Moonlight poured over a wide clearing, and there—lying in the center like a fallen deity—was a creature Lith had only ever seen in the illustrations of old tomes.
A dragon.
Its scales shimmered faintly under the pale glow, dark as the abyss yet veined with streaks of indigo light. Shadows clung to its form like mist, bending unnaturally with every ragged breath it took. Blood pooled beneath its enormous body, a deep gash tearing across it flank as if it had been struck by a blade sharper than anything human hands could forge.
Lith stood froze, his heart pounding in his chest.
A...a dragon? No. That's impossible... But if I'm seeing this right...this is really...a dragon. Oh gods, I can't believe it. I'm looking at a dragon...
His throat ran dry. The fireflies had brought him here, to this dying, majestic being.
And despite the suffocating pressure pressing down on his chest, Lith noticed it—her breathing. Ragged, shallow, and almost...human.
"... She's dying," he whispered. Lith knees shook, yet his instincts—the healer's instinct—pushed him forward. He lifted both hands, trembling, and spoke softly as if to a wounded child.
"Calm down... I won't hurt you. I just... I just want to try. To help you."
The dragon's violet eyes fluttered open, glowing faintly as they looked into him. Lith swallowed hard. Fear coiled in his gut, yet he stepped closer and pressed his hands against the edge of the wound.
"Please...just hang in here." He summoned his gift. Light flickered between his palms—faint, fragile. It sank into the wound...and fizzled out.
"... No..." Lith's voice broke. He tried again, and again. Each time, the glow faded, as if mocking him. Blood welled fresh from the dragon's wound, soaking the ground.
"No, no, no... Please... Just this once. God, I beg you—give me strength, even just tonight. Let me heal her...just this once!"
His power flickered, then fading again. Then the dragon let out a roar.
BOOM!
The air split apart, a wave of force blasting him off his feet. Lith crashed into a jagged rock, blood spilling from his lips. "Ghk—!" He crumpled, coughing up red into the dirt.
The dragon's tail lashed, shadows screaming with it. Lith struggled to his feet, his ribs aching and his vision blurring.
I... can't...stop here...
It struck again.
WHAM!
The impact sent him slamming into the ground, pain tearing through his body. He could barely breathe, yet his trembling legs forced him up once more.
He remembered Father Aldric's words.
( "Your healing is not for yourself, child. Use it for those who need it—Whethere they are your enemy, rich or poor, human or beast. Your gift belongs to the suffering." )
—
Lith spat blood, tears stinging his eyes. His voice cracked as he staggered closer.
"I won't... I won't give on you!"
The dragon's tail swept again, and Lith grabbed it—both arms locking tight around the scaled limb. The force swung hum side to side, his body smashing against the ground, but he clung on with every ounce of strength he had left.
"P-please! Please, let me help you! Even if my healing is weak...even if I can't save you fully—let me do something! Trust me, just this once!" His cry tore through the clearing, desperate and raw.
The dragon shuddered. Its roar faltered, turning into a painted, guttural groan. Shadows hissed, then stilled.
Lith held tighter, trembling. The beast's body quaked under the strain, violet eyes dimming.
She's fading. I... I need to do more...but how?
And then—he suddenly remembered...
——
Flashback.
Lith stood in the chapel library, broom in hand, dust swirling around him. His eyes caught a half-burned tome hidden between the shelves. Its pages spoke of something forbidden.
A Bonding Rite...
"The human will bleed, the beast will burn. If they end up, they will be one." He lhad laughed then. "Like I'd ever meet a majestic beast..."
——
But now—
"This is it," Lith muttered, his chest heaving. "The only way left..." He pressed a hand against the dragon's wound, his voice shaking as he prayed. "I couldn't save a rabbit...but please...let me save you."
He bit into his palm, blood dripping freely, and smeared it across her torn scales. A circle erupted beneath them—half light, half shadow—sigils spiraling outward. They crawled up his arm, burning into his veins, searing his chest.
"Ahhh—!" Lith screamed, blood spilling from his mouth as his body convulsed. His soul felt as if it were tearing apart.
The dragon roared, her dark-blue flames bursting to life—but instead of consuming him, they coiled into his chest, branding him with searing heat.
His black hair shimmered pale for a fleeting moment, his eyes flashing gold before dimming again. Lith barely noticed, his voice raw. "Live... Please..." Then, darkness swallowed him.
——
He found himself standing in a void. Silent. Empty. Where am I? And why is there nothing but darkness around me?
Lith stopped, glancing down at his hands. He realized he was the only source of light in this endless void. Then, faintly, he hear it—the sound of someone crying. A child's voice.
Crying?
He looked ahead—and there she was. Not the towering dragon he had expected, but a small, trembling hatchling. A baby dragon, her violet eyes glimmering with fear, blood seeping from her wounds. She whimpered, utterly alone.
Lith knelt, lowering himself to her level. He reached out gently. "... It's alright. You don't have to be alone anymore." His voice was calm, steady despite the tears in his eyes.
"Come with me. I'll take care of you, I swear... I'll never let you suffer again." The hatchling blinked, trembling...then nuzzled into his hand. Lith burst. The void shattered.
——
Lith collapsed back into the forest clearing, drenched in sweat, his chest glowing faintly with intertwined sigils of light and shadow. His vision swam, but he saw it—
The dragon's form dissolving, shadows peeling away... shrinking. Until, in her place, a girl knelt before him.
Long black hair, shimmered under the moonlight, her violet eyes casting a gently glow. Her pale skin was bare, unmarked, her body quivering yet very much alive. She reached out for his bloodied hand, lifting it with care.
"... Master."
Lith blinked, feeling dazed. "... Huh?"
She lowered her head, her voice calm and unwavering. "From this night onward, my life is yours. I am Nyx, Shadow of the Eternal Flame. Command me, Maste Lith Solis."
Lith's thoughts whirled, still reeling the pain, barely conscious. His lips moved just a fraction.
"... What...have I done?"
And in the stillness of the clearing, the shadows twisted around them, forging a bond neither could break.