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Metempsychosis I: Nevlaan

Prologue:

What happens when one realizes they're not the same as everyone else? What happens when one gets confronted with things that should not be, at least according to the morals and guidelines of everyday folk? Conformity is the deal of the soul, some say. Sure, I can agree with that. But then, what happens when this difference becomes more important, when you cross the lines what is considered “taboo”? More importantly, what happens when one feels that there's a growing chasm between them and everyone else, pushing them to do things “normal” people would not do? Most just get locked up and passed for insane. Some of them may well be clinically insane, according to medical science.

But what if they still have enough grasp on reality to be fully aware of these social guidelines and manage to tread on the thin line between insanity and sanity? What if one's very definition of “reality” blurs through personal (admittedly quite esoteric) experiences, and what if this newfound knowledge becomes an integral part of their everyday existence? What if some of this newfound knowledge scares the living heck out of you, but you are unable to cast it off? What if you don't want to cast it off considering some of this newfound knowledge brought you something no one else could give you, something beyond amazing?

So many questions indeed. These are all questions I asked myself at some point. Heck, I still do, at times. Thankfully, I still manage to simply brush off whatever moral influence every day folks manage to plant in me. I take what I like, shrug off what I don't.

Why all these questions? Where does all lead, you ask? Call it what you may, sticking labels such as "otherkin" or "starseed". Nowadays with social media, the word “furry” kind of ends up being an internet slur a lot of the time. I don't really care for social labels, and I don't feel the need to identify myself as either of these or anything else. If I qualify as “furry”, then that's fine by me. As you may have guessed by the title, this story series points to regression, to the exploration of one's past, not so much to a physical level as to a spiritual level. And believe me, it goes deep. Far deeper than I ever anticipated...

I: A change of seasons

2:00 AM. Once again, I wake up drenched in sweat and lightheaded. Another night, another series of nightmares. I was 5 at that time. So, you would think it's just an average 5-year-old kid's classic case of night terrors featuring primordial monsters, scenes from cheesy slasher movies and such things. Not for me. Even before I could walk or speak, I could not sleep full nights. In a classic, logical way of approaching the issue, my parents brought me to every specialist you can name. Beyond the dyspraxia with autistic tendencies (Asperger's) I showed early on, I was eventually diagnosed early on with night terrors with occasional sleep paralysis but without any sign of epileptic disorder or any further explanation. "It will come to pass", as they were told. As you may have guessed, it never did. I have come to call this place I end up in at night the "dreamstate".

So, what are these nightmares like? It's quite challenging to explain to someone else. The best description I ever was able to give is "post-apocalyptic". A barren, dreary landscape with no real greenery to speak of besides primitive shrubs. No roads, no buildings, no trees. Always a covered, grayish green sky and a lingering, indescribable oppressive smell (ed: that's not entirely true, it was unfamiliar at the time but I would learn more later and that's a story for another time).

So, most of the time, I walk and walk for what seems like hours but there is never a sign of life, like an endless empty place of loneliness and isolation, much reflecting the behavior I was showing in daytime. I always wake up in there just like I went to sleep, in boxers and socks (or naked feet in warmer seasons). The temperature always seems to shift to make it so I don't freeze or sweat like in a sauna. I would say it's like a temperate summer night, minus the humidity.

However, that's only the original landscape I was just describing. I now call it the “neutral state”. Here's the kicker, though. The dreamstate is very much "alive". I was later going to realize that it changes periodically, with new elements adding themselves, usually at opportune times in my life. And this leads me to the purpose of this current story: the first time the dreamstate changed.

I was 7 and attending second grade at the time, and still it was going on. I was still having night terrors, and I was feeling constant frustration with everyone. I never made friends, I never played with toys, never cared for playing outside, never watched Fox Kids and classic kids’ cartoons like anyone else. I was not even 5 years old, and you could catch me either listening to music or reading books. Not fairy tales, mind you. At 5, I was quoting the first aid guide we had at home and a few years later, my regular reading endeavors were encyclopedias. Yeah, a typical bookworm and a real shut-in. I was isolating myself from everyone else and if anyone tried to approach me, I would get passive aggressive (sometimes actively aggressive) or just ignore them. I was good at school academics, just not with anything social. I could not wait to get out of school already. I hated it back then.

It was the end of the year. You know, that time where everyone gets crazy and hyperactive and everyone is looking forward to a good summer break. Before that, you had the classic field trip where everyone would go out to some boring museum or such place. Turns out, this year we were going to the aquarium park. My thoughts about that were “you're going to make me look at fish and bore me with endless lectures on sea life for hours on end? Fun time in perspective...”

So, we got off the bus and entered the place in question. It seemed so big in the eyes of a 7-year-old. I remember the smell of brine lingering in the air along with other, more familiar scents. They took us through so many tanks and terrariums and all I could think about was the origin of that briny smell. So many rooms, colorful fish and alien looking creatures. Everyone seems so enthralled, excited, and still, all I can think about is the briny smell. I was always sensitive to smells in general. Then, more tanks. We enter a huge open room and the already dim light shifts to a bright blue and my eyes widen. A massive, gargantuan orca swims around in its tank. I felt like everything around me froze. I was caught in the spectacle in front of me. I was completely taken with this majestic creature. I must have stayed there frozen a while because the others had already moved on and I was being left behind. I remember making my way over and putting my hands on the tank and for a reason I still can't wrap my head around (ed: in retrospect, orcas are highly intelligent and are powerful empaths), that orca moved towards me and was making swaying motions. It was dancing. It must have noticed my interest and was either curious or expecting its next meal. Maybe a bit of both. When my teacher came back to drag me back to the others, she saw the orca following us and I remember her saying: "well, it takes an orca to find some interest in you!". Yeah, needless to say, my teachers were never a fan of my asocial behavior. But at that point, unlike usual, I didn't shrug or anything. I was way too caught up with the orca still. I remember sneaking around while everyone was having lunch in the public area and I made my way back to the orca tank. An aquarium employee caught me not too long after I got there. I don't remember what he looked like exactly but I remember he burst out laughing and came over to me saying: "You're the kid I saw earlier! So, she's the one you came back for, I take it? You like orcas, do you?". I nodded and he told me a bunch of things about orcas, about how intelligent they are and how sensitive they are, about pods and their social nature. I drank his words like they were water. He was thrilled about my interest and said “You're a funny one. Most kids just want to see the dangerous animals and scary stuff" and then he chuckled. He then brought me back to my class and we finished the tour. That night (and the rest of the day, really), all that was on my mind when I laid down was that orca. I felt an indescribable connection.

I later convinced my mom to take me there on the weekend. She was surprised at my interest, but we ended up going anyway. Needless to say, I stayed and observed that orca for what seemed like forever. Then, when we came out of the underground corridors, we heard someone on the intercom talking about some show with dolphins and orcas. I remember shouting out: "I wanna go!". Little did I know I was going to be the star of the show for a little bit. We were right in the front row, and they had the two orcas moving in and one of them (you can take a guess as to which one) turned over and lifted its flukes and splashed us. I got up and shook the water off and it turned around towards us, and it was clicking, like it was giggling and our eyes crossed. That was the consecration. When I got back home, I started reading everything I could about orcas. Then it was about other cetaceans, then it was rays, sharks, and more. It was like a near-obsession. A few nights after that, the first shift manifested itself in the dreamstate.

II: Ocean calling

I opened my eyes inside the dreamstate to the usual gloomy atmosphere. There was one major difference to it, however. Was I making this up? No, I could definitely smell a briny smell in the air, quite clearly at that. The usual acrid smell was replaced by a strangely enticing smell of brine and kelp. It was familiar to me because my dad is from a coastal town. I started walking and followed my nose and it wasn't long before the usual deafening silence was met with the sound of crashing waves. Something took over me and I started running blindly towards the sound's provenance. I ran as fast as my heart would allow me to and before I knew it, the barren dark rocky soil I was used to, began changing to soft near-white sand. The shift in surrounding felt like a blur and a slight dizziness, kind of like you crossed an illusory wall. My pounding heart nearly stopped beating when finally, I came to what looked like a beach, the horizon filled with nothing but open water, no more land besides the sandy beach I was on. I stopped so suddenly that I nearly dove headfirst in the sand. Even though the sky was still as gloomy as ever, it could not spoil the excitement from what my eyes were seeing. I sat in the sand for a moment to catch my breath from this frantic running and to properly take in this unexpected sight. Then, I figured I would at least put my feet in the water. So I did. I got my socks off and dipped my feet in. It was quite cold but not freezing cold. I suddenly heard a huge splash on the horizon, and I think I let out a scream, and I caught a glimpse of a huge form. Of course, I hope it was an orca. Except, when it jumped again, I quickly stepped back. That was no orca. It was a shark, and a huge one at that. At the time, it must have seemed of monolithic proportions. What I felt couldn't be described as fear though, just massive disappointment, I guess. Night after night, the same landscape showed up. This beach had replaced the dreary, empty landscape of the neutral dreamstate. It took a while before I even bothered to go back in the water. I just stared at the horizon and caught the occasional shark jump. I had no idea back then it was such a big deal to see sharks leap out of the water like you see on documentaries on Shark Week.

The dreamstate would stay this way for some time. In a way, nights were devoid of nightmares now and became kind of a “safe space”, even though some might think it's depressing. At least, there were no nightmares and things started to take a semblance of normalcy, which lasted for a few years, until one day...

III: Not a fish?

A few years later (ed: I was 10), a series of unfortunate events would trigger the biggest change in the dreamstate yet. You see, my mother suffered a stroke, which led to me being sent to my grandparents, several hours away from home I always knew. (being an only child, my father was stuck to her side and was unable to take care of me). In an unexpected twist, my grandparents kind of took advantage of this situation and made it an attempt to "reeducate" me the way they wanted, since to their eyes, my parents had failed at educating me properly. Needless to say, at 10 years old, I wasn't a bloody idiot. I had no idea what mom went through because no one would tell me, but I had a good idea. I knew she was sick and it made me even angrier. The more they tried to reform me, the more they told me I was stubborn and they would break me, the more isolated and angrier I got.

The only positive thing about their place was the lake. I spent most of my time there—either in the water or stretched out on the floating platform, staring out at the horizon. Ironically, that place ended up being strangely healing. One night, I woke up in that dreamlike state and wandered down to the water, like I always did. It was quiet. I sat on the beach, and suddenly, something in me gave way. I burst into tears. All the frustration and anger I’d been holding in finally came pouring out. I started screaming and kicking sand, like that would somehow fix anything.

Then I heard something. At first, I thought it was one of those sharks leaping again. But when I looked up at the horizon, it definitely wasn’t a shark. Honestly, I had no idea what I was looking at. It was like a massive anaconda… except it had horns. I actually laughed aloud, half-convinced I’d finally lost it. But whatever it was, it was getting closer—and fast. When it lifted its head out of the water, I nearly passed out and fell back onto the sand. The creature looked like something straight out of those ridiculous lake monster stories. Long and serpentine, with a striking glacier-blue body and smooth, shiny skin that looked almost rubbery, like a whale. White horns curved from its head, and its reptilian muzzle framed a set of nostrils. Fleshy frills lined parts of its body, and a flowing purplish mane ran down its neck like a horse’s.

We stared at each other for a moment, both trying to figure the other out. Then he opened his mouth—and spoke. His male-sounding voice was surprisingly normal, a little nasal but soft, with a playful edge that didn’t quite match his intimidating size. He asked why I was screaming like that, adding—almost teasingly—that I was scaring all the fish away.

