Winter. That time of year when everything just seems to... stop. Plants stop growing, the sun often stops shining, and the whole world just seems to be... blanketed in this fine, white snow. It's also a time when everyone seems to be kind of... gloomy, like they're in some kind of dark haze, waiting to see the light. Especially this year, since we got more snow than we had ever gotten in the past and had more days off from school than I can even recall. Needless to say, most people were eager for this winter to be over and done with. In fact, it seemed like everyone was just waiting for spring to come.

Everyone, that is.... except me. Because for some reason, I always loved the winter. For me, winter was always just a time to... relax, and not have to worry about anything. I know that may seem a bit odd, but that's always how it felt to me. With all of the holidays, snow, and even the occasional snow day, it always felt like the world was.... at peace whenever winter arrived. To me, winter felt calm, quiet, and peaceful, and that was just how I liked it.

Unfortunately, few people seemed to agree with me. "Ugh, I am so sick of this weather!" complained my friend Will as we were leaving school. "I wish it could just be over already!"

I smiled to myself. Unlike me, Will disliked cold weather, so it was only natural for him to be upset about how long this winter was. But that wasn't the only difference between us. In fact, quite a few people wondered why we were even friends with each other, since we were so different from each other. Will was outgoing, adventurous, and was pretty good at taking things as they came. He could also be a little reckless, but he was still a great person to be around. I, on the other hand, was quiet, reserved, and mostly kept to myself. I was never one for adventure, preferring to live a calm and simple life. "Personally, I'm enjoying this weather" I responded. "I don't know why, but.... it just makes me feel... safe, like I don't have to worry about anything."

Will grinned. "You always did like the feeling of safety, Andrew" he said. "I've never really been interested in playing on the safe side, though. I'd rather be out exploring, doing things that I've never done and going places I've never gone before. That's one reason I want this winter to end so badly, because I can't really do any of that very well if there's snow everywhere.

"Well... that's actually one of the reasons that I like the winter so much." I said. "No one really expects me to to get a job, or go out with anybody, or anything like that. I can just... focus on what I want to do, instead of what other people want from me." I sighed. "I wish I could be more like you, Will."

"More like me?" said Will "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're always willing to... get out there." I said. "You know, do something with your life. Nothing ever seems to faze you. I just... I wish I could get out of my comfort zone a bit more."

"Well... I might be able to help you" said Will. "Hey, why don't we get together and do something tomorrow? It might help you break away from your normal routine. Maybe I could even help you get out there some more."

I smiled. "That's a good idea" I said. "Anyway, I have to get home. I have a ton of homework to get through."

"Alright, then" said Will, turning to walk away. "See you tomorrow!"

I watched Will walk away, then turned to begin my own walk home. As I was walking, I began thinking about everything that I had done with my life. The truth was, I had never really put myself out there, or done anything really... noteworthy with myself. I tried to get involved with events or things around town, but nothing I did ever seemed to work out for me. I would mess something up, and then I would be back home, with nothing more than a sense of regret and guilt. I guess that I just... had trouble getting outside my comfort zone. For a while, I was wondering if anything would ever change for me.

Then I met Will. Will was one of the first people I met who I thought could... snap me out of my ways. I met him in one of my classes, during a partner project. I didn't really have anyone to work with, and at first, I thought I was going to have to do the project by myself. But then, Will showed up, offering to be my partner. I was never really sure what he saw in me- for all I knew, he could have just felt sorry for me- but I accepted his offer. And from that moment on, the two of us became pretty close friends. He introduced me to his friends, got me to do things that I probably wouldn't have done otherwise, and really helped me reach outside my comfort zone. I may still have a bit of trouble trying new challenges, but as long as Will is with me, I can normally get through them without too much trouble.

Anyway, as soon as I got home, I went straight to my room, closing the door behind me. I knew that If I wanted to finish the mountain of homework in front of me, I couldn't have any distractions. I tended to have a bit of trouble focusing at times, and I needed to have complete silence if I wanted to finish everything. It didn't help that I had decided to take pretty much all advanced classes this year, and I had gotten an unusually brutal amount of work today. Advanced academics were one of the few things that I figured I could handle, since I had gotten good grades and outperformed on most of my assignments in all of my previous years. It wasn't like other things I had trouble with, since it didn't involve having to work with other people. It was just me and my knowledge, ready to solve whatever my work threw at me.

