The morning mist lingered over the valley, a veil of silver drifting between the trees. For once, the world felt still — too still.
Eric stood atop the ancient watchtower overlooking the forest canopy, his eyes tracing the horizon where the mountains met the sky. Beside him, Seraphina adjusted the clasp of her dragon-forged armor, the soft gleam of obsidian catching the weak sunlight. She looked regal and untouchable — but Eric could see the exhaustion hidden behind her composed expression.
They had spent the last week preparing, waiting, watching. Rumors spread like wildfire among the survivors of the war: Drakonis had awakened.
At first, they dismissed it as fear-mongering, echoes of a dying enemy. But then came the sightings — dark silhouettes crossing the moon, villages reduced to ash, and the unmistakable roar that rolled through the night like thunder tearing the heavens apart.
It was no rumor.
Drakonis lived.
And he was coming.
Seraphina gripped the stone ledge, her claws faintly scraping against it. "He's moving faster than I expected," she murmured. "Drakonis won't rest until every traitor's blood stains the sky."
Eric glanced at her, the title "traitor" cutting deep even though it wasn't his to bear. "Then we'll have to make sure he never gets the chance."
She smiled faintly — but there was no warmth in it. "Spoken like someone who doesn't know what it means to fight a god."
Eric's fingers brushed the hilt of his sword — the same blade that had once been forged from dragonfire itself, reforged through his own resolve. "Then it's about time a god learned what it means to face a man who refuses to bow."
For a moment, the tension broke. The corner of her lips curved upward, the faintest ghost of pride flickering through her eyes. "You've grown… reckless," she said softly. "I think I like it."
Before he could reply, the wind shifted — sudden and cold, carrying with it a scent both familiar and horrifying: smoke and sulfur.
The air trembled.
A shadow fell over the valley.
Eric turned sharply toward the mountains — and his heart froze.
Far beyond the treeline, a colossal shape tore through the clouds: wings vast enough to eclipse the sun, scales burning like molten gold. The sky itself seemed to ignite around it.
"Drakonis," Seraphina whispered, her voice cracking with something between rage and despair. "He's here…"
Without another word, Eric sprinted down the tower stairs. "Sound the alarms!" he shouted. "Evacuate the lower camps! Get everyone underground!"
The fortress erupted in motion — warriors rushing to their stations, horns echoing through the forest like the cries of ancient beasts. The air shimmered with magic as defensive runes flared to life, forming barriers of light around the encampment.
Seraphina spread her wings, her true form beginning to surface. Her eyes burned crimson, and for the first time in months, her dragon aura surged freely, unrestrained. "I'll hold him off as long as I can," she said, her voice resonating with power. "You lead them to safety."
Eric caught her arm before she could take off. "No," he said firmly. "We do this together. We always do."
For a moment, she hesitated — the fire in her eyes meeting the steel in his. Then she nodded once, sharply. "Then stay close to me."
The next heartbeat shattered the world.
A deafening roar split the sky as Drakonis descended, his massive wings stirring storms, his breath a torrent of flame that devoured everything it touched. Trees turned to ash. Stone melted. The air itself screamed.
Seraphina shot into the sky, her own fire meeting his in a brilliant collision that turned the heavens into a battlefield of light and fury.
Dragons of Drakonis's legion followed — lesser wyrms clad in crimson scales, their roars echoing across the valley. The forest of Eldrath became a sea of chaos.
Eric led the vanguard from below, his blade slicing through waves of fire and shadow. The power Seraphina had shared with him pulsed through his veins, allowing him to move with speed and strength no mortal should possess. Yet every strike cost him; every swing burned his blood.
He fought not as a soldier — but as a man desperate to protect the one thing he refused to lose again.
Above, Seraphina faced her past incarnate.
Drakonis's voice boomed like thunder.
> "You would turn your flame against your own kin, Seraphina of the High Brood? Have you forgotten the oath of the bloodline?"
She answered with fire, her wings cutting through his flames, her sword — forged from her own essence — gleaming like a star.
> "I have not forgotten," she roared back, "I've outgrown it!"
The collision of their powers sent shockwaves across the land. Lightning crackled from their clashing fire, tearing the clouds apart. Each strike felt like the wrath of creation itself.
From below, Eric could barely look at them. The sky burned with gold and crimson, a storm of destruction so vast it made him feel small, human — and yet utterly certain of his place.
He found her silhouette amid the inferno — and even as the heavens crumbled, she was beautiful. Terrifying. Infinite.
He didn't see a dragon.
He saw Seraphina.
And that gave him strength.
As the battle raged on, he fought his way through Drakonis's soldiers, using every ounce of power left within him. Around him, the defenders of Eldrath fell one by one, but none retreated. They followed his voice — not as their leader, but as their brother.
Then the ground shook violently — a blast from above sent molten shards crashing into the forest. One struck near Eric, throwing him back. He rolled, gasping, barely managing to raise his sword in time to block the claw of a crimson wyrm descending on him.
"Not today," he growled, driving his blade upward. The creature shrieked and collapsed, flames bursting from its wound.
He rose again, panting, his body screaming in protest. Every bone ached, every breath tasted of smoke and blood. But he could still hear Seraphina's voice above — fierce and defiant.
Drakonis roared again, his laughter echoing through the mountains.
> "You fight for love, child of flame? How quaint. Love is weakness. Love is the cage that binds eternity."
Seraphina's reply cut through the chaos.
> "Then let me burn my cage!"
With a final, desperate surge, she unleashed everything — her wings ignited into pure light, her aura expanding into a storm of blazing energy that engulfed her enemy. The blast tore across the sky, blinding even the gods.
When the light faded, the heavens were empty.
No Drakonis.
No Seraphina.
Eric stumbled to the edge of the battlefield, heart pounding. The clouds above glowed red, then slowly began to fade to gray. Silence fell, broken only by the crackle of dying fire.
"Seraphina?" he shouted, voice raw. "Seraphina!"
No answer.
He fell to his knees, clutching his chest, the dragon mark on his arm searing with unbearable heat — a living reminder of their bond.
The fire inside him screamed her name, echoing through his very soul.
Then, faintly, through the falling ash — a shimmer of light descended. A figure emerged from the haze, wings tattered, armor cracked, eyes dim but alive.
"Eric…"
Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was enough.
He ran to her, catching her before she fell. She was heavier than before — her strength nearly spent, her dragon aura flickering like a dying flame.
"You're alive," he breathed.
"For now," she managed, a faint smile on her lips. "But he's not gone. Drakonis… he's only sleeping. His power… still lingers."
Eric held her close, refusing to let go. "Then we'll be ready when he wakes."
Her gaze softened — tired, but full of trust. "You sound like a fool."
"Maybe," he said quietly. "But I'm your fool."
She laughed weakly, and for the briefest moment, amidst the ruins and the dying fire, there was peace — fragile, fleeting, but real.
Above them, the clouds parted, revealing the first stars of night.
The war wasn't over.
But neither were they.
And somewhere deep in the shadows of the mountains, a golden eye flickered open once more.