Chapter 1 – The Love Birds
It had been four months since Strom first met Wraith.
Life in the forge had grown strangely lively ever since—a blacksmith, a runaway sorcerer, and a blue-skinned demoness sharing one roof.
The three of them sat around Strom's forge, the crackle of fire filling the silence.
Sam (smirking): "You two really look like love birds."
Wraith (panicking, almost dropping her cup): "W-What!? N-No, there's nothing between us!"
Her face turned crimson—though Strom couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or just the reflection of the forge fire.
Strom (grumbling, glaring at Sam): "You better get your magic junk fast… or I'll throw you into the furnace myself."
Sam (hands up, laughing): "Alright, alright! But I don't even know where to find them…"
Strom sighed, pulling on his coat and boots.
Strom: "Fine. I'll guide you on this journey."
Sam (grinning wide): "Now that's the spirit."
Before leaving, Strom turned to Wraith, his voice low but firm.
Strom: "Stay inside. Don't let anyone see you. Understand?"
Wraith (hesitating, her tone softer): "…Okay. But… don't take too long."
She hated being left alone ever since Strom found her—his presence was her strange new comfort.
Hours passed.
The forge stayed silent. The fire dimmed.
But no one came back.
Wraith (muttering to herself, pacing): "…Any moment now."
Still, no sound.
Her anxiety gnawed at her chest. She finally pulled on a heavy robe, sliding Strom's blue ring onto her finger. The hood and cloak covered her body completely—hiding her from sunlight's burn.
Wraith (whispering as she stepped out): "Now… I just need to find them."
Later, the forge door creaked open.
Sam (calling out cheerfully): "Hey bro! I got that thing wrong. I need your help ag—"
He froze.
The forge was empty.
No Strom.
No Wraith.
Sam (narrowing his eyes, muttering): "…I knew it. Love birds… out on a date."
Chapter 2 – The Search
The cloak weighed heavy on her shoulders, the blue ring glinting faintly from beneath her sleeve.
Wraith pulled her hood lower, hiding her skin from the sunlight, and stepped into the village.
She stopped passerby after passerby, her voice soft yet urgent.
Wraith: "Excuse me, sir… have you seen Strom? The blacksmith boy?"
Villager 1: "No."
Her heart sank. She turned again, trying another.
Wraith: "Hello, sir… Strom the blacksmith, or his friend Sam?"
Villager 2: "Sorry, haven't seen them."
Frustration tightened her chest. She tried again, clinging to hope.
Wraith: "Hi… have you seen Strom, the blacksmith?"
Villager 3: "Yes. North side of the road."
Her eyes lit up.
Wraith: "…Thank you."
The north road stretched before her. Far in the distance, she noticed the faint shimmer of feathers—golden, radiant against the ash sky.
A memory struck her. Strom once told her about saving an injured golden phoenix.
Wraith (muttering): "Did he find her again…? And is he helping her?"
Her gaze drifted higher—towards a towering volcano, smoke curling into the heavens.
Wraith: "…Phoenixes build their nests in volcanoes. Damn it…"
She started toward it.
But then—
The blue ring pulsed. A voice slithered from within, cold and commanding.
Sifen (from the ring): "You will die if you try to save that human."
Wraith (gritting her teeth): "Shut up. You tried to make me heartless… but he—he made me feel like I even have a heart."
Sifen (mocking, low): "I am your father. The very reason you have power. And yet… you waste yourself for humans?"
Wraith (shaking with anger): "What have you ever given me as a father…? Only pain."
Sifen: "You will regret this."
She ripped the ring from her finger and hurled it into the dirt.
Wraith (voice fierce, echoing): "I don't care if I have to die for him!"
And she walked—one step after another—towards the volcano's shadow.
Meanwhile, back at the forge…
Sam leaned against the wall, smirking to himself.
Sam: "Time to destroy some romantic drama. If they kissed while I was gone, I'll never forgive them."
He chuckled darkly, striking a ridiculous villain pose.
Sam: "Hahaha! Master plan!"
Chapter 3 – The Heat
The volcano's cave mouth breathed fire.
Each gust of wind carried ash, each stone glowed faint with magma veins.
Wraith stood at the edge, wrapped in her heavy cloak.
Her hands trembled—not from fear, but from the heat radiating out.
Wraith (to herself): "Strom… you better be in there."
She stepped forward.
The cave swallowed her whole.
With every step, the light behind her grew smaller, while the glow ahead grew harsher.
Wraith (calling, voice echoing): "Strom?"
Only her own voice answered back. The emptiness clawed at her chest.
Minutes passed. The air grew unbearable.
Her boots stuck slightly to the molten floor, the stone itself soft with heat.
Then she saw it—
a single boot, half-burnt, lying abandoned in the dirt.
She froze, staring.
