CALL TO THE EAST

The next morning, Jason and the others arrived at the Knights' Academy. As they passed rows of neatly pitched tents, a familiar figure approached them, his white and gold armor gleaming under the sunlight like a beacon of authority and strength.

"Ah, there you are. We've been expecting you," Adam called out, a friendly smile breaking across his face.

Jason's expression brightened instantly. "Adam!" he exclaimed as he rushed forward to meet him.

His eyes scanned Adam's impressive new armor, and he whistled in admiration. "Wow, this is amazing! I guess I should be calling you "Ser Adam" from now on."

Adam chuckled, ruffling Jason's hair. "Knock it off, brother. Titles don't suit me."

Behind them, Anna and Connor exchanged amused glances.

Adam turned to the others, extending a hand with a warm smile. "It's good to see more elementiels in the kingdom. I'm Adam Spencer."

Connor stepped forward and shook his hand firmly. "Connor. And this is Anna. We're happy to help however we can."

"Great. Follow me. The commander's waiting for you," Adam said, gesturing for them to proceed. They followed him as he led them toward the commander's office.

"So that's James's brother?" Anna whispered, leaning slightly toward Jason. "I thought he was a prince for a second."

Jason shot her a sidelong look. "Ehn?"

The group entered the room, where a handful of captains stood gathered around a large wooden table draped with a detailed map of the kingdom. Commander Elijah looked up from the map, his stern yet welcoming gaze settling on them.

"Thank you for coming," Elijah said, his deep voice commanding attention. "Now, let's get to the matter at hand."

Captain Sasha stepped forward, her eyes scanning them briefly before she spoke. "We've received word about three high-class A dragons heading east. A fire breather, an acid spitter, and a light dragon."

Anna tilted her head, curiosity sparking in her expression. "Excuse me, but what exactly are high-class A dragons?"

Adam turned toward her, his tone grave but informative. "They are far more powerful than any other dragon types except for the High-Borns."

The commander nodded, his face somber. "Indeed. Any one of them can easily wipe out cities and destroy an entire country at full power."

He gestured to the map on the table, tracing the dragons' reported trajectory with his finger. "Our current weapons and armor are no match for such beasts. To confront them directly, we need power far beyond what we possess."

Adam turned to Jason. "We were preparing to send word to other kingdoms for aid, but since you're all here… we're hoping you might be able to help."

Connor crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in thought. After a moment, he nodded. "This is very serious. We'll head out immediately and do what we can."

Elijah's expression softened. "Thank you. The kingdom owes you a great debt. Good luck out there."

As the group began to leave, Jason lingered for a moment, turning back to the commander. "Commander," he said hesitantly, "any news on the black dragon? The one with the crystal on its head?"

Elijah's expression darkened slightly. "We've been studying it extensively, but so far, we haven't uncovered its origin. It's unlike anything we've encountered before."

"Oh."

Elijah offered a reassuring smile as he rested a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll keep digging. The moment we learn something, I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Commander," Jason said before hurrying to rejoin the others outside. 

Jason, Connor and Anna soared across the skies toward the eastern horizon, the wind whipping past them as they scanned the terrain below. Jason squinted, shielding his eyes from the sun. "I don't see anything!"

Before anyone could respond, a deafening roar shattered the silence, reverberating through the air like an ominous warning. Anna's sharp eyes locked onto the source, and she pointed ahead. "Over there!"

The three flew swiftly toward the sound, the ground below shifting into a vast canyon. As they approached, three colossal dragons came into view, flying into the canyon.

Jason's eyes widened. "They're huge. Larger than any dragon I've seen."

Anna hovered beside him, her gaze analytical. "But why are they here? Something doesn't add up."

Connor crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. "I don't know. But whatever the reason, we need to take them down. Carefully."

One of the dragons turned its massive head toward them, its molten eyes narrowing before it let out an earth-shaking roar. The other two dragons joined in, their cries splitting the air.

"Well, I guess we've been spotted!" Anna exclaimed. Her fists tightened as yellow lightning crackled around her. "Let's go!" She rocketed forward, aiming straight for the light dragon.

Anna collided with the light dragon in mid-air, delivering a thunderous punch that sent it spiraling away.

Meanwhile, Jason landed on the canyon floor, just as the fire breather unleashed a torrent of flames directly at him. The inferno enveloped him completely, smoke and ash swirling in the air.

As the flames subsided, Jason emerged unscathed, brushing soot from his shoulder. "Huh. That didn't even hurt at all."

With a powerful leap, he closed the distance and delivered a crushing punch to the dragon's snout, forcing it back with a pained roar.

