Was this a dream? He slowly lifted his eyelids—the dragon was still there. Mesmerized by the sight of his former self, he took a step forward into the cloudy brown water. He sloshed his way toward a relatively small sandy island in the center where the dragon stood. The massive beast filled nearly the entire piece of land. Cypress trees bordered the lake; their roots protruding from the ground, creating an eerie, haunting appearance to the area. The body of water was surprisingly shallow, only rising to his hips at the deepest points—which, for Kale, was quite lucky considering he never swam a day in his life. As he made his way to the center section of land, Kale came face to face with the replica of his mighty former body. “Just who are you!?” Kale tightened his grip on the iron rod, furious someone would attempt to play such a sinister trick on him after all he’d gone through. “I know you aren’t another dragon—and you’re definitely not me. So tell me, what sick game are you trying to play?
