The Dragon’s Breath

The ground beneath the crater rumbled like a distant drum, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the ice. Eryndor felt it deep in his bones the dragon beneath the veil was stirring.

Kaelith stepped back from the shattered altar, the relic trembling in her hands. "I thought the relics were supposed to stop this!"

Eryndor's cursed arm flared as he approached her, the blue fire licking up toward his shoulder. "The relics weren't holding it back… they were keeping it asleep."

Kaelith's eyes narrowed. "And now that we have all four?"

Before Eryndor could answer, a fissure split open at the center of the crater. A blast of searing hot air erupted from the ground, sending shards of ice and stone flying.

Rhoan staggered back, shielding his face from the heat. His voice was grim. "The dragon isn't just waking. It's breaking through the veil."

Eryndor tightened his grip on his sword, the flames along the blade surging brighter in response to the growing heat. "We're not letting that happen."

Kaelith shot him a look. "How exactly do you plan on stopping a dragon buried under the world?"

Eryndor didn't respond immediately. His cursed arm burned hotter, as if the fire inside him was answering the dragon's call.

Rhoan took a step forward, his red eyes flickering faintly. "You can't fight it, Eryndor. Not as you are."

Eryndor met his gaze. "I don't plan to fight it alone."

Kaelith arched a brow. "Good. Because I wasn't planning on running."

Another tremor shook the crater. This time, a jagged claw burst from the fissure black, scaled, and wrapped in ancient runes that shimmered with fiery light. The claw slammed down into the ground, sending cracks rippling outward.

Kaelith's eyes widened. "Well… that's not good."

Rhoan's expression hardened. "It's starting."

With a thunderous roar, the dragon began to rise.

Its massive head broke through the surface, molten eyes burning like twin suns. Its scales shimmered dark as the night sky, each one etched with glowing runes of fire. The heat radiating from it was overwhelming the very air around it rippled and warped.

Kaelith took a cautious step back, gripping her dagger. "Eryndor, tell me you've got a plan."

Eryndor's cursed arm blazed brighter, his veins glowing like molten steel beneath his skin. His vision blurred at the edges, but he didn't falter.

"I do," he said quietly. "We put it back to sleep."

Kaelith's brow furrowed. "How?"

Eryndor glanced at the relics three glowing softly in his pack, and the fourth still clutched in Kaelith's hand. "The relics aren't just keys. They're anchors. If we channel their energy into the veil, we can rebind the dragon."

Rhoan's voice was cold. "And what happens to you?"

Eryndor didn't answer.

Kaelith's eyes narrowed. "Eryndor"

A low growl rumbled from the dragon's throat as its head turned toward them. The runes along its scales began to pulse with fiery light, building toward something devastating.

"There's no time," Eryndor said sharply. "Kaelith, set the relics around the crater. Rhoan, cover her."

Kaelith hesitated but saw the determination in Eryndor's eyes. With a frustrated sigh, she took off toward the edge of the crater, placing the relic she carried into the ice.

Rhoan followed closely, his sword drawn. "You're gambling with fire, Eryndor. You know that."

Eryndor watched the dragon carefully. "I've been gambling with fire my whole life."

As the relics were placed, their glow intensified, forming a faint ring of blue light around the dragon. The beast shifted, snarling as if sensing the trap being laid.

Kaelith planted the final relic into the ice, shouting across the crater. "It's done!"

Eryndor raised his sword, the flames along the blade burning as bright as the relics. The fire in his cursed arm erupted, spreading outward in tendrils that connected to each relic.

The dragon's molten gaze locked onto him, and for a moment, Eryndor felt something… ancient. Not hatred. Not rage. Recognition.

It knows me.

With a roar, the dragon unleashed a torrent of fire, the blast racing toward Eryndor like a flood of molten light.

Kaelith shouted, "Eryndor, move!"

But he didn't.

Eryndor raised his cursed arm, and as the fire struck him, the relics flared violently the energy redirecting the dragon's flames into the ground.

The veil shimmered, cracks forming along its edges.

Kaelith's eyes widened. "It's working!"

Eryndor grit his teeth, sweat dripping down his face as he held the connection. The dragon thrashed, but the relics tightened their hold, chains of blue fire wrapping around the beast's claws and wings.

Rhoan approached cautiously. "It's not enough. The seal's weakening faster than he can repair it."

Kaelith's expression darkened. "Then we buy him time."

Before Rhoan could stop her, Kaelith sprinted toward the dragon, weaving between its massive claws.

Eryndor's heart jumped. "Kaelith! What are you doing?!"

She didn't stop. With a fierce shout, she drove her dagger into one of the runes glowing on the dragon's leg. The beast roared, its focus snapping to her as flames surged from its mouth.

Kaelith dove behind a shattered pillar as the fire scorched the ice around her.

Eryndor's cursed arm burned hotter than ever before. The relics pulsed frantically as the veil strained, struggling to contain the dragon's power.

Not yet… Just a little longer.

The runes along the dragon's body flickered. Its massive form began to sink, drawn back beneath the veil as the relics pulled tighter.

With one final roar, the dragon vanished beneath the ice, the fissure sealing shut with a blinding flash of blue light.

Eryndor collapsed to his knees, his arm smoldering but intact.

Kaelith staggered to his side, panting heavily. "Well… that wasn't terrible."

Rhoan approached, his gaze lingering on the sealed crater. "You stopped it. For now."

Eryndor looked at the relics, their glow fading.

"For now," he echoed.