Chapter 1: Midnight Sparks
The forge was alive at midnight.
The clang of hammer against steel echoed through the quiet hills, each strike sending sparks dancing into the cool night air.
Strom stood alone before the blazing furnace, sleeves rolled up, sweat running down his face as glowing metal rested on the anvil.
His old armor lay scattered across the table, dented, cracked, and scorched from battles that had pushed it far beyond its limits.
This time, he wasn't repairing it.
He was forging an entirely new set.
Magic steel, stronger alloys, reinforced joints...
No demon bones.
No shortcuts.
Strom (muttering under his breath): "Big monsters destroying the world... and I'm running for my life. What a mighty knight."
From the doorway, a figure appeared with messy hair, blue skin, half-open eyes, and a face that looked ready to commit murder.
Wraith (half asleep): "You are ruining my sleep. Can't you hammer that piece of junk during the day?"
Strom (didn't even look up): "Yo, miss. Don't disrespect my love."
Wraith blinked.
Wraith (shocked): "Your love? Then who the hell am I?"
Strom (casually): "A blue demon lady who keeps eating my food without paying rent."
The old wooden door creaked in pain as Wraith's grip tightened around it.
Wraith: "Sleep is important, you know."
Strom: "Then go get some. What's stopping you?"
Wraith (pointed at him with irritation): "That freaking hammer!"
Another victim of Strom's one night armour session appeared.
Sam walked inside, hair completely ruined, dark circles under his eyes, holding his staff like it was the only thing keeping him alive.
Sam: "That's it, Strom. I've had enough."
His staff glowed.
Sam: "Sleep!"
A burst of blue magic shot across the forge.
Before it could reach him, Strom casually raised one hand.
A small magic circle appeared.
The spell shattered into tiny blue lights before fading into nothing.
Sam (disbelief): "Who even taught this idiot magic? He keeps countering my spells."
Wraith (folded her arms): "Can't you turn him into a rat?"
Sam (sighed): "That's witchcraft, Wraith. I don't do curses."
For a brief moment...
The hammering stopped.
Sam and Wraith smiled in relief.
Then Strom calmly picked up his blue spear, examined the scratches running along its blade, and placed it onto the workbench.
CLANG!
The forge echoed once again.
Sam slowly looked toward the ceiling.
Sam: "Next time, build me a castle..."
Then he pointed outside.
Sam: "...at least two kilometers away from your existence."
Strom saluted dramatically.
Strom: "Yes, sir!"
Realizing there was no hope left, Wraith and Sam walked outside and sat near the entrance, waiting for the endless hammering to finally stop.
Inside the forge, sparks continued to dance through the air.
Strom kept smiling as he worked.
But it wasn't a peaceful smile.
His hands never slowed.
His eyes never left the glowing steel.
Strom (thinking): "Last time... she had to fight because of me."
The hammer struck the blade again.
CLANG!
"Next time..."
Another strike.
CLANG!
"I'll become strong enough..."
One final strike echoed through the night.
CLANG!
"She won't have to fight anymore."
The armor and weapon slowly began taking shape beneath the fire.
Yet despite the determined smile on his face...
The wounds left by Dravyss's words still hadn't healed fully.
Chapter 2: The Silence That Screams...
The next day began with half-asleep heroes, burnt breakfast, and absolutely no sense at all.
Outside the house...
Sam: "So, what did you get from destroying our sleep?"
Strom (without hesitation): "Eleven plus inner peace."
Wraith: "I got five hours minus sleep."
Strom: "Fair point, I think."
Sam suddenly stopped walking because something felt wrong.
He looked toward the mountain pass.
Orc giants.
Green goblins.
An entire army rushing toward the village.
Ready to loot. Willing to kill.
Sam: "Why, God...?"
Strom walked beside him, eyes locked on the approaching army.
Strom: "Hell yeah... what an opening ceremony for my new armor."
Sam: "We have to stop them as fast as possible."
Strom: "First, we get every villager out. Then... absolute destruction."
Wraith (frowned): "I don't think that's a good idea. We should stop them before they enter."
