Kidora's silhouette appeared in the skies like a vast, black storm cloud, blotting out the sun as it descended over the dense forest. Its presence was a harbinger of destruction, and it did not come alone—Black Dragon Im and Red Dragon Egon soared at its flanks, their massive wings slicing through the air with thunderous force.The sudden arrival of the three dragons struck the earth like a bolt from the heavens, a spectacle so terrifying that even the hardened mercenaries below felt their blood freeze. Whatever courage they had clung to shattered in an instant. Their bodies trembled, their knees buckled, and they forgot all pretense of bravery.For men who had already been frightened nearly to death by the battle before, this was the breaking point. Panic tore through their ranks like wildfire. Some screamed incoherently, others cried out for help that would never come, and still more simply turned and ran without a backward glance.The flight was chaotic and desperate. Men tripped over each other, shoving and clawing in blind terror. A few were knocked down by their own comrades' shoulders and boots, sprawling face-first into the dirt. Yet even then, they did not try to stand upright. On all fours, they scrambled away like beasts chased by nightmares, their movements frantic and graceless.But the dragons had not come to watch them flee.Kidora's three heads arched upward as it inhaled deeply, the air crackling with unnatural energy. Then, with an earth-shaking roar, the central head unleashed a searing bolt of lightning. It struck from the sky like a divine judgment, a jagged chain of light that tore through the air and slammed into the fleeing men.The blast was merciless. Several were caught in its path and instantly transformed into blackened husks, their bodies smoking as they collapsed into sizzling craters gouged into the scorched earth. The acrid smell of burnt flesh spread quickly, heavy and suffocating.Even before the echoes of the thunder faded, the other two dragons joined the slaughter. Black Dragon Im exhaled a thick wave of shadowy flame, the fire as black as obsidian and smelling faintly of sulfur. Red Dragon Egon followed with a brilliant orange-red column of fire, so bright it was almost blinding.The two distinct streams of flame twisted and writhed like living serpents of destruction, racing across the ground. They swept into the terrified mercenaries, engulfing them whole, their screams cut short as the fire devoured them.The inferno spread without restraint, leaping from man to man, tree to tree. Dry leaves and brush ignited instantly, and within moments, the edge of the forest had become a raging wall of fire.Those few who had somehow survived the first wave barely made it ten steps before a second onslaught descended. In the open air, the speed of even the swiftest human seemed laughably slow. One snap of a dragon's head, one breath of flame, and they were caught—reduced to smoldering silhouettes frozen mid-run, their last moments burned into the earth itself.The forest rang with the symphony of destruction: the sharp, tearing roars of the dragons, the crackle of burning wood, and the fleeting, desperate cries of men being swallowed by fire.From his position, Rayder finally saw them—the three dragons, his allies and salvation. A wave of relief washed over him, unclenching the knot of fear that had gripped his chest throughout the fight. The sight of Kidora leading the charge, with Im and Egon striking in flawless unison, was like watching the tide turn in an impossible battle.Until that moment, Rayder had been fighting on the edge of desperation, every nerve taut, every muscle straining to survive. Now, with victory assured, the tension snapped. His legs trembled, then buckled beneath him, and he collapsed onto the dirt. His breaths came in harsh, ragged gasps, his chest rising and falling like a bellows.Above, Kidora's three heads lowered toward each other, issuing a series of low, rumbling growls—communicating in a language Rayder could not understand. Whatever was said, the other two dragons obeyed instantly. Im and Egon wheeled in the air, targeting the last cluster of mercenaries still staggering about in blind terror.Another torrent of Dragon Flame poured down from the sky, sweeping away the final traces of resistance. Only when the battlefield was silent, the only sounds the hiss of cooling flesh and the hungry crackle of flames, did the dragons relent.With wings folding inward, they descended in a slow, deliberate spiral, landing beside Rayder and the scattered survivors of his group. Their massive bodies loomed like mountains, the heat radiating from their scales making the air shimmer. Even at rest, their presence was suffocating—a