After a few hours of nonstop work, I finally walked out of room, feeling satisfied. I had just completed another day of school and homework, and I was ready to take the rest of the evening off. However, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my cell phone ringing. I picked it up and, seeing that the caller was Will, quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Andrew" said Will. "So, you know how we wanted to get together this weekend? Well, I think I found something that we could do together."

"Yeah?" I said. "What is it?"

"Well" said Will "I was walking home from school, and.... I decided to take a different route, just to get some variety, you know? And... as I was walking home, I found something really cool!"

"Something... cool?" I said. "What was it?"

"Well... It's kind of hard to describe" replied Will "I kind of have to show you. That's why I called you up. I want you to come with me. I want you to see it."

"Er... okay" I said. "So... when do you want to meet?"

"Meet me outside my house at... around ten" answered Will. "Then I'll take you to the place. Okay?"

"Alright" I said. "See you then!" And I hung up.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early. I didn't normally get out of the house much, so I was pretty excited that I was going to be able to get together with Will. I was also curious as to what he was going to show me, and why he was being so secretive about it. At about quarter to ten, I put on my coat, hat, and gloves, and went out to meet Will at his house.

As I walked through the snow on the ground, I felt a sudden feeling of... peace. The snow on the ground seemed to make everything seem... quiet and peaceful, and the cold air just added to the chilling ambiance. I knew that a lot of people didn't like cold weather, but I just couldn't help but love it. I didn't know why, but I couldn't help but just feel... safe and secure whenever I went outside in the cold. I loved how calm everything was, and it made me feel calm, too.

Anyway, as soon as I got to Will's house, I eagerly knocked on his door. After a few seconds, he opened it, wearing only a shirt and a pair of jeans. "Geez... you're kind of early, aren't you?" he said.

I looked at my watch, and found that It was still five minutes to ten. "Sorry... I guess I was just a little eager to see you" I said. "I mean, that thing you wanted to show me."

Will smiled. "Come on, let's go" he said. And with that, we set off together.

As we were walking, though, I began to... think. I had been wondering something for a long time, and now... I had to know. "Um.... Will?" I said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure" replied Will, walking alongside me. "Ask away."

"Well... we're really different from each other, right?" I said. "I mean, we're practically like fire and ice, aren't we?"

"Fire and ice?" Will repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Well... you're always going out and doing things with yourself" I answered. "You're always really fiery and passionate, you know? But I'm not like that at all. I tend to be more cold and reserved... like ice. So... why exactly are we even friends?"

Immediately, Will stopped walking. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "Why wouldn't we be friends?"

"Well... remember that time when we first met?" I responded. "When you asked to be my partner on that project? You probably could have picked anyone in the whole class, and you ended up picking me. Why?"

Will just looked at me, a look of pure confusion. "What makes you think I could have picked anyone?" he asked.

Now I was the one who was confused. "Well.... you're popular, aren't you?" I said. "I mean, you have tons of friends.... and you knew a lot of people in that class...."

"...Not really" said Will, shaking his head. "I mean, sure, I knew those people, but.... not really well."

I just stared. "...What do you mean?" I asked.

Will sighed. "Look" he said, shaking his head. "Those people... I was friends with them, sure. But... not really good friends. I mean, they knew me, but there were other people in that class that they knew.... better. So naturally, they went with the people they knew better, and I was.... I was left alone." He sighed again. "That wasn't the first time that had happened. There were a lot of other times that I ended up working with someone that I didn't know at all."

I was shocked. Will had never seemed like someone who would have trouble finding friends to work with. The fact that the person who I had always thought thought of as this popular, outgoing social guy had trouble being friends with other people to work with was unbelievable to me. "So... you just chose me because there was no one else to work with?" I asked.

"Pretty much" said Will. "A lot of other times, I would end up working with people that I really didn't like. But... you were different. You always seemed to know what you were doing with... everything. You were smart, creative..... you were really fun to be around, basically. And.... I really respected you. I still do, actually."

"Really?" I said, still in shock. "You... respect me?"