Strom shook his head.
Strom: "There are too many. Fighting them in the open will get us killed. But inside the village? They'll bottleneck themselves. That's where we ambush them."
Nobody argued, because there wasn't time left for it.
Armor.
Spear.
Staff.
Daggers.
Everything was ready.
The three of them rushed into the village, warning everyone about the approaching danger.
By the time the army reached the gates, every villager had already escaped.
Sam had quietly laid dozens of magical traps.
Wraith disappeared into the bushes.
Strom stood alone in the middle of the street, gripping his spear.
Strom (thinking): "I won't call the dragon for this."
The invasion charged.
Orcs smashed through the entrance while goblins scattered toward the houses, searching for anything valuable.
Sam's traps activated.
Explosions of blue mana echoed through the streets.
Wraith leaped from the shadows.
Strom charged straight ahead.
Mana collided with brute force.
Steel clashed against axes.
Without civilians to protect, they fought freely without holding back.
Everything was going according to plan. The fight was in their favour.
Then...
Sam (shouting): "Why the hell is there a kid?!"
Strom turned.
A little boy was there.
No older than seven.
Running through the battlefield, tears streaming down his face.
An orc chased him with a battle axe raised high.
Strom's spear moved like lightning, piercing straight through the orc's chest.
Strom: "Kid! This way!"
He pointed toward a narrow escape route, leading outside of the village.
The boy nodded and ran away.
The battle continued.
Then Strom noticed something.
A goblin stood above the cliff, pushing a small boulder toward a much larger one resting behind it.
His eyes widened.
If it moved...
The larger boulder would fall directly onto the child.
Strom immediately raised his hand.
Glass Blade...
Before the spell could form fully, an orc slammed into him.
The magical spell shattered.
Another attacked.
Then another.
Every attempt to cast was interrupted.
Grinding his teeth, Strom spun his spear three times, cutting down every orc around him.
He looked toward Wraith, but she was surrounded.
Sam was trapped as well.
No one could help at that time.
Without hesitation, Strom hurled his spear.
The goblin died instantly.
But...
The small boulder had already started rolling.
Strom: "No please..."
The frightened child tripped over a loose stone and fell.
Then started crying...
The larger boulder slowly began to move faster.
Strom sprinted like nothing could stop him.
He pushed orcs aside, ignoring every attack.
There was only one thing that mattered.
'Saving that child.'
He was almost there.
Just...
one more step needed.
Then the mountain trembled. The massive boulder broke loose high above.
Blue light burst from Strom's pendant.
A gigantic shadow swallowed the battlefield.
For the frist time she hesitated at first...
In a single motion, Dravyss grabbed Strom and pulled him away from the falling rock.
She barely managed to save him. But...
She couldn't save the child.
Without stopping, Dravyss turned and descended upon the battlefield, tearing through orcs and goblins, blue flames burning their souls to ashes.
Strom never looked at the fight.
For a moment his world had frozen completely.
The little hand that had once tried to reach toward him...
Was gone.
Blood slowly flowed from the cracks beneath the fallen stone.
Strom (barely whispering): "no... no... NO..."
His hands trembled, breathing became uneven.
His blue in his eyes slowly faded...
Replaced by crimson.
And after that, he no longer fought like a human anymore.
Something wild had possessed him.
____
When the last monster fell, silence returned.
Not peaceful silence...
But a silence that screamed guilt.
Strom stood motionless, staring at the place where the child had cried for help only moments ago.
Strom (whispering): "He was right there... I only needed one more step..."
Dravyss landed softly behind him.
Her massive claws touched the ground carefully as she reached toward him with a trembling hand.
Dravyss (hesitating): "Strom... listen to me... you wouldn't have escaped ali-"
Strom (cutting her off): "Don't you dare talk to me."
Below the hill, Sam and Wraith finally spotted them.
Sam: "What the hell is going on?!"
Wraith: "let's move!"
They sprinted toward them, but before they could arrive...
Strom exploded with anger.
Strom: "You had one choice... ONE! And you chose me instead of him! Why me?! Why is it always me?!"