I snapped back that I didn’t care about the fish—then froze. I blinked several times, trying to shake off what had to be a hallucination. This thing had just spoken to me.

He tilted his head slightly, amused, and asked if I actually knew how to talk or if screaming dramatically at the shoreline was my only talent.

I shot back that I could talk—he had simply scared the hell out of me. Then I demanded to know what he was, half-laughing at the idea that I was now hallucinating sarcastic, talking snakes.

He gave a low, mock-offended scoff. A snake? Really? He proudly declared that he was a sea dragon—a full-fledged one, no less—and gestured to his horns, frills, and mane as if they made his identity painfully obvious.

I rolled my eyes and told him my name wasn’t “human” either—it’s Jon. I admitted he looked like something I’d seen in books and asked if he had a name.

With a hint of flair, he introduced himself as Nevlaan.

I tried repeating it, stretching the syllables awkwardly, but he quickly corrected me, exaggerating the proper pronunciation—Nev-lahn—like a patient but slightly amused teacher. I repeated it again, and this time he gave an approving nod.

Curious, I asked how he could breathe out of the water, since I could clearly see gills on his neck. He didn’t exactly look like a fish.

Nevlaan grinned—or at least, something close to it—and explained that, as a sea dragon, he had lungs too. The gills, he added, were just a bonus feature for filtering oxygen and gliding faster underwater. He sounded almost proud of the “design.”

I admitted that it was actually pretty cool, then apologized for bothering him—and for scaring the fish.

He waved it off easily, saying no harm was done, though he jokingly added that the fish might file complaints later. Then he glanced around, clearly curious, and asked what this place even was. Apparently, his sonar had gone completely haywire, and he’d nearly beached himself because of it. As he spoke, he made a few soft clicking sounds and let out a light, playful laugh that sounded strangely like a dolphin.

I told him I’d been hoping he could answer that question. I’d been coming here every night for as long as I could remember—since I was a toddler, I think.

That caught him off guard. He blinked, then leaned in slightly, studying me with renewed curiosity. He said he’d never seen me before and couldn’t imagine why a tiny human would be wandering around a place like this—alone, barely clothed, and completely unsupervised. Then, more gently, he asked where my parents were.

That was the problem, I explained. Every night, I’d fall asleep in my bed… and wake up here, completely alone.

Nevlaan frowned, the playful edge in his expression softening into confusion. He said that made absolutely no sense.

I let out a small, tired sigh and told him he didn’t need to remind me—I couldn’t explain it either.

And then, Nevlaan stepped out of the water. I thought I was going to pass out once again. Nevlaan is a lot bigger than I first thought, and given he's a quadruped, up close he seems more dragon than snake. Really, back then he seemed like a freaking behemoth! Roughly about half the size of a semi-trailer, tail not included. That was the first time I could feast my eyes on him. Nevlaan is an incredible creature. As I mentioned before, he has a soft rounded snake-like muzzle with two straight white horns, cute frills and oddly mammalian-looking ears with a membrane that can be flipped shut underwater. The same can be said of his piercing copper orange eyes, very vivid and not too unlike my human eyes, except for a different color and giving off an incredibly gentle and intelligent look, yet one can tell there is a sense of fierceness as well. His paws and feet are webbed, which I'm guessing helps with swimming and comes as to no surprise from a creature like him. He's got wings like a typical dragon, but they're usually tucked against him, and I would later learn that they're not for flying but rather for swimming. As if that wasn't enticing enough, that beautiful smooth glacier blue hide turns to a soft turquoise/aqua blue on his belly side, complimented by a pretty short mane which is usually soft but has tiny spines that can actually be made quite poisonous when he gets threatened. He then looked at me with an apologetic look and a soft disgruntled sound.

I told Nevlaan that nothing ever really changed for me. Every night, I’d suddenly wake up in that strange place, stuck in the same cycle over and over until I finally woke up back in the real world. He said it sounded like a horrible fate, and I couldn’t really argue with that—but I admitted I’d gotten used to it. It had been going on for so long that I barely questioned it anymore. Wanting to shift the focus, I asked him what the last thing he remembered was before we met. He thought for a moment and said he’d simply curled up to sleep, then woke up there and found me. He seemed unsettled, especially because his sonar didn’t work at all. To him, that meant something was deeply wrong—like the whole place wasn’t even real.

I asked him what he meant, and he tried to explain it in a way I’d understand. He compared his sonar to a compass, and I immediately got the idea—echolocation. He confirmed it, but said that where we were, there was no echo at all. Just emptiness, like a hollow ocean stretching forever. I admitted that didn’t sound right, though I tried to shrug it off by saying we were probably just dreaming anyway. Nevlaan wasn’t convinced. He pointed out that it didn’t make sense for both of us to end up in the same place. I didn’t have an answer for that. I didn’t really want to think about it either, but he had a point. Still, at that moment, I was just glad I wasn’t alone. Even if he felt… different, like something not quite from my world, it was still company.

Then he asked if I was cold, pointing out that I was just standing there in my undergarment. That question caught me off guard—and for some reason, it led me to a completely different realization. I didn’t even know if Nevlaan was a boy or a girl. Once that thought hit me, I couldn’t shake it. Still, I answered that I was fine. It wasn’t that cold for me, and I’ve always handled low temperatures pretty well. Heat and humidity, though? I can’t stand them—being sweaty and sticky drives me insane. Nevlaan giggled at that, and something about it made me even more aware of how little I understood about him. When he offered to “keep me warm,” I immediately got defensive, blurting out that we weren’t even the same species. I even admitted I didn’t know what he was—boy or girl, let alone anything else—and awkwardly joked about how weird the whole situation was. I also couldn’t help but ask why he kept giggling like that.

He quickly denied having any strange intentions, saying he just wanted to make sure I was alright. That only made me more confused, so I asked why he even cared. He seemed surprised by the question, as if the answer should’ve been obvious. According to him, we were both stuck there, and since he was the “guardian” of that place, it was his duty to look after me. That completely threw me off. When he mentioned being some kind of “aspiring levyataan,” I told him I had no clue what he was talking about. He made this soft, concerned little sound and looked at me like something was seriously wrong. Apparently, it didn’t make sense to him that I didn’t know what he was—or what levyataans even were.

Then he pointed out something else that, to him, was just as strange: I didn’t have gills. That one really confused me, and I told him straight up that I wasn’t a fish. But he insisted that any Sirian human should have gills and asked how I was supposed to breathe underwater without them. I told him I don’t breathe underwater—I’d drown. Then I asked him what “Sirian” even meant. He answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world: ”Sirian, as in Sirius—our home world”.

Then and there, I knew things were *way* out of my comfort zone. But then, a little part of me thought things were finally going to get interesting. I finally had another soul to keep me company at night, although eventually I felt sorry for the poor sea dragon, stuck with me there, asking so many questions. He certainly had questions of his own, however. He seemed strangely happy about the situation though. He was eager to answer my questions, and I was curious to know more about him. I ended up having him curl up with me that night. It turns out Nevlaan feels incredibly warm but cool at the same time. He is amazing at regulating his temperature. His hide being very smooth and almost rubbery, like an orca's, he also feels oddly comforting to me. The following nights were actually just us snuggling and him making sure I was feeling alright. I had my best sleep in years.

Part III: A stronger bond

My daily life had taken a more mundane pace again. I was attending high school, which was even more nightmarish to me than anything so far. High school is like a jungle and to a loner like me who doesn't mingle, it makes you an easy target. The only solace I had from it was my nighttime. It had already been a couple of years since I had my new sea dragon friend at night. By now, he had taught me a lot of interesting things about his home, an ocean world known as Sirius. Back then, I was unaware of the multiverse theory and other advanced theorems, not to mention that I had no interest in astronomy or such things, so I just rolled with it. I was just happy to listen. He told me about a planet that's quite a bit like ours in geography, except that things are mostly reverse in the sense that the inhabitants are mostly ocean-dwellers: everything from sentient lifeforms like him, to mundane fish and yes, cetaceans. He told me the lifeforms on land are mostly either immigrants from other planets or these amphibian humanoids he had told me about a long time ago. Much to my excitement, he said there were also anthropomorphized cetacean species and other large ocean-dwelling creatures which adapted and evolved to a sentient level of life, likely sped up by environmental and perhaps even artificial factors, I had guessed. I had no idea of the level of technology Sirius was at and at the time, my knowledge of these subjects was limited.

Nonetheless, the more I heard about it, the more it seemed like a place I wanted to live in. I won't bore you with endless political details but from what Nevlaan taught me, the Sirian government is basically made up of a council of aristocrats who cater to the Sirian economy and diplomatic relations with other planets. Beyond that, there's a myriad of branches you would find in our own world: environment, life preservation, agriculture and more. This "High Council" also has retainers which they call "levyataans", guardians and protectors of Sirius, each specializing in a particular field of work. Nevlaan's father is one of these and Nevlaan hopes to be worthy of taking his father's place eventually. When I asked him if he automatically does so when he passes away, he told me: "a levyataan isn't born when another dies, they're made". A line straight up from the cheesiest movies right there. From what I understood, "levyataan" isn't a species like I originally thought, it's a title given to special individuals. So, like the ultimate bad ass soldiers of Sirius, I thought.

I also learned that Nevlaan is studying some kind of discipline called "magecraft", a kind of elemental manipulation in which one can harness the primal elements and manipulate them to a degree. From what he was explaining to me, it sounded like some Dungeons & Dragons bollocks where they used something called a "catalyst" and a "resonator stone" to create a particular vibration and be able to pull off feats like tossing fireballs or raining ice shards. It all sounded like fantasy to me until Nevlaan demonstrated it to me and created a huge whirlpool in the water. It was admittedly both unbelievable to my eyes and unsettling. Beyond all that elemental mumbo jumbo, it turns out Nevlaan was also a medic and a scholar of biology. As the kid who had been quoting my house's first aid guide since I was 4 years old and watching medical science shows with interest, this struck me as a happy (if odd) coincidence.

As if that wasn't enough already, he told me how his family have been human guardians for ages. His father as a levyataan defends the interests of humans on Sirius. More than that, it seems his family has done so for generations. Nevlaan says he always felt that same "connection" to humans that his ancestors had. It made sense now as to why back then he seemed so interested in me and was so hell bent to make sure I was doing alright.

In the end, it seemed that Nevlaan now lived a double life, much like I do, as a Sirian by day and with me at night. He's pretty much become my own personal guardian. He's incredibly happy with the position and by now, I suppose the dreamstate was more a source of relaxation from the frustrations of daily life.

Things went on like this for several years. I was finishing school and hitting a bump in the road. I was trying to get into higher college studies for biology (and eventually marine biology) but sadly, as much as I can remember details and am a naturally audition-geared person (ed: I was the kind of kid that never had to study; I just had to attend class and I could "play back" the class in my mind like a tape), my spatial sense and my math skills have always been rotten. Trig and geometry are an alien language to me. After two attempts, I could still not make it through the college door. I started to get depressed and I was feeling like I was your average worthless guy. As a full-grown adult (I was 18) at the time, I was still not working and no longer attending school. My parents were understandably exasperated, and I was getting increasingly depressed. No matter how Nevlaan tried to get me to cheer up, I was just out of energy and had no desire to do anything at that point. And then came that one night. Things were about to take a whole new turn, an unexpected turn which would change the course of things for me.

