(Twenty Years Ago)
It was when Rudra was six, he met the Royal Healer of Partha for the first time. Even back then Saroth had been less of a healer and more of a scholar. And Rudra? Rudra was his favourite specimen.
Rudra could never forget the first time he had walked into Saroth's room. The Royale Healer of Partha lived in the humblest quarter of the entire palace. The room didn't look like he lived there. It looked like he worked there and just slept at a corner.
To Saroth, living was incidental, working was the actual point.
There was no comfort in the room. Not for himself, not for any of his visitors. He had one chair in the whole room, which was attached to his worktable. The visitors just had to stand.
The center of the room was occupied by a massive table- Saroth's main workspace. It had papers, diagrams....things - Rudra didn't recognise at his tender age. He didn't even pay much attention to the table for his eyes were glued to the wall almost immediately after entering the room. They were lined with snake enclosures. The enclosures weren't cages in the conventional sense. They were glass boxes - some stacked, some had their own stands. The species in them- snakes and other reptiles- were mostly dead. But some were still alive.
He looked at the opposite wall and found the scene there far more grotesque. It had dried specimens- snake vertebrae arranged in a long articulated line pinned to a board. There were also shed skins stretched and pinned for measurement. Rudra looked away, focusing at the table and the lines of measuring instruments arranged there- starting from a set of weight scales, coiled measuring tapes, a thermometer with an unusual range for measuring draconic temperature.
And there were jars- of varying sizes- sealed with wax. Some contained preserved snake skins, some contained tissue samples, some had snake venom- all were neatly lebelled.
"Did you know the difference between your bloodline and those of the dragons that rule the west?"
Rudra whipped around, his heart beating too fast. Infront of him towered a man. He had broad shoulders, thick hands. His face looked young but his eyes were terrifyingly ancient. He watched Rudra with hint of a smile as if he found pleasure seeing the Dragon Prince nervous.
"The West?" Rudra asked back, he hid his shaking hands in his pockets, "Father says there is nothing in the West. Just chaos."
"Child," He had sounded so disappointed, "How can there be chaos if there is nothing ?"
It was a valid question. "So....there are other dragons?" Rudra has asked in a quieter voice. Saroth had looked pleased with his question, "Yes. They originated from their serpant ancestors, much like you lot," he poked him under his ribs, "Some of them are bigger, ferocious and more bloodthirsty than Parthan Dragons. Now, do you know the difference?" He asked again, his eyes shining with uncanny mirth.
Rudra shook his head.
"They can't turn back and forth," uttered the healer, "They are born as dragons, die as dragons. There are some men in the history who were cursed to be dragons and they stayed that way but you," he grinned, "You're not like those. You are a dragon who can shift into human." He turned away and walked to his table. He found his notebook and came back.
"Look at that," He showed Rudra diagrams, scribbles of handwriting which didn't make any sense to him, "Your serpant ancestors could turn back and forth between their humanoid form and serpant form. This is why they were even worshipped as gods. And you're their legacy. How incredible is that!"
Rudra tried to smile. But Saroth's smile dropped, "Your father informed me you cannot transform into your dragon form even though you're already six. However that is the only thing that makes Parthan Dragons special. This duality....this ability to walk on this earth both as human and as a majestic beast," he hushed, "And if you cannot do what makes you special, what are you, Rudra? Atleast the West Land has chaos. What do you have?"
Rudra's eyes went blurry with tears, "Is there something wrong with me?" Saroth's face softened, "You're here because something is wrong with you. But having defect doesn't mean you are a lost cause as long as you are fixable. Come, child."
He gave his pinky finger to Rudra. Rudra took it. "Now, why do you think you cannot transform, Rudra?" Asked Saroth, his tone sounded he was being sincere and attentive.
The whiplash of emotions Rudra had felt for past few minutes from discussing his serpant ancestors and his existential crisis had left him emotional shaken. "I cannot become a dragon....sir..."
"Saroth, call me Saroth."
"Okay," Rudra wiped his nose with his free hand, "...Saroth. Father said he could transform into a dragon instinctively as soon as he learned to crawl. But I can't and I don't even know why."
Saroth didn't try to sooth the crying child. He only watched as if Rudra's very tears were significant information in his research.
"Do you have any idea why ?" He asked carefully.
"I think it is my mother," Rudra sobbed out.
"Your mother?"
"Yes! She told me never to turn into a dragon before she left to go to moon!" Rudra informed eagerly, "My caretaker says she put a curse on me before leaving!"
Saroth hadn't questioned Rudra's logic, "Ah, that makes sense. A mother's curse! " He mused, "This means you need not to be healed. Sickness is what that is treated and healed. Curses? They are broken."
He finally left his hand, "I had been observing your father and researching your ancestors, little prince," he walked to a book shelf right by the snake cages, "About how, when, why your ancestors transform into their serpant form. Take your father, he triggered his transformation pretty early by activating his draconic core."
He turned back again towards Rudra and poked under his ribs. Rudra winced, ''Most of your ancestor trigger it's awakening the first time with extreme emotions to make the first transformation successful. Once you do the first transformation, your draconic core is permanently activated. When you fall back to your human form, the excess energy released from converting your body mass into a smaller form gets stored into your Draconic Core. That helps you with your next transformation."
"So....," Rudra swallowed, "How do I transform for the first time."
"By forcing your body, Rudra," said Saroth softly, "Come. You're not going to like what will happen next. But you are going to thank me someday."
"You are going to realise you would have been nothing without me."