Nisilella

          Rain. The day had begun with it and would end with it most likely. The gentle pattering of the rain on the roof was constant and soothing. The sound droned in every room of the house, slowly weighing down the eyes of the occupants until they lay in silent slumber.
          All had fallen under this spell except for Will. Boredom had infected him slowly and finally consumed him.
          The hurricane had ruined everything: his day, his week, his whole vacation. Day three and the rain had still not let up. The electricity had been out since day one and with it went TV, videogames, and music.
          The storm replaced light with darkness; sound with silence. Deafening silence. Just that gentle droning that began to tug on his sanity itself. 
          Time crept by. Minutes felt like hours and hours like days. Nothing seemed to change; darkness outside and inside for hours on end along with that constant, gentle pattering.
          The only light came from the blinding lightning that lit up the darkest shadows of the house; the only noise from the thundering explosion followed close behind.
          Will watched in half interest as the water droplets on the window streamed down, cutting small slivers in the fogged windowpanes.
        "Will," He turned his head slightly and saw his mother standing in the doorway.
        "Are you OK?" 
        "Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled softly as if in an attempt to convince himself and his mother.
        "Well, I found this book on your dad's shelf and thought you might want to read it." She pulled a novel from behind her back.
        "Thanks mom, but I'm fine," he turned his head back to the opaque window.  Reading had never been his thing. He never had found anything of interest in any book he'd ever read and never thought he would.
          "Well, I'll leave it here in case you change your mind," she walked across the room and softly placed the book on his bed.
          He didn't notice her gentle footsteps as she left the room.
          Eventually his curiosity got the better of him. He snatched a flashlight his mother had left next to his bed and grabbed the heavy novel. A thick layer of dust covered the hardbound cover. He raised his hand and carefully brushed it away to reveal the title; "Nisilella".
            The strong, thick script shown golden in the dim rays of the flashlight. Will brushed away more of the dust and under the title lay an ancient illustration, colored with bright reds, silvers, and golds. It was the picture of a mighty dragon, fire flaming fiercely from the mouth, towering over a lone figure whose only weapon was his gleaming sword.
            Maybe he could read it for a little while, at least until he got bored. He opened the book in slight interest.
            Without warning, a deafening boom and blinding flash consumed his bedroom. The last words Will saw before the bright light faded into darkness read; "Chapter One...The Dragon."
                                                       

