There was something approaching the group from one of the tunnels, and soon it felt as though there were several beings approaching from several of the tunnels. Panicking, the twelve teens hid behind the thick roots and vines that grew in groups around the cave. When all were hidden, they watched from between the vines as their "stalkers" entered the room.
What entered the room surprised the group, but they were not as surprised as before. What entered the room were dragons, five of them, and upon closer examination of their scales, as well as their scales and spines, Kyle recognized that they were the same ones from his father's bedtime story: red with orange, blue with green, white with gold, yellow with tangerine, and purple with vermilion. Kyle also noticed that the purple one's scales and hair looked similar to the hair and scales that were back home in his desk--what was originally his dad's hair and dandruff. The teens' dads were connected with these dragons somehow, but what was that connection?
Watching the dragons, the group saw them gather around the gem, and suddenly were surprised to find that they could understand what they were saying: something about restoring their forms and how an effect hadn't lasted as long as they thought. What was going on?
The dragons then did something else: they began sending a bunch of beams and other things from their mouths and hands, and of them being sucked in by the gem, which began to glow brighter. Diana recognized that it indeed WAS like the story, and it took Kyle only five seconds from that to put two and two together. He knew that the dragons were trying to make a wish.
Kyle could not control himself any longer. He burst out of the vines and ran for the purple dragon. Several of the dragons took notice of this, and stopped what they were doing.
"Kyle, stop!" shouted Diana as she and the others began to come out. Kyle tackled the purple dragon, pulling him out of the circle before the two fell onto the cave floor.
"Kyle!" the dragon shouted. He had fallen on top of Kyle.
The dragon lifted his torso off of Kyle and moved it around him as the teens and the other dragons gathered around them. The dragons checked the purple one to see if he was okay, then looked over the teens to watch Kyle with them. Diana shook her brother slightly, and slowly Kyle came to. His eyes opened a crack, then a lot when he saw his sister, their friends, and five dragons looking down on him.
Then Kyle remembered something else: he had heard the dragon say his name before his friends rushed to him, and the dragon said his name as though he knew Kyle. Looking up into the eyes of the purple dragon, Kyle recognized them, and began to realize who he was looking at. But he wanted and needed to hear it with his own ears before he could believe it.
"Who are you?" Kyle asked the dragon, though really he was asking all five of them.
The purple dragon sighed and said, "Kyle..."