The moment the God opened his mouth, Drake felt the tension in the air break.  It was apparent that Drake had completely misjudged what a God should act like, and had made Lord Drae out to be more imposing than he really was.  That doesn't change the fact that the aura here is incredible…  Drake watched as Lord Drae circled him.  The God took a whiff of his scent, which caused Drake to shiver, as if he were being scented by a wild animal for a feast.  Or maybe it's all in my head.

"I have what coming off in waves?" Drake tried to ask, incredulously.  "I, I don't know what I feel, or ho-"  he paused.  Okay.  No use in asking why.  He's right.  And so the God told him not to move, and started the ritual that would, hopefully, unlock the potential within Drake.  As the ceremony started, Drake started to feel something stir.  The world around him seemed to cease to exist.  All that mattered was the arcane energy encircling the two as Lord Drae's incantation took it's effect.  

And as fast as it started, it was done.  At first, Drake felt oddly normal.  And then…

"I feel fi-"  Drake's eyes widened.  He could feel it.  Something inside of him, sleeping.  His eyes closed, and when they re-opened, he was staring at two beings. The first, was a great, black dragon, curled and sleeping.  "I feel…a power.  A dragon…"  The immense power that the dragon held, however, was dwarfed by the small, human sized being curled up next to it.  It was a mirror image of Drake, balled up and floating next to the dragon.  No.  He's older than I am…

"It's me."  Drake reached out to touch the sleeping Drake.  "A second soul…"  His hand brushed against his other self.  

Drake's eyes shot open in the real world.  "I feel…everything.  This immense pool of mana…it's…almost too much.  How…how am I supposed to control this?"

"It will take practice," Drae told Drake simply. "With potential like yours, you will definitely need to take time to learn how to control and tap into it. Fortunately, you are in the ideal place to do it. First we need to find your trigger, what you will need to do to draw on that magic. Fortunately, that is something that will be instinctual. We just need to put you into a situation where you have to use it," Drae explained. He went back to his chair and took a seat again. 

"Tar Eisalae has practice arenas that we can use for this specific purpose. You are free to use them if you wish. If you would like, I can provide you with someone to help you tap into this power so that you can start practicing with it. There are rooms here where you can stay and rest if you would like while you learn," Drae offered. "Of course, you are not obligated to stay," he added. "If you would rather learn on your own, that is not a problem."

Drake nodded slowly.  This sudden change in his body was something that would take time to get used to.  "It it would be okay, could I stay here for awhile and try to get the hang of things?  You said you could find someone to help as well?"  The young man bowed again, "If it's not too much of an inconvenience, then I would definitely appreciate the time and space."  This was more than perfect.  Not only had he tapped into some unknown potential, but he was being given the opportunity to flourish with it.

"I…have one more question," Drake said hesitantly.  "This power…I'm almost sure that it is not entirely my own.  To be honest, you probably felt it…I'm experiencing something close to what Magnus described as two souls from different worlds merging into one.  As a result, I've been having strange dreams of a black winged angel, or a celestial, and of fire and death.  Would it be possible, while I am here, to do some research into these dreams?  If my other soul is indeed from a different world, I would…like to be given the chance to learn about it."

"I can't explain it, but it feels…important."  Drake bowed for a third time.  

Drae listened quietly to Drake's second question and his concerns. It wasn't something that was horribly uncommon, though it seemed more complicated in Drake's case. 

"It sounds to me that these dreams you are having are more than likely memories from your former life," Drae explained. "Dreams themselves are not my domain, but any research you want to do I or Magnus can help you. If they are in fact memories, then I think I have something that may help," he told Drake simply. "And if they do turn out to be just dreams that need some unraveling, I can assist you in getting an audience with my friend Naota. He is the God of Light and Dreams. He might be able to help you more," Drae said. "Iris!"

There was a shimmer of light and a young woman who looked like she could have easily been Drae's daughter appeared standing beside him. 

"Yes, Master?" she inquired.

"Iris, this is Drake. He is going to need some help training his newly unlocked powers. Will you please escort him down to the training rooms and do some training with him? I need to have some words with Magnus."

"Of course, Sir."

"Drake, this my avatar, Iris. She will assist you with whatever you need," Drae said, introducing the young woman. Iris stepped up onto the platform. "Please come with me," she insisted. She waited until Drake was on the platform with her, before she activated it and they descended back down to the main floor of the Library. The cat that had curled around Drake's shoulders jumped off the platform and remained in the Occulus as Drake and Iris left the Occulus. 

Drake followed Iris to the platform, wondering what Iris had in store for him.  As the spirit cat left his shoulders, he made a small wave to it, and said goodbye.  

"So, Iris," Drake said, unsure of exactly how to proceed from here.  "I guess you'll be helping me in figuring out my magic, right?"  Well, duh…  "Do you have any tips for me to start out?  Like, any mental preparation that may need to go into this?"  It was a surprise to Drake that he was struggling so hard to find the words.  Perhaps he was still feeling the aftereffects of his magic being woken by Lord Drae.  Or maybe the mana flow that he had just learned to sense was starting to overwhelm him.  Regardless, Drake was feeling quite sheepish.

"I'm sorry…I must be tired or something.  I'm not bothering you, am I?"  

"That is what my master has instructed me to do, yes," Iris answered simply as she stood board straight and still on the platform but gave Drake a friendly smile. "Unfortunately, I cannot offer any tips until I have assessed where you stand. Mentally, you should be prepared by knowing it might not all happen at once. Just because the power has been awakened does not mean you will automatically be able to access it without difficulty," she explained. 