Wraith: "…This is his."
Her grip tightened around it as if holding a lifeline.
She pressed forward.
But now the cave's heat felt like a living thing—an enemy trying to drive her out.
Her breath grew shallow. Her skin flushed, steam rising around her.
Her body protested, but her heart roared louder.
She stumbled, leaning against the rock wall.
Her vision swam, colors melting into one another.
That's when it started.
Voices.
Shadows.
She blinked, and in the molten haze she thought she saw Strom's silhouette ahead.
Wraith (weakly): "Strom… wait… I'm coming."
She dragged herself forward—
only for the vision to vanish.
Nothing but molten stone.
Her chest tightened.
More steps. More heat.
Blue drops of her blood slid down from the corner of her lips, staining her cloak.
Her kind wasn't meant to survive in this furnace.
But she kept going.
Wraith (whispering, half-delirious): "I still owe him… twenty coins… I can't die before I pay him back."
Her knees shook, threatening to give way.
But she pushed forward, step after painful step.
Finally, she reached the end of the tunnel.
A wall.
No Strom.
Her heart cracked.
Wraith: "No… no, no, no!"
Her scream filled the cave, bouncing back a hundred times until it sounded like an army of her own despair.
She collapsed to her knees.
Her cloak had burned through in places, her pale skin flushed pink from the fire.
Her breathing was ragged, shallow.
But even as her body failed, her spirit did not.
Her fingers clawed into the ground, and she began to crawl, inch by inch, toward the way back.
Her body begged her to stop. Her mind screamed to rest.
But her heart—
her heart refused.
Because Strom was somewhere.
And she had promised herself she would never leave him alone.
Chapter 4 – The Moonlight
Wraith's body dragged itself through the ash, one hand after another, until the cave's mouth spilled her into the open world again.
The morning sun hit her face—gentle to others, but burning to her kind.
Her breath broke, her eyes rolled back, and her body finally collapsed.
Wraith (whispering, half-conscious): "Idiot… look what you made me do… I—"
Her words faded as she slipped into darkness.
Hours passed.
The sun set.
Cool evening air swept over her broken body.
Her eyes fluttered open. She was still weak, trembling, but the bleeding had stopped.
Wraith (hoarse, stubborn): "…I won't give up."
Then the ground shook.
A sound like thunder filled the valley as a colossal shadow swept across the sky.
She looked up—
and froze.
A phoenix of molten gold descended.
Wings stretched wider than a fortress gate. Feathers shimmered like liquid fire. Its presence alone made the air boil.
Her body, still fragile from the cave, betrayed her—blood dripped again from her nose and lips under the creature's scorching aura.
Wraith (gasping): "Please… go… please…"
The phoenix's golden eyes pierced into her.
It saw what she carried.
The feather.
Wraith, trembling, tossed the glowing feather aside.
The phoenix landed, earth cracking beneath its talons. It lowered its head, studied her with a sharp, ancient gaze… then took the feather gently in its beak.
With one powerful flap of molten wings, it rose back to the heavens and vanished into the clouds.
Wraith collapsed again, struggling even to breathe.
But she crawled. Crawled until her nails scraped the rock raw.
Crawled until the faint sound of running water reached her ears.
She found a stream.
Her body shook too much to scoop water by hand—so she let herself fall face-first into it.
The cold water embraced her like a savior. Her blue blood mingled with the current, but in moments her wounds closed.
Her strength surged back.
And above, the moon rose.
Her people's true blessing.
Moonlight bathed her form, and her recovery accelerated.
Her breath steadied. Her muscles regained their fire.
Wraith (standing tall now, eyes blazing):
"Now… I will climb that volcano. Nothing can stop me."
She began the ascent.
Her fingers dug into jagged stone, tearing skin, yet each wound healed instantly under the silver glow.
Her determination was raw, primal—the rage in her eyes hotter than the volcano itself.
Hour after hour, she climbed.
Finally, she reached the peak.
And there—
shackled in chains, covered in claw marks, sword gashes, and bruises—
was Strom.
Wraith (screaming): "Strom! I'm here to save you!"
She sprinted across the volcanic rim toward him—
But a voice stopped her cold.
??? (booming, echoing): "And I… am here to kill you both."
The fog thickened.
A shadow rose, towering, monstrous.
A lava demon, ten feet tall, horns like obsidian spears, wielding a massive blade that dripped with molten fire.
Wraith: "Who are you? What do you want?!"
The giant stepped forward.
Its molten skin cracked with every move, lava glowing beneath.
Volkthane: "I am the Lava King, Volkthane—the hunter of powers."
Wraith (snarling): "Release him, or you'll regret it."
Volkthane (grinning): "Then try, little one."
She charged, fists blazing.
But Volkthane's punch landed like a boulder. The force sent her skidding across the volcanic rock.