Will smiled. "You think I would be friends with you if I didn't?" he asked. "I know that you always get down on yourself for not being more outgoing or anything like that. But the truth is, you don't need to be the most social person ever to be a good person. I can help you get out there more, if you want. But if I were you, I would just keep doing what you're doing right now. Okay?"

I smiled back. "Okay" I said.

A few minutes later, we arrived at what looked like a cliff of some kind. I stared over the edge, and was immediately taken by the view. Just beyond the edge was the ground below, covered in pure, white snow. Past that was a frozen lake, clear and still, as if it had never even been touched. Past the lake was a forest of trees, surrounded snow and creating a majestic combination of green and white. It was one of those breathtakingly gorgeous views that just made me forget about all of my problems, as if they never even existed.

I turned to Will. "This view is... amazing..." I said. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"

"This? Nah" said Will. "It's a great view, but it's not what I wanted to to show you. Come on!" Suddenly, he leaped over the edge of the cliff, sliding down the side into the area below. Once he reached the bottom, he looked back up at me expectantly. "Well? You coming?" he asked.

"Me? Um, okay" I said. Cautiously, I put one foot over the edge of the cliff. Once I found a good foothold, I moved my other foot over the edge. Then, I slowly worked my way down the cliff, using whatever I could for support. After a while, I finally managed to reach the bottom.

As I touched the ground, Will chuckled. "Wow... always the cautious type, aren't you?" he said.

I shrugged. "I guess so" I said. "So... where's this thing you wanted to show me?"

Will pointed at the lake. "It's over by the lake" he said. "You have to stand next to the lake to find it."

"Alright" I said, walking over to the lake. I looked it over, admiring how calm and clear it was. It stood absolutely still, completely frozen over, like a massive sheet of ice. I was beginning to feel colder just looking at it...

Wait... was it just me, or was the temperature dropping? It had been cold before, but now it felt like it was reaching temperatures that even I could just barely tolerate! I began frantically rubbing my arms and hands together, just trying to stay warm. But nothing I did seemed to be working; in fact, I only seemed to be getting colder and colder! Nothing I did seemed to be working, and not even my heavy coat and gloves seemed to be able to protect me from the cold! I began breathing heavily, my own breath becoming like a cloud of steam in front of my face.

I looked over at Will, who for some reason, seemed to be completely unaffected by the cold. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

"I... I don't know!" I cried. "Why... why am I so cold? What's happening to me?"

"Er... don't worry!" said Will. "I think that means that it's working!"

"What? What's working?" I yelled. "What are you talking about?" But the moment I said it, the cold seemed to just.... stop. I felt the air around me beginning to warm up, as if the cold spell had never happened. It was still pretty cold out, but in comparison to what I had just been through, it felt like I was sitting next to a fireplace! "What... happened?" I muttered to myself.

Will ran up to me. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Do you feel any... different?"

"Well..." I said, finding it to be a.... rather odd question. "My skin still feels frozen, but other than that, I feel perfectly norm- wait, what the...." One of my hands had happened to rub up against my wrist, and it didn't take me long to realize that something was... not right with it. Because it felt like there were..... three bony protrusions sticking out from the outside of my wrist. I quickly took off my glove, trying to figure out what was happening to me. But as soon as I saw my hand, my eyes quickly widened. Not only were the three protrusions there, but my entire hand seemed to be growing.... blue scales. Even more disturbing, my fingernails seemed to be lengthening and sharpening, growing into.... claws. I took off my other glove, only to find that the same thing was happening to my other hand, protrusions and all.

I simply stared at my hands, unable to believe what I was seeing. But when I looked back up at Will, I saw that he was.... smiling? "It IS working!" he said. "Just like I thought!"

I stared at him, completely shocked. Working? What was working? Was he insane? But as I stared at him, I noticed that strange things were beginning to happen to him, too. Something was wrong with his face, as it looked there was something.... growing out of it. In fact, it looked like his face was sprouting red and gold.... feathers? It wasn't just his face either, as it looked like they were beginning to spread to his hair as well. No.... his hair was literally turning into red and gold feathers! What was going on?