Dravyss: "Because you would have died trying to save him!"
Strom: "YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME DIE THEN!!"
The words echoed across the ruined village.
Dravyss took a small step back.
Tears rolled down her face.
Strom: "I'm not worth it... I'm not worth his life..."
Dravyss reached toward him again.
Dravyss: "Son... we can't always save every-"
Strom: "Don't call me that..."
His eyes met hers. There was no hesitation anymore... Only hate.
Strom: "You are not my mother."
The words struck harder than any blade ever could ever hurt her.
Dravyss froze.
For a moment...
Her heart simply stopped.
Strom ripped off his helmet and threw it onto the ground.
The steel dented on impact.
Strom: "I'm not worthy of this."
His hand tightened around the pendant and with all the hatred buried inside him...
He tore it from his neck and threw it toward Dravyss.
Strom (hollow voice): "That thing stole everything from me... my parents... my childhood... my happiness... my life."
Dravyss tried to answer but no words came out.
Strom turned away.
Just then, Sam and Wraith reached them.
Sam stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
Sam: "Strom listen to me."
But Strom didn't.
He shoved Sam aside without even looking at him.
Strom: "Just... don't follow me. Especially you, Dragon... I don't want to see you again."
And he walked away.
Behind him...
The village still burned.
There were more ashes than flames.
But something far more precious...
Had already turned to ash.
Chapter 3: What a Knight...
The evening had shattered into night. The golden light of the sun disappeared beneath the silver glow of the moon.
Meanwhile, near the quiet river, Strom sat silently beside his spear.
His heart was heavy with failure, his mind filled with guilt and eyes lowered in shame.
Because he had said so much to Dravyss in anger.
But now those memories have returned again...
She wasn't the one who had ruined his life.
She only tried her best...
And failed.
Strom knew that failure wasn't hers alone.
Strom (muttering): "The fuck have I done..."
Then his eyes caught a faint orange light in the distance, on the other side of the river.
Someone stood there holding a lantern.
The moment Strom noticed him, the stranger slowly started walking away.
Strom picked up his spear and stepped toward the fading light.
He didn't know whether he should follow or not but...
For some reason...
It felt right.
He crossed the river by stepping across scattered rocks, pushed through thick bushes, and finally reached a small cave.
A warm orange light spilled from inside because of the burning fire.
Strom: "Should I?"
He thought for a moment.
Then shrugged.
Strom: "Anyways."
He stepped inside.
The cave was covered with hanging lanterns, while the stone walls were filled with paintings made from coal and ash.
At the far end stood an old man wearing a dark brown robe, quietly staring at a painting of a Crimson Dragon.
Unknown Man: "So... you are finally here."
He didn't even turn around.
Strom: "You know me?"
Unknown Man: "You're quite famous in the nearby villages."
Strom: "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
Unknown Man: "I'm Shaman Zyr, and I live in this cave."
Then he finally turned toward Strom.
Zyr: "Tell me... what are you doing inside my house?"
Strom (whispering): "Shaman Zyr... strange name honestly."
Strom (out loud): "Nothing. Just passing by and attracted by the flames."
Zyr smiled a little.
Zyr: "Well... what else would you expect from a flame shaman?"
Strom: "Flame shaman? I thought they all died long ago."
Zyr: "Nonsense! Not everyone."
Strom had nothing left to say or ask.
Yet...
He didn't feel like leaving.
Zyr: "Have a seat if you want to talk."
Strom: "Why do you think I want to talk?"
Zyr: "Because no one walks into another man's house if they don't want something."
Strom stayed quiet for a second.
Then finally spoke.
Strom: "Then tell me... why were you stalking me?"
Zyr: "Who? Me?"
Strom: "Yes, you. You were watching me from the riverside, then walked away the moment I noticed you."
Zyr (laughed softly): "You really think these old eyes could see that far at night?"
Strom tried to reply...
But no words came out.
The excuse actually made sense.
Then...
Zyr: "Alright... I'll be honest. I was looking at you."
Strom: "Any special reason?"
Zyr: "Would you mind if we talk outside?"
