"Great. Then you'll like this," the old Wizard said, handing him a phial.
Jasper looked at it, amazed. It was very elaborate and its decorations very delicate. The top and the lid were set with intertwined Asian dragons and with a wyvern spreading its wings on top of the lid. The metal dragons were small yet detailed, exquisitely so. The glass revealed a liquid inside which was light pink with sky blue bubbles floating inside. Floating but never popping to the surface.
"It's beautiful," whispered Jasper.
He could not tear his gaze away from the phial, between its magnificent decorations and intriguing contents. It was all so enthralling...
"Of course," gently said the seller. "I know a connoisseur of your kind would appreciate such an object. Why not take a sip. Let's call this a free sample, shall we? Completely free of charge. And it tastes divine, I assure you. Like a fine wine with spices."
Jasper smiled in gratitude, his eyes still fixed upon this fascinating artefact.
"Jasper! What are you doing? We have to go! It's getting freaky!" said Shelly, grabbing her boyfriend's arm and trying to shake him, to rouse him out of his odd state that was not normal at all.
"Hush," calmly said the wizard, waving his hand and uttering a few words.
Instantly, Shelly found herself tried on the ground with ropes and with a gag muffling her panicked cries for help. All this went unnoticed by Jasper, under the deeply enthralling bewitchment of the phial he was still absorbed contemplating. He intense love for dragons only made the spell all the more powerful. The wizard spoke again in his ear, glad to being rid of that pesky other youngster that threatened his plan. He could deal with her later.
"You should try it. Just a sip, if that pleases you. It cannot hurt, right? It shall taste like hypocras, a delicacy already fancied by medieval dragons in tales, I assure you. I am sure you shall love it. A delight for the palate, you can be sure."
The voice of the man was so soothing, Jasper was without any willpower to resist his words and suggestions. The bottle was so pretty and the talk of dragons so utterly pleasant... Why, he would be a fool not obey the nice man's words! His passion for dragons unfortunately made him incredibly susceptible to said spell. For the wizard, it was all too easy, really. Yet not more so than a person fascinated with birds, goblins or horses would be with the same sort of potion catering to their own deep interest. The wizard felt lucky to have crossed path with this young man. He couldn't have hoped for a better subject! And he had thoughtfully brought another youngster along with him! So on cue, Jasper opened the lid and tasted the contents of the phial, unheeding of Shelly's muffled pleas and injunctions to stop. He licked his lips and emptied the rest. The nice man was right! It tasted delicious, like spiced wine!
"Thank you," he said to the seller. "You were right. It was really good!"
The wizard just smiled at him.
"My pleasure."
"I feel a bit weird, though..." said Jasper, clutching his head.
"Oh. This beverage can give you a slight buzz. You should just sit down. It'll pass momentarily."
Jasper slumped on the floor. His breathing deepened and slowed. His head was spinning a lot. He was thus unaware of his transformation. Scaled spread from different parts of his body, light blue and black upon his back. As if under a heavy sedative, Jasper was unaware of wings sprouting from his shoulder blades and a tail coming into existence from his lower backside. His bones altered themselves and his muscles changed. His face elongated and became a snout. Horns and spikes grew out of his skull, neck and spine. His pupils became slit and his eyes of a deep blue. Yet his eyes themselves were out of focus, as if his spirit was far, far away. And as he transformed into a dragon, something else occurred. He shrunk. His traits and features became rounder and softer. When at last the transformation halted, Jasper was a baby dragon the size of a labrador. He yawned and stared with slight curiosity at the man now towering over him. The wizard placed his fingertips to Jasper's forehead and said softly:
"You are tired. You must have a rest. Have a little rest and you will feel much, much better. I don't like to see you in that state."
The baby dragon closed his eyes at once and curled up into a ball, his breathing becoming deep and regular.
"What a beautiful specimen. I knew you'd be perfect the moment I laid eyes on you," murmured the wizard.
He then turned to a bewildered and stunned Shelly.
"Now, your turn," smiled the wizard. "What should you become?"
Shelly stared at him, absolutely mortified. The man's fingers were already shining with green sparks of pure, raw magic.