I woke up on the beach, expecting to find Nevlaan by my side. When I reached for him, I didn't feel him. I opened my eyes and looked around but he wasn't there. I bolted up and instantly started panicking and then I heard something in the water and moment later, he stepped out of the water. His demeanor was different. Something wasn't quite right. I waved to him.

I greeted Nevlaan, but the moment I saw him, something felt off. He looked unusually nervous—almost tense—so I asked him what was wrong. He hesitated before telling me he’d spoken with someone named Maliana. When I asked who that was, he explained she was one of their healers. That immediately made me wonder if something was wrong with him, but he quickly clarified that it wasn’t about him—it was about me. That caught me off guard, and I half-jokingly guessed that she’d probably said I was useless and that he should stop wasting his time on me. Nevlaan shut that down right away, which only made me more curious about what she had actually said.

Before answering, he stepped closer to me. I could feel warmth radiating off him, and his body language was… off. He was fidgeting, his breathing heavier than usual, like he was working himself up to say something difficult. Finally, he admitted that Maliana thought we needed to “strengthen our bond.” Apparently, if he wanted to support me better, we needed to get closer. I didn’t really understand what he meant at first. “Closer” how? Closer to what? My confusion seemed to frustrate him, and he let out this impatient little growl, his frills flushing slightly. Looking back, I realize I was completely oblivious—I wasn’t even considering anything remotely intimate.

He pushed again, clearly embarrassed now, insisting that I knew what he meant—that kind of bond people share when they’re really close. That’s when it finally clicked, and I stumbled over my words, asking if he meant what I thought he meant. He quickly tried to backtrack, saying it didn’t have to be anything inappropriate, but by then I was already too confused to let it go. I kept pressing him, asking him to just say it outright. That only made things worse. He grew even more flustered, hissing under his breath and refusing, saying it was already hard enough to bring up.

That’s when I noticed something else—something strange in the air. There were scents I hadn’t picked up on before: a mix of floral and citrus, layered with another unfamiliar sweetness, and underneath it all, something musky and briny. It hit me all at once, and before I could stop myself, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, asking if he was… in heat or something. That set him off immediately. His face flushed even deeper, the red clashing against his blue scales, and he let out a sudden growl that nearly made me jump out of my skin.

He denied it outright, but then awkwardly tried to brush it off, saying he just thought it could be “a fun thing.” That didn’t help at all. I reminded him—probably a bit too bluntly—that he was a sea dragon, and that made the whole idea feel completely wrong to me. But he pushed back, asking who got to decide that. Where he came from, apparently, it was normal. Then he dropped something that really threw me: he said his dad “mates” with his humans all the time. That stopped me cold. I repeated it back in disbelief—his humans? As in, plural?

He confirmed it. He said his father considers his disciples like his progeny. He will fight for any of them with his life. They are willingly living with him, and they share a very strong bond. For them, all this is just everyday occurrences. They don't have our restrictive morals. Nevlaan said that to his ears, our world's morals seem incredibly rigid and restrictive. He said I shouldn't have these restrictions. I was mortified when he told me he caught me looking at his slits and claspers earlier.

Touché. Caught red-handed. I instantly flushed beet red. I thought I was being discreet, but I should have known. I never was interested in other humans, but I wasn't even 14 when I first caught my eyes diverting their attention to Nevlaan's rump. A pair of claspers and a slit underneath them. Originally, I thought that slit was his anal slit but no, later I found out it was separate. And then, I thought I saw another slit underneath his claspers. And then his anal slit. Wait... three slits?! What's going on?

Part of me was undeniably drawn to learn more about Nevlaan, not just because his unusual anatomy sparked my curiosity, but there was an undeniable attraction simmering beneath the surface. They say curiosity killed the cat, and boy, did I feel that truth weighing on me as I glanced at Nevlaan, my cheeks heating with embarrassment for being caught out.

“You knew?” I asked Nevlaan, my voice barely above a whisper.

His lighthearted laughter broke the tension. “Hehe, it takes a blind person not to notice. You always breathe heavy around me too.”

“Is that right...? You're not upset?” I wondered, surprised by the lack of irritation in his voice.

“Not at all! I've always wanted my own human... and I’d like you to be mine,” he admitted, the sincerity in his words sending a rush of warmth through me.

“Your own human...?” I echoed, slightly taken aback.

“Yeah. To protect... and, well, maybe more...” he said, a hint of mischief in his tone.

“Maybe more, huh?” I felt a playful grin tug at my lips as I snuggled closer. My hands found their way to his neck, and the deep, rumbling churr that escaped him was enough to send a thrill coursing through me. It was strange; I'd never felt an attraction like this with humans before. I leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his neck, clumsily, but it earned me another churr in response.

It was then that I noticed a clear liquid oozing from his gill slits. “Nev? There's... something leaking from your gills,” I pointed out.

“Eeep. That's mucus. The mucous oil keeps my hide from drying out when I'm out of the water,” he explained, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

“Oh... it smells lemony. Is that why you always smell like lemon?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Yeah, it runs in the family. Our pheromones have this natural tinge of citron,” he replied.

“Citron?” The term was unfamiliar to me.

“It’s the flower of a type of citrus that looks like a human hand,” he clarified.

“Like Buddha's hand? We have those back home!” I exclaimed, connecting the dots.

“I guess it may be similar, but we don’t call it that,” he shrugged.

Thinking back, I can’t quite explain why, but an odd urge surged through me to collect some of that mucus and taste it. I knew it sounded disgusting, yet my curiosity overruled all hesitation. To my surprise, it wasn’t unpleasant. It had a slightly bitter, musky, and salty flavor—a bit slimy, kind of like okra. The look on Nevlaan’s face was priceless; he squealed in surprise, and I couldn't help but giggle at his reaction.- I'll keep that in mind...

I grinned and then gently brushed over them again, getting another squeal from him and a soft hiss.

“Oh, I see how it is...” A playful churr came from Nevlaan.

He suddenly moved and I had no time to react before I found myself with my face basically into a pair of claspers that were dribbling fluid. Nevlaan was making a soft chittering sound, and I didn't know how to react, given to as that was my first contact with claspers. My first instinct was to reach out and slowly stroke them, which made Nevlaan squirm uncontrollably. Indeed, these are as sensitive as his gills. For those unfamiliar with claspers, they're not quite like your usual cetacean penis and much less like a human one. They're not prehensile for starters, meaning the tip can't curl, and they be moved freely, as a good half of them are tied to the skin. Also, even though they come in pairs, only one is fertile (or so I thought). Now, when it comes to feeling, they're very smooth and soft, not rough at all like I thought. And boy, the musk. My senses were being flooded by mixed scents of brine, citrus and a light fresh fish smell. Somehow it was incredibly arousing to me. Nevlaan moved back and laid on his back so I could get a better reach and look at his rump. His claspers and the region around them are as turquoise and pretty as his ventral side but it has black splotches around it. Somehow, it's pretty hot, like it's pointing to something dangerous or forbidden. I kept teasing Nevlaan as I reached in and stroked them some more, getting deeper chittering and hissing from him. The poor sea dragon must have been building this up for a long time because it barely took a few minutes of stroking before he squirmed and squealed out. I had no time to get out of the way before I found myself covered in surprisingly warm and musky watery seed spraying out from one clasper, then the next. Not that I complained too much! Nevlaan was panting and his gills were fluttering as he looked at me and giggled, grinning at his own mess. He told me I have a wicked touch. I was still reeling and all I could say was that I would have appreciated a warning, which made him giggle. My inquisitive mind surfaced again. I told him that as far as I knew, only one clasper at a time was fertile. His answer was plain and simple: that rule applies for sharks and rays, not his species.

I felt like I should have been more upset, but I was too caught in the moment. And unlike what one would think, his seed wasn't horribly fishy or alien like. It was a little waterier than my own, musky with a slight not so intrusive fishy smell. I ended up swallowing some as well and it was definitely salty but not unpleasant. I looked up at him, trying to look a little upset by his sudden climax, but he seemed to read right through me. When I asked him if he had any other surprises like this in store, he winked and flashed a grin at me and said: “Quite a few, hehe.”

Nevlaan murred and moved back on his legs and as he opened his maw, I got a proper close glimpse at his fearsome fangs and teeth, his thick blue tongue sliding out to me and making me shudder intensely. Before he could finish cleaning his mess, I woke up in bed to the alarm clock, with a mess of my own to clean up for the first time. One cannot describe in words how frustrated I felt at that very moment. I felt like knocking myself out to get back to that moment. You would think the next night would have been a blistering hot night of snuggles and steamy sex, as would be every night after that, but it didn't quite happen that way. Daily life got in the way at times, or I was just so depressed and tired that I couldn't remember being in the dreamstate. It was then I truly realized I have no control over where the dreamstate begins and where it ends. One night it may show, the other night not. But one thing's for sure: I was looking forward to more. Nevlaan was the first one I felt any attraction for. That he wasn't of my species was the last of my worries. In a single night's time, Nevlaan broke through my shell and removed some of my defenses effortlessly. And to think, the bond we share would only grow stronger...

The next night, we kissed and we began being a little more, well, intimate. Progressively. That said, our first actual "encounter" took much longer than I thought it would have. It didn't quite go like I'd expected, either. I was never one for forcing these things. I mean, I have an admittedly abysmally low sex drive to begin with and at times I felt guilt for not trying to get more intimate with Nevlaan. Thankfully, he was being as patient as one can be. He kept telling me that as my guardian sea dragon, what matters is us being together and him making sure I was alright. The rest is just icing on the cake.

Part IV: Surprise

That same year, I was graduating from the medical scribe course I had chosen and even though I was still a little depressed, things were looking up. Nevlaan had helped me find something I was good at and interested in, which helped cover for the many failed attempts at finding at keeping a normal job. Finding a job in the field had actually been quite easy and I was doing good at it. One night, I woke up in the dreamstate and Nevlaan came to join me. By then I had learned how to be a bit more "in control" of this. We would know when to go to sleep to be with each other in the dreamstate and when we could wake up.

After a long, exhausting day, all I wanted was a little comfort, so I went to find Nevlaan. Just being around him usually helped me unwind. But the moment I saw his face, my stomach dropped. He looked so serious that my mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusions. I greeted him and asked if everything was okay, joking that he had a “funeral look” on his face. He seemed confused at first, quickly saying no one had died, and I had to explain it was just an expression for being dead serious. That got a small laugh out of him, and the tension eased a bit.

Then he got back on track and told me he had spoken with Maliana again—about us. That caught my attention. I asked how it went, and he explained that she believed if we had found each other, it must be the will of something she called “the All.” I didn’t really get it at first, so he tried to explain—how everything is connected, how the mind, the universe, and this “All” are basically one and the same. I admitted it sounded kind of familiar but also pretty complicated. Back where I’m from, ideas like that usually get shoved under the “new age” label and laughed off as nonsense. He didn’t like that much and pushed back, saying it didn’t matter what people believed or called it—the All is everything, whether we accept it or not.

So I asked him if he believed it. He hesitated, then admitted he didn’t really know. The only thing he was sure about was us—that we were in this together, and he wanted to see it through. I told him I felt the same.

And then, out of nowhere, he let out this soft little growl—almost like a playful, seductive “mrowr.” It completely caught me off guard. I blinked at him and asked if he had really just done that. He grinned, swaying a little, making this low, churring sound, and said that if “seeing it through” meant getting more intimate, then yeah… maybe he had. It was obvious he was pretty worked up, which only made me raise an eyebrow and ask what had gotten into him. He was acting way more frisky than usual. That seemed to snap him back just a bit, and he brushed it off, suddenly a little flustered, insisting he was just feeling playful. I couldn’t help but notice Nevlaan acting a little… off.