They stepped out beneath the open sky. When the cold wind drifted through the valley.
Moonlight covered the mountains.
Stars filled the heavens.
After walking a short distance...
Zyr finally spoke.
Zyr: "I saw you fighting."
Strom stopped walking.
He slowly turned his head toward the old man.
Zyr: "You only lack one thing."
Strom: "What's that?"
Zyr (smiled): "A better weapon."
Strom rested one hand on his spear.
Strom: "My spear can pierce dragons."
Zyr (nodded): "Without a doubt."
Then he looked toward the mountains.
Zyr: "But I don't think it's enough."
Strom didn't reply.
Instead, a giant Glass Blade slowly formed above them.
Strom: "Is this enough?"
Zyr (glanced at it once) "Looks cool..."
Then his eyes returned to Strom.
Zyr: "But tell me... can you stop a war in seconds?"
Strom looked confused.
He didn't know what to say.
Because he had never thought about stopping wars.
He just tries to survive them.
Zyr: "What kind of knight chases war instead of ending it?"
Zyr (continued): "Tell me... how many more people have to die before you learn to stay ahead?"
Strom knew exactly what he meant and he chose not to answer.
Zyr bent down, picked up a tiny pebble, then held it between his fingers.
Zyr: "Your spear can pierce dragons..."
He threw the pebble high into the night sky.
The stone disappeared into the darkness.
Strom: "Huh?"
Several moments passed.
Then Zyr slowly raised one finger...
Before bringing it down.
Far above the clouds...
A blazing comet burst through the sky before crashing into a distant mountain.
BOOM!!
The impact shook the entire valley.
The mountain split apart beneath the explosion.
Strom stood frozen.
Eyes widened.
Face pale.
As if every drop of blood had drained from his body.
Strom (almost whispering): "That... was just a pebble."
Zyr: "Tell me! Can your spear do that?"
Strom (disbelief): "You wiped a mountain off the face of the earth... with a pebble?... How?"
Zyr (calmly): "First answer my question."
Zyr: "Can your spear or that Glass Blade... could do something like this?"
Strom slowly lowered his head.
Strom: "No.. i.. I can't."
Zyr: "When I said you needed a new weapon... I wasn't talking about something you could hold. I was talking about something..."
He looked toward the burning mountain.
Zyr: "No one could hold."
Strom's eyes remained locked on the distant mountain that had stood proudly only minutes ago.
Now...
Only ashes and debris remained.
Zyr: "The choice is yours."
He turned and started walking back toward his cave.
Strom stood there quietly, grinding his teeth as countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Finally...
He spoke. Again.
Strom (low): "If I had that spell yesterday... That child has lived."
He didn't even hesitate after that.
Strom: "Teach me."
Zyr didn't even turn around, just simply stopped walking.
Zyr: "Rest today! Because tomorrow... you have something new to learn."
Strom remained beneath the moonlit sky...
Still staring at the mountain that no longer existed.
Chapter 4: Training for What?
Zyr promised to teach him that spell, but gave him one night to rest before the training even began.
Strom returned home, tired, exhausted... yet without any sense of relief.
The house was dark and empty. Silver moonlight slipped through the windows, spreading across the cold wooden floor.
His eyes drifted toward the Dragon Pendant hanging beside his coat.
The faint blue glow was gone.
For a moment, he almost reached for it.
Then...
He didn't.
Strom: "Who cares for her?"
After that, he went to sleep.
He didn't even bother checking whether Dravyss was inside the pendant or not.
But...
There were people who still cared.
Wraith.
Sam.
After Strom told Dravyss he never wanted to see her again...
She truly disappeared.
No message.
No trace.
No clue where she had gone.
It was as if she had vanished from existence.
Meanwhile, beneath the silent night, Sam and Wraith searched everywhere.
Desperately.
Wraith: "MOTHER!"
Sam: "DRAGON AUNTY!"
Their voices echoed through the forest...
Yet the night swallowed every word before it could ever reach her.
Eventually, darkness stepped aside...
And morning returned.
