Adala could feel many emotions gripping her, embracing her mind. At first, anguish and pain. These were soon replaced by wondrous awe and contemplation. Then, lust and instinctive action. Finally the blue dragoness could feel an immense sense of passion throughout her psyche.

All these feelings; were they hers?

Adala could feel herself drifting through emotion after emotion, gripping her. She could remember Anthony making love to her, as well as the time they had spent together over the last week or so. She then remembered what had happened to Anthony, and awoke.

* * * * * * * * * *

Adala gasped as she swiftly sat up in bed. Her scales were moist with sweat and she was breathing heavily. Adala placed her head in her blue human-like hands, attempting to collect herself. After a brief moment, the dragoness viewed her surroundings. This was obviously not the cave she and Anthony had been occupying. It was furnished as a home would be, with a wardrobe and chest in the corner, as well as a fire pit in the center and wooden desk on the opposite wall. It was large enough to accommodate all of these items (about 60 feet by 70 feet) and still hold the bed she currently occupied, as well as the small sleeping pad in the corner of the room!

Adala lifted herself out of the bed and walked over to said sleeping pad, a rather large bulge lying dormant inside it. Adala neared the bag to see a large black dragon laying underneath its covers.

"Anthony...?" Adala silently said as she reached toward the dragon.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" called a nearby voice from behind Adala. The blue dragoness stopped and turned to see a leapordess standing at the entrance of the cave. The leapordess silently walked up to Adala, and knelt beside her next to Anthony. She placed a damp cloth she was carrying over the dragon's head as she knelt. Adala simply looked on; perplexed, to say the least.

"He looks even better when he's asleep, huh?" said the leopard as she looked back at Adala.

"...He?" stammered Adala as she looked back at the dragon.

"Yes, this is him" said the leoparess. Adala immediately looked back at the leopard, deeply confused about several things at the moment.

"How do you kno-" Adala began, she was quickly silenced as the leopard lifted a fur-covered finger to the dragoness' lips.

"All we be revealed in due time" the leopard quipped.

"So please, just bare with me for a little while" she finished. Kirie could feel a deep confusion begin to enclose her mind. Along with that confusion; a feeling of deep concern.

Kirie could feel her new iugum, the sharing of her own thoughts and emotions connected with the dragon's. Kirie grinned slightly as the dragoness looked back at her dormant lover. This new bond, this complex joining of fur's minds, it was wonderful to have it once more. Kirie stood and held out a paw to the kneeling dragoness.

"Come, there is much to explain" the leopardess said. Adala looked up at the leopardess with a blank stare. She looked back at Anthony one last time, and then took the feline's hand as she lifted herself off of the cave floor. Kirie smiled as she led her new 'sister' towards the outer reaches of the cave.

"By the way, my name is Kirie"

* * * * * * * * * *

Anthony' eyes flew open as he gasped. He sat up quickly and looked around. He was in a very dark cave, lying in a bed fully clothed in the jeans and t-shirt he had worn the first day on Gaia. He could see no discernible exit to the cave, it's visibility only about 6 feet due to its darkness. Within seconds, Anthony could hear a soft chuckle emanating from somewhere in the surrounding black.

"Feeling confused, aren't we?" Anthony could hear a baritone voice say with a loud, booming chuckle. The human turned to see a large anthropomorphic male stallion leave the darkness and stand at the end of the bed. Anthony sat, frozen in fear and confusion as the stallion's muzzle curled in to a grin.

"Wh-what? Who are you?" asked the human.

"Oh yea, I believe some explanations are in order. My name's Ardom." answered the stallion.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help you out" continued the large stallion as he sat down on the bed as the human sat confused.

"With what exactly?" asked Anthony, now not as afraid as he was.

"Well, how should I put this..." pondered Ardom out loud. Ardom contemplated how to reveal what Anthony had become to him in a subtle manner. Anthony himself sat in anticipation.

"You're going to become the next Archon."

* * * * * * * * * *

"The next what?" Adala asked of the leopard sitting across from her. The two fems had exited the cave and were now sitting atop the cliff that enclosed the entrance to Kirie's dwelling.

"Archon" repeated Kirie. Kirie sat next to Adala on the cliff. The leopard had waited for this day for ages, and she would make sure both of her new partners knew what their legacy was.

"It means 'ruler' in the ancient language" explained Kirie further.

"Ruler?" said the blue dragoness.

"Yes, he shall become the next ruler of Gaia" said Kirie.

"What!?"

* * * * * * * * * *

"You heard me" said the black stallion to the baffled human.

"Ho-Wh-WHAT THE HELL?!" yelled Anthony as he stood up in front of the stallion. The next ruler?!

"What do you mean?!" the human asked. Ardom looked up at Anthony and chuckled.

"What I mean is; you have been granted abilities you've never even dreamed of." replied Ardom with a grin. Anthony stood with an extremely confused look on his face. This made no sense what so ever. Here he was, in some pitch black cavern on some foreign planet listening to an anthropomorphic horse tell him he was going to be the ruler of said planet. Anthony simply stood there and looked at Ardom.

"You don't even realize what's going on as we speak, huh?" said Ardom.

"Will you please start making sense!" yelled Anthony.

"Adhaeresco" said Ardom with a wave of his hand. Instantly, Anthony's mouth closed tight, not enabling him to speak.

"Now will you just listen?!" Ardom yelled back at the stunned human. Anthony simply nodded quickly, he would not want to make this horse mad by yelling at him (as if he could now anyway).

"Ok then, sit down" said the stallion. Anthony did as commanded and sat beside Ardom on the bed.