“Yeah, you’re not fooling me, Nev. What’s going on? Are you worked up or something?” I asked.

He hesitated, then muttered, “…Maybe a little? But I blame it on dad’s stash…” His voice trailed off, and that only made me more curious—and a little suspicious.

“Stash…? Don’t leave me hanging, Nev.”

“…I peeked through dad’s stash of naked human drawings and such…”

I wasn’t sure if I should laugh at the absurdity of him being embarrassed over it, imagine a world of sea dragons watching human porn, or actually worry about what was going through his mind.

“Nev, you were looking at human porn!?”

“Don’t call it that! It’s tasteful… sexy portraits…”

“Riiight… what’s really going on, Nev?” I pressed.

He hesitated again before admitting, “Ever since you… well, pleasured me… I’ve been kind of frustrated. I have no human to call my own in my waking life, so…”

My heart skipped. “You’re really interested in me? But I’m not even good human material… I’m boring. Brown eyes, dark brown hair, average height, kind of chubby, not very healthy…”

That was a mistake. Nevlaan suddenly growled, and his eyes turned sharp and threatening. In the next second, my face was pressed against his muzzle, his fangs bared as he snarled, and I felt his hot breath on me.

“You will never speak ill of yourself in front of me! Do you understand?”

I had no choice but to shudder uncontrollably. I mean, when a massive sea dragon three times your size bares shark-like teeth at you, confidence doesn’t exactly come easy.

“S-Sorry, Nev… I just… don’t understand why humans are so interesting to you.”

“Humans are precious! You’re precious and beautiful. We have been sworn to your kind for ages. Any one of my species will tell you—they’d sacrifice their lives for a human.”

“What…? But why…?”

“Have you really not figured it out yet? Where do you think the modified amphibian humans on Sirius first came from?”

It hit me like a wave, my head spinning as I realized the truth. Darwin would have had a field trip.

“Wait a minute… you’re kidding, right?”

“No. But we’re running out of land-dwelling humans. Only a few remain, and the High Council keeps them well protected, so we rarely get to see them. You’re actually the first one I’ve seen in the flesh.”

I swallowed hard. “Sounds to me like they’re just being used for breeding… is that what you plan for me too?

I'm not sure why I reacted that way. Part of me just wanted to sell my body to him. But somehow, I was scared. I was scared of being involved, of engaging myself in a relationship. That's actually why I never got close to anyone in my waking life. Also, part of me was kind of worried about being some kind of breeder human for Nevlaan. Yeah, I was stupid back then...

Nevlaan panicked when he saw how distressed and conflicted I was. Hurting me hurt him more than I can imagine. “NO! No... it’s not like that! I-I'm so sorry, Jon...”

Nevlaan turned and dove back in the water and disappeared from sight and I was left alone. I felt like a gigantic, gaping chasm opened under my feet and I felt myself getting swept into the abyss. I remember screaming my lungs out and crying. I woke up in my bed, soaked like I had just taken a shower.

The following day, I did something very stupid. I grabbed some Zzquil and took a few (okay, maybe quite a few) hoping I would land back there, and I was damn well going to head out to him. When I finally landed in the dreamstate, I made my way to the water, and I was hoping it was going to be like in Nightmare on Elm Street where I could wish for anything and it would manifest itself. I willed for a wet suit and some diving gear to appear... nothing. I was still in my boxers, without anything to help me. I was so helpless and desperate that I just took off my boxers and went into the water. It was fucking cold, like really fucking cold. My body was cramping and I had to wait a moment to adjust a little. I told myself it didn't matter anyway; I was beyond upset. Besides, it was just a dream, right? I dove in and tried to swim out but my body was so cramped and stiffened by the cold that I felt myself sinking and I panicked. I woke up in bed again completely soaked and it took me a moment to actually start breathing again.

I bolted up as my stomach went up to my throat and I vomited what seemed like nothing but water. I didn't even bother to change my bed sheets before laying back down again. I was still very sleepy, and I ended up drifting back to sleep, probably from the effects of what I had taken prior to sleeping. Stupidly enough, I was so upset that I did the same thing again. Except this time, I didn't "drown". I felt something grabbing me and dragging me back to the surface and back to shore. Yes, it was Nevlaan and boy, was he ever pissed off. I could tell from his shaking and hissing. “What in the living waters were you thinking, Jon?!”

I thought he was going to rip me a new one, but when we got back to shore, he picked me up, tore my boxers apart and put me pretty much whole in his muzzle, the warmest place he could think of. I damn well thought he was planning on having me for lunch! He used his tongue to slide me under and bathe me in his warm saliva. I can't even begin to describe the experience. It was like a very warm, very squishy and slimy hug. Yet somehow, my body was betraying me because I was getting the worst case of boner I ever had. Nevlaan warmed me right up and when he took me back out, he noticed I was panting and well, painfully hard. His worried and angry look changed to playful grinning in an instant.

“I should chew your ass for pulling that stupid stunt on me, but I see something else needs my attention right this instant...” And before I could even answer or react, he laid me in the sand, and his huge blue tongue came out and licked me all over.

That tongue bath, combined with his warm, steady breath, felt like pure heaven. No human could ever come close. I was rock hard, my cock throbbing painfully with every lick. I’d completely forgotten I was standing there completely naked.

Nevlaan kept teasing me mercilessly until he suddenly pulled back. He opened his maw wide, and a soft whooshing sound filled the air as a blast of hot steam washed over me. It dried me instantly. My whole body shuddered violently, and before I could even gasp, my orgasm crashed through me.

I cried out — half moan, half scream — and shot several thick ropes of cum across his snout. Nevlaan didn’t hesitate; he licked it all up with obvious delight, letting out a happy little squeal as his tail swished excitedly behind him.

“Eeeee! So warm and musky~”

I was still panting hard, legs shaky, trying to recover from the overwhelming rush.

“N-Nev, goddammit! Holy shit,” I breathed. “I almost passed out from that…”

He grinned wide, clearly enjoying his dominant position over me.

“You should consider yourself lucky you popped so early. I was about to shove you deep inside my walls.”

The giggle that escaped him sounded oddly feminine. I couldn’t help but laugh weakly.

“Naughty sea dragon… And quit giggling like a giddy schoolgirl!”

“Awww, but I make for a really good ride, you know,” he teased, turning slightly and presenting his rear to me.

This time I actually reached out. My fingers explored the slick slit, gently prying it open. I froze when I saw what looked unmistakably like a clit and soft inner walls.

I yelped in surprise.

“What the fuck…? Nev, your ass… it looks like a vagina.”

He blinked at me, genuinely confused.

“What are you talking about? That is my vagina, silly.”

“WHAT? Oh hell no…”

I shuddered hard. In my head I was gay — full stop. This reaction felt like it proved it. (Looking back, I feel awful for how I responded. Poor Nev looked genuinely shocked… and hurt.)

“Oh… you don’t like females?” he asked, voice suddenly much quieter.

“No! Females are… weird. Boobs are weird. Vaginas kinda freak me out.”

“Your mother was a female, you know.”

“GAH! Don’t bring that up right now! Your timing is terrible…”

Nevlaan pulled back for a second. For a moment I thought he was going to snap at me, but instead he just drew me gently into his arms and nuzzled against me in silence.

The guilt hit me hard. I spoke first, voice small.

“S-Sorry, Nev… That really surprised the hell out of me. So… you’re half-male, half-female?”

“Yeah… My species is all like this.”

“I thought hermaphrodites were, like… an anomaly.”

“That’s kind of rude,” he said softly. “There are lots of species that are born this way. Some can even change gender depending on the environment or what they need.”

“Yeah… I remember reading about seahorses and stuff.” I swallowed, trying to recover. “Well… at least you don’t have boobs. And you’re still way more beautiful than any human I’ve ever seen.”

That seemed to comfort him a little, but he still looked so sad. It genuinely hurt seeing Nev like this for the first time. Without really thinking, I leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his snout.

“I still love you, Nev.”

“You’re just saying that…” He paused, eyes widening. “Wait… you said you love me?”

“Of course I do, big guy. It doesn’t change who you are.” I gave him a small smile. “So… should I start calling you ‘her’ now or something?”

“No, I’m dual-gendered, but I’m male dominant.”

“So you mostly feel and act like a male?”

“Yup. My father is actually female dominant, funnily enough. My sibling is the same way, so I guess I have a sister and two mothers, in your terms. Hehe!”

“Huh… that actually makes sense.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “But… that also means you could have eggs too, right?”

“We actually give live birth,” Nevlaan said, his voice warming up a bit as he explained. “Kind of like dolphins or whales — cetaceans, you call them. We’re fully warm-blooded too, with a high metabolism. Our bodies regulate temperature internally, which is why we can handle both deep icy water and warmer shallows without issue.”

“Wow… that’s actually kind of hot,” I admitted with a grin. “Almost as hot as that steam blast of yours. Speaking of which — where does that even come from? It felt like a damn sauna hit me.”

He let out a soft, amused rumble. “It’s a specialized organ we have, located right behind the ribcage. It stores excess body heat and excess water from our system. When we need to release it, a chemical secretion triggers a rapid exothermic reaction — basically a controlled mini-explosion of heat that flash-boils the water into superheated steam. That’s how I dried you off so fast… and why it can feel so intense.”

I blinked, genuinely fascinated. “So it’s like an internal pressure cooker?”

“Pretty close. It’s our evolutionary trade-off for not having sweat glands like you mammals do. Instead of cooling through evaporation on the skin, we vent heat in powerful bursts. I can control the temperature too — from gentle warm mist all the way to scalding hot if I’m angry or need to defend myself. Most of us only use the milder version for grooming or… well, moments like what we just did.”

“Is it anything like a swim bladder? You know, those gas sacs some fish have?”

“Not quite. Swim bladders are mainly for buoyancy control in bony fish. Some distant relatives of ours have adapted similar organs for steam production, but it’s pretty uncommon. Ours is much more complex — it’s tied into our respiratory and circulatory systems, so we can regulate it with our breathing. That’s also why the steam comes out so cleanly from the mouth instead of just venting everywhere.”

I shook my head slowly, a smile spreading across my face. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Nevlaan’s tail gave a shy little swish. “There’s still more… if you’re willing to share a deeper bond with me.”

I didn’t even hesitate.

“Oh, I’m fully willing, Nev.”

I reached out to caress his snout tenderly and our gaze met with intense affection and this time, the dreamstate faded and I woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed, albeit in dire need of a shower...

Part V: Levyataan

The night after, I went looking for Nevlaan. As I approached the beach, a haunting melody drifted through the air — beautiful, almost otherworldly. When I reached our usual spot, he was already there, playing an oddly shaped instrument that looked like nothing I’d ever seen. I stopped for a moment, completely entranced. The sound wrapped around me like a spell, as if Nevlaan himself was a siren pulling me in.

When he finally stopped and turned around, I couldn’t help but smile.

“That was beautiful.”

“Thanks, love.” He tilted his head, a little shy. “You don’t mind if I call you that, do you? It still doesn’t sound quite right without a proper catalyst stone, though.”

“Oh, so that’s the ‘catalyst’ you mentioned before? For your elemental stuff?”

