Turning into a dragon was something I had never actually witnessed Aiona do before. She was always just simply there already in her dragon form whenever she appeared to me, so I had absolutely no concrete idea what the actual transformation process of turning into a dragon truly felt like from the inside.
Today I finally got to know and experience it firsthand.
Aiona had told me previously that the human version of her appearance was something magically created and maintained, not the real, authentic version of her true self. But since this concept was so completely foreign to everything I understood about reality, I genuinely could not fully comprehend what she meant by that distinction.
The transformation effect was absolutely instantaneous when it happened. As Aiona's body fell through the air after leaping off the elevated path, she dismissed her human magical form in a wordless spell. It was the kind of deeply ingrained magic you could only successfully use without any verbal chanting because you had already built and established the magical pathway for it through constant, repeated use over centuries.
It felt as if her human version had simply vanished in a split second, and then the dragon version of her instantly replaced that empty space with all its overwhelming might and presence.
Though I was experiencing this transformation from within, this description is still the best way I can articulate what happened. It wasn't bones cracking and reshaping, or limbs grotesquely changing form as I had initially thought the process was going to be. Instead, it was simply the illusion magic that had been covering what already existed underneath its intricate weave of spells—that magic vanished, was deliberately dismissed. And what was real and had always been there came fully to light.
And the sensation of actually being inside a dragon body was profoundly different from anything I'd ever experienced.
The first thing I immediately noticed was the dramatic view change. The visual field I could take in became vastly expanded, providing an almost panoramic perspective. Everything became much more clear and detailed, colors more vibrant. And the vantage point of my vision had suddenly gone much, much higher—as if I were seeing everything from atop a tall mountain rather than ground level.
The second thing was the overwhelming feeling of sheer size and mass. Everything around me suddenly felt much, much smaller by comparison, as if the entire world had been constructed and designed for tiny humans. This was a genuinely bizarre and disorienting thing to experience firsthand.
Third was discovering how incredibly sharp all of my senses had become. I could see minute details from vast distances, hear conversations happening miles away, smell scents on the wind from far beyond normal range. I found this particular aspect pretty cool and impressive.
Fourth was the constant ambient magic that was continuously pouring out of this dragon body, radiating outward without any conscious effort—making the very air itself vibrate with power. That phenomenon didn't happen at all when Aiona maintained her human magically conjured form. But in this real, raw dragon version, magic spilled outward constantly like a dam releasing its excess water in a steady flow.
It was genuinely something of a magical experience in itself, transcendent.
As Aiona fell through the air in those first moments, I could clearly hear Hunter above exclaiming "This is absolutely crazy!" with obvious shock and surprise in his voice. He was hurrying over to the edge, trying to save the lady who had apparently just thrown herself to her death. But what he saw instead was a magnificent dragon in her place, ascending powerfully upward in one smooth, fluid motion.
He was so completely shocked and stunned by the sight that he fell backward onto his rear, landing hard. Yet his wide eyes never left the ancient being before him that was truly majestic and awe-inspiring to behold.
"Mother of all the Gods," he breathed out in reverent wonder.
Aiona continued to ascend in a graceful spiral motion until she reached sufficient altitude. Then she began circling the area with tremendous grace and control, her powerful wingbeats echoing through the air and across the water. Each movement was purposeful and beautiful.
After completing many majestic circles around the port area—two full rotations—she began her descent back down. The landing approach was smooth and without any turbulence whatsoever. The precision spoke volumes about her extensive practice and mastery of flight.
She landed directly in front of her frightened mate who had fallen onto his back and was still sitting there stunned. Well, that was certainly one way to make a memorable first impression—scaring your destined mate absolutely witless. Aiona was far too naive and inexperienced when it came to matters like this.
As her massive dragon form touched down, Hunter instinctively crawled backward, obviously completely taken off guard by the reality of what he was seeing. And now Aiona herself suddenly realized her tactical error in judgment. I could hear her mentally berating herself and regretting the decision so much in her racing thoughts.
