Fire emerged from Dax’s chest. This was it. He was done being a lab rat. Sprawling out his wings he took flight and took full form of his dragon self for the first time. The scientist and poked and pried at him enough. He was a human being! At least, he was. Until his fifteenth birthday. Before then, he was going to school, at a public school anyway. Under the scientist’s eyes he was allowed to attend classes but only with other kids in his position. Some loved the scientist, some hated, others didn’t care. They were being fed and given a warm place to sleep at night. For those few, that was enough. However, for Dex, the daily schedule irked him.
Morning warm up, Physical Therapy (this varied depending on what mythic you were, History (which was probably full of lies and half truths), lunch, weekly exams, and many more classes that demanded mythics to hone in on their abilities. Around the scientific city, Dax knew there would be a shield of some sort. These people were ‘raising’ mythics after all. There were rumors of places unacceptable to Mythics, other places were loved by mythics, and in some the emotions varied.
Many mythics were found at a younger age and brought into the City of Relics. This was one aspect of the city that Dax especially hated. A relic was an object of history that survived into the modern world. To Dax, that meant not only was he an object but he a piece of history meant to be in a museum to be observed. That meant, his life was determined by those who observed him, determining the value of his life through their eyes.
Releasing another fireball at one of the scientist riding a griffin, the scientist ducked, and ordered the griffin to charge. Looking into the eyes of the griffin, Dax knew exactly who that was. She was one of the many prizes of the city. A teen from Brooklynn who found her inner griffin then appeared at the doors of the city. She wanted to be recognized and used for something other than… Her life blurred in his mind. Either way, to him, it didn’t matter. Namia was two years older than him and somehow felt like a star in this City of Relic which was the opposite of what he wanted.
Hearing her screech behind him, Dax enhanced his speed. If there was anything he was known for, it was his level of fire, and his speed. He wasn’t one of the stronger mythics but he did know how to create a consistent amount of damage. Approaching the edge of the city, Dax watched carefully as a shimmer waved across the sky starting at the top of the city’s wall and disappeared in the distance overhead.
In front of Dax was his way out. Earlier that morning he found the microchip that they placed behind in right ear and removed it. Because of that, he could leave the city without worrying that his head might blow off. (He had seen it done before) to a Centuar, poor guy. Or should he consider him a horse?
Glancing over his shoulder he noted how fast Namia was going, her top speed. Namia was beautiful but she wasn’t much for being intelligent. She followed orders without a second thought and allowed the scientist around her control who she was. Dax was finished with orders, despite him being one of the most prized dragons on site, Dax couldn’t allow himself to be a slave to anyone.
Pushing his speed, Dax considered the distance between him and Namia. She was having trouble keeping up, all he needed to do now was use his time wisely. Flying head first toward the barrier, Dax felt the sparks ticked his scales as he shot himself upward. Namia wouldn’t be able to maneuver as quickly, meaning that she wouldn’t be able to stop in time to avoid the barrier. Dax didn’t want to hurt Namia, but she was one of the brainwashed mythics that was important to the city, making her an important role to his escape.
As he predicted, Namia slammed into the barrier, voltage ran right through her feathers, and sent her into shock. Her rider, the scientist, alerted others as he held on for dear life to the screaming griffin. The moment Dax saw the barrier open around Namia, releasing her from its grasp, Dax spiraled down, pushing Namia farther into the barrier, forcing the scientist in charge of the barrier to open enough space for him and Namia.
Slipping through the space, Dax shot himself into the sky to gain altitude. Now, the task force would be after him. Meaning, he’d need to hide. Eyes landing on a forest between two mountains, Dax drove himself to max speed. This was an ability he saved only for emergencies. He couldn’t sense the task force behind him at first, then he heard the five screeches, his heart memorized long ago.
Ironically, the task force was what he wanted to be when he first gained control of his mythic side. The moment he realized their job was to kill and not ‘arrest’ any escapees he turned to other possible job careers. The task force never set out for longer than forty eight hours. Once the forty eighth hour hit, the council decided that if any escapee were to survive that long (which ninety percent didn’t) they were granted ‘relief’ from the city to do as they pleased.
Only two mythics before him managed to escape the task force. Reverting into his human form, Dax slipped into one of the tree branches and held his breath. Overhead, Dax could hear the wings of one of the force. In microphone enhanced voice, the rider exclaimed, “Dax Rye. You have two choices.”
In hearing his name, Dax closed his eyes and focused on being as still as possible. “One!” It continued. “You turn yourself in and ask for forgiveness. Then!” He inhaled. “You might be allowed to live amongst the privileged.”
Privileged? Dax shook his head. They were slaves and experiments. Even the task force was brainwashed in a way. He knew that one of them enjoyed killing which made that one even scarier.
“Or two!” The voice was getting farther. “You hide like a coward and hope that we don’t find you in forty eight hours!”
Dax chose the second option. However, he knew the force was to give hope of survival in the first hour. After that, they’d tear through terrain to find him. As the voice disappeared in the distance, Dax let out his first actual breath. His palms were sweaty. Was he really that nervous?
There had to be a safer place he could hide until the two days were up. At that point, he’d have to go to the only water source outside of the city and hunt in the forest, where most of the game was located.
Calculating his requirements, Dax stood on level ground. At least in human form he was smaller and it wasn’t as easy for them to find him. Hearing a shuffle in the distance, Dax ducked under an uprooted tree root. Pushing himself as deep into the root as possible, Dax lowered his breath.
“I can smell ‘em.” A husky voice emerged from directly above him. “The kid’s real close.”
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