Everything was in clear focus.

[i]Everything.[/i]

The sun's rays, shining down on each participant, casting deep shadows along the grounds and walls. The slight breeze, passing through the pillars of the magnificent colosseum she had been instructed to stay. The ambiance of the afternoon day, of the other participants surrounding her. Pale, washed down eyes remained obscured behind dark, closed lids; her chest rose and fell with each deep breath she took; her white-knuckled grip grasped tightly to the leather handle of her longsword; her toes flexed in and out within her deep brown boots. Her focus was completely stolen by the event that was inching it's way towards her, the event that would truly prove of the authenticity of this calling she had been summoned to. Being who she was, working with what she once worked with, gaining the skill she now had, would surely aid her in this process. Being a mercenary isn't a petty job - you need certain attributes in order to survive, you must have the ability to adapt and thrive in a variety of situations. Reina couldn't say that she was completely prepared for this important ritual, an understandable assumption, seeing how she had never once performed a bonding ceremony with any age or type of dragon - but she gathered herself up and pinpointed her main strengths nonetheless. Whatever she had, she'd use.

Her fingers flexed, opening and closing on her sword. Her expression was etched with subtle anxiety, concentrated seriousness, and complete control over herself. Her silence was encouraging. Her aura projected around her, the immersion she held in her mind. The young woman was no professional in the field of dragons - not by a long shot. She knew the basics, main breeds, various abilities, etcetera. In fact, she didn't even know that you [i]could[/i] bond with a dragon, soul-to-soul, an unbreakable contract. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. The fact alone was extremely interesting, yet also very worrying. How did this selection work? Did the humans select the dragons, or the dragons the humans? She couldn't be sure, and it frustrated her. Her brown smoothed out as her concentration calmed her back down. She shouldn't be stressing about that. She should only prepare herself for the most vigorous event possible. If it was less than that, fine; she'd adjust. If it [i]was[/i] that, then she'd be ready for it.

She heard the disrupting sound of beating wings in the sky. Her eyes opened. The usual dark paleness was brightened with focus. Her grasp on her sword became tighter. Her muscles tensed. Her head tilted up towards the skies, and she felt a small note of surprise when she laid eyes on the flying figure among the light blue of the skies. She quickly recovered from it, though, her raised eyebrows etching back into her expression of readiness. She observed the figure release a pillar of darkness into the sky, a pillar of flame that resembled the deepest of pitch blacks in color, yet did not hold the gooey texture pitch attained, an odd sight for her to examine. The figure remained there momentarily before turning itself downwards and folding in it's massive wings for a small dive, causing one of Reina's feet to step back in a natural battle stance, torso twisting and gaze locking on to the figure of night.
It stopped just a little ways above the ground, the power of it's wings causing a draft to gust down onto the competitors with each beat, a faint shadow looming over the area, unsettled dust rising. She squinted towards it, seeing a silhouette of a man atop the dragon, and listening closely when she heard him call down to each person waiting on the dirt-covered ground in a booming tone, signaling for the soon-to-be-trainers to be prepared for the onslaught of dragons now coming forward. Her eyes widened. Her body tensed further. Her head suddenly snapped back down, her gaze quickly sweeping the colosseum walls. The grip on her sword tightened to the point she thought her knuckles may crack from the pressure.
She heard something creak, a groan of wood. All of her thoughts were swept from her mind and replaced with instinct as she spun around to find a wooden door being opened.

She never could have prepared herself for what came forth from it. Not without seeing it before.

The young woman stepped back and gasped when a sudden flood of colors and gusts of wind bursted out from the doors. Dragons of all sizes and colors soared forth from the wooden door and flew skyward, making her head tilt up in a powerful wave of shock. Something like shock was so uncommon for her to feel, so this must have been incredibly surprising to have affected even Reinalyn so potently. She was entranced. Her focus had momentarily been broken by the grace and magnificence of these creatures who were supposed to be myth, who she had been told held so much intelligence, who were living legends among men . . .
It was when she saw dragons shooting flames at the ground that she was pulled back into sharp focus, her breathing doing a stumble. Her heart quickened, rapidly pounding in her chest. What were they doing? Were they trying to kill the competitors? No, no, that'd be useless . . . this was a bonding ceremony. Why would the dragons be trained to kill if this was -

Her body completely froze when she suddenly felt heat surrounding her. Her head snapped towards the ground. She could already feel sweat forming, dripping down her face. Her legs coiled, as if preparing to spring forward. An orange glow seemed to wrap around her position, yet she couldn't bring herself to move. They didn't seem aimed at her. They'd have surely already hit her. No, no, it was a circular formation. The orange glow wrapped around her position, but did not touch her. Her mind was sprinting with her fast thoughts. Her breathing had stopped. The air was becoming hotter around her. Her eyes were darting around. She couldn't look up, she couldn't even move. Why couldn't she move? Why was her body so very stiff? She usually was never frozen the way she was now. Was this adrenaline coursing through her body, or was it fear? She couldn't distinguish it. It was usually so easy to pick out and label. Was it a mixture?