“Yeah. We receive a resonator stone when we graduate from the magecraft academy… or when we’re promoted to levyataan.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I guess…” Nevlaan sighed, his tail flicking uneasily. “But I have no interest in becoming a levyataan. Politics bore me to death. Still… if they’re already talking about replacing him, it means my father is getting old and weak. The title will pass to someone else soon. As his heir, it falls on me by default. I’m not sure I can do it. I don’t know if I’m made for that kind of responsibility.”

“What? Bullshit, Nev. You’re the most awesome sea dragon in the universe.”

He gave a soft laugh. “Aren’t I the only one you know?”

“Well… yeah. But I don’t need to meet the others. You’re already the best.”

“Hehe, you’re so sweet, Jon. Thanks.”

Before I could react, Nevlaan leaned in and slurped his warm tongue across my face, then giggled at the way I shivered from the sudden, wet surprise.

“So… this catalyst thing…” I wiped my cheek, still smiling.

“It’s called an ortena,” he said, lifting the instrument so I could see it better. “It’s way more than just a pretty harp. You pluck the strings to set the base resonance, then you match your voice to it — singing, humming, even speaking with intent. That combination lets you focus your thoughts and channel raw elemental energy through the whole thing. The harmonic stone in the socket up here? That’s the real heart of it. It acts like a lens, taking your will and amplifying it into actual magic.”

I leaned in closer, fascinated. “So it’s basically a magical instrument?”

“Exactly. The strings are enchanted silver-thread — they vibrate in harmony with your emotions and intent. When you play a certain pattern, it creates a ‘focus field’ around you. Your voice then shapes that field into something usable. The stone resonates with your personal elemental affinity, so the magic comes out cleaner and stronger. Without the right stone, everything feels… muffled. Like trying to shout underwater.”

“Damn. And different stones change how it works?”

“Oh yeah. The type of stone completely changes the resonance and the kind of effects you can produce. A water-affinity stone like the one my family usually gets makes the sound feel liquid — it can soothe, heal minor wounds, or even create mist and gentle currents in the air. But if you pair it with steam like I do, you can superheat the effect and use it for short bursts of scalding vapor or to dry things instantly, like I did with you earlier.” He grinned, clearly enjoying explaining this. “Some stones are fire-tuned and make the music crackle with heat. Others are wind or earth, and the tones can lift objects, create illusions, or even calm storms. The player’s own voice is the final ingredient — it adds personality to the harmonics. My voice tends to make things feel warm and comforting even when I’m doing something powerful.”

“That’s really cool,” I said, running a finger along the empty socket. “So you could, like… actually do real magic with this thing?”

“Real magic, yeah. In the academy we learn patterns for everything from simple light shows to defensive barriers or even calling small waves if we’re near water. The ortena makes it precise. Without it, elemental craft is sloppy — you might accidentally blast steam everywhere or lose control of the energy. With a good stone, you can weave multiple effects together in one song. It’s beautiful… and a little scary how much power it holds.”

“Hehe. I just hope I get a good stone.”

“Do you get to choose it?”

“No, it’s assigned based on your elemental affinity and your species. There are certain rare stones reserved for aristocrats, council members, and levyataans, but they’re not actually better — it’s mostly symbolic.”

“Wow… I feel like Sirius is a lot more exciting than my world.”

“Probably because it’s all new to you,” he said with a shrug. “To me it feels boring most of the time. Too much politics and pointless formalities.”

“Heh, I’ve never been big on protocol either.” I paused. “So… you just become a levyataan because your dad is passing the title on?”

“Partly, yes. I still have to prove my worth at the academy, though. And since our family are human guardians, I also have to show I’m truly dedicated to that cause.”

“And that means…?”

“Taking a human for a mate, for starters. Then we perform the atma ceremony.”

“Atma? We have that word too. It’s an old word for soul.”

“Oh! Yes, exactly.”

“So… a soul ceremony?”

“Yah. It’s an ancient tradition. Kind of a silly ritual where one of my kind becomes oath-bound to a human.”

“Like… if you get hurt, they get hurt? Some kind of link?”

“No, no, nothing like that!” Nevlaan laughed softly. “It’s mostly symbolic. It’s a way to prove your devotion to humankind. Your first human is very special. It’s a deeper level of love — beyond regular love, really. A bond that nothing and no one can break.”

“I see… That’s actually really beautiful.”

“You think so…?”

“Yeah. In my world, a lot of humans treat their partners like disposable toys. If it stops being fun, they just throw it away and move on to the next one.”

“Eww. That’s… so gross.”

“Tell me about it…”

Nevlaan gave a deep, rumbling murr and smiled widely at me.

“Nev…? You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”

“Why not? We’re in our dreams, right? No one has to know. It can be our secret.”

“I get what you’re saying… it’s just…”

“Just what?” His expression softened, a hint of worry creeping in. “You’re still turned off by my female half, aren’t you?”

When he hit me with that, I felt devastated. It was the harshest, most painful insult you could ever throw at someone. What's worse is, it wasn't a complete lie. I did get kind of turned off. I wasn't sure if I could, you know, take this further knowing I'm fucking half a girl. It weirded me out. But then, as soon as I looked at Nevlaan, I felt this incredible sense of attraction and desire. I felt conflicted but I was willing to give this a shot, because I felt Nevlaan understood me and respected me, unlike everyone else in my waking life at the time.

“Nev... I'm sorry. I just never looked at females with interest. They always kind of weirded me out and their behavior annoys me. But with you, I think it's different... you're definitely more beautiful than any female human I can think of and you don't behave like them.”

Nevlaan seemed to appreciate my honesty. He gave a soft churr and it wasn't long before he presented himself to me. I had an unrestricted access and yet, for some reason I couldn't explain at that moment, I reached out and stroked his female slit. That seemed to surprise him, as he squirmed and gasped. I stroked deeper, trying to eclipse any thought that was going to turn me off. I noticed some slight blush flushing over the area, turning it slightly pinkish purple. That relaxed me and gave me more courage to stroke deeper and gently pry the slit's walls open, exploring and making sure to let that clit know of my presence and boy did it ever! Nevlaan was panting and chittering as I kept teasing and exploring. My senses were getting filled with his usual musk laced with soft citrus and a new, unusual faint floral scent which I would later be able to identify as waterlily. It was honestly not unpleasant. The scent got thicker as he was getting more and more worked up, clear fluid oozing from the slit. I used it to my advantage, of course. I kept teasing and I slowly pushed inside with a finger, then two and three, rubbing and feeling his powerful walls clenching and flexing around them. That worried me, honestly. He was strong. A few times, I thought he was going to break my fingers. I definitely didn't want a broken cock! He was squirming and panting faster, clearly enjoying the attention. He suddenly grabbed me, flopped on his back and he tore my boxers apart (ed: that seems to happen a lot and he clearly takes pleasure from it), leaving me fully bare against him. At that time, more and more of that floral honey was oozing out, sometimes squirting against my hand. I felt his webbed paws over my back and rump, his blunt claws sending shivers through my spine. That encouraged me to go on. I kept teasing and fingering him deeply, and his flexing was getting faster and more insistent. He arched back after a while and hissed deeply, asking me “A-Are you sure you want to do this, love...? I don't know how much more I can take of this! And if I explode, you'll be drenched in honey!”

I had no care in the world at that point. “Shh. I'll be alright, Nev. Don’t think, just revel in the moment, beautiful one.” I kept pushing and I was getting more comfortable with my attentions and clearly he was quite happy with it, because he started to buck and it wasn’t long before I found my whole hand inside, and I seriously thought I would end up with a broken wrist from the intense flexing of his muscles! I wasn’t fully comfortable with what was happening, but I was so caught in the moment that Nev’s increasing squeals and cries encouraged me to keep going. Maybe it was his pheromones clouding my senses too? Either way, this back and forth did not actually last all that long. He started to thrash a little and hiss, what sounded like a howl came from him as I got suddenly projected off him and then all I could see was darkness. And then, what seemed at the time like a raging torrent of hot, sticky honey covered my entire body. I felt him push down and grind himself at me as he was drenching me. I didn’t want to admit it then, but clearly my body was enjoying it more than I wanted it to, considering my cock got so hard I was shaking! Nevlaan felt it. Moments after the initial climax, he pulled back and he was looking at me with an intense gaze that meant more than any spoken word. “I was about to say I was sorry… but it looks like you enjoyed it.” He grinned and churred at the mess.

“Y-Yeah… you could say that” I replied, probably beet red with embarrassment at my stiff cock standing up, throbbing, and clearly asking for more. It’s a miracle I had not shot my load already when I think back. Nevlaan giggled quietly and moved, and the next thing I knew, my throbbing member was plunged into his walls, and I felt this intense clenching. I was surprised I could fit so easily. I thought I was going to have a broken cock but thankfully he was just enough aware to keep me safe. He started to growl and he ordered me to thrust up. I didn’t fight him and I quickly found myself bucking and thrusting up as deep as I could into his waiting walls. I actually wondered what I had been missing at that moment. His female folds were incredible: silky, very strong and surprisingly warm, I must say. Thankfully, even with the size difference, I was able to fully bury myself inside him. Nevlaan was growling now, chittering, and likely holding back to not hurt me. He flipped me back over onto him and I did my best to thrust as deep as I could, panting and squirming in mixed pleasure and confusion at what I was doing. Nevlaan raked at my back some, scratching me but thankfully not drawing much blood. It took only a moment of this intense riding before I couldn’t hold back anymore. I arched and screamed, my body nearly convulsing as I shot ropes of hot cum inside him. Now that really set him off. He opened his eyes wide and let out a deep hissing roar that paralyzed me. I was still shaking over a minute later, even as I was past my initial afterglow. Nevlaan pulled me back and I suddenly found myself struggling to breathe with his blue tongue invading my mouth and grinding with mine. He was stroking my body so deeply that I just collapsed against him. He seemed satisfied with that. When he pulled back, he looked at me with intense love in his eyes.

Nevlaan’s voice dropped to a low rumbling churr as he nuzzled closer, his warm breath ghosting over my skin. “Do you humans all feel this good?” he asked, the words trembling. I met his gaze, heart still pounding, and managed a shaky grin. “I-I don’t know… Do all sea dragons feel this incredible?” He answered with a gentle, playful nip to my shoulder that sent another shiver racing through me. “Nev…?” I whispered, suddenly feeling exposed in a way that had nothing to do with being naked. “You really thought I did good back there? That was my first time… mating with anyone.” His eyes softened, filled with tender warmth. “Are you kidding me? I had to fight so hard just to hold myself back. You rocked every one of my senses — I was trembling all over, barely able to breathe. You humans are such amazing creatures… so soft, so fragile, and yet so unbelievably beautiful it hurts.”

A quiet, shaky laugh slipped out of me. “Heh… it’s so ironic. I could never even look at a girl of my own kind without feeling weirded out and completely turned off. But with you… I not only mated you, I rode you deep and loved every single second of it. I’m still so confused why it felt that way, but…” Nevlaan pulled me tighter against his scaled chest, his tail curling protectively around us both. “Did it feel right?” I swallowed hard, emotions swirling thick in my throat, and nodded slowly. “Yeah… Yeah, I guess it did. It felt right.”

He was quiet for a long moment, just holding me, before he spoke again, voice thick with memory and longing. “You know, among my kind, mating isn’t usually something we rush into. It’s… sacred. A ritual as old as the currents themselves. It usually begins with the ortena and the song — we sing to each other, voices weaving together like the ortena’s harmonics, calling out our elemental affinities. The steam I breathe? It’s part of that too — a warm, scented mist that carries our scent and intent, letting the other know we’re ready, that we trust them completely. Then comes the dance. We spiral and roll together, mirroring every movement, building until the pressure and the closeness make everything feel electric. Colors can even shift across our hide. The male — or the dominant one — shows off his strength and gentleness at the same time, while the other offers vulnerability. It can last hours… sometimes an entire day and night if the bond is deep.”

