The pact had been sealed.
And yet, in the heart of Ashen, a storm was already rising.
Dragons did not understand peace — they feared it.
Their pride was worth more than a thousand kingdoms, and their wrath had already reduced worlds to ashes.
So when word spread that a human had made their king kneel…
Hatred began to grow.
In the skies, flocks of dragons roared, ready to descend upon the sacred plateau.
Beneath the earth, the ancients stirred, their embered eyes piercing the dark.
Ryo watched the flames dance around him in silence.
The wind, heavy with ash, hissed like a warning.
Azdrael stood tall beside him, imposing despite his exhaustion.
> "They won't understand," said the king, his deep voice rumbling.
"To them, you are a threat — an intruder. They will not let you leave."
Ryo shrugged slightly.
> "I've never been welcome anywhere."
A brief silence followed. Then, the ground trembled.
A strange pulse rippled through the valley — deep, rhythmic, as if the earth itself were breathing.
Azdrael frowned.
> "That power… it's not coming from you."
Ryo didn't answer.
His eyes darkened, sensing something distant — something ancient — awakening.
---
Far away, in the depths of an ancient sealed temple, chains began to rattle.
Symbols carved into the stone flickered, one after another, before bursting into golden light.
A rough, forgotten voice echoed through the darkness:
> "I am finally free."
The torches' flames went out all at once.
And in the silence that followed, two colossal eyes opened.
---
On the plateau, Ryo slowly turned his gaze toward the horizon.
> "Azdrael… if your kingdom trembles soon, don't blame me."
The Dragon King frowned.
> "You speak as if the disaster has already begun."
Ryo smiled faintly.
> "Maybe it never really left me."
A red flash tore through the sky.
The mountains roared.
And in the distance, the war drums of the dragons thundered across Ashen.
That day, the world changed — though no one yet knew why.