Her mind pulled itself from these rambling thoughts with a harsh scorn. [i]Stop thinking about something as useless as that. Get yourself back into gear.[/i] Her mind seemed to switch her motor controls back on, and she could suddenly feel her muscles loosen enough for her to be mobile again. The indistinguishable feeling continued to pump vigorously through her entire body. Even though she could move, she didn't. She had nowhere to go, for one thing. The orange flames, as she now distinguished, had surrounded her entirely, crackling upwards and radiating a glowing sort of heat that made her sweat even more, the precipitation now dripping from her face. Plus, she felt an urge within her gut to trust these creatures. It was apparent now that the dragon who had forged this flame was in no mood to set her on fire, so that gave her an inkling of trust towards the situation. Though her natural instincts screamed at her to get the hell out of there, she pushed them down, preparing herself. [i]No time to panic, Reina.[/i] Her chest pushed out and pulled in with a deep, steadying breath as she attempted to gain something from the air, which was growing hot and stuffy. She was preparing herself all over again, realizing that this was the worst-case situation she was being thrown into.
Her gaze tilted upwards slightly. She steadied her nerves.

[i]So this is why he said 'be brave'.[/i]

Not a moment after the thought had crossed through Reina's mind did she feel the beating gusts of wings above her.
She felt her motor functions malfunction once more as she froze, unable to move. The beating grew louder. Her hair whipped about with the force of the wind. All thoughts were cut out of her mind once more as it grew so close, she thought she might just be blown away. A shadow contrasted with the bright orange glow that emanated from the flames surrounding her position as she felt a tremor rock the ground, the dust of the ground rising slightly as she heard and felt one of the magnificent dragons land before her.
She felt a surge of fear.
Now she could properly distinguish the emotion - it had been fear. Or, at least, that's what it switched to now. This beast that was now standing in front of her could take her down with a single swipe, with a single blow, without any effort. Her eyes widened, trained on the dirt covered ground. The sweating became more potent. She felt herself become encompassed in an aura of power that the dragon gave off. She could barely find the will to look up, but did so, feeling it'd be far worse for her to keep her eyes on the ground rather than look the dragon in the eye, show it that she was ready for whatever it came to inflict.

And so, with a dry swallow, Reina allowed her head to slowly tilt upwards. Her eyes came upon massive feet, each holding dangerously long claws, and she hesitated. [i]No. No, don't stop. You can't stop. Keep going.[/i] She continued letting her head rise, scanning up the length of a muscled chest and shimmering scales of the brightest of oranges. Her head tilted up, her neck craning to reach the face of the beast. It's neck was long, and the dragon towered over her with it's glorious height. Her eyes finally achieved contact with the face of the dragon, and all too suddenly, the fear was taken out. It left no traces behind. 
It was replaced with awe. Complete, irrevocable awe.
It's many sets of horns seemed to provide a crowning rim to the closed, powerful jaws and glowing eyes of the dragon. The color of it's eyes was a green, a bright, piercing emerald green which shot straight through her gaze and struck her heart with a powerful emotion she could not name. It overwhelmed her. It poured a new sense of strength through her limbs. It washed away the stress, the fear, of what this ritual had to bring, and replaced it with a sudden knowledge and fluidity that she only could have ever imagined to gain. Her tense body slackened and loosened, and the readied grip on her sword fell. She knew, she truly knew, that there would be no need for it in this. She found a sense of understanding that this dragon had a sure sense of intelligence, of knowledge, in it's actions. This was not a brutish, blood-seeking creature. It was a creature which held something that she never could have thought to exist in another living, breathing, mortal being.
She suddenly knew what she had to do.
Reina blinked. Her stance slowly rose from it's crouch. She stood herself taller, rose from her defensive stance carefully, her expression melting from awed to knowing. Her hands fell to her sides, balling into loose fists. There was no need to fear. No need to fight. The dragon acknowledged her shift in atmosphere, and breathed in and out a rumbling breath, his crowned head beginning to descend to her own eye level. She did not flinch or tense, though; this new piece that had filled her mind would make sure that she no longer felt complete fear in this glowing orange dragon's presence.