She forced herself up, lunged again.
His sword swung once—the shockwave alone dropped her to her knees.
Chains rattled as Strom struggled.
Strom (desperate): "Wraith, no! Please, go back!"
But she ignored him, charging again.
And again Volkthane struck her down. His blows were simply too heavy for a sixteen-year-old blue demon girl.
She coughed blood, struggling to stand.
Then, Volkthane's tone shifted.
He loomed over her, but his voice carried weight—not just cruelty, but sorrow.
Volkthane: "You wonder why I hunt you. Why I chase the boy, why I shatter the skies with fire. You think me a monster… but I have no choice."
He lifted his sword, and with it the air shimmered—
revealing golden sparks.
Volkthane: "The phoenix you saw… she is bound to me. Her fire, my chains. Long ago, I swore to guard her power, to never let it fall into mortal hands. But fate cursed me instead. Her feather calls me… forces me… to hunt its bearer. If she dies, so do I. If she burns, I burn. We are bound by flame."
Chapter 5 – The Dragon
Volkthane's burning eyes softened for the first time as he began to speak. His voice was heavy, almost cracked, like someone carrying centuries of regret.
Volkthane – "Once… I was a merciless hunter. I raided towns, butchered armies, and burned villages to ash for gold and magic. My men feared me more than they feared the flames themselves. But one day… everything changed."
His hand trembled slightly as he gripped his sword.
Volkthane – "I raided a town where a phoenix defended her people. She burned my army alive, yet I still managed to kill her. Victory was mine, or so I thought. Then I heard a cry… a baby phoenix, alone, crying for her mother. For the first time… my heart felt warm."
He looked away, voice cracking.
Volkthane – "I took her in. Raised her. Loved her. She was my world. But her fire… it's fading. She is dying. And the only cure… is to fuse dragon aura with water, and the blood of a blue demon."
A silence hung over the volcanic cave.
Strom – "If saving her is what you want… then I'll help you. But don't kill her."
Wraith, though still coughing blood from the volcanic heat, stood firm beside Strom.
Wraith – "I'm ready to help too. I'm sorry, Volkthane… I misunderstood you."
For a moment, it felt like peace was possible. But then Volkthane's lips curled into a cruel smile, laughter echoing against the cavern walls.
Volkthane – "Help me? HA! No… why settle for scraps when I can have it all? With the blood of a blue demon, I won't just save her… I will control the greatest power of all—Dragon Aura."
Strom – "We offer you hope, and you still want to kill us?"
Wraith – "There's another way! You don't have to do this!"
Volkthane – "Another way? No. I am greedy. And greed does not compromise."
A deafening screech ripped through the air. The colossal phoenix descended, golden feathers blazing like suns, her wings melting the stone as she landed at the volcano's peak.
Volkthane turned to her, his face filled with desperate love.
Volkthane – "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll save you… even if I have to burn the world."
He lifted his massive blade, eyes locking on Strom.
Volkthane – "Any last wish, boy?"
Strom swallowed hard, knowing his pendant was his only hope.
Strom – "Yeah. Regret instantly."
Volkthane – "Cocky… even in front of death."
The blade came down in a flash meant to end Strom's life—
But before the strike landed, Strom's pendant exploded in a blinding blue light. The entire volcano shook as a voice thundered through the cavern:
Voice – "Stay away from my son."
The earth split. Ash and wind blasted outward. And from the light emerged a colossal dragon—her scales pure white, glowing faintly like the moon, her fins glowing with deep azure light, her claws like steel . Her eyes burned blue, slit like a serpent's, radiating a godlike presence.
Dravyss had awakened.
Dravyss – "Time's up."
The phoenix screamed, launching herself in rage at Dravyss. But the dragon was too strong. With one swipe of her massive claw, she split the phoenix in half mid-flight. The battle ended before it even began.
Volkthane – "NOOO! No, no, no! Why her?! Take me instead! Not her!"
Dravyss loomed over him, merciless.
Dravyss – "You look sad. Allow me… to free you from pain."
Her jaws snapped shut in a single bite—Volkthane was gone.
Strom and Wraith stood frozen, trembling. They thought death was next. But instead, Dravyss lowered her claw gently, shattering Strom's chains. She picked them both up with her talons and soared into the clouds, leaving the burning volcano behind.
Moments later, she landed in a peaceful grassland by a cold river. Her massive head lowered, eyes softer now.
Dravyss – "My son… only when you face true death, or call me… I will come."
Her body dissolved into a radiant light, vanishing back into the pendant.
Silence. The grass swayed in the wind.
Wraith's voice was barely a whisper.
Wraith – "I can't believe what I just saw…"
Strom clutched the pendant close to his chest, smiling faintly through the fear.
Strom – "Thanks… dragon mom."