The cave breathed around me — a slow, steady rhythm like the pulse of a living thing. Water dripped somewhere in the shadows, splashing softly against stone, while the scent of damp earth mixed with ash and something older, heavier. It was a smell that clung to the bones of this place, whispering secrets I didn't yet understand.
My legs trembled beneath me, claws scraping the rough stone floor. Wings hung heavy and wet at my sides, fragile and unfamiliar. Every movement was a struggle, like learning to walk all over again in a world that felt both strange and strangely familiar.
Outside, the cracked moon hung low in the sky. Its fractured light spilled through fissures in the cave's ceiling, painting the rough walls with silver and shadow. The glow was pale, broken — but it was enough to warm the cold bite of the cave's dark silence.
Aether thrummed quietly beneath my scales, a slow heartbeat threading through my blood and bone. It was subtle, but alive — a quiet power that pulsed in tune with the world itself. I didn't fully understand it yet. I only knew it was mine.
My thoughts were tangled — fragmented memories flickering behind my eyes like shards of broken glass. I caught glimpses of light and shadow, battles and betrayals, names half-remembered and broken.
The mother dragon, luminous and calm in silver scales.
The void shadow, dark and endless.
Their names lingered just out of reach.
The world was vast and new, but it carried the weight of a thousand years in its silence.
A sudden hiss shattered the quiet.
It was low and urgent, a sharp sound slicing through the stillness like a blade. I froze, heart slamming.
From the shadows slithered a snake — sleek and dangerous, scales glinting with black and blue like shattered obsidian. Its eyes burned with cold hunger, locked onto me as though I were prey.
It moved with a deadly grace that stirred something deep within me. Silent, fluid — a predator built to kill.
The stories from my fading human memories flickered briefly: creatures of cunning and ferocity, hunters with razor teeth and eyes that saw into your soul. The raptors. The hunters.
Panic surged.
I dropped low, wings flaring weakly, claws scrabbling at the stone floor. Instinct warred with fear, every muscle taut.
The snake struck.
Jaws snapped mere inches from my snout.
I rolled hard, teeth snapping blindly into empty air. Pain exploded as fangs sank into my leg, venom biting hot and deep. Fire raced through my veins.
The world narrowed to instinct and breath. Panic and pain clawed through me. But then, a spark of calm — a whispered pulse from the Aether beneath my skin, steady and sure.
I lashed out, tail sweeping with desperate force. The snake's head slammed hard against the jagged wall.
It writhed violently, striking again with venomous speed.
Luck turned sharp. My jaws snapped onto its neck, teeth sinking in.
The snake's thrashing slowed.
Finally, its body went limp.
Breathing ragged, I stumbled backward, blood warm on my scales, vision blurring at the edges. The cave tilted and spun like a slow tide, pulling me toward stone.
Outside, the fractured moon hung low, pale light spilling softly over the cave's mouth. Its glow seeped into me, warm and gentle, soothing the searing pain.
The venom burned less, the wound sealing slowly — a faint shimmer left where the bite had been.
I closed my eyes and let the moon's light wash over me.
A strange warmth blossomed deep within, unfamiliar but steady. Like the world itself was speaking, urging me to rise.
Memories teased the edges of my mind: flickers of battles long past, betrayals soaked in regret, names whispered on the wind.
There was a story here, waiting to be uncovered.
But for now, I was alive.
And the world outside waited.
With trembling legs, I rose again. The forest beyond the cave stretched wide and dark, silver leaves rustling softly in the shattered moonlight. Somewhere beyond, unseen eyes watched — ancient and patient.
The air thrummed with power and promise.
I was a dragon born from moonlight and void, the child of two broken legacies.
And this was only the beginning.