The forest was quiet again, but the air felt heavier, almost charged with something unseen.
John leaned slightly against the tank's armor, eyes scanning the canopy above.
"Anyone… really try to eat me?" he muttered under his breath, shaking off the memory of Jessica's story about her brother.
Jessica looked at him with a small, determined smile.
"I'm going to stop this war soon," she said confidently, her gaze fixed on the distant mountains where smoke still rose from ruined villages.
The tank rumbled forward, crushing roots and fallen branches beneath its massive treads. The enormous trees shivered as the vehicle passed, sending birds scattering into the sky.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. A roar unlike anything John had heard echoed through the forest.
From above the trees, a massive shadow descended. A giant dragon emerged, wings spanning wide across the horizon. Its scales glinted like molten metal in the sunlight, and its eyes burned with intelligence and rage.
The dragon dove at the tank, unleashing a torrent of fire that struck the armor with a deafening roar. Flames danced across the vehicle's surface.
Inside, the driver barely flinched.
"Primitive attack," he said calmly, fingers dancing across the controls.
The fire subsided. The tank had not a scratch.
The dragon roared again, faster this time, circling and releasing a second wave of flames.
"My turn," the driver muttered.
A glowing sphere of energy appeared at the front of the tank. With a resonant hum, the weapon fired.
The energy blast struck the dragon squarely. With a deafening crash, the creature was hurled across the sky, disappearing behind distant mountains almost a hundred kilometers away.
The forest fell completely silent. The echoes of its wings and roar faded like a storm passing.
John exhaled slowly, staring at the empty sky.
"Good shot," he said quietly.
Inside the tank, the soldiers returned to their scanning devices, treating the dragon as nothing more than a minor obstacle on the road ahead. But John couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching from beyond the mountains.
The forest seemed to hold its breath. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the broken landscape. And somewhere in the distance, John thought he saw a faint shimmer of movement, like a ripple through reality itself—another timeline leaking through, or perhaps a warning of what was yet to come.
Jessica glanced at him, her voice low and steady.
"This is just the beginning. Keep your eyes open."
John nodded. Deep down, he knew she was right.
Whatever waited in the mountains, the war, and the dragons… this mission would test them all in ways no training had prepared him for.
To be continued