The emerald eyes were closer to her own washed-out blue. She stared into them, as the dragon stared into hers. Silence filled her area, with the exception of the dragon's quiet, rumbling breath and the crackling of flames surrounding them. She was immersed within this encompassing moment with this dragon. It was so completely intriguing to be in the presence of such a powerful and knowledgable being.
She was pulled from her entrancement when she heard something enter her mind - only to become completely entranced once more. A voice spoke to her without the dragon's mouth opening. It was a deep voice, a warm voice, yet a voice that resonated power and the heat it's very body gave off alongside it. It occupied every nook and cranny of her thought process as she listened to the words it spoke, and listened closely:

[i][b]What is your title, damsel of furs?[/b][/i]

[i]Damsel of furs.[/i] He must have been referring to the furs she wore alongside her armor. Reina did a slow blink, taking a beat of silence, allowing the dragon's powerful presence to saturate her mind and enter into her thoughts without hesitation. Reina's figure rose to be taller as she responded verbally, her tone of voice filled with respectful seriousness, but a sense of courage along with it:

". . . Reinalyn Velovins. Reaper of unwanted souls."

The dragon's eyes of emerald flared, filling Reina with a new emotion she once more could not correctly place. The dragon's deep tone rumbled in her mind once more, now edged with apparent curiosity, [b][i]Reinalyn Velovins[/i][/b]. The dragon's head rose. She felt the ground start to tremble as the dragon began a slow tread around Reina, the emerald gaze scanning up and down her body as he circled her with the same curiosity. [b][i]Reaper of unwanted souls . . . such a title suggests you have taken away lives, Renlalyn Velovins.[/b][/i] The dragon came to a stop, it's neck curved and it's body of soft, glowing orange now curled around, surrounding Reina. It seemed to give off a light glow of heat, which matched with it's warm color of scales. She had stopped sweating from nervousness, now simply sweating slightly from the heat.
The dragon did a breath through it's nostrils, creating an airy sound and having a puff of either steam or light smoke come out with it. The dragon then asked within her mind, staring into her eyes as if he could see the most scattered parts of her scarred heart, [b][i]What could you be? A soldier? A villian?[/i][/b]
Reina felt herself stiffen as she tried to forge a response to that question. She couldn't lie. It was impossible for her to lie and get away with it, with the wiseness this dragon seemed to hold. She forged a sentence in her mind that would work, and took a deep breath as she responded in a more solemn manner, "Neither. I was given rewards to kill others who deserved to be."
The silence that ensued after this made her feel intrigued about the thoughtfulness of the dragon. It continued staring at her, it's eyes seeming to narrow a tad. The dragon's voice was more calculating, expectant, as it spoke again, [b][i]Rewards.[/i][/b] The dragon moved from around her, returning to a straightened position and allowing it's head to rise back up to it's tall height.
[i][b]What use would you have for these rewards?[/b][/i]

Another calculating question. It was far more meaningful than any of the other questions he had asked of her, as if there was something deeper to it that he was counting on hearing, and she already had a response rolling off of her tongue before she could realize she had it, "To save someone I loved."
The dragon seemed to stop in it's tracks. He fell into a bought of consideration again as he stared down at Reina's small figure. The dragon spoke again, in a much more intrigued tone, asking her, [i][b] . . . Save a loved one? From what? Why take away the lives of others for such a meager purpose?[/b][/i]
Reina suddenly felt something she hadn't been expecting to feel in the presence of this dragon, or in the presence of any other creature, considering she didn't appear to hold any of the emotion within her - anger. [i]Meager purpose?[/i] The shift in her aura was apparent as her expression hardened, the previous fear completely gone at this point. She responded strongly, her voice holding her anger within it, "Saving my mother is no [i]meager purpose[/i]. She was the only family I knew and had."
The dragon was in silence for a moment, noticing her shift in atmosphere. It seemed to be thinking again, except there was an emotion in there that she found rather suspicious alongside the satisfaction of seeing such a surprised reaction. It lowered it's head further towards her as it spoke again, practically begging for her to retaliate in an angered manner once more, [i][b]Was she using you for her own gain? Perhaps simply manipulating you for her own greed-[/b][/i]

