As the dragon unleashed its first breath of fire and the blazing tongue hurtled toward the ground, Aiden, standing at the edge of the city square, reacted in an instant. His face flushed, muscles tightening as veins swelled beneath his skin. Without a second of hesitation, he charged toward the iron cage where his family was being held.
The air around him was already searing hot. Smoke and pressure from the blast began to rise, but Aiden arrived just in time. Fueled by rage and fear, he lifted the iron cage like it weighed nothing, then leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the burst of fire that erupted seconds later.
A massive explosion swept through the spot he had just left. Through the smoke and the blinding orange light, Aiden caught a glimpse of hundreds of scorched bodies scattered across the ground. The people who had stood behind him never had the chance to escape.
"RUN! GET OUT OF THE CITY!" he shouted with all his might, his voice crashing like thunder.
What happened next was far from ordinary.
Aiden's voice didn't just reach their ears. It felt like it struck their chests, burning away their fear and replacing it with a wild, unshakable courage. The ordinary citizens of Glimfell who had frozen in panic, the scattered Mordune soldiers who had begun to retreat, all of them suddenly felt light and full of strength. Their hearts raced, not from terror, but from the instinct to survive.
Without waiting for further orders, they scattered.
Men, women, children, soldiers, even the elderly. All ran with everything they had, pushing through toward the city gates and narrow alleys, desperate to escape the source of destruction burning the skies above them.
RAUUUNNGGHHH!
The dragon roared again and unleashed another torrent of fire.
BOOM!
Destruction erupted around it as the beast soared overhead, incinerating everything in its path.
Meanwhile, Aiden carried the cage through the ruins and the burning debris of collapsing buildings. His breaths came heavy, but his eyes remained locked ahead. When he reached the forest beyond the city walls, he set the massive cage beneath the trees and tore open the lock with brute force.
There was no time for words. Inside, his family looked at him with a mix of shock and relief. Aiden stared at each of them, fire still burning in his eyes.
"I'm sorry... and please, take care of yourselves," he said quietly, almost in a whisper, before turning away.
Without waiting for a reply, Aiden ran once more, heading back into a city consumed by screams, fire, and the shadow of a dragon.
His steps were steady. His gaze never faltered.
He knew what had to be done.
Aiden sprinted through waves of heat and swirling dust, in the heart of chaos tearing sky and earth apart. Screams, thunderous blasts, and the roar of dragon wings melded into a symphony of destruction. Flames streaked over his head. One building after another collapsed. But none of it slowed him down.
He turned sharply and kicked open the half-burned door of his home. In seconds, he rushed through the shattered corridors, crashing past overturned furniture, weaving through cracked walls, making his way to the secret chamber where the baby dragon had been locked away.
But when he arrived, the small cage in the corner was empty.
Aiden stood still for a moment, then gritted his teeth.
"DAMN IT! THAT LITTLE DRAGON! THAT DAMNED DRAGONHART!" Aiden, who had gone his whole life without cursing, shouted with everything he had.
A thunderous rumble shook the foundation of the house, walls groaning and the ceiling beginning to crack. Dust and fragments of stone fell onto his shoulders as he charged through the trembling corridor. Explosions roared in the distance like the sky itself was falling. Heat poured through shattered windows.
Breathing heavily, he reached the room with the large window overlooking the city center.
His hand pulled aside a half-burned curtain.
And outside... the world looked like it was being consumed.
The sight that met his eyes made his blood boil. The city of Glimfell was becoming a hellscape.
Mordrax, the King of Flame, circled above the city, his massive body coiled through a sky that burned red. His wings flapped slowly, but each movement sent shockwaves that shattered rooftops and toppled watchtowers. Fire spilled from his jaws, raining merciless destruction across the plaza below.
A gigantic lightning arrow shot from the right side of the square, slicing through the air with a flash of blue-white and crashing against the dragon's side. But it only created sparks and a cloud of dust. Not a single scratch appeared on his scales.
Not far from there, enormous tree roots burst from the ground, reaching up in an attempt to bind Mordrax. The roots pulsed like living creatures, merging with the earth and sky, surging forward at incredible speed. But the moment they touched the dragon's body, they ignited, turned to ash, and vanished into the blistering wind.
Clinging to the dragon's back, nearly invisible against its massive form, was a small old man. His body was cloaked in dark gray robes, and his hands gripped tightly onto the dragon's scale like claws. He tried to stab a small dagger that pulsed with dark energy into the beast.
Around Mordrax's body swirled a thin mist, a pale vortex that flowed with the wind and fire. It cloaked the dragon in a veil that blurred his vision and concealed the chaos beneath him.
Aiden saw it all.
The three of them—the nobles and the prince—had thrown everything they had at the beast.
And yet not a single one had left a meaningful wound.
His hands clenched.
As Mordrax circled through the sky once more, mouth opening to form another fireball, Aiden growled low under his breath.
His entire body began to burn.
The time had come.
From a spark of light in his hands, a weapon took shape. It was a chained twin-blade, its edges dancing like living flames. The chain wrapped tightly around both his arms, as if it belonged there.
His eyes ignited. Rage and determination coursed through his veins.
His pale skin flushed red. Veins bulged along his face, neck, and body. Like embers awakened from deep slumber, his body radiated heat as his power surged to new heights. He roared, not in fear, but from the madness boiling inside that could no longer be contained.
One of his blades flew toward Mordrax. It blazed like a meteor and embedded itself in the dragon's side. The chain extended with magical speed, and Aiden launched himself forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
His body slammed into the beast's scale. A small explosion burst from the impact, but the dragon remained unmoved. It didn't even glance his way.
Aiden hung from the creature's side, buffeted by the roaring wind from its wings. His eyes scanned the surface quickly, searching... and found it.
On one side of the dragon's belly, there was a wound.
The skin had peeled back, an old slash. Aiden recognized it. A wound left by his Queen. One that had never fully healed.
With a furious roar, he hurled his second blade at the wound. The chain latched on, and he shot forward, planting both feet in the gap and slashing downward with brutal force.
The first strike spilled sparks. The second tore into flesh. By the third blow, Aiden was already inside.
The dragon's blood sprayed violently, glowing red like molten lava.
But Aiden did not stop.
Fueled by blazing fury, he carved his way into the dragon's body, ripping through muscle, shattering soft bone, and diving deeper. Mordrax's roar shook the skies. His body twisted in the air, sending shockwaves of destruction through the city below.
The earth trembled. Fire exploded in every direction.
And in the heart of the chaos, Aiden Rathsture refused to retreat.