The sanctuary was cool and damp, with torchlight dancing on the stone walls and casting long shadows.
Farid sat at the edge of the room, holding his hands in his lap tightly as he tried to make sense of what Elara had told him.
The Shadow Drake, the Obsidian Heart, the Pact of Eternity all sounded like a legend, not something that could be real. But he could still hear the dragon's roar in his head, and the curse felt like a heavy chain on his chest.
Elara stood on the other side of the room, carefully picking through a shelf filled with strange, old objects.
She worked with calm focus, lifting things that looked like they could be dangerous. A dagger with its handle curved like a snake, a glowing crystal, a ring with shifting symbols.
He wanted to ask what they were, but his head was already overwhelmed with fear and confusion.
Finally, he spoke, his voice echoing in the quiet room. "So, you're saying I have to fight a dragon? Me? A guy who can barely get through gym class?"
Elara looked at Farid with a small smile on her face. "You won't have to fight it alone. And before you face it, you need to understand what you're dealing with, and what's special about you."
Farid frowned. "special? You keep saying that, but I don't feel special. I just feel completely in way too deep."
Elara put down the dagger she was holding and walked over to him. "The curse picked you for a reason, Farid. The Shadow Drake doesn't attach itself to just anyone. It senses something powerful inside them, a spark that makes you dangerous to it. That's why it wants to claim you so badly."
Farid shook his head. "I don't have any power inside me. I'm just… me."
Elara's gaze softened, but her tone remained firm.
"You're stronger than you think. The accident, the coma, the voice you heard, they weren't just by chance. This curse is old, and it picks people who can stand up to it. You survived its first attempt to bind you, which means you have something inside you the Drake fears. We just need to bring it out."
Farid wanted to protest, to say she was mistaken, but he remembered the school collapsing and the dragon chasing him. Something strange was happening to him for sure, though he could not explain it, but he could not deny it either.
"Okay," he said at last. "So… how do I bring it out?"
Elara pointed to a circle of symbols carved into the stone floor at the center of the room. "Let's start with the basics. The Shadow Drake is a magical creature, bound to the curse's power. To fight it, you have to understand magic yourself."
Farid's eyes widened. "Magic? You mean like…casting spells and waving wands?"
Elara laughed softly. "Not exactly. Magic isn't just waving a wand and saying special words. It's about what you want, what you feel, and how you connect to the world around you. The curse has already tied you to the Drake's power. Now you have to learn how to use that link against it."
She stepped into the circle and gestured for Farid to join her. He felt a little bit nervous but he made himself move. The symbols under his feet seemed to hum, sending a faint vibration up through his skin.
"Close your eyes," Elara said. "Listen, but not with your ears, but with your mind. The curse is part of you now. It's like a chain, but it's also a door. You have to find it."
Farid did as Elara said, though he felt a bit silly. He closed his eyes and tried to focus, but all he could hear was the soft crackle of the torches and his own shaky breathing. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to find," he said.
"Stop trying to look," Elara replied. "Feel. The curse is alive, Farid. It's like a heartbeat or a thread that links you to the Drake. Reach for it."
He tried again, shutting out the sounds and focusing inside himself. At first, he saw nothing but darkness, like the darkness from his coma. But then, faintly, he felt it, a cold, heavy presence, like a shadow wrapped around his heart. It was the same feeling he got when the Drake spoke to him, only softer now.
He focused on that feeling. His mind brushed against the thread, and a sudden shock ran through him, like touching an electric wire.
His eyes snapped open, and he stumbled back, breathing hard. "What was that?" he asked.
Elara looked pleased. "You felt the curse, didn't you? That's the first step. You're linked to the Drake, and that link works both ways. You can use it to sense where it is, or maybe even what it's thinking."
Farid felt dizzy. "So... am i psychic now or something?"
"Not exactly," Elara said with a small smile. "But you're learning. The curse lets you tap into the Drake's power, but it's dangerous. The more you use it, the stronger the connection gets. If you're not careful, it could take over."
Farid gulped. "Fantastic. So now there's a dragon in my head, and if I use its power, I might end up as its puppet."
Elara nodded. "That's the disadvantage. But it's also your advantage. The Drake expects you to run or hide. It doesn't think you'll fight back."
For the next few hours, Elara helped Farid practice through exercises to strengthen his link to the curse without letting it take control. She showed him how to focus his mind and picture the curse's thread as something he could hold and control.
It took a lot out of him, thus, making him exhausted. By the time they stopped, Farid's head was pounding, and he felt like he'd just run a long race.
"You did great," Elara said, handing him a cup of water. "Most people would've given up to the curse's weight by now."
Farid drank, his hands trembling. "I don't feel great. I still don't know how I'd fight a dragon."
"You will get there," Elara said. "But first, rest. The Drake will come back soon, and you need to be ready when it returns."
She took him to a small cot in the corner of the sanctuary, and he collapsed onto it, completely worn out. As he fell asleep, he could still feel the curse like a faint heartbeat in his mind, reminding him the dragon was still out there, waiting.
When he woke up, the sanctuary was quiet and the torches burned low. Elara was gone, but she left a note on the table: Stay here. I'm tracking the Drake. Don't leave until I return.
Farid's stomach tightened. He didn't want to just wait around for the dragon to show up again. He grabbed his phone and texted Ansel, hoping his friend was safe. The message went through, but there was no reply. Farid started walking back and forth in the room, feeling more nervous with every minute that passed.
Suddenly, Farid felt it. A cold, familiar creepy feeling, like a shadow creeping over him. The Drake was near. His heart raced, and the air felt heavy. The torches flickered, and the symbols on the walls glowed faintly, like a warning.
"You can't hide," the Drake's voice vibrated, louder and nearer. "The Pact is eternal. You belong to me."
Farid's breath stopped as the sanctuary's door shook, the wood creaking like something was pushing it. He stepped back, looking at the objects on the shelves, the dagger, the crystal, the ring. Could any of them help?
He grabbed the dagger, its handle cold in his hand, as he got ready.
The door forced open, and the dragon's roar echoed through the chamber.