He could feel the mana swirling—thickening around it, heat radiating in waves. The very air in the room was starting to shimmer faintly, like distant mirage heat over sun-baked sand.
Another crack split the shell, more decisive this time.
Tiny fragments crumbled and fell to the table like ash.
And then, like a hand reaching toward its first breath of freedom, a small, clawed limb pushed out—scaly, dark crimson with molten-gold streaks running like lava under its skin.
The egg shuddered.
And then, with one last pulse of heat—
Crack!
The shell shattered outward in a ring of glowing shards.
What emerged was a creature no larger than a house cat, but already pulsing with draconic pride. Its wings were tucked tight against its sides, membrane thin but etched with ember-like veins. It had two short, forward horns on its head and a tail tipped like a flaming whip. Its scales shimmered like freshly forged obsidian.
The Volcanic Wyvern blinked.