A ripping sound from my coat sleeves reminded me that I was still changing, too. Looking down at my arms, I watched in horror as two more bony protrusions emerged from my elbows. At the same time, the protrusions on my wrists began growing longer, until they were each over a foot long! To top it all off, some kind of.... leathery membrane was beginning to grow between all of the protrusions, including the ones on my elbows, filling in the spaces between them. As I watched, I realized that my arms were beginning to look like... no, they couldn't be.... could they?

My fears were confirmed by the next change: my arms becoming thinner, lighter, better suited for.... flying. "Wings...." I said, barely able to speak. "I... I have wings...."

"Don't worry" said Will, walking over to me. "You get used to it eventually." As he approached me, I got a good look at his no longer normal hands: Gray and bony, with long sharp fingernails that looked like a bird's talons. "You even get to fly, so that's pretty coo-"

"Stay away from me!" I yelled, backing away. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Had Will planned all of this? By now, the membrane had spread from my arms all the way down my sides, ripping apart both my shirt and my coat. I immediately tore off what remained of them, throwing them to the ground in frustration. But when I looked back down at my now exposed torso, I noticed that the same blue scales from my hands had started spreading across my upper body as well. As I watched them spread, I began to feel something... pushing against the back of my pants. The next thing I knew, my pants had burst open, and from them emerged a long, blue-scaled.... tail. "Oh... my God...." I said, reaching back to feel my new appendage. "Is... Is that..."

"Yep" said Will, who was still smiling. "That's a tail." His entire face was now covered in red and gold feathers, and his hair had changed to match them as well. But as I watched, something even more disturbing began: his mouth and nose began to fuse together, hardening and stretching out into... a beak. "You know," he said, seeming completely unfazed by the fact that he was talking through this new growth. "You kind of look like my brother when he's transformed. Only, his scales are red, not blue, and his wings aren't attached to his arms like yours are...."

But I was barely even listening to what he was saying. My eyes had wandered down to his feet, where it looked like even more changes were taking place. His feet definitely seemed to be growing larger, as it looked like his shoes were straining under some kind of unseen pressure. Sure enough, his feet soon bursted right through his shoes, quite a bit larger than they had been. Of course, they didn't look the least bit normal, either: each foot only had three toes, and each toe was gray, very long, and ended with a long sharp claw. As I looked on, I noticed that another toe seemed to be emerging from each of Will's heels, giving his feet the appearance of a bird's talons, similar to his hands.

Will must have noticed where I was looking, because he quickly looked at his feet as well. "Oh... whoops" he said sheepishly, picking up the remains of his shoes. "Guess I'll be buying myself a new pair when I get home...." He stopped when he noticed my shocked expression. "What? It happens. Speaking of which, it looks like that's exactly what's about to happen to you..."

"What?" Once again, I had been so shocked by Will's lack of concern about what was happening to him that I had forgotten about myself. I looked down to find that my pants, which had already been torn apart significantly from my tail growth, were now tearing even further, thanks to the fact that my legs now seemed to be growing larger, increasing in both size and muscle mass. At the same time, more blue scales began to crawl across my legs, making them look increasingly inhuman. But as I watched, I noticed something even worse: my shoes were beginning to bulge, just like Will's had. I immediately realized what was going to happen, but I was too late to do anything about it. Sure enough, my feet bursted right through my shoes, large and covered in blue scales. Not only that, but they only had three toes each, and each toe ended in a rather deadly-looking claw. I momentarily lost my balance, before re-positioning myself to stand on the balls of my new feet.

As I looked back at my legs, I noticed that my pants had been completely destroyed by the changes, leaving me without any clothes at all. Luckily, the transformation had progressed far enough that nothing too embarrassing was showing, but I still felt embarrassed. I looked back at Will, seeing that his clothing also seemed to be undergoing some stress. Both the back of his pants and the back of his shirt had ripped open, as more appendages emerged from his body. From the back of his pants emerged a large, red and gold feathered tail, and from his shirt emerged two large, red and gold feathered.... wings.

But as I watched, I noticed that something... strange was happening to his clothes. It looked like parts of them were.... catching on fire? I blinked a few times, making sure that I wasn't imagining things. Sure enough, I could clearly see flames spreading across his body, burning the rest of his clothes to ashes. Soon enough, the flames had spread across his entire body, covering him entirely. But even though I could barely get near the flames without feeling like I was being burned up, they didn't seem to harm Will at all. Then, suddenly, they vanished, leaving behind nothing more than the creature that Will had become.

