The chains fell.
One after another, the dragons spread their wings and rose into the sky.
The people of the kingdom watched in silence.
For the first time in years, the sky was filled with dragons again.
Cheers erupted throughout the city.
The king had fallen.
The dragons were free.
And the hero stood in the middle of the palace courtyard, his sword covered in dust and blood.
His dragon landed beside him.
THUD.
The ground trembled.
The hero smiled.
"We did it."
His dragon lowered its head.
The hero placed his hand against its scales.
Then
The dragon suddenly froze.
Its eyes turned toward the northern mountains.
The hero noticed.
"What is it?"
The dragon didn't move.
It simply stared into the distance.
A cold wind passed through the courtyard.
The hero's smile disappeared.
"There's something there?"
The dragon slowly spread its wings.
Before the hero could react
ROAR!
The sound shook the entire kingdom.
Every dragon in the sky suddenly stopped flying.
The celebration ended.
Silence.
Thousands of dragons turned toward the same mountain.
The hero looked at them.
"What are you all looking at?"
Nobody answered.
Then something strange happened.
A thin black mark appeared on the hero's hand.
He stared at it.
"What…?"
The mark slowly spread across his palm.
His dragon immediately became nervous.
The hero tried to wipe it away.
Nothing happened.
Then
BOOM.
A distant mountain exploded with a flash of red light.
The sky darkened.
People screamed.
The dragons scattered.
The hero stared at the mountain in disbelief.
His dragon growled.
For the first time since he had known it…
He could feel fear coming from his dragon.
The hero tightened his grip on his sword.
"What is happening?"
From somewhere beneath the earth
a voice whispered.
"The blood of the warrior has awakened."
The hero's eyes widened.
"Who said that?"
No answer.
Only silence.
Then the black mark on his hand burned.
"And now… the dragon will awaken."
The hero collapsed to one knee.
His dragon roared beside him.
Far away, inside the northern mountain…
Two enormous golden eyes opened.
TO BE CONTINUED…