reminder that these were apex predators, creatures of raw, unrestrained power.Rayder sat in the dirt for a long moment, still catching his breath. Around him, the battlefield lay in ruin. The ground was littered with the charred remnants of men—blackened limbs, faces twisted in final agony, or nothing more than piles of ash drifting upward in the heated air.The stench was unbearable. The acrid bite of smoke mingled with the greasy odor of burning flesh, heavy enough to make his stomach churn. Looking down, Rayder realized his hands, arms, and armor were smeared with blood—sticky, half-dried, and clinging unpleasantly to his skin.The reality of the battle struck him in that moment, sudden and unyielding. This was the first time he had killed another human, and the knowledge hit him harder than the fighting itself. His gut twisted violently. Without warning, he bent forward, dry heaving. His empty stomach offered nothing but bile, a bitter, sour fluid that burned his throat as it mixed with the blood already smeared across his chin.It lasted only seconds before he forced it down. He was not the same boy he had once been—not the naive ten-year-old untouched by the brutality of the world. The months he had spent surviving in the desolate ruins of Valyria had stripped much of that softness from him.He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced the nausea away. When he opened them again, there was a hard, cold glint in his gaze. The revulsion faded, replaced by a strange calm, and—hidden deep within—a quiet disregard for life itself began to take root.Still, the cloying stench made his lungs ache. He rose to his feet, steady now, and set about cleaning up the aftermath. First came the sheep. Many had been caught in the dragons' fire, their wool blackened or their bodies already lifeless. One by one, he pulled them into his storage space. They would serve as food for both himself and the dragons on the road ahead.As for the human remains, he spared them only a passing glance. The forest's scavengers and predators would see to them soon enough; there was no need for him to waste time on the dead.It was then he noticed Kidora, Im, and Egon had already begun feeding. The three great heads of Kidora bent low to the ground alongside the others, tearing chunks of flesh from the charred human corpses. The sound of crunching bone was sharp, deliberate, and merciless.Rayder felt his stomach roll again at the sight. He had not expected even these mighty, majestic dragons to consume human flesh—let alone bodies burned nearly to ash. But he did not speak.Food was survival, and dragons, like all living creatures, needed to replenish their strength. More than that, Rayder knew this was not the last time he would witness such a scene. If he meant to survive alongside them, he had to accept it. Disgust was a luxury he could no longer afford.Drawing a deep breath, he crushed the last of his unease beneath sheer will. His gaze sharpened once more.When the feeding was over, he turned back to the sheep, counting them carefully before sealing them away. The number was good—enough to last them for some time.Then he stepped forward, reaching up to rest a hand against one of Kidora's scaled necks. The hide was warm under his palm, the texture hard and unyielding like stone."You did well," he murmured softly, the words carrying both gratitude and praise.Kidora had not only fought ferociously, it had arrived at the perfect moment, saving his life. And more than that—it had commanded the battle with a precision that astonished him. Rayder had sensed it during the fight: Kidora's intelligence far exceeded what he had believed possible for even a dragon.It had judged the flow of the battle, identified threats, and directed the other two dragons with uncanny accuracy. Its orders had not been wild or instinctive but measured, calculated—like a commander on the field.What defied all logic, however, was that Black Dragon Im and Red Dragon Egon—both far larger, older, and more experienced—had obeyed without hesitation. By all natural order, dragons respected size and age as symbols of dominance. A juvenile like Kidora, barely a fraction of their size, should have held no authority over them.Yet here they were, following its lead as though it were their unquestioned superior.Rayder had no answer. Perhaps the dragons shared a bond deeper than human comprehension—a constant, silent communication that went beyond words or even instinct. Perhaps, between them, there was an understanding no outsider could ever truly grasp.Whatever the truth, he knew one thing: with these three at his side, his path forward had never been clearer.---
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)