"Now, do you know why there are no humans on Gaia?" asked Ardom. Anthony nodded at the question.

"Ah, Adala told you didn't she?" retorted Ardom. Anthony was startled to hear his new lover's name from the stallion. This surprise was detected by Ardom as Anthony instantly snapped to attention at the sound of her name.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you how I know about her later" assured Ardom. Anthony warily nodded his head to answer the question.

"Well, what if I told you there was a specific reason that The Order exterminated the humans?"

* * * * * * * * * *

"Wait, The Order feared the humans. Didn't they?" asked Adala.

"Yes, but not for the reasons you think." replied Kirie.

"There was a very distinct reason that the leaders of The Order feared humans" continued the leopard.

"It was because their warriors were powerful and they were one of the central powers in the Republic right?" asked the dragoness.

"Correct, but do you know why human warriors were so powerful?" asked the leopard. Adala shook her head slowly.

"It's because of a certain 'ability' humans posses" said Kirie.

"And what is that?" asked Adala, who was now intrigued. Kirie looked at Adala deeply.

"This is a secret that has been guarded for centuries by humans and The Order alike, you must swear never to reveal it to anyone." said the leopard with a stoic expression. Adala was taken aback at this unexpected request. It must be some secret, she thought.

"I swear" the dragoness replied after several moments of contemplation. Kirie nodded and looked into the distance as she spoke.

"Humans, have the ability to inherit the traits of any other race"

"They can be as strong as a bull, as fast as a cheetah, as graceful as a fox" the leopard explained. Adala sat dumbstruck. Suddenly, so many things made sense. That was why The Order destroyed the humans, they were more powerful than anyone could have imagined. The Order must have feared them immensely. Humans were the only race that could have opposed their uprising and control of Gaia. However, one thing didn't make sense to Adala.

"Wait, how do humans acquire the abilities of other races? Runes?" asked the dragoness. Kirie shook her head silently.

"Magic?" Adala asked again. Kirie shook her head again.

"Well then how?" Adala said, beginning to become frustrated.

"Sex"

* * * * * * * * * *

Anthony sat on the side of the bed with his mouth agape. Ardom had released his silence spell moments ago. The stallion had then told Anthony of his "ability" and its origin.

"You-you're kidding, right?" the human muttered.

"Heh, yea I was pretty weirded out when I heard about it too" said Ardom with a short laugh. Anthony looked away from the horse for a moment. He was slightly stunned by this revelation. Anthony then looked back at the horse.

"So, wait. When a human has sex with another race, that human gets the abilities of that race?" asked Anthony

"Bingo, but that's not all" Ardom answered. Anthony sat and listened intently.

"Regular humans just get stronger and faster, they don't really change much at all. However, Archons are extremely different" explained Ardom.

"H-how?" asked Anthony. Ardom looked back at the human beside him.

"Archons can change into whatever race they have intercourse with."

* * * * * * * * * *

"WHAT?!" Adala yelled as she stood up. That couldn't be possible! Even the best magicians in all of Gaia could not transform themselves into other races. The best anyone could muster were illusions that masked their appearance. How could it be plausible to completely change one's very being!

"You're lying! That can't be true!" the dragoness yelled, baffled.

"You saw it happen didn't you?" retorted Kirie calmly. Adala was instantly still. She recalled the experience with Anthony in the field. The image of him changing into a dragon etched into her mind. Adala sat back down next to Kirie quietly.

"So...that dragon really is...?" asked the dragoness.

"Yes, that was Anthony" replied the leopard.

"Is he?"

"He'll be fine"

"At the moment he should be talking to Ardom." continued Kirie.

"Who?" asked Adala

* * * * * * * * * *

"Who?" asked Anthony.

"Kirie, she's telling Adala everything I'm telling you now" Ardom answered. Anthony sat still for several moments, trying his best to comprehend what was going on. He looked up then, viewing his surroundings. He then turned to Ardom.

"Where are we anyway?" the human asked.

"Hmm? Oh, we're in your mind right now" answered Ardom calmly. Anthony's eyes widened as he looked back at Ardom. Before he could ask another question, Ardom spoke.

"Right now you're lying in a cave that Kirie brought you to. Adala is talking with her right now" said the stallion.

"On top of that you're currently a dragon, congrats on getting her to the sack!" he continued. Anthony sat with a surprised look on his face.

"One last thing before you wake up; take good care of Kirie would you?" asked Ardom. As he talked, Ardom seemed to be disappearing, becoming more and more transparent. Anthony sat on the bed and looked at the vanishing figure beside him in a sort of trance. Suddenly, he burst out of the trance just in time to ask Ardom one last question.

"Wait! How do you know all this?!" he pleaded. The almost invisible stallion laughed out loud.

"How do you think?" said Ardom.

"You're looking at the former Archon of Gaia!" he continued. Anthony sat on the bed as Ardom completely disappeared. He sat there in complete and utter disbelief at what was going on.

Where was he? What was going on? Was this real?

The human could then feel himself begin to drift, his mind coming back to normality. Suddenly, he could hear two voices. One he did not recognize, and one he couldn't ever forget.

* * * * * * * * * *

"A.....A-Adala?" said the dragon in a raspy tone of voice. Kirie and Adala were kneeling next to the sleeping mass of scales in the cave as he awoke. The dragon's eyelids opened to see two smiling faces. One was a gorgeous leopard who wore a stoic expression. The other, was a grateful sight for him: Adala.

"Welcome back..." said the smiling azure dragoness as a single tear rolled off of her muzzle.

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Well, that's all for this chapter. More things to come soon. Please leave feedback and comments. If anyone has questions or suggestions for the story, please leave them!