Break the Chains, Burn the Walls

The flames burst to life, licking up the iron bars like golden serpents. The runes flickered in defiance, their silver glow pulsing as if trying to suppress the fire—

But Anne's flames were not normal fire.

They were hers. Dragon fire.

And nothing could stop it.

The runes cracked. The cage trembled. Then, with a sound like shattering glass, the enchantments broke, their hold snapping like brittle bones. The bars melted, warping under the sheer heat until they twisted apart.

Anne stepped forward, the embers still dancing at her fingertips. The air itself shimmered around her.

Lucian whistled low. "Remind me never to lock you up."

The remaining hunter scrambled backward, his face pale with fear. He had his crossbow, but his hands shook too hard to aim. He wasn't a threat anymore.

Anne turned away from him. They had bigger problems.

The fortress was waking.

A deep horn bellowed through the stone halls, a warning that something was very wrong.

Lucian cursed. "That's our cue to leave."

Anne didn't need to be told twice. She sprinted toward the nearest archway, Lucian right behind her. The hallway ahead twisted into dim torch-lit corridors, each one echoing with the thunder of boots.

The hunters were coming.

Anne's mind raced. They needed a way out. Fast.

Lucian grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop just before a turn. He pressed her against the stone wall, his breath steady despite the tension crackling between them.

"They'll expect us to go through the front," he murmured.

Anne nodded. "So we don't."

Lucian smirked. "That's the plan."

They moved before the first wave of hunters arrived, slipping through a side passage. The fortress was a maze—narrow stairwells, crumbling halls, rooms lined with rusted weapons. The deeper they went, the colder the air became.

Lucian hesitated. "This isn't leading us out."

Anne agreed. Something was wrong.

Then she saw the markings on the walls.

Faint symbols, carved deep into the stone—old runes.

Anne reached out, tracing a clawed finger over one. The moment she touched it, a hum filled the air, ancient and powerful. The symbols pulsed.

Lucian frowned. "That's not normal."

Anne's fire flickered at her fingertips. She could feel something below them. Something alive.

And then—

A deep, rumbling growl vibrated through the walls.

Lucian went rigid.

Anne's pulse slammed in her chest.

Whatever was down there… they had just woken it up.

And they weren't alone anymore.