            Will sensed the change in his environment even before his eyes reopened. His body felt heavy and almost weighted down.
            He opened his eyes slowly and squinted in the glaring light.
            What? ...This can't be right!
            Cumbersome, plated armor covered all of his body but his head. On his left arm was strapped a light, sturdy shield. In his right hand he held a sword.
            He lifted the weapon from his side and gazed at it. Though he had never seen the shining weapon before, he had an unexplainable fondness for it. He could not understand his affection, but the sword felt like only an extension of his arm.
            Nisilella. The word seemed to appear out of nowhere.
            Then he suddenly understood. He gripped the handle more tightly. Nisilella, his savior. The blade had his enemy's blood ingrained into the shining steel. He let the blade slowly fall to his side.
              Even his body felt different. Will could feel the amazing strength that pulsed in his hardened arms.
              ...Where am I?
              He lifted his head and slowly examined his harsh surroundings.
He stood in the mist of what seemed to be the entrance of a small clearing... if you could call it a clearing at all. Massive, crumbling rocks lay staggered throughout the space. Large columns of steam surged forth from vast chasms in the cracked ground.
              The whole area felt brutally scorching. Not only did the heat hang in the air like a burning gas, but it seemed to radiate constantly from the ground beneath his feet. Sweat trickled down his forehead, creating small streams that ran off his face and steamed up as they landed on his hot armor.
              As the temperature began to rise, he began to sense that he was being watched.
              Will glanced around nervously but saw nothing. Still that feeling remained and began to grow.
              Out the corner of his eye he saw a flash of metal. He turned and, despite the scorching atmosphere, felt a chill run down his spine. The thing was a man. More correctly, it had been a man once.
              All that remained was a collection of blackened bones. On the top of the pile, lay a ghastly skull whose jaw was open in a silent, eternal scream.
              Will reeled back and gagged, his stomach churning violently. He had never seen death before and the sight nauseated him. Fear and shock gripped Will's mind.
              Suddenly a chilling thought flashed in Will's mind.
              The thing that killed this man might still be nearby!!
              He couldn't stand it anymore. He turned away from the screaming skull and ran. He ducked behind the first boulder he reached. Will leaned against the firm surface of it and gasped heavily for air. 
            He could hear his heart echoing in his head like a drumbeat. His breathing slowed as he regained control over his mind.
            There is nothing out there...
              ...You freaked yourself out. Calm down.
            With the absence of his blinding fear, Will began to think sensibly.
            Suddenly a sharp thump echoed throughout the canyon. Will froze without thinking. His body felt as if ice water was pulsing in his veins instead of blood. Will leveled out against the wall and listened carefully. 
            Silence.
            Then the sound echoed again...
            ...then again - this time closer. 
            Will decided he had to risk a glance and peeked from behind the corner.
            A horse! ...No, his horse, he realized.
            His sturdy, brown mare had just walked out of the narrow canyon entrance and now stood ten feet away, nervously whinnying as it glanced from side to side.
            Without warning, the whole area fell into darkness. The horse froze still as a statue. Will instinctively ducked behind the boulder and then noticed something stranger than the sudden darkness. Not twenty feet away, the sun's harsh rays still shown bright and steadily grew closer, burning away the darkness, but he still remained engulf in it. 
            He was standing in a shadow.
            A chill raced down Will's spine.
            Suddenly, Will noticed a red flash in the corner of his eye above him. The light reappeared as a violent thud echoed off the distant, towering walls of the surrounding canyon. Will quivered as he heard the horse's final screams of pain. 
            Within seconds the pained neighing ceased and vanished into the sounds of ripping flesh. Will stood paralyzed by fear against the rough, rocky face of the boulder, wondering what on earth could have cause the horse to made such a bloodcurdling scream.
            Will silently weighed the odds of risking a glance and decided to just take one look. He grabbed the corner of the boulder with his hand and peered out. Will couldn't believe his eyes.
            Fifteen feet away, stood a dragon... more terrifying than his worst nightmares. The scarlet red beast took up at least half of the clearing as it crouched over the remains of the horse, tearing off large chunks of flesh.
            Will eyed it carefully and found no weaknesses for an enemy to use against it. The beast's skin appeared tough, and thick armor-like plates covered its whole body. Its claws were razor sharp and dripped red on the gritty, sandstone floor.
            All of a sudden, the beast lifted his head and stared right at him. Fear disabled Will's ability to move. The dragon slowly opened its bloody maw and revealed stained, jagged teeth as large as kitchen knives. A faint growl pierced the silence.
            But that was not what held Will's stare.
            Its eyes...Its eyes glowed bright green and glistened with, if it was possible, intelligence. Will broke the fiend's gaze just in time to see the impending danger.
            Will pulled his head behind the boulder. A scorching inferno flamed from the dragon gullet. The small patches of green grass that grew in the cracks of the sandstone floor instantly vanished into ash in a fiery flash of white flame.
In front of his eyes, Will saw the dragon's fire brutal punishment on the sandstone rock. Six inches away from his face, he watched as the sandstone on the edge of the boulder began to liquefy into molten glass under the extreme heat.
            The flames suddenly stopped and Will heard the thundering footsteps, as the dragon grew closer to its new prey. Within seconds, the dragon would be at his only shelter.
            Will clenched his hand and felt the comforting, firm handle of his sword. He glanced at the keen blade and the weapon gave him renewed strength.
            He knew the one thing he must do to survive this day. Fight now or die. Will waited quietly till the beast grew close enough and then he charged from his refuge.
            The dragon froze in its steps, surprised by Will's bold move. That single second gave Will the time he needed to attack. He held Nisilella at his side and brought her up with all the brute force he could into the dragon's tough neck.
            The razor, sharp blade dug into the thick hide, but did not pierce into the throat. The beast reared and roared in pain.
            Before Will could move, it bashed him into a nearby boulder with the brutal strength of one of its front legs. Will felt a fierce wave of pain wash over his body. As blood streamed down his forehead into his eyes, he struggled to see. 
The dragon roared wrathfully as it slithered closer. Will felt his strength begin to fade away.
            This is the end.
            No! Will refused to give up and strained to ward off the darkness as he began to go unconscious.
            The dragon loomed over him, its eyes feasting on his apparent pain and helplessness.
            I will not die today!
            Thirst for life gave Will renewed strength and his vision cleared momentarily.
            The dragon opened his gaping mouth and lifted his head. Blood flowed off the yellowed teeth and dripped on Will's shining breastplate. Time seemed to go in slow motion.
            Will gripped his right hand and felt nothing.
            His sword was gone!
            He groped desperately in the dirt and felt for the handle. Death seemed imminent when he felt something hard and grabbed it.
            The dragon mouth viciously lunged for the soft flesh of his neck. In the same second, Will blindly swung his blade upright and stabbed.
            The blade entered between the giant teeth as the dragon's mouth flew at his throat. The blade shuddered slightly as it pierced the back of the mouth, but the brutality of the blow drove the keen point through the skull and out the back of the head.
            Will lost his grip of the handle as the dragon's neck fell to the side, painfully twisting his wrist and pulling the sword from his hand.
            The head of the beast landed next to him and Will watched as the fierce flames of life in the dragon's eyes faded away.
            Will's strength was spent. Slowly the landscape faded into darkness once more.
                                                         

              Will woke with a start and flinched as his room was lit up by a brilliant flash of lighting.
              He lifted his head and noticed something odd. He was lying on the floor at the base of his dresser. Will brushed his bangs aside and felt a sharp pain flash in his head. Warm, sticky liquid began to run down his face.
              He touched it and brought his hand down. Blood.
              Warm, crimson blood was smeared on his hand. Suddenly he remembered everything.
              The dragon!
              Will glanced around his dark room. Nothing.
              It couldn't have been a dream.
              Then he noticed the book. It was still open, but something was different. Lightning flashed again, illuminating the rich writing on the page, "Chapter Two..."