they are the ones who seek this.

    <u>- Come on, Breigon, Garrl knows what to do; he has already proven himself worthy of his lineage.</u>

    I ran out, leaving the great burden I was placing on Garrl, unable to refute what he last said to me, wondering why we have to come to this, but I know that Garrl and the great ancestor Drazird are right; even if I don''t want to, they are right.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    The plan we quickly devised required knowing if the moment was right to activate the magic seal, and we wouldn''t know if we didn''t see what was happening. I had the responsibility to assess if it was the right moment; we would only have one chance to surprise the humans, but I knew what that meant and that it would possibly cause the death of several of them. My human soul didn''t want to do that. I didn''t know those people, and even though I know they are here for the mana mineral and possibly out of greed, I would sentence them to death just for entering the caves. It didn''t feel right. I know I promised the great ancestor Drazird that I wouldn''t hesitate, but that doesn''t make it feel right. I hoped there wouldn''t be any humans when activating the magic seal, not that we would be at war. I know it was naive and optimistic of me, but is this my only option? Did I have to kill again?

    Doubts enveloped me and my indecision grew, but my kobold soul reminded me not only of Garrl''s last words but also of all the pain they have caused us, Kirkarrg and the great serpent, the whole village, Tammat, trying to kill us, and now having to choose between my brother and his legacy. It wasn''t fair, it wasn''t fair to anyone; Was there another way? Can I justify this by being reborn as a kobold? I''m sorry, Mom and Dad, you taught me that what I''m going to be is terrible, but so many things have happened, and I think I''m involved in a war. I''m sorry, I imagine we will never see each other again, but maybe it''s for the best; but I want to protect those who saved and protected me in this new life.

    So, I made my decision: I would protect the kobolds'' legacy and these caves, even knowing what it would cause; I could no longer hesitate. I was approaching the spider lady''s nest and my senses detected not only the smell of blood but also a great accumulation of mana; the battle had already begun.

    The first thing I notice upon arrival is how the spider lady is facing a group of what I assume are soldiers who are trying to surround her. Several of her offspring are already dead, as are some humans; others are fighting, while a larger group of humans is just waiting inside a magic barrier, and within that magic barrier, I perceive very faintly: the mana of the great serpent!

    <u>- Breigon!, focus, it''s residual mana left from the crystal, that''s all.</u>

    At that moment, I hear a roar from spider lady; I must help her, she must communicate with everyone in the caves, we must unite here and now, only she could.

    My hands tremble, my breath is still ragged, my mana, though diminished, flows with strength. Then I let my instincts take full control, harden the mana in my claws, and slide down the wall. Upon reaching the ground, I immediately head towards the spider lady, gather mana in my mouth, and unleash bursts at two unsuspecting humans. I take advantage of their confusion to climb immediately up the spider lady''s abdomen while communicating with my mana that it is me, that I will attack all the humans with my fire, that she should take that moment to counterattack, and she understands. So, I gather my mana in my mouth again, "concentrate and release it," and with a roar, I unleash not only my fire but also my anger and sadness. "They were the ones who killed her," "they harm us," those were the thoughts that crossed my mind.

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    My fire catches the humans off guard; and the lady spider immediately attacks them with an immense burst of mana, causing the humans to scatter. The lady spider roars, making her offspring gather with her and attack the humans; and at that moment, I take the opportunity to communicate the plan, that we need to gather everyone to fight, but she immediately responds with a warm burst of mana, and to my pleasant surprise, I realize that they are already on their way. It was the first thing she did upon realizing that the humans were coming this way; moreover, and above all, she trusted that we would activate the magic seal. Upon understanding what she told me, I felt I should apologize for still doubting when coming to this battle, and to partially rectify my mistake and doubts, I stand on top of her; while with a roar, I make it clear to the humans that I will not hesitate to protect these caverns and my new family.