Nevlaan’s claws traced lazy, soothing patterns along my back as he continued, “Only when the dance feels perfectly in sync do we finally join. It’s not just physical — our energies mingle through the song and the steam, creating this… resonance. For dual-gendered ones like my kind, it’s even more intense because both sides awaken. The female half opens with a kind of blooming heat, while the male half surges with protective fire. That’s why it felt so overwhelming for both of us. And after? We don’t just part ways. We stay entwined, letting the bond settle. If it’s the start of something deeper — like the path toward the atma ceremony — the resonance can linger for days, making every touch feel like an echo of that first union.”

He nuzzled my hair, a shaky little sigh escaping him. “I never thought I’d share that with a human… let alone feel it so strongly on the very first time. You didn’t just mate with me, Jon. You danced with me. You sang with me, even if you didn’t know the words. That’s why it felt right. Because for me… it was more than pleasure. It felt like being home.”

Nevlaan said nothing and just grabbed me, curling up and holding me in the most amazing embrace one could imagine. We cuddled until the night passed and when I woke up, I was once again in dire need of a shower.

The next day went by ridiculously slow, but I was in the cheeriest mood I had been in quite a long time. For someone that never was a big sleeper, I was looking forward to lying down in bed like nobody else. When I did, I heard that familiar melody again only this time, the tone was quite different. If it was haunting before, this time it was just plain bewitching. I felt like my body was being lifted and carried towards it. When I got to Nevlaan, he was there, playing his ortena but this time I saw an odd glow emanating from it. Nevlaan explained to me that the day before, in his waking life, he woke up with his ortena making a low humming sound. That happens when an ortena resonates with its player, which usually only happens when they have a strong connection to another. He went to see his healer friend with it and whereas before she was skeptical about Nevlaan’s nightly alternate life, there was no denying it now. And somehow, the energy that we shared the night before had permeated through his waking life and the ortena reacted to it. Thing is, when this phenomenon they call “luminescence” happens – and it only happens to the offspring of levytaans or to high ranking diplomats – it means the ortena is telling everyone the player is ready for their calling. In this case, it was telling everyone that Nevlaan was ready to ascend to his title as levyataan. There was a slight problem with this, however. Usually, tradition makes it so that those of Nevlaan’s species take their mate to a secret ceremonial altar to “officialize” their mateship. But that was not possible without me being physically there in our waking life, at least that’s what he said, and Sirius seems firmly camped on their traditions. And we would soon have another problem surface that would turn out to be an even bigger hurdle…

Part VI: Sirius

A couple of nights went by, with Nevlaan and I trying to find a solution to our problem. Little did I know, I was about to have a massive surprise. That night, I went to bed just like usual and when I woke up inside the dreamstate, I found myself in completely unfamiliar surroundings. No barren landscape, no gray sky, no acrid smell in the air. All I could see was a clear blueish aqua colored sky and turquoise waters and all I heard with the sound of waves crashing and wind blowing. I got up and when I turned around, I think I let out a scream. Buildings! Buildings all over, much like those at home, except made of quite different material. It was like the edge of a city, with some structures definitely standing out, like what seemed like a huge tower. All seemed made of some kind of metal, mixed with natural crystals and various stones. It was like an underwater kingdom, but on the surface. You wouldn’t even see this kind of thing in movies! It was completely alien, but somehow, extremely familiar. The air was filled with the familiar, comforting smell of brine and a faint smell of something else I would later be able to identify as ozone.

The odd thing is, there was no one around. Not a soul to be found. The silence was eerie. Then, out of nowhere, when I listened closely I heard the familiar sound of Nevlaan’s ortena. I followed the sound to a large round building that looked like a large house of some sort. It was all made with multicolored corals, crystals and what seemed like limestone, very pretty. I peeked inside an open window and when I called out, a familiar squeal filled the air and I suddenly saw my sea dragon mate rushing down a stairway.

“You’re here! Mother Ocean, you’re here! It worked!!” Nevlaan’s excitement made my heart race.

I blinked, trying to process. “Hey, Nev… what do you mean, ‘you’re here’ and ‘it worked’? Are you telling me this is…”

“Yes! It’s my home,” he interrupted, grinning like a kid.

I frowned, my mind spinning. “Wait… that makes no sense, Nev. I’m not on a different planet—I just went to sleep!”

“I know! I went to sleep too, and I woke up here. Maliana told me to try using the ortena to visualize you being here with me as I went to sleep. And… here you are!” His eyes shone with disbelief and awe. “Except… when I went outside, everything seems frozen in time. There’s no one here.”

I glanced around and shivered. He was right. The city of Aquaria stretched out before us, perfectly still. “Yeah… I noticed that. It’s… freaky as hell. So this is Sirius?”

“Yeah,” he said, pride in his voice. “You’re in Aquaria, the capital.”

I took a slow breath, trying to wrap my head around this dreamstate. “Wow… so the dreamstate changed again…”

Nevlaan tilted his head at me. “Meep? Dreamstate?”

“Yeah,” I said, feeling a little awkward explaining. “See… before I met you, the dreamstate was empty. There was nothing. Then one night, I found the beach and the open water… and then… well…”

“And the next thing you knew, I showed up?” he finished, smiling faintly.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “And I never saw this dreamstate of yours either. But now… it fills my nights too. Like we’re connected. How did you bring me here? Or did I find you? What does it all mean…?”

Nevlaan shrugged, his expression softening. “No idea, Nev… I’m just glad to be here with you.”

A warmth spread through me at his words. “Hey, since you’re here, let’s go to the altar! Usually it’s guarded, but… given there’s no one here…”

I froze a little. “Wait a minute, Nev… are you planning to do this ceremony thing without anyone’s consent?”

“I don’t need anyone’s consent. I’m my own sea dragon!” he said, chest puffed with defiance.

I sighed. “I get where you’re coming from… but won’t that get you in trouble if something happens in your waking life like last time?”

“If it does, good! That’ll prove them I’m not fooling around. Besides… it’s not like I don’t have my own problems…”

I tilted my head, curious. “What kind of problems?”

He hesitated, then said, almost quietly, “I’m a lightning wielder, Jon…”

My stomach did a flip. “So… that means what? You can manipulate lightning?”

“Yes… only to a degree so far. I can summon minor storms and static blasts, but with enough training… I could get pretty destructive.”

I whistled, impressed. “That’s… fucking cool!”

Nevlaan hissed, annoyed. “No, it’s not! Lightning wielders are shunned. They don’t want me to practice my magecraft anymore. Lightning is too dangerous, hard to control, and it can easily go out of control.”

I frowned. “Well, can’t that work out with practice?”

“To some degree,” he admitted. “But we have a bad history with lightning wielders. Any mage chosen by lightning is considered ill-omen. And since I’m a levyataan heir… well, you can imagine how well I’m seen.”

“That’s… bullshit,” I muttered, anger bubbling up.

“It is. But it’s always been this way. And it’s even worse considering my other element is water, and I’m a healer in training…”

I blinked, trying to wrap my head around it. “So it’s like… you’re trying to heal people, but you have this dangerous thing at the same time? Can’t you just… get rid of the lightning?”

“No,” he said firmly. “It’s not like that. You don’t get to choose. It’ll catch up to you at the worst time.”

I swallowed. “…So it’s like a curse.”

“More or less…”

I smiled faintly, trying to lighten the mood. “But you know… you could use that to save lives too. Like… a living defibrillator.”

He blinked at me, and I could tell he wanted to scowl but couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his lips.

“Well,” I said, shrugging, “I don’t care either way. You’re still my sea dragon guardian.”

He returned my smile, pride shining in his eyes. He nodded slowly and then looked at me, more serious now. “Do you want to come to the altar with me?”

I grinned, feeling the bond tighten between us. “You know I do. We’re in this together, remember?”

“Yeah,” he whispered, his voice soft. “Thanks, love…”

Nevlaan planted a gentle kiss on my head, and I felt my chest warm in a way that had nothing to do with the air around us. He led me inside his house and upstairs. Honestly, it looked surprisingly normal—everything you’d expect in an ordinary home. But somehow, knowing it was his made it feel special.

He opened the door to his room and rummaged through a closet while I looked around. His room… wow. To him, it was normal, but to me, it was exotic. The lights weren’t ordinary—they were made of bio-luminescent moss, glowing brighter as they warmed. And his bed… it was a giant seashell-shaped nest, piled high with soft, fluffy bedding.

I couldn’t help myself. I flopped into it, sinking into the mattress like it was one of those waterbeds back home. I’d always loved waterbeds—they had this perfect give, a gentle rocking sensation that made everything else fade away. The fluff was incredible: thick, warm, and soft in a way that felt almost unreal.

Nevlaan glanced back at me, carrying a large ornate box decorated with seashells. He chuckled at my obvious excitement, and I felt my smile widen.

“You approve?” he asked.

“Oh yeah. This is really comfy!” I said, my voice muffled slightly as I nestled deeper into the bed.

He grinned. “Hehe, glad you think so. If we have time—or in the future—we can come back and just… lay here.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said, and before I could stop myself, the words slipped out: “With some luck, the dreamstate will always be like this now… and we can sleep together in your bed.”

I froze for a moment, caught off guard by my own boldness. But the truth hit me all at once: I was fully into this, fully into him. It made me happy in a way my waking life hadn’t in ages. My life outside this dreamstate had been nothing but headaches and frustration. Here, all that disappeared. All I wanted was to be with Nevlaan and forget everything else. From the look in his eyes, I had the distinct feeling he felt the same way.

I cleared my throat, trying to shift the focus. “So… what’s the box about, Nev?”

“You’ll see,” he said, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Let’s go before we run out of time.”

Even as I followed him, heart still thumping from the bed and my own confession, I couldn’t stop thinking how lucky I was to be here with him—in a world that felt like it was made just for us. I nodded and we headed out. We made our way down a street and into what looked like a subway tunnel. He explained to me that you can get to any part of the city through these tunnels. It reminded me of the subway back home, except it smelled better and it wasn't as dirty. We stepped on some kind of conveyor belt and Nevlaan tapped something into a console. The Sirian language looked like a mix of cuneiform writing with some hieroglyphs thrown in. And here I thought Asian languages were difficult! We started moving and Nevlaan instructed me to hold on to the handles. This conveyor belt took us through a series of tunnels, turning, swiveling, and making us pivot as we reached crisscrossing intersections that seemed labyrinthine to me. The same kind of bio-luminescent moss that lit his house was all over the tunnels, looking like some kind of eerie torches from an alien castle.

“Are you okay, love?” Nevlaan asked.

“Y-Yeah… sorry. I just feel a bit unsteady,” I said, trying to find my balance. “I’m not used to this. Never liked treadmills much.”

He let out a soft, playful chuckle. “Hehe, then you might want to hold on to me.”

I didn’t hesitate. I wrapped my arms around him, letting myself lean into his warmth. It felt… safe. Comfortable. Before long, a faint light appeared ahead of us, growing brighter as we moved forward. When we finally stepped off the moving walkway and out of the tunnel, I blinked in surprise.

We’d entered a completely different place. The area was almost empty—eerily so—except for a single massive building towering in the distance.

