A shadowy figure twisted and turned within the thick embrace of tall leaves. In a blink, it vanished, leaving behind only a trail of crimson smoke, curling through the branches like a warning.
Moments later, Dravion's golden eyes drifted toward the distant trees. His pupils narrowed. Something tugged at his instincts, subtle and strange… but he couldn't place why.
"I smell blood..." he muttered, licking his lips.
But then, something sweeter caught his attention. A scent—warm, fragrant—wafted from the left.
The broken shell. It still lay beneath the bush, jagged and wide open, as if waiting for him to return.
"Smells sweet..." he murmured.
His front paw moved on its own. A slow, heavy step. Then another.
Sniff… sniff…
His wide black nostrils flared, drawing in the scent. It was intoxicating. Addictive.
Without hesitation, his jaw opened—
CRACK!
The shell shattered like brittle candy between his teeth. The grinding noise echoed like crushed bones dragged across stone, eerie and raw as the sound filled the forest.
It crunched bitter, then sweet, like molten gold and ash. But his face revealed enjoyment. Golden runes across his scales shimmered to life, pulsing brighter with each bite.
His body trembled, stretched, growing a few centimeters taller. Something ancient awakened inside his blood. Power. Pure and unfiltered, flooding his limbs like molten fire.
Yet, as he took the final bite, something snapped. A memory, raw and sharp, rushed in. His eyes widened. The forest vanished. He was somewhere else. Somewhere dark.
Pain.
His mind throbbed as if something had cracked open inside him.
A vision slashed through him—teeth. Massive. As big as mountains. Tearing into flesh. He couldn't tell if it was him... or someone he once knew. But it brought pain. And something worse.
Hatred.
Uncontrollable, bone-deep hatred.
"No... STOP!"
His massive black wings flared open, lashing at the air with power. He launched himself away from the burning vision, fleeing instinctively—anywhere but here.
But he wasn't ready. His body clipped the treetops, spiraling out of control. Trees snapped and thundered down as he crashed through them, carving a path of destruction in his wake.
"Don't eat me... anymore... Why!? WHY!?"
He screamed into the forest. The words spilled from his mouth like instinct, like old scars bleeding through a new skin. He didn't understand them. But the fury in his chest was real. The vision had lit a fire—a deep, merciless hatred.
He didn't know who bit him in that memory. He didn't know why. But he wanted them gone. Dead. Devoured.
He rampaged for a solid twenty minutes, shaking the forest with every crash. Trees splintered beneath him as he tore southward—ten kilometers at least—until the woods grew thicker, denser, and the land rose into jagged hills and small, towering mountains.
His left wing slammed into a jagged boulder, snapping his flight. He hit the ground hard, tumbling until a long trench marred the forest floor.
Grrrowwl...
The crash had drawn attention.
Two creatures lifted their heads from a nearby spring—beasts shaped like tigers, but three meters tall, with snowy white fur etched by glowing sky-blue stripes. Their coats shimmered like living mana, pulsing gently in the filtered forest light.
They had been drinking peacefully from the crystal-clear spring, its waters glowing like liquid gemstones. The air was rich with its scent: sweet, ancient, and heavy with magic.
As it reached Dravion, something inside him stirred.
The rage dulled. The pain dimmed.
That scent… it calmed him. Like a lullaby whispered in a forgotten language. For a moment, he didn't remember the pain.
Only the thirst. But deep beneath the thirst… something else stirred.
Dominance.
Dravion's golden eyes locked with the glowing crystal-blue gaze of the tigers. Something shifted in the air. The beasts, once alphas of this forest, froze in place. Their fur bristled. Muscles tensed. Their back paws edged away without command.
Yet… there was nowhere to run. Not unless they intended to dive headfirst into the lake behind them.
Grrrrowl...
It came out lower this time. Defensive. Hesitant. But the truth was clear—they couldn't back down.
This lake was theirs. Their territory. And they would die before giving it up.
RRRAAAAAWWWRRR!!!
One of them lunged.
The larger of the two, likely male, stood nearly a head taller than the other. A deep scar tore through one of its eye sockets, leaving it blind on that side. This one had seen battles. It reeked of experience.
Massive claws shredded the earth as it lunged. Leaves and dirt exploded into the air. A bluish aura flared around its jaw and paws—feral mana igniting from instinct.
It aimed straight for Dravion's neck. Straight to kill. But Dravion didn't move. He didn't flinch. Didn't crouch. He stood firm, legs steady, tail still.
He didn't know why, but everything in his blood screamed not to run. As if he was the king of the jungle. And if he moved, he would lose that title.
So he stood his ground.
Instead, a warmth began building in his throat. A strange, molten heat. Familiar… but ancient.
His lips parted.
HSSHHHHHHHH!!!
A golden burst of energy exploded from his jaw, wild and radiant, roaring through the trees like a divine firestorm.
The air trembled before the golden beam. It surged tall and wide, swallowing the tiger whole. Its icy aura flared to life, wrapping its body in a desperate shield—mana clashing with fire, instinct fighting annihilation.
Sensing her mate's peril, the second tiger, a bit smaller, likely female—charged forward, her paws slamming into the earth.
But the moment Dravion's gaze landed on her, she stopped.
Her legs buckled. Her body trembled like a leaf caught in a storm.
She couldn't move. She couldn't look away. She could only watch helplessly as the golden fire devoured her mate.
And then she dropped. All fours. Head lowered. Not in fear. But in submission. The male tiger sensed her surrender. It would've done the same. But it was too late. His icy defense shattered.
The golden light roared through his body and vaporized him—leaving nothing. Not even ash.
The beam faded into the sky, dissolving into golden wisps. Dravion staggered slightly, his breath ragged. Energy flickering.
And yet, even with his strength waning—the surviving tiger didn't raise her head.
She closed her eyes. Braced for the end.
THMP... Crkkk...SQUELCH... THMP...
Heavy steps. Slow and deliberate. Each one passed beside her head. The sound of claws scraping against roots, the weight of something ancient shifting through the blood-soaked earth.
But no pain followed. The death she awaited did not knock on her door. Only silence welcomed her.
When she finally dared to open her eyes… what she saw was unreal. The dragon was crouched beside the mana spring. Drinking.
No... at that pace he was devouring it.
Gulp after gulp. His speed wasn't natural. It was terrifying. The waterline dropped with each swallow, vanishing before her eyes.
Golden runes across Dravion's body lit up in a blazing brilliance. She flinched. Looked away. The light was too much.
RUMBLE!
A surge of golden mist erupted from his scales. Runes ignited beneath his feet—an ancient circle, pulsing like a heartbeat.
The forest shook. Trees bent. And in that moment, the world felt something terrifying awaken. Something divine...