The screams shattered the dawn.
At first it was faint, a ripple carried by the wind over Everhart's high walls. But soon it grew—shouts of soldiers, the clash of steel, the guttural roars of beasts not born of man. Andy was already awake when it came. He froze by the window, the air cold on his skin, as black smoke began to rise beyond the northern gate.
The palace stirred like a hive struck by a stone. Servants ran with pale faces, knights armed themselves in haste, and nobles whispered in fear, clutching their silks and jewels as though gold would shield them.
The word spread faster than fire:
Dragon-kin.
Andy's chest clenched. It wasn't just the word that struck him. It was the pull—the sudden, heavy hum deep in his blood. A heartbeat that wasn't his own. A fire at the edge of his senses. He staggered, gripping the balcony rail, sweat beading on his brow.
"Andy!"
Nia's voice cut through the haze. She rushed to him, hands gripping his arm. Her silver eyes widened. "What's wrong?"
He swallowed hard, breathing uneven. "I… I can feel them."
Her brows furrowed. "Feel what?"
"The dragon-kin. They're close. Too close. It's like—" His hand pressed over his heart, where the ring pulsed faintly. "Like they're burning inside my blood."
The System's chime resonated, a cold clarity amid the chaos.
> [New Passive Skill Unlocked: Dragon Sense]
User can perceive dragon-related auras within a certain range.
Andy exhaled sharply, his trembling easing as the hum settled into awareness. For the first time since the reset, something stirred in him that wasn't emptiness.
But there was no time to question. The roars outside grew louder.
"Come," Nia said, her grip firm. "They need us."
---
The northern gate was a storm.
Scaled figures writhed in the smoke, claws glinting, eyes burning with feral hunger. Their bodies were twisted mockeries of dragons—smaller, leaner, but no less deadly. Their screeches rattled windows, their venom hissed as it struck stone.
Knights fought desperately, swords clashing, shields buckling. A guard screamed as a claw tore across his chest, blood spraying the cobblestones. Mothers clutched their children behind barricades, dragging them away as the beasts leapt at the gates.
Andy and Nia arrived at the height of chaos. Andy drew his blade, its edge catching the light, while Nia raised her staff, her silver aura flaring.
A dragon-kin lunged at Andy with claws like daggers. He raised his blade, sparks flying as steel met scale. Pain jarred his arm, but he twisted, dragging the sword across its throat. Black ichor sprayed, the beast shrieking as it dissolved into smoke.
Another rushed from his blind side. Andy's chest throbbed—there! He spun just in time, Dragon Sense guiding him. His blade struck the beast's arm, severing it before the claws could rake his flesh.
Nia's voice rang behind him. "Barrier—hold!"
A wall of silver light erupted, shielding a group of guards from the venom spat by another dragon-kin. Her staff blazed, radiant bolts streaking forth to sear the creature's chest, its scream echoing through the smoke.
But the whispers of the people watching from the barricades were louder still.
"He draws them here…"
"Ever since he came, they follow!"
"The Dragon Warrior brings the monsters with him!"
Andy gritted his teeth, every word cutting deeper than the claws he parried. He struck another beast down, but the whispers clung like poison. His fire flickered, not for lack of strength, but for the weight of doubt pressing on him.
"Andy—your left!"
Her voice snapped him back. He ducked under a swipe, thrusting upward into a dragon-kin's jaw. It howled before dissolving into smoke. Nia struck beside him, her magic cascading in waves of silver that forced the remaining beasts back.
Finally, the last dragon-kin collapsed, its form unraveling into shadows that scattered on the wind. Silence followed, broken only by the ragged breaths of knights and the soft sobs of the wounded.
The people stared. Some whispered thanks, others crossed themselves in fear. None dared approach.
Andy sheathed his blade slowly, his shoulders heavy. His chest heaved with exhaustion, but heavier still was the weight of their eyes.
"They think it's my fault," he muttered. The words tasted bitter.
Nia gripped his hand fiercely, her ring flaring as if in defiance. "Let them think what they want. I know the truth. You know the truth."
But Andy's Dragon Sense pulsed again. Deeper. Stronger. Not from the beasts they had slain, but from beyond the mountains—something vast, something waiting.
This was only the beginning.
---
High above, Andrew watched from a palace window. His eyes followed Andy's every movement—the way the people recoiled even as he saved them, the way their whispers turned fear against him.
A small smile tugged at Andrew's lips. They already doubt him. Already fear him. It won't take much to turn them completely.
And in the corner of his vision, shadows stirred. The voice came again, curling like smoke into his ear.
"Yes. Feed the whispers. Fan the fear. Soon, he will fall… and you will rise."
Andrew said nothing. He only clenched his fists, the blood on his palms mixing with the cold certainty in his chest.
And this time, when the shadow smiled, he did not look away.
---