So she tried to correct the mistake. She carefully leaned her huge dragon head toward the man, who had now stopped crawling backward and was instead staring at the magnificent creature before him with pure awe written across his face. And she made a sound—she cooed or purred in a distinctly non-threatening way. I honestly don't know how to accurately describe the sound that the animalistic side of her nature made, but it was clearly enough to convince the frightened man that she posed no danger to him.
He gulped hard, still obviously very surprised and overwhelmed. Yet he slowly, hesitantly extended his arm outward. The gesture seemed to be asking her permission—asking if he could touch her.
He didn't need to ask twice or wait for verbal confirmation.
Aiona immediately leaned into his extended arm eagerly, closed her distinctive silver eyes, and made that same gentle purring or cooing sound again. She was obviously completely content exactly where she was, seeking his touch. Behind them, the setting sun illuminated the entire sky in brilliant shades of orange and gold, and the wind flowed constantly from the sea, carrying the salt smell.
Silhouetted dramatically under the golden rays of the setting sun, the dragon and the man looked like something you would see captured in a masterfully painted portrait by a legendary artist. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
And in that single moment, Aiona's entire world fundamentally changed. Her existence had found its sole purpose and meaning. She would do absolutely anything and everything in her considerable power to have this man, to make him completely her own. And the power she possessed was definitely not something anyone could just casually oppose or resist.
---
"I genuinely don't think you should do this, Mistress!" the young maid Yana's worried voice could be clearly heard throughout the chamber. But Aiona—I—paid little to no real attention to her continuing protests. She was far too busy trying to put together the absolutely perfect outfit for her upcoming date with her mate.
She was practically gleaming with pure joy, and happiness was all that filled her mind completely. Hunter had accepted her invitation to a second date after their dramatic first meeting! This outing would be different from their initial walk. This time, Aiona was planning to personally introduce him to everything worth seeing in the Heinnas port city of Fulpa. And maybe, if he proved willing and interested, she could even teleport him to visit her favorite other scenic spots in Heinnas that were miles away.
Her racing thoughts were absolutely endless and refreshingly pure and innocent. I had to smile internally at the knowledge that she had been a completely lovesick fool since day one of meeting her mate.
Since her clothes were also magically conjured rather than physically sewn, it didn't take her long at all to try on many different outfits in a remarkably small amount of time. She simply looked at a design drawn on paper or held in her mind, willed it into magical existence already worn on her body, and could even instantly change the color combinations with a thought. The entire process of trying on a complete outfit took no longer than seconds to go through.
"His Majesty the King has specifically asked me to take special care of you, Mistress," Yana tried again. "The King said that since you are somewhat naive about human matters"
Aiona interrupted Yana with her own question, not wanting to hear criticism. "What do you think of this one?" She turned toward the girl who sat patiently on the bed, sorting through an elaborate jewelry box.
The gold-colored top and skirt she had chosen featured intricate decorative work done in silver thread. As I had seen moments earlier in the mirror's reflection, it was genuinely a beautiful choice that complemented her coloring.
"Is this too much?" Aiona asked again with genuine concern when the girl didn't immediately answer her question.
"Nothing you could possibly wear can ever be too much, Mistress," Yana said, her voice suddenly brimming with obvious frustration. "You are the most beautiful woman in the entire continent—perhaps the entire world. Why do you care so much about a mere common sailor's opinion? I honestly don't understand this obsession."
She took a breath, then continued more heatedly. "The King himself has asked for your hand in marriage again just last week, and my Mistress turned him down yet again without even proper consideration. What does that insignificant sailor on his first voyage possibly have that's better than the King of Heinnas? Please explain it to me!"
She had finally exploded with her pent-up feelings.
"He is my mate. My fated one," Aiona answered simply and somberly, as if that explained everything. "That's more than enough reason for anything."