"[i]Never[/i]! My mother was sick, and I never even had the chance to save her!" The dragon's expression had become surprised when she suddenly interrupted him, a surprise that seemed to be melting into his own sense of fury that she had done so. But this didn't stop Reina from continuing in this rare moment of anger as the soft spot was prodded too much, "I became a killer [i]for her[/i], not for fame or fear, so don't [i]you[/i] or [i]anyone else[/i] ever tell me that it was for a sinful purpose!"
The dragon released a rumbling snarl as soon as she had finished her sudden and harsh retaliation, it's head descending and getting very, very close to her, taking a step or two forward warningly. But Reina did not move a muscle. The dragon's fangs were bared, eyes locked with hers. Though her instincts once again were screaming at her to run, and were coiling her body for her to bolt, she did not go an inch from her spot. Her burning gaze scorched right back through the piercing emerald one before her, and as the dragon realized that she wasn't going to move, the two reckoning forces suddenly came to a shuddering halt. Both human and dragon eyes widened. Everything came to the most derailing and unexpected stops as the emotion was finally recognized in the eyes of the bright orange dragon. The emotion of suffering, but purposeful suffering, noble suffering, that caused pain to every beat of her wounded heart. The pain that was all for a purpose, for a good purpose. For a selfless purpose. The dragon's expectations had been reached as he recognized these characteristics brewing within the eyes and heart of this young woman. His test of courage of the mind, his test of nobleness of the soul, had been fulfilled to the highest expectations.
And with this being completed, and his ultimate decision being made, the bond then began to form.
Mind connected to mind. The forces, human and dragon, clicked together in a way no other could ever truly click with Reina. It made the fire of rage burning in her die back down; soul intertwined with soul, memory with memory. It was surprising that the very physical body of the dragon wasn't meshing with the human. Everything transferred, and even the dragon seemed entranced in the memories brought into his mind, every hardship she had endured, every kill that had injured her soul. She felt the self-inflicted scars of her spirit be filled and closed by the growing warmth of the dragon's own spirit. She watched the memories of flight, of learning, of beauty come to her mind, and felt a portion of herself be filled. An empty part of her soul that she never realized was empty was filled with a closeness she had only ever felt when in the presence of her own mother, something that was so powerful that it pushed through her jadedness and brought tears to her eyes. The connection she received wasn't only a completely new, absolutely awe-inspiring feeling that was being so graciously provided.

It reminded her of her mother. It reminded her of her once happier, more beautiful life, of home.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as the bond forged a strong, surely ever-lasting grip, the emerald eyes of the dragon calming down, the sharing of a soul seeming to fill the dragon as well. She felt him. She felt what he did. She could hear his mind. It was a dazzling connection that was absolutely fascinating to her. It was all so overwhelming, and the feeling of home was the most potent of it all. She watched as the dragon leaned it's head forward and ever so gently nuzzled it's snout into her, the breathing of it's nose pulling at her loose clothing as it drew out her scent, speaking to her mentally in a tone that made the tears she always held in so often come flowing out all in that moment, [i][b]You . . . you risked your life for the one that you loved. You killed for them . . . and you stood up to a big creature like me without a flinch. There's a remarkable amount of bravery in you. Of selflessness.[/i][/b] The dragon's tone was fascinated, yet at the same time soft and true. The dragon's eyes of emerald closed as he spoke to her again in the depth that the bond was providing and honesty that she could never pass off as faked, [b][i]I am impressed, and honored, to be by your side, Reinalyn Velovins. I am Aestus, dragon of the sun, and I am proud to be your bonded partner.[/b][/i]
A long pause of silence ensued after that as Renia recovered from her overwhelmed state, and she then allowed her arms to rise up and rest gently on the snout of the dragon, Aestus. The tears were silent ones, but the emotion that hung between these two forces of bravery and fierceness was so potent, that even those in the surrounding area could feel it, but never as much as these two were experiencing it. Her cheek rested on his bright orange scales, whispering back mentally to him, [i]Thank you, Aestus.[/i]

She could never have forged a tone that could express her gratitude enough. It was remarkable how quickly her emotions had changed, all because of this bond she once found so unlikely to form. It was [i]unbelievable.[/i] She was sure she'd snap awake from some completely crazy dream, but hoped with all her might that she wouldn't. The young woman kept herself rested on the dragon who was once a complete stranger, but now the one creature who was the closest person she had ever, ever had in her life, on more than just a mortal connection - on a spiritual connection as well.