The sun had barely risen when Strom was already standing outside Zyr's cave, a handful of pebbles resting in his palm.
Zyr (yawned): "Did you even sleep?"
Strom: "Not really."
Zyr: "Good."
And with that...
The training began.
It sounded ridiculously simple.
Throw small rocks into the sky.
That was all.
Until Zyr explained the real purpose.
The pebble wasn't becoming a meteor.
No spell could transform a stone into one.
Instead...
The pebble had to reach Earth's orbit.
Only then would the burst of mana attract the nearest asteroid or wandering comet.
After that...
The caster had to guide it toward the target.
Then...
BOOM!!
Simple in theory.
Almost impossible in reality.
Strom threw pebble after pebble.
Again.
Again.
Again.
None of them could even reach the clouds... Earth's orbit was unimaginably farther.
Zyr: "Force won't help you."
Strom: "Then what will?"
Zyr: "Stop trying to pull the sky."
Strom: "I don't understand."
Zyr (pointed towards clouds): "If you want to cast Fire Strike... At least become strong enough to throw that far first."
Strom: "So... more strength?"
Zyr: "More focus... Because nobody climbs a mountain in one step."
Strom nodded.
This time, every throw had only one goal.
Reach the clouds.
Hours passed.
His arm became sore, muscles screamed.
His mana nearly emptied.
Even though the spell consumed very little mana...
Repeating it thousands of times still exhausted him.
Finally...
Zyr stood up.
Zyr: "That's enough for today."
Strom: "Because I'm out of mana?"
Zyr (looking around): "Not really... I think my lawn just ran out of pebbles."
Strom slowly covered his face.
Strom: "Why not..."
Evening shattered into night by the time he returned home.
This time...
The house wasn't empty.
Wraith sat with her head lowered, eyes swollen from crying.
Beside her, Sam quietly marked every place they had searched.
Strom entered.
He looked at them for a brief moment...
Then walked past as if nothing had happened.
Wraith (broken voice): "Strom..."
He stopped and turned slightly.
Only raised one hand, silently asking what she wanted.
Wraith: "Dravyss is gone... Please find her."
His expression immediately turned cold.
Strom: "Listen. I have nothing to do with her."
A brief pause.
Strom: "And don't ever mention her in front of me again."
Sam (stepped forward): "Strom, that's not the point. We can still fix this."
He pointed toward the pendant hanging from Strom's neck.
Sam: "Please... We know you can find her."
Something changed in Strom's eyes.
Not guilt.
Anger.
Without saying another word, he grabbed his pillow and walked toward the door.
Wraith: "Where are you going?"
Strom: "My peaceful forge... where nobody screams her name every five seconds."
He walked away.
Neither of them could stop him.
____
The next morning arrived with new hopes.
Strom's hope... To learn the spell.
Sam and Wraith's hope... To find Dravyss.
And Dravyss' hope... That maybe...
One day...
Strom would forgive her.
Until then...
She wouldn't bother him.
Even if waiting eventually killed her.
Meanwhile outside Zyr's cave...
Strom was already throwing pebbles again.
His muscles hadn't fully recovered and neither had his mana.
Yet he was back.
Still trying to reach beyond the clouds.
Eventually...
He realized brute strength mixed with mana wasn't enough.
Then he remembered something.
Zyr had once said...
"Fire Strike is a weapon... not a spell."
So Strom tried something different.
Instead of using casting mana... He used spell mana instead.
The result surprised him.
The pebble pierced straight through the clouds, leaving a hole in the sky.
It still hadn't reached orbit.
But...
Strom stared at the opening in disbelief. He had finally taken the first step up the mountain.
Strom: "Maybe... telekinesis."
He tried again. This time using telekinesis to guide the pebble.
It worked... For a while at least.
Once it traveled beyond the clouds...
His control disappeared.
Again.
Again.
The same result.
Eventually, a sharp pain spread across his chest.
He had to stop.
Because no human body could endure that much mana forever.
Slowly days passed.
But nothing really changed.
Throw.
Fail.
Throw.
Fail.
Throw.
And fail.