“What is this place, Nev…?” I asked, staring up at it. “It looks important.”

“Oh, it is,” he said, a hint of excitement in his voice. “This is the Sirian armada’s barracks. We’ll need to pass through here to reach the main council building. That’s where the altar is.”

“I see…” I let out a quiet laugh. “Wow. This is all so alien—and kind of amazing.”

“Hehe, I figured you’d say that. It’s usually a lot more guarded, though. Guess we picked a quiet day.”

We made our way toward the structure, and Nevlaan pressed his webbed paw against a touchpad. The doors unlocked with a loud click, swinging open to let us in. The moment I stepped inside, something strange washed over me—an unshakable sense of déjà vu.

I glanced around the wide, open space. It was empty, but it didn’t feel unfamiliar. Not really.

“Hey, Nev?” I said, still looking around. “You called this a ‘barracks’? Sirius has a military?”

“Of course we do,” he replied casually. “It’s still pretty primitive—we only just joined the galactic federation—but we’re improving fast. Arcturus has been helping us along.”

I blinked. “Okay, hold on—galactic federation? Arcturus?”

Nevlaan let out an adorable little meep before giggling. “One mystery at a time, love. Don’t worry—you’ll get the full tour eventually. For now, let’s stay focused, hm?”

“…Yeah. Alright.”

We crossed the open space and entered another section that felt more formal. Banners lined the walls, and rows of portraits stretched down the hall—figures that looked like aristocrats, each accompanied by what I assumed were coats of arms.

“Welcome to the High Council hall, love,” Nevlaan said with a small flourish.

“Yeah, I figured,” I replied, pointing at the portraits. “Let me guess—council members?”

“Exactly. And over here—”

He guided me into a corridor where even more portraits lined the walls. I slowed down, taking them in. They were incredible—majestic creatures of all kinds. Sea dragons, anthropomorphic beings… all of them radiating power and presence.

“These are the current levyataans,” Nevlaan explained.

I stopped suddenly, my gaze locking onto one portrait in particular—a massive dark blue sea dragon who looked strikingly like Nevlaan.

“Wait… is this—?”

“Yup,” he said, a little proudly. “My father. Saevek the Fourth.”

“The Fourth?”

“Hehe, yeah. When someone becomes a levyataan, they take on a title name. It’s separate from their own.”

“Oh! Like popes back on Earth,” I said. “Religious leaders—they take new names to represent their role.”

Nevlaan nodded. “That’s actually a pretty good comparison.”

As we continued, one portrait caught my attention—a large anthropomorphic orca. Something about it stuck with me, though I couldn’t say why. I didn’t ask about it… not yet.

I glanced back at Nevlaan. “Your dad looks really regal here.”

“Hehe… yeah,” he said softly. “I just hope I can live up to that someday.”

“You will,” I said without hesitation. “I believe in you.”

Funny, really. I’d never had that kind of confidence in myself—but there I was, giving it to him so easily.

Nevlaan responded by nuzzling into me, then suddenly scooped me up and placed me on his back.

“Hey—!”

“Hehe, what? Thought you might enjoy the ride.”

I laughed, holding onto his mane as he carried me along. It was unbelievably soft beneath my fingers, and as I absentmindedly stroked his neck, he let out deep, content churrs. For a moment, I felt completely invincible.

We eventually stopped in front of a set of heavy black double doors, each marked with a blue trident.

“This is it,” Nevlaan said.

“This is the place?” I asked, sliding off his back. “What’s with the tridents?”

“Oh, those are important,” he said, clearly enjoying himself. “Every levyataan wields one. They differ in form and power depending on their element. The trident represents the Trifecta: the left prong is the Mind, the right is the Universe, and the center… is All.”

“That’s… actually fascinating,” I said. “So how do we get in?”

Nevlaan gave me a playful look. “Stand back and watch.”

I did as he said. He muttered something under his breath and made a small, dramatic gesture with his paws. A second later, the doors began to tremble, the air filling with a deep, echoing creak as they slowly swung open.

He turned to me with a grin. “Like that.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, that was pretty cool. Got any more tricks like that?”

“Oh, plenty,” he said, his tone teasing. “You’ve only seen the beginning.”

The moment we stepped inside, I could feel it—something different about this place. The room was wide and circular, with a single pedestal at its center. Resting on it was a large glass orb that seemed to glow faintly from within. The air itself felt… sacred. Like I’d just walked into a temple without realizing it. Nevlaan walked in ahead of me, completely at ease, then turned and motioned me over. He set a box down on the floor and nudged it toward me with a small, eager flick of his paw.

“Go on,” he said, a glint in his eyes. “Open it.”

I knelt down and did as he asked. Inside was fabric—light, delicate. When I lifted it out, I realized it was some kind of robe. Thin, almost weightless silk… with a veil attached.

“Nev…” I looked up at him, unsure. “Is this what I think it is?”

“It’s a ceremonial robe,” he said, sounding almost proud. “It’s what our chosen human wears for the soul-link ritual.”

I stared at it, then back at him. “This looks like a wedding veil.”

He tilted his head, curious. “What’s a ‘wedding’?”

I hesitated, trying to find the right words. “It’s… when two people in love unite.”

Nevlaan’s expression softened instantly, and then—of course—he smiled.

“Hehe… then yes. That’s exactly what this is.”

“Wait—what?” My heart skipped. “Nev…!”

His ears flicked slightly, and he leaned in just a bit, voice gentler now. “You don’t want to?”

“It’s not that!” I said quickly. “I just… didn’t expect it to really be that. So—what do we do?”

He perked up again, that playful energy slipping right back in. “Simple. You put it on, I cast the binding spell… and then we’re united.”

I swallowed. “And then?”

He grinned—a definitely naughty grin—and his tail gave an excited thump behind him.

“Then we go home,” he said. “And we mate. Over and over again.”

I froze. My heart jumped straight into my throat. The last time we’d been that close, I thought I was going to pass out. Could I even survive that again? Fuck yeah. I was absolutely going to try. I took a steadying breath, then removed my clothes and carefully slipped into the robe. The fabric clung to me perfectly—soft, smooth, just a little snug. Once it was on, I pulled the veil over my head and looked back at Nevlaan. His reaction was immediate. His tail thumped against the ground again, faster this time, and he let out a pleased little sound.

“Does it look okay?” I asked.

“Perfect, love,” he said warmly. “Now come—stand in front of the orb.”

I stepped forward, stopping at the pedestal. Nevlaan moved to the opposite side so we were facing each other, the orb between us.

“Reach out,” he instructed softly.

I placed my hand against the surface of the orb. He mirrored me, pressing his paw against it. For a moment, everything was still. Then he began to chant. I couldn’t understand a single word he was saying—but I felt it all, like my soul understood it. The room responded instantly. Symbols ignited across the walls, glowing with a soft, radiant light. The air grew warmer, and faint blue wisps drifted around us like living energy. A deep calm settled over me. For a split second, something strange happened—I felt… not just myself. It was like I could feel him, too. Like I was inside Nevlaan’s body and my own at the same time. Was I imagining it? The orb suddenly flared with brilliant white light. Nevlaan let out a deep, strained groan, and a powerful force washed over me. My body grew heavy—so heavy I couldn’t stand anymore.

I started to collapse, but Nevlaan caught me instantly. He pulled me close, holding me securely, and our eyes met. There was something different in his gaze now—something deeper. Before I could say anything, he leaned in and kissed me. “My sweet love,” he murmured softly. “Now no one can stand against my will… and you’ll always have my love and protection. Even in the waking world.”

My chest tightened, overwhelmed by everything I was feeling.

“Nev…” I whispered, my voice barely steady. “I love you so much.”

I barely had time to return the kiss before I woke up in the waking world, my heart pounding. I felt a lingering feeling of intense peace. I felt calm. I felt... loved.

Part VII: Two souls

The next night, I woke up in Nevlaan’s bed, curled against his side. It was the first time this had ever happened, and the moment I opened my eyes, a rush of warmth flooded through me. His body was so solid and reassuring, radiating gentle heat that seemed to seep straight into my bones. Without thinking, I pressed closer, nestling my face against his chest. He stirred, then pulled me in tighter, one strong arm wrapping around my back as he leaned down and gently nibbled my ear.

“I hope you end up always appearing next to me like that,” he murmured, his voice still husky with sleep.

A soft laugh escaped me. “Heh, I hope so too, Nev. How are things?”

He sighed, his breath warm against my hair. “I had one heck of a day. Turns out, you were right. Something did happen in the waking world.”

“Really?” I lifted my head to look at him, suddenly more awake.

“Yup.” His fingers traced lazy circles on my back as he spoke. “When I woke up, my dad was already there, and he looked a little upset. Remember the orb? Well, it was still glowing faintly when the morning shift came on duty. The guard’s sensor picked up the residual energy and beeped. When he went in to check, he saw the orb pulsing with leftover magic.”

“Oops,” I said, wincing.

“Yeah. Thing is… they were able to identify it as mine.”

“Shit. For real?” My stomach tightened. “It’s like DNA or something?”

“Correct,” Nevlaan replied, his tone calm but serious. “Their sensors have a stored sample of each of our unique resonance signatures.”

“Great, so it’s basically a magical fingerprint,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Why didn’t you think about that?”

“I didn’t think it mattered!” he protested lightly, though I could hear the regret in his voice. “I had no idea the orb would still be giving off residual energy like that.”

I sighed, resting my chin on his chest so I could watch his face. “I see… Did you get in trouble?”

“Dad is dealing with it for now,” he said, his expression turning more solemn. “But it looks like I’m going to have to go through the triad as punishment for bypassing the rules.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a kind of special challenge course designed for mages,” he explained. “If I pass, I’ll get the chance to become levyataan, and no one—not even the council members—will be able to challenge it.”

I swallowed hard, my heart picking up speed. “And if you fail…?”

He hesitated for just a second. “I could get exiled to one of the remote colonies.”

“Fuck! That’s a big deal, Nev.”

“I know…” His hand slid up to cup the back of my neck, thumb brushing gently over my skin. “But somehow I feel confident. I feel this renewed energy inside me, like everything is sharper now.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. “I know what you mean…”

“Oh?” His golden eyes sparkled with curiosity as he tilted his head. “How so?”

I grinned, suddenly feeling a little shy and bold at the same time. “I woke up with the biggest case of morning wood I’ve ever had…”

Nevlaan let out a bright, delighted giggle that vibrated through his chest and into mine. The sound made something warm and happy bloom in my stomach.

“Well, I can relate,” he said, his voice dropping into a playful, velvety tone. “You know, bonding is a very good way to build up energy and increase focus.”

“Is that right?” I teased, raising an eyebrow. “Is that a request from sea dragon royalty?”

“Nope.” His grin turned wicked as he rolled us slightly so he was looming over me, eyes locked on mine. “It’s an order, my precious little love.”

Nevlaan moved and a second later, my face was being smothered in his claspers, leaking clear fluid, his musk and pheromones lighting my already titillated senses on fire. He didn’t need to ask before I gave each other I deep, slow tonguing. I got a loud inhale and squeal as a response, which encouraged me. This time, I was fully into it and enjoying every second. The taste of his claspers was incredible, slightly salty, not as musky as I would have figured, and with a very smooth and pleasant texture. I reached over and used my hands to stroke and tease both claspers at once, which got some rather intense squirming from him.

“Be gentle! Claspers are way more sensitive!”

“That so? Thanks for letting me know.”