Connor descended toward the acid spitter, which was digging furiously into the ground, spewing streams of corrosive acid in all directions. "What's it doing?" he murmured, watching it carefully.

The beast turned its menacing gaze toward him and unleashed a volley of acid. Connor twisted through the air, narrowly avoiding the attack, and retaliated with a surge of water. The force of the wave pushed the dragon back, its claws digging into the canyon floor to regain balance.

High above, Anna darted through the sky as the light dragon pursued her, firing blinding beams of light. She twisted and turned effortlessly, each maneuver keeping her a step ahead.

"You're persistent, aren't you?" she muttered before clapping her hands together with a resounding boom. The shockwave knocked the creature off course, sending it spiraling.

The dragon roared in fury, righting itself mid-air. Its body began to glow with a dangerous, pulsating energy, brighter and more intense with each passing second.

Anna gritted her teeth and flew at breakneck speed toward the dragon. With a surge of strength, she struck its jaw, forcing its head upward just as the beam fired.

The blast soared into the sky, dissipating in a fiery display. The clouds above were blown apart, leaving a vast, clear expanse throughout the country.

"That was close. If that had hit the ground, the whole country would be gone," Anna muttered.

She watched as the dragon reeled in pain, blood trickling from its glowing eyes. Her brow furrowed. "I didn't hit it that hard. What's wrong with it?"

Before she could figure it out, the light dragon locked onto Jason and charged. "Oh no, you don't!" Anna shouted, streaking after it.

Jason had just finished knocking the fire breather back when he saw the light dragon barreling toward him. "Hey, Anna! Wasn't this one yours?!" he shouted, narrowly dodging a barrage of light beams.

"Sorry about that!" Anna yelled, catching up to him.

The light dragon's glow intensified, and its body erupted with beams of light shooting out in every direction. The sky turned into a chaotic storm of light. Jason and Anna dove to the ground, narrowly avoiding the deadly blasts.

Suddenly, the dragon's energy coalesced, and it unleashed its most powerful beam yet, directly at Anna. "Anna!" Jason shouted, rushing toward her, but she stood her ground.

Bracing herself, Anna raised her hands and caught the beam, the immense force pushing her back. Gritting her teeth, she redirected the energy skyward, sending it harmlessly into the heavens.

"I've had just about enough of you," she growled, channeling yellow energy into her arm. She charged at the dragon and punched it with devastating force, sending the beast hurtling across the canyon.

It slammed into the ground, coughing up blood before collapsing.

Jason stared in awe, his eyes wide. "That… was incredible."

They cautiously approached the fallen dragon, its colossal body sprawled lifelessly across the rocky terrain. Jason studied its unmoving form, squinting to see if there was any sign of life. "I think it's dead."

Anna knelt beside one of its massive wings, her hand grazing the iridescent scales. She sighed. "Yeah. But maybe I went too hard on it."

Jason shook his head. "You did what you had to. Now, come on. Let's go check on Connor."

With a nod, they launched into the air, flying toward the last spot they'd seen him.

As they descended, they found Connor standing solemnly beside the acid spitter, now lying flat on the ground. His hand rested gently on its chest, and his expression was one of quiet resolve.

Jason tilted his head, confused. "What's he doing?" he whispered to Anna.

Anna glanced at him, her voice soft. "Whenever Connor takes a life, he says a prayer for it. He doesn't like violence and tries to avoids it at all cost. But when there's no choice… this is how he makes peace with it."

Jason watched in silence as Connor pressed his hands together, his lips moving in a quiet prayer. After a moment, Connor straightened and turned toward them. "Hey, you two. How'd it go?"

Jason and Anna exchanged grins. "We handled it easy," Jason said confidently as he and Anna clapped each other's hands in triumph.

Connor chuckled softly but quickly scanned the horizon. "Wait, what about the fire breather?"

Jason and Anna froze, realization dawning on them like a cold slap. Anna's gaze snapped to Jason. "You idiot! You let it get away?!"

Jason threw his hands up defensively. "Hey! That's not fair! I didn't let it get away!"

"Then where is it, genius?!"

Connor held up a hand, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Calm down, both of you. We don't have time to argue." He looked at each of them, his tone firm yet composed.

"Here's the plan: Jason, head back toward the kingdom in case it's headed that way. Anna, you keep going east—see if it's trying to escape further out. I'll search the canyon and surrounding areas to see if it's hiding nearby."

Connor gave them both a brief, reassuring smile. "Whether we find it or not, let's meet back here in an hour."

With their mission set, the trio leapt into the sky, each heading in a different direction.