Even after finally crossing Earth's orbit...
Not a single meteor answered his call.
Zyr quietly watched another failed attempt.
Zyr: "Maybe... You need a stronger mana burst once the pebble reaches orbit."
Strom (nodded): "Same thought."
Meanwhile...
Back inside the house...
Sam and Wraith sat silently, staring at the blue pendant resting in Wraith's hands.
Sam: "Wraith... that's not a good idea."
Wraith (looking at stone): "If we want to find her... then I have to wear this."
Sam immediately stood up.
Sam: "You already know everyone who wore that pendant... died instantly."
Wraith (eyes closed): "I believe in her."
Without another thought...
She placed the chain around her neck.
Both of them froze.
Eyes wide.
Breathing uneven.
Seconds passed but nothing actually happened to her.
Sam: "Do you feel anything?"
Wraith slowly shook her head.
Wraith: "Nothing... No power... No warmth... not even her."
Tears filled her eyes and with trembling hands, she pulled the pendant back off.
Sam: "Don't lose hope, Wraith! We'll find her."
She gave a bitter laugh before talking.
Wraith: "Am I really that bad...? My mothers always leave me."
Sam immediately waved both hands.
Sam (panicking ): "No, no! Don't think like that! You're not bad... You're actually...ah... ah... sweet."
Wraith: "I don't think so."
Sam picked up the pendant and walked toward the door.
Sam: "Wait I'll ask Strom."
Wraith (eyes down): "He won't help us."
Sam didn't answer.
He simply walked away.
Following the traces of Strom's repeated mana usage, Sam crossed forests, rivers, mud, and stone paths.
Eventually...
He found him.
Still throwing pebbles into the sky.
Sam took a deep breath before he asked.
Sam: "Would you mind if I asked for your help?"
Strom: "Why no-"
He stopped mid-sentence.
His eyes landed on the Dragon Pendant in Sam's hand.
His expression instantly hardened.
Strom: "...but not for her."
Sam: "Wraith has been crying nonstop. Please... Help me for her."
Strom: "I'm not wearing that thing just to tell you where she is."
Sam: "Then at least tell me how it works."
Strom: "I don't know."
Sam (frowned): "You don't know..."
His voice became colder.
Sam: "...or you just don't want to help us?"
Strom: "Believe whatever you want."
Sam: "You know how much Dravyss has done for us... She carried so many burdens for you."
Something inside Strom snapped.
Strom: "You don't understand what I've been carrying!"
Pain replaced every trace of anger.
Strom: "When that wizard murdered my parents... She was sitting silently inside that gem... doing nothing."
Sam opened his mouth...
But no words came out.
Instead, he changed the subject.
Sam (mocking): "Then what are you even training for? Throwing rocks won't make you stronger."
Strom: "My master said it's the only way to become strong enough to end wars."
Sam looked around but there was nobody, except them.
Sam: "Where is this master of yours?"
Strom: "Are you blind?"
He pointed behind himself.
Then turned himself but actually nobody was there.
Strom: "Wait..."
Sam (sighed): "Who's blind now? Me?... because I can't see your imaginary master?"
Strom: "He was right there... even when you came."
Sam slowly walked away.
Disappointment filled his eyes.
Strom stood there, trying to remember...
Had Zyr really been there before Sam arrived?
Or...
Had he imagined everything?
Suddenly...
A hand rested gently on his shoulder.
Strom spun around.
Zyr stood behind him.
As if he had never left.
Strom: "Where were you?"
Zyr (smiled): "Nowhere."
He glanced toward the direction Sam had gone.
Zyr: "I simply thought your friend wouldn't mind having tea before leaving."
The joke never landed.
Mainly because...
Zyr wasn't holding any tea.
Chapter 5: When Flames Really Burn...
Night shattered like broken glass as Sam finally returned, carrying the Dragon Pendant and several stacks of books.
Wraith (immediately): "Did he help?"
Sam placed the books on the table beside the pendant, his eyes still locked on the blue stone.
Sam: "I know he's hiding something... He isn't what he shows."
Wraith (confused): "What are you even talking about?"