    While I watch the humans retreat, I must decide whether to tell Garrl to activate the magic seal or wait for the others to arrive. He is waiting inside the magic barrier for my signal and, through the inheritance ritual stones that each of us has, we will be able to communicate immediately or at least that''s what the great ancestor explained to us. The ritual technically sends information, so it could also send a signal; they are like walkie-talkies, although quite primitive. But then, what do I do? My hands start trembling again, no! I must trust Garrl, don''t hesitate! Humans are more; we will not endure, I must tell him now, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Don''t hesitate! He can do it, ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ don''t doubt! In that moment, I felt the warm mana of the spider lady again, expressing to me: "calm down, you are not alone," "trust your brother," and just as I was about to send the signal, with my hands still trembling, I saw that more soldiers were coming out from the human magic barrier; one in particular caught my attention.

    It was the same armor; I remember that face. That man should be dead; Kirkarrg killed him. Did he survive his attack? In that, I feel a rage bubbling up inside me: "the killer who recognized us," "the one who protected and inherited us," No! Calm down, we are not here for revenge, we are here to protect, remember, Garrl is waiting for us. If we do everything right, he will pay here, we can''t rush, not now!

    After exhaling and taking another breath, I manage to compose myself, I look at the human again and try to analyze him, and yes, he is the one who killed Kikarrg, the one who pierced him with a spear. His weapons are brimming with mana, they are very dangerous, his armor is too; that''s surely why he survived Kikarrg''s attack.

    At that, the human points towards us while speaking in their language, which I obviously don''t understand. Does he want to talk to us? No, he''s just talking to his soldiers. If I hadn''t arrived, they might have already won. You should scold them for why they retreated. My fire was weak, I couldn''t kill them, especially with those mana-infused armors, but the fear of fire is something instinctive.

    After scolding his soldiers, he turns towards us, holding a box in his hands and opening it while I think he is shouting at us, and even though he is somewhat far away, I manage to perceive the same natural mana that is around the magic seal, but inside that box.

    - They did it! ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Breigon, listen to me, in that box there is a mana crystal, and it is imbued, as you already felt, with the same mana that surrounds the magic seal; that''s why they knew how to get here. You must take it from them at all costs; they do not deserve to have that crystal. They are not worthy of not possessing it!

    A mana crystal? But how? Where did they get that or can they create them? But if they can create it, what good will taking it away do?

    <u>- It''s hers, it has to be Tammat''s crystal, it''s the only possibility. You don''t remember because Kirkarrg hadn''t inherited you yet, but he mentioned something: that they had desecrated Tammat''s body when she was fleeing with you in her arms, and that crystal in that box is the size of a kobold, and if we add the years she worked on the magic seal, it''s possible that her crystal absorbed part of the natural mana. That must have been very painful for her when it happened; it''s not natural for that to occur, but she was exposed too much to the mana within the magic barrier. Where else would they get a kobold crystal with the same mana where the magic seal is in less than a year?</u>

    And then I understand it, when we last saw Tammat and we said goodbye and honored her body, her chest showed no damage. So, when we were sleeping, Kikarrg somehow noticed the humans and they must have seen him and chased him for that reason. Garrl couldn''t explain to me what had happened that day either, but now it all makes more sense.

    I know that Tammat was not my biological mother, but she is Garrl''s mother and even he always wanted me to consider her my mother too, because she gave her life to protect us both equally. Hearing about her sacrifices and who she was made me admire her, and although my human heart already fondly remembered my human mother, I thought I could open my kobold heart and honor her sacrifice and see her as my mother too; but here were these humans with their crystal. They had desecrated her body! And they are using it as if it were a mere trinket!

    He was furious. What''s wrong with these humans? But then I remember, I can''t lose my temper. Calm down! I tell myself; you know better than anyone how part of human nature is; to them, we are just a resource they can use. I felt the anger of my kobold soul, but also shame, both his and mine. I always tried to show myself and everyone the good side of humanity, and despite everything they had done to us, this bastard was rubbing the worst side of humanity in our faces.

    Shame? Am I ashamed of having been human? How will I defend humans and tell Garrl that we should get along with them after this? How will I tell him that I was human too and that part of my soul still is? And while I was debating internally with myself, humans bring something else while they speak to us; and upon seeing and feeling it, the only thing I can say is NO!