I deepened my strokes, my hand moving with more purpose along his claspers. Nevlaan responded immediately, his powerful body squirming beneath me as soft, high-pitched chittering sounds escaped his throat. He was clearly fighting hard to hold back, every muscle tense as he tried to delay his climax. To be fair, I was already ridiculously worked up myself, my own arousal throbbing almost painfully. As I continued, I caught a better glimpse between his claspers. There it was — a slick, slightly parted slit nestled between the two muscular, shark-like claspers. That made three slits in total down there. I already knew the lowest one was his vent, the soft, feminine opening I’d explored before, and the one just behind it was his anal slit. But this middle one… what the hell was this?

Curiosity got the better of me again. I kept stroking his claspers gently, coaxing more pleasure from him and making him writhe uncontrollably against me. Slowly, discreetly, I spread the firm, ridged claspers wider and leaned in closer. A new, intensely musky scent drifted up from the slit — deeper and richer than anything I’d smelled from him before.

Nev’s an alien… what if there’s some weird shit in there? The thought flashed through my mind. Tentacles? Teeth? Some horror-movie nightmare? I nearly pulled my hand back in hesitation.

Before I could, Nevlaan let out a playful, trilling chitter and looked down at me with sparkling golden eyes.

“Found something you like, love?” he teased, voice husky.

“Um… maybe?” I swallowed hard. “What’s in there, Nev?”

“Dig in and you’ll see.”

He giggled, then hissed playfully, grinning at me like he was daring me to reach into a dark mystery box. Heart pounding, I hesitantly pried the slick walls of the slit apart. A powerful wave of musk hit me instantly — thick, briny, with sharp citrus notes and something else I still can’t quite describe. It reminded me oddly of cooked salmon: deeply fishy, but somehow incredibly enticing and mouth-watering instead of off-putting.

As I pushed my hand deeper, warm, slippery, slimy fluid coated my fingers and palm. I shuddered, a flicker of unease running through me, and started to pull back — when something suddenly grabbed my hand with surprising strength and dragged it further inside.

It wrapped firmly around my fingers, smooth yet powerful, pulsing with heat. My eyes widened. No way… is that what I think it is? I’d spent way too much time looking up orca anatomy out of pure fascination, so the realization hit me hard.

I looked up at Nevlaan. He was grinning widely, clearly enjoying my reaction.

“What? Is something the matter?” he asked innocently, though his tone was pure mischief. “The look on your face is like you just got caught by a predator.”

“Very funny, smart ass!” I shot back, breathless. “Nev… is that what I think it is?”

“Maybe,” he purred. “You’ll have to work for your prize, love.”

I couldn’t even form a reply. My face was burning, probably beet red, and breathing felt impossible. Nevlaan wasn’t helping. More insistent tugging pulled my hand deeper, and I moaned despite myself. He answered with a low, rumbling growl that vibrated through his chest.

“Oh, so now you moan for me?” he teased.

“Goddammit, Nev…! Y-You’re such a tease,” I gasped. “Please let me see…”

“Murr!” He made a deep, satisfied sound. “Well, I can’t resist if you ask it like that, now can I?”

Nevlaan shifted his hips and rolled them slowly, finally releasing my hand. I pulled it free quickly, and without even thinking, brought my slick fingers to my mouth and licked them clean. The taste exploded across my tongue — rich, salty-sweet, musky. A deep shudder ran through me and another involuntary moan slipped out. I felt completely dazed, like I’d just taken the strongest hit of some alien drug.

It only got more intense.

The tip of Nevlaan’s cock slowly emerged from the middle slit, pushing the muscular shark-like claspers apart as it slid free. It was a beautiful, smooth, tapered shaft — stark white with subtle bluish shading along the ridges, clearly blending orca and dragon traits. As more of it emerged, the air grew thicker with his musk, heavy with pheromones that made my head spin and my body throb with need.

“My god… Nev, you’re like an orca!” I breathed, eyes locked on it.

“Oh?” He sounded pleased, voice low and rumbling. “Does this please you? My species are an amalgam of several oceanic predators, after all — dragon, orca, shark.”

“Hell yes!”

I could barely move as the full length continued to slide out. He was massive. His claspers were already impressive, but his cock was on another level — long, thick, and powerfully tapered like a real orca’s, easily the size of one. It swayed gently in front of me, the tip flaring slightly, clear fluid beading and dripping from the slit at the end.

Nevlaan chuckled softly at my stunned reaction. “I know it’s a little large for you, love. Sorry about that…”

“The fuck are you sorry about?” I said, still staring. “Just look at you… so incredibly sexy. So perfect. Claspers, that hot female slit, and now this? It’s so beautiful… so male!”

I didn’t realize how much my rambling was affecting him until I saw the deep flush spreading across his scaled cheeks and neck. He reached down, gently grabbing my hands and guiding them to his cock. At the base, he was thicker than my arm. I slid my palms along the smooth, ridged shaft, feeling it throb powerfully under my touch. The linking ceremony must have been letting him feel my pleasure too, because he shivered violently, clearly fighting the urge to thrust or kick.

We were both moaning now, the sounds feeding off each other in a shared wave of ecstasy. I stroked him slowly, savoring every pulse and twitch, watching the tip flare more as he grew closer.

“Love! Your touch…!” he groaned. “If I could, I would make you take it!”

“If I could, I would!” I replied without thinking. “Don’t you have some kind of growth spell or something?”

“Had I one, I would have used it already, mister!”

“Well… honestly, I like you much bigger than me…”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. Nevlaan’s grin turned wicked. He craned his long neck down toward me and growled playfully, the sound vibrating through both our bodies.

“Is that so? You’re into size difference?”

“Y-Yeah…” I admitted, voice shaky. “You’re my big sea dragon guardian, after all.”

“Kinky little human…” he rumbled, eyes gleaming with heat. “Keep it up and I will make you scream in pleasure!”

“I dare you!”

That was either an unbelievably bad idea or an incredibly good one, depending on how you looked at it.

Nevlaan’s growl deepened into something primal and rumbling, a mix of dragon and orca that vibrated straight through my bones. He hissed sharply, his powerful body shaking with barely contained need as his clawed hands grabbed me. In one smooth, effortless motion, he flipped me onto my belly on the soft bedding. The weight of his massive form pressed down behind me, and I felt the searing heat of his thick, tapered orca-like cock grinding along my back and ass. The sheer size of it made me tremble with a dizzying mix of need and overwhelming pleasure.

I moaned loudly, pushing back against him, silently begging for more. He took the invitation. His heavy shaft dragged down my body with deliberate pressure, smearing thick layers of his intense, briny musk all over my skin like he was marking his territory. The scent was overwhelming — deep oceanic musk mixed with that strange citrus-sweet undertone that made my head spin. My own cock was painfully hard by now, trapped between my body and the sheets, throbbing with every grind until the pleasure bordered on pain.

Then Nevlaan suddenly tensed. A deep, thunderous roar tore from his throat — half dragon roar, half orca call — and I felt the first powerful, high-pressure streams of his hot seed erupt across my back and shoulders. He kept coming in thick, forceful jets, practically bathing me in it. The heat, the sheer volume, and the overwhelming musk pushed me over the edge. I arched hard, screaming into the bedding as my own orgasm crashed through me, spilling messily across his sheets.

The suddenness of my cry must have startled him.

“Love! Everything alright?” he asked, voice laced with concern even as he panted heavily.

“And then some…” I gasped, still shaking. “Holy shit, Nev… I didn’t think I could cum that hard!”

“Hehe!”

“Also… you spray so damn hard.”

“Meep! S-Sorry!” He sounded genuinely sheepish, his shark-like claspers twitching. “That’s why I couldn’t let you take it inside. I could have hurt you.”

“Don’t worry,” I murmured, still catching my breath. “That was more than enough. You’re so sweet… I love you.”

“I love you too, Jon.”

Nevlaan gently lifted me into his arms and began cleaning up the mess with surprising tenderness. His long, warm tongue — slightly rough like a dragon’s but slick like an orca’s — glided over my skin, licking away every trace of our combined releases. I squirmed and moaned helplessly under the attention, the sensation sending aftershocks through me. He giggled and murred softly the whole time, clearly enjoying himself. We finally settled down, wrapped tightly in each other’s arms. I thought we’d drift off to sleep like this, safe and sated. But Nevlaan clearly had other plans.

“So, do you know what happens now?” he asked, a mischievous lilt in his voice.

“We drift back to sleep and wake up in the waking world wanting more?” I chuckled at my own lame joke.

“We could,” he replied, “but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun…”

“Okay, you’re worrying me, Nev.”

“Aww, you doubt me, love?”

“No, it’s the complete opposite,” I said, smiling despite myself. “I’m just wondering what devious things you’re plotting this time.”

“Well, I’ll tell you one thing,” he purred, “you’ll sleep well the rest of the night!”

I didn’t even have time to respond before his strong arms grabbed me again. In the next heartbeat, he was guiding me downward, pressing me firmly between his powerful, muscular shark-like claspers and straight toward his still-slick male slit. His massive white cock had already retreated back into its warm, wet sheath, and it looked like I was about to join it.

“What?? Hey, Nev!” I yelped, eyes wide.

“Don’t worry,” he soothed, voice playful but reassuring. “There’s enough air in there, and you’ll be safe and warm. You’ll smell like me… so no one else can claim you.”

“NEV…!”

Too late. He was already shoving me inside and from one second to the next, I felt this deep warmth wash over me. This warm fluid coated my naked body and I found myself in a very tight space, forced to snuggle between his cock and his slit’s wall. Honestly, it was the best place I could think of. We shared more intimacy than any human couple can claim, and that enough was enough for me. He curled up and I quickly fell asleep, feeling completely fulfilled.

The next day, the events that would unfold would change our relationship forever…

Part VIII: Metempsychosis?

The next night, I woke up in the dreamstate as usual, but what I found was quite different. I was once again in Nevlaan’s room but he was wearing some kind of pendant with an ornate design on it. He explained to me that this was his own levyataan crest, which was passed on to him by his father the day before. It seemed I had missed quite a bit. He went on and explained to me how when he woke up, he had to go to some kind of training grounds where they have these gladiator-like “games” for mages. I say games, but one can very much hurt themselves in them, or worse. Nevlaan however, did quite well. His water elemental craft carried him well through his trials and much to the dismay of many, his handle on lightning, which was still quite primitive at the time, ended up saved his bacon once when he was surrounded by drones that were trying to fry his ass by shooting lumps of acid fireballs at him. He growled at them and in an instant, electric current shot out of his catalyst and zapped all of the drones. I was impressed, but not surprised. I had full faith in him, somehow. I felt it deep inside me that it would turn out like that. My biggest question remained, however: why was this design around his neck so familiar to me?

My question was answered when Nevlaan said he spoke his healer and teacher, Maliana, who was also his mentor. It turns out she was, on her own time, doing research about what was happening between us. Nevlaan said the dragoness told him that we were related. Linked, not by blood, but to a much deeper level. Our relationship transcends time and space. We lived in a completely different time, in a completely different place and likely in a completely different dimension. Maliana told him that our meeting was no coincidence, and that I was “special”. I have a power that is incredibly rare: the power of metempsychosis. The power to regress, to explore past lives, past incarnations and to travel the lines of the Swedenborgian map to alternate planes in my sleep.

All of it sounded like crazy talk. It went above my head at the time and I passed it off as more new age pish posh.

That is… until the dreamstate began to shift again…

To be continued...