"Of course you are not bothering me," she added as they platform touched down on the main floor. "You are being inquisitive. It is something that Master Drae looks forward in new students," she said. She stepped down off the platform. "Follow me, please," she said as she lead him through the seemingly never ending rows of books. She lead him to an archway, and stepped though it to reveal a massive practice arena. 

"Now, tell me, Magnus must have said something about the nature of magic when you first arrived here. What was it?"

Drake was completely unsure of how to take Iris' remarks.  She was surprisingly difficult to read, though in Drake's defense, he wasn't the best at reading people.  Still, it made him feel awkward the entire way to the practice ground.  As Iris lead him through the archway, Drake wondered just how many rooms a temple this large could hold.  Between its physical size and the potential of magical spaces, it could quite literally be an infinite number of rooms.  

I'm always thinking so small, aren't I?

Iris finally turned, and asked him if Magnus had told him the nature of his magic.  Drake started to answer, and paused.  I should have been paying quite more attention that I have been.  Have we talked about it?  Drake crossed his arms, frowning.  "I can't remem-"  His eyes widened.  Instinctive and reflexive.  

"Oh, right!  Magnus said that magic is an instinctive thing, and reflexive!" Drake said excitedly.  I really should pay more attention.  Starting now.  I should definitely-  Wait, I'm thinking too much.  Just pay attention.

"That's right. Most people come into magic on their own, whether through study or by chance. But the point is that you cannot use it if the initial seedling is not there," she said. "We've established that you have power, now the trick is to draw it out," she said as she crossed the arena to face Drake. "Master Drae wants me to pull that response from you. So there is only one way to really do that…"

She flung a hand at him suddenly, a concussive blast of purple green flame shooting towards him from her fingertips. "So I will force you to react."

She began her onslaught of attacks. She didn't vary much in the spell she used, but she was relentless with the eldritch blast, the concussive purple green flames hitting with the force to knock him back several feet, if not off his feet completely, though not packing enough damage to render him unconscious. That would have been a bit of overkill. The entire time, her face was devoid of emotion. There was no physical tell of what she planned to do. 

"Block me!" she ordered.

Drake was listening intently to Iris, his focus on her words.  It was probably his first mistake.  He should have known better than to drop his guard, even in the residence of a God.  The first blast hit him hard, throwing him back and on the ground.  The next two blasts knocked Drake around before he could fully react, scrambling up and to the side.  He had no time to think, drawing his blades immediately as his instinct dictated.  His first reaction was to slash the next concussive blade with his blade, but it was a mistake.  The magic was stronger than he anticipated, and merely blew the sword out of his hand.  Drake scoffed, and dodged the next blast, but caught the one immediately after directly in the chest, blowing him back yet again.

I can't move quick enough!?  He gasped as the air left his chest, and he started to cough.  Drake had always been able to read the flow of battle.  There were signs and tells for every motion, from the tightness of one's grip to the stance used in a swinging motion.  But this, this was madness.  Iris had zero tells, or if she did have any, they weren't like anything Drake knew how to read.  

Another two blasts came Drake's way, and he managed to dodge to the left, but a third once more struck him hard, causing him to drop his second blade.  Damn it!  He growled, and tried to move as another onslaught of magical flames came his way.  

I refuse to back down.  I absolutely refuse!   Drake's stance lowered, his mind clearing.  The blasts hit him hard, but at the last second his reflexes kicked in, and he crossed his arms to guard.  Flames erupted across his skin, but they weren't Iris'.  Crimson red flames danced across his skin, leaving black scales in their wake.  His hands started to resemble something closer to a claw.  Lastly, his eyes, once a brilliant silver green, now shone a bloody crimson, as if to reflect the newly unleashed draconic blood running through his veins.

W-what?  

"Wrong instinct!" Iris called as she set off another barrage of blasts and knocked one of the blades clean from his hand. She had read him right, his first instinct as a warrior was to draw his weapons. She had figured on it. That was the point of this lesson, to show that from a distance like the one she was at, his weapons were pointless. He needed to find another way.

"Weapons will do little against concussive force!" she called to him as she sent another blast whizzing past his ear. "Use your magic to block, deflect, or counter!" she ordered sharply. She could see the frustration in his face. He couldn't read her. That was the idea. He could not use his knowledge and training as a fighter in this situation. It was all to force him to try something else. The ability to mask her movement, emotions and intentions was why her master had given her this task. It was all for Drake's sake. 

Two more blasts left her hands, one of which he avoided, but the second struck his hand and sent his final blade skidding across the floor to the other side of the room. The barest hint of a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She barely gave him time to recover before another barrage rocketed towards him. There was no longer anything for him to hide behind, so to speak. He must have realized it too, because she watched as he turned to face her square and lowered his center of gravity to take the blast. The cross block kept him from being knocked off his feet, but the force pushed him backward several feet as the first of her attacks hit him square. But then it seemed to click for him. She watched with her liquid silver gaze as crimson flames spread up his arms, glistening black scales forming in its wake, his hands becoming clawed.

The second blast came a split second later, and was deflected harmlessly towards another wall as it bounced off the dragon scales. 

This time, instead of attacking, Iris clapped slowly. "Good. You've activated your magic enough to create a defense against moderate magical attacks," she said. She walked towards him and to examine this partial transformation. It was rather impressive.

"Would you like to see how others would perceive you right now?" she asked him.