Before I could even process what had happened, I began to feel... something odd happening to my skull. Quickly, I brought my hands up to my face, only to find that the blue scales had managed to spread to there as well. Not only that, but it felt like my face was... bulging out? I frantically felt the area, making sure I wasn't imagining anything. Sure enough, my face was definitely elongating, pushing out into what felt like a snout of some kind. My teeth also appeared to be changing, multiplying and growing into long, sharp fangs. As my hands traveled further up my head, I felt that hair falling out and two long, pointy horns growing in its place.

I looked back at Will, who, despite the fact that he had just been on fire a minute ago, still seemed completely unconcerned about what was happening. He was quite the sight: Covered in red and gold feathers, his wings and tail resting behind him, and, of course, his talon-like hands and feet. He looked like some kind of.... anthropomorphic bird. A phoenix, perhaps? "Ah...." he said, examining himself from top to bottom. "Feels good to be back in this body, doesn't it, Sol?"

Just as I was wondering how this could possibly get any weirder, I heard what sounded like... another voice. "It sure is, Will" the voice said. It sounded distinctly male, with a bit of a light, cocky-sounding tone to it. "It looks like your friend got through his transformation pretty well, too."

Now I was really scared. First I was seeing transformations, and now I was hearing voices? This was it: I was finally going crazy. There was no other explanation. Feeling beyond worried, I happened to glance behind me, noticing the frozen lake that I had seen upon first coming here. I quickly turned around, bending over to look at my face in the lake's reflection. What I saw scared me beyond words. My face was nothing more than a reptilian snout, with rows of sharp fangs, two long, sharp horns, and, of course, the same blue scales that had covered the rest of my body. I looked down at myself, seeing the claws, scales, wings, and tail, all now parts of my body. Seeing the monster that I had become. "Oh.... my.... God....." I said, more scared than I had ever been in my life. "I... I'm a monster...."

"That's a little insulting, kid..."

"Leave me alone!" I yelled, getting up quickly. Then I realized something: the voice that had spoken to me was yet another voice that I didn't recognize. Unlike the other voice, though, this voice sounded deep, stern, and tough. "Who... who said that?" I yelled.

"The name's Bryce, kid" said the voice. "I'm the spirit that's inside your body right now. That's why you can't see me. I'm also the reason you're currently inhabiting that wyvern body, instead of your normal human one."

"Nice to meet you, Bryce" said the other, lighter voice. "My name's Sol, and this is my partner, Will. He's actually pretty skilled with this body, to be honest. Not as skilled as I was, of course, but still...."

Will looked over at me, then laughed, seeing my bewildered expression. "You're pretty lost aren't you?" he said. "All right, then. Let me explain this from the beginning...."

One explanation later, I was still in complete disbelief. "So, let me get this straight" I said, still trying to piece together the big picture. "You're telling me that mythical creatures actually existed? And that they could use their spirits to manipulate things around them and give other people special abilities?

"Yep" said Will. "Though they prefer to be called 'mythics'. It makes thing a bit easier."

"And right now, they're using their spirits to fuse with other people and turn them into... whatever we are?" I continued. "And they're doing this so that we can fight this other mythic who apparently wants to take over the world or something like that?"

"Yep" said Will, nodding. "That's pretty much everything."

I just stared at him for a moment, taking in everything. "You're insane" I finally said.

Will's expression turned to confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"This whole thing. It's insane." I took a deep breath, an icy chill filling my mouth as I did. "I mean, you're seriously willing to go along with this? Some spirit turns you into a phoenix, and all of a sudden, you're just willing to drop everything to fight some evil that you know practically nothing about? An evil with control over an entire army of other mythics? Not only that, but you expect me to just go along with this and join your little army?"

"Um...." Will said, completely caught off guard by my rant. "Well.... yeah, kind of. I mean, isn't this what you wanted? To get out there a little more? To make a difference?"

I could hardly believe that he was trying to bring that into this. "Yeah, I meant trying to do a little good in the community!" I said, my anger rising. "You know, do something other than sit around at home all day! I didn't mean saving the entire freaking world!" I took another look at myself. "And I definitely didn't mean changing into..... whatever this thing I'm supposed to be is."

