5000 years ago…
"We have to hide. They're coming after us. Let's stop here," Kovr said, panting.
The duo hid in a cave, hoping they were not discovered by the angry villagers.
"You don't have to be here. You don't have to do this for me. They're not out for you. They're out for me," Ash said, caressing his cheek.
"We're together. They'll either take us both or none of us—and I'm not going to let you get captured."
Ash's green eyes glowed as the moonlight reflected on them.
He looked at his lover, then at their interlocked fingers.
"Kovr, what about your father?"
"Enough about him. He's the cause of all this. If he had just accepted our union, this wouldn't be happening. The village thinks you've bewitched me with some kind of power—that you're a seducer whose aim is to make men fall to their knees because of the depth of their sins. A spawn of the devil. But they don't know you like I do,You're nothing lie what they say,Ash. You're sweet and passionat. You're a good man."Kovr said passionately.
"I'm going to be yours in every lifetime to come—and you're going to be mine as well."
"In every lifetime," Kovr replied.
"I think I hear them," a villager said, his loud footsteps sounding in the dark quiet forest.
Ash and Kovr held their breaths, willing the man to just pass without noticing them.
"How are we going to get out of here?"
"There's a boat on the east side of the river. We'll leave together when the coast is clear. Then we can finally be happy—without anybody's hate."
"Yes."
They moved slowly through the bushes, crawling on their hands and knees.
"Sir, I've found them!" a deep male voice shouted.
The villagers had discovered them. The lovers began to run to the shore. If they could just get there, they would finally be free. No more fear. Ash took Kovr's hand in his as he ran as fast as his legs could carry them.
"Stop there! You're never going to get away!" the villagers shouted.
Kovr suddenly tripped on a tree trunk.
"Kovr!" Ash shouted.
"Go! Go on without me. I'll meet you at the shore."
"I can't do that. They'll get you."
"You have to go now! They're going to catch you. You have to keep going!" he roared at him.
Ash began to pull Kovr from the ground, but it was too late. The villagers had already caught up with them.
"There they are! Spawns of the devil. We have to bring them back to the chief!"
Both were pulled to their feet as they were dragged back.
The whole village had formed a big circle, and Ash and Kovr were thrown into the center. Murmurs ran through the crowd.
"Silence!" the Chief shouted.
"It is not news that my firstborn son—the future of our land—has been captured by this devil. He has enraptured him with his wiles, making him subject to practices that cannot even be spoken aloud."
Shouts of disgust and grunts of agreement echoed from the crowd.
"However, I'm going to give him a chance to prove himself. He's going to kill the devil himself. He's going to kill the dragon and reclaim his position as the future chief of our land."
Cheers rose from the crowd.
"Here, my son. Reclaim your rightful position and slay the dragon," he said, handing him a blue diamond knife—a blade forged to kill dragons in a single stroke.
Kovr held the knife in shaky hands, staring at his father.
"The choice is yours, my son."
"Father… I'm sorry, but I cannot do this. I will not slay my lover!" Murmurs swept through the crowd at his words.
"What did you just say?"
"I will not kill him. I love him, Father."
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
"You insolent child! The devil's seed has fed too deep into your soul. You are a lost cause. Kill him," the chief commanded, signaling the guards.
They grabbed Kovr by the arms, pulling him away from Ash.
"No! I won't allow this!" Kovr shouted, trying to break free.
Guards dragged Ash to the edge of the bonfire, where his beloved was to be burned.
"No!" Ash roared, trying to fight back, but they were too strong. It felt like something was suppressing his powers.
"Why can't I change? What did you do to me?" he screamed to no one in particular.
"We've discovered a way to keep you in check. You'll never disturb our peace again. You'll be bound away from this world forever—cursed to be trapped in a void," the chief laughed.
Ash watched helplessly as they bound Kovr's hands, his face shiny with tears.
"Leave him alone. Let him go! I'm the one you want—not him! Just please… let him go," he begged.
"It's too late for that. Throw him in," the chief ordered.
The guards threw Kovr into the fire. A loud scream tore from his throat as the flames engulfed him. His lovely pale skin blistered and blackened.
Ash screamed as he watched his mate suffer.
Each twist in the fire only increased the agony. Kovr was bound, unable to escape. He could no longer speak—just suffer.
"That's only a fraction of what you're going to suffer in hell," the chief said, spitting on the ground.
Kovr's final glance wasn't for the flames, the crowd, or even his father.
It was for Ash.
Always Ash.
"Find me," he mouthed, just as the fire swallowed him whole.
Kovr's screams finally stopped.
He was gone.
Ash shouted to the sky, sobbing.
"Now it's your turn, dragon—to be bound for centuries to come. Never to be released."
An orb was placed in front of him. Ash felt his strength being drained into it. He felt weak, like something was pulling him away from reality.
"I will never forgive you for this!" he shouted as the orb began to pull him in.
"Burn in hell, dragon."