The skies over Glimfell, once clear and bright, gradually turned grim. Clouds churned like a vortex from hell, darkening behind the silhouette of something impossibly large.
And then, everyone saw it.
A colossal creature tore through the sky.
It flew low above the city. Its shadow blanketed the plaza, falling like a curtain of darkness from the heavens. Its wings stretched so wide that each beat felt like a storm crashing against the world. The air roared with every flap, sending shockwaves that ripped tiles from rooftops and shredded flags in midair.
Its body was long and serpentine, like a giant serpent from an age long past. Its crimson scales gleamed in the light, glowing like heated steel amidst the smoke and embers trailing behind it. The end of its tail snapped like a whip of death, capable of shattering walls, and along its back rose black spikes shaped like the spears of demons.
But the most terrifying part was its eyes.
A pair of glowing yellow eyes, burning like twin embers from an eternal inferno. Eyes that saw everything from above, eyes filled with fury, devoid of mercy.
The people of Glimfell screamed in panic. Mordune's soldiers broke ranks. Some dropped their weapons, others fell to their knees, and many tried to flee. But there was nowhere to run from a shadow that large.
Dilan Mordune stood frozen. For the first time in his life, he was completely speechless. The wine in his hand slipped and shattered on the stone floor, but he didn't even notice. His gaze was fixed on the sky.
And as if time itself stopped spinning...
The creature opened its mouth.
Rows of monstrous fangs were revealed, and from deep within its throat, a light began to glow. It was no ordinary light. It was fire, seething from the core of rage. It pulsed and twisted like the heart of a sun, waiting to be unleashed.
Then it breathed fire.
A torrent of flame surged downward like a wave from hell, burning the air and swallowing flags, walls, and bodies without discrimination. It was not simply heat. It was destruction incarnate. In an instant, the plaza turned into a sea of blazing red. Screams vanished into silence. Stone melted. Iron dripped like water. The world froze in the face of a primeval firestorm that erased the boundary between life and death.
And from the heart of the blaze...
A voice echoed once more inside their heads. Deeper now, more terrifying.
**"Where... is my child?"**
. . .
The horrific voice still echoed in Riven's head, piercing his mind like invisible needles. He let out a low groan. His head throbbed, his vision blurred. Beside him, Melly held her breath and gently clutched her head, her expression showing she felt the same crushing weight.
From the corner of the room came the sound of fabric shifting.
Eldric Dragonhart slowly rose. The thin cloth that covered him slipped down, revealing a smooth neck bound by a metallic collar. It was not a decoration, but a seal. He stood calmly, his steps light as he approached the bars, stopping just in front of the two guards standing outside.
His voice came quietly, almost lazily. "Hello. Would you mind letting me out?"
Riven narrowed his eyes. Melly remained silent, her eyes locked on the man who didn't seem like a prisoner at all.
One of the guards left behind by Count Yilesh stepped forward. His face changed the moment he got a better look at Eldric. His eyes widened, filled with recognition.
"Dragonhart...? You... what are you doing in a cell? That roar just now, that was a dragon, wasn't it? This must be connected to you, isn't it?"
Eldric tilted his head slightly, eyes flat and unreadable.
"That wasn't a question I asked."
In the blink of an eye, his hand reached out and gripped the guard by the throat, slamming him into the bars. The man struggled, clawing at Eldric's wrist, but it was futile.
"Let him go!" shouted the second guard as he drew his sword and shoved it through the bars.
Eldric didn't flinch. His grip tightened.
"We were only ordered to detain the two kids! You think I won't kill you just because you're a Dragonhart?!"
With fury, he stabbed the sword through the bars, aiming for Eldric's arm.
But what happened next made Melly freeze.
Eldric released the guard and stepped forward, letting the blade slash straight toward his neck.
But the sword didn't cut.
There was no blood. No wound. His skin didn't tear, as though his body wasn't flesh at all but divine metal immune to mortal weapons.
Something else did give way.
A sharp metallic sound rang out. The collar around Eldric's neck had been partially sliced. A fine crack formed on its right side, releasing faint sparks of blue light, like compressed mana breaking free.
But the collar didn't fall off. It still clung to his neck.
Eldric glanced down at the crack, stepped back, and raised his fingers. He touched the break and began to bend the metal with his bare hands.
A harsh screech filled the cell as he twisted the collar. The crack widened, pulsed with light, then—
CRAKK!
The collar broke apart and dropped to the floor.
The moment it hit the ground, a ripple of energy stirred the air. It felt like an ancient spell being torn away. The atmosphere inside the prison shifted drastically. The air grew heavy, as if something long suppressed had finally awakened.
Riven watched it all with bated breath. From the beginning, he had sensed that the golden-haired man wasn't an ordinary prisoner. He instantly recognized the significance of the necklace—it was clearly some kind of seal used to suppress his power.
Eldric turned to the two guards, now frozen in place, bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Then he spoke. His tone was flat, emotionless, and impossible to defy.
**"Kneel. Be still."**
The words didn't travel through the air.
They struck straight into their minds.
As if something knocked on the door of their souls.
The voice was different from the dragon's, but somehow it felt the same.
Both men dropped to their knees. Their eyes widened. Their hands shook. Terror twisted their faces. They didn't know why their bodies obeyed—but they couldn't stop it.
**"Open the cell."**
"W-We... we don't have the key..."
Eldric paused. Then he gave his final command, this time deeper, more dreadful.
**"Kill yourselves."**
Their bodies began to move on their own.
Tears welled in their eyes. Their lips trembled, as if trying to beg for help, but no sound came. Like puppets without strings, they drew their weapons.
And stabbed their own hearts.
Blood splattered.
Both bodies hit the floor nearly at the same time, leaving behind a silence colder than death.
Riven stared in shock. Melly sat frozen, unable to speak. They hadn't heard a single word from Eldric's mouth. All they saw was two grown men suddenly take their own lives, while a golden-haired boy stood untouched.
Without a word, Eldric turned away and walked toward the bars. He gripped two of the iron rods and began to bend them, slowly, as though they were nothing more than wet branches. The metal groaned and opened wide enough for him to pass through.
He stepped out.
His pace was steady.
The pace of someone who knew exactly where he was going and cared nothing for those who stood in the way.
He didn't look back at Riven.
He didn't look at Melly.
He simply walked toward the faint light at the end of the corridor. His shadow dragged behind him across the stone floor until it vanished into the dark.
And then the ground trembled once more. A distant explosion shook the earth beneath them. From far above, the dragon roared again, long and thunderous.
A sound full of fury that would not be silenced.