"Hey!" yelled Bryce. "Cool it with the insults, kid. You're a wyvern, by the way."

"Come on, Andrew" said Will. "You get used to it pretty quickly, trust me. And.... well, isn't it cool? I mean..." He brushed one of his hands against one of his wings, his claws running through the feathers. "You get to be something.... other than yourself. Something... powerful. Don't you like it?"

I took another look at myself. Will was right: I could feel the power all throughout my body, from my claws to my tail to my wings, but.... "You just don't get it, do you, Will" I said. "I don't want this power. I don't want to be able to turn into something else. I just want to be normal." I sighed. "Is that too much to ask?"

"Kid, come on" said Bryce. "Don't be like that. It's not that big a deal."

"Yeah, really" said Sol. "Just... chill out a little, okay?"

"Shut up!" I yelled. I wasn't sure why, but for some reason, I just felt so... angry. I could feel it raging through me, my fists clenching and my tail lashing back and forth. "Is this the only reason you brought me here?" I yelled at Will. "Is this the only reason that you even wanted to be friends with me? All so that you could get me into this army of yours?"

"What?" said Will. "No, of course not! I met you long before I got involved with this!"

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" I said. "After you tricked me into coming down here with you? I respected you, Will. I really did. But you're nothing more than a follower. You just go along with everyone else, and you expect everyone else to do the same. Well, I won't!" I turned away, spreading my wings. "I'm going back home. As soon as I get there, I'm separating from this spirit. The only reason I'm not doing it right now is because I don't have any clothes and I don't want to freeze to death." Just before taking off, I turned to Will again. "I'm done with you, Will. Forever."

"Wait!" yelled Will, but I was past the point of caring. As I flapped my wings, I felt myself lifting off the ground. It wasn't long before I was flying through the air, soaring across the cold winter sky.

"Alright, Bryce" I said. "This is what's going to happen. In a few minutes, We're going to arrive back at my house. As soon as we do, I want you to leave. Get out of my body, go and do... whatever. Just.... just leave, okay?

But Bryce seemed unimpressed. "And what exactly makes you so confident that I'm just going to do whatever you say?" he asked.

"Well.... you need people in order to fight this... evil mythic, right?" I said. "Personally, I think it would make a lot more sense to work with someone who actually wanted to fight than with someone who didn't. Right?"

Bryce sighed. "I guess so" he said. "It's quite the shame though, kid. You would have made a great addition to our team." After he said it, he made some kind of.... strange noise. It almost sounded like... a snicker? He also muttered something to himself, though I could barely make out the words. Something along the lines of "You'll be perfect...."

"Sorry" I said. "What did you just say?"

"What?" said Bryce, slightly startled. "I didn't say anything, kid. You sure you're okay?"

"Um.... yeah, sure" I said. "I guess my mind was just playing tricks on me."

A few minutes later, I was flying right above my house. "Remember our deal, Bryce" I said. "As soon as I land, you leave. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, kid" said Bryce. "Just land already, okay?"

I touched down into my yard, my claws sinking into the snow-covered ground. The moment I touched down, I felt the changes that had taken over my body begin to leave. The scales disappeared, the tail shrank back into my body, the claws were reduced down to normal fingernail and toenails, and the wings withered away as my arms returned to normal. I reached up to touch my head, finding that my snout was shrinking, my horns were disappearing, and my hair was growing back. Soon, I was nothing more than a normal, teenage boy, standing naked in my front yard.

Immediately feeling the bitter chill of the winter air, I quickly ran back to the house. I was glad that my parents were out, because explaining why I was naked probably wouldn't have been too pleasant. But as I walked inside, I noticed that most of my anger and rage had... melted away, leaving me with a sense of.... confusion. Why had I gotten so angry at Will? Why had I yelled at him like that, accused him of pretending to be my friend, and then abandoned him like that? I almost never lost my temper like that. But then, one last bit of anger left within me reminded me: he betrayed me. He deliberately led me down there and changed me, just so that he could use me in that stupid little army of his. All he ever did was use me, and for that, I could never forgive him.