Sam: "His master. Strom talks about him all the time, but have you ever actually seen him?"
Wraith: "No. Never."
Sam: "Exactly. Either he's hallucinating... or something is seriously wrong. More than wrong."
Wraith: "You mean we have to help him first?"
Sam shook his head.
Sam: "I'd rather find our dragon before helping that idiot."
Wraith: "May I help?"
Sam: "Yeah, why not? Search for anything connected to dragons or gems that can hold dragons inside."
And so they began searching for clues. The Dragon Aura Stone wasn't from Earth, making any information about it almost impossible to find.
A faint sound of footsteps echoed from the forge beneath the house. They knew Strom had returned to rest...
But neither of them disturbed him, because everyone was busy fighting their own battle.
Days slowly passed.
Sam and Wraith emptied libraries, their eyes sore from endless reading and lack of sleep.
Still...
Neither of them stopped.
Meanwhile, inside the training ground, Strom had already begun losing hope.
Even after throwing thousands of pebbles every single day for nearly a month...
Not a single asteroid answered his call.
Strom (whispering): "No..."
Every trick had failed.
Every attempt ended the same way.
The hope of saving everyone slowly began to rot away.
His eyes settled on another pebble.
Just before picking it up, a familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
Dark Wizard: "Every spell has three stages... Manipulate even one of them, and you can cast it differently."
It was Spell Manipulation.
A technique taught by Darkius himself.
Strom never wanted to use it but... there was nothing else left.
If this failed...
He would finally accept that he couldn't do it.
Strom (eyes lock on pebble): "I hate that wizard..."
He looked toward Zyr...
Strom: "But I have no choice left."
He gripped the stone tightly before throwing it upward with all his strength.
Fire Strike had three stages:
1. Launching
2. Preparation
3. Landing
Instead of casting it normally or changing spells...
Strom manipulated the second stage instead.
Spell Mana launched the pebble.
Telekinesis pushed it beyond Earth's orbit.
Casting Mana created the burst needed to attract an asteroid.
Zyr stood silently watching the sky.
Nothing.
For several seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then...
A tiny orange light appeared high above the clouds.
It slowly grew larger...
And larger...
Until...
BOOM!!
The blazing asteroid crashed into the wrong mountain.
It completely missed Strom's intended target.
But...
It fell.
Zyr (amazed): "A human... actually cast Fire Strike."
For the first time since the child's death...
Strom genuinely smiled.
Even if it wasn't perfect.
But...
It worked.
Strom: "I DID IT!"
Even if he had destroyed the wrong mountain instead of the abandoned ruins...
A win was still a win.
Zyr (smiled): "You really did."
Strom: "Let me try again."
He picked up another pebble and repeated the same method.
Nothing happened.
This time no blazing comet answered his call.
Zyr: "Looks like you still need more training."
Strom: "Come on!"
He focused even harder and tried once more.
This time...
The blazing comet answered again.
BOOM!!
The abandoned ruins exploded into dust.
Zyr (eyes widened): "Wow... really."
Strom (laughed): "See? I told you! If I can do it once, I can do it again."
Before he could pick up another pebble, Zyr stopped him.
Zyr: "Come with me."
Strom didn't argue. He simply followed his master through the dark forest.
After walking for a while, the question that had been bothering Strom, finally escaped his tongue.
Strom: "Why did you help me?"
Zyr slowed to a stop and turned toward him.
Strom stood silently, waiting for an answer.
Zyr (calm): "Because these old bones aren't keeping up... And neither will your powers."
Strom nodded and continued following him. In Zyr's eyes, he had become the most worthy person to carry that responsibility.
Eventually, they reached the edge of a cliff.
Below them lay a small Orc village.
Old Orcs gathered firewood.
Women prepared food.
Children played with animals.
Small wooden houses stood peacefully beneath the evening sky.
Zyr: "They share the same blood... Take your revenge."
Strom quietly looked over the peaceful village.
Zyr didn't force him.
The choice is his...
Then finally...
Strom turned away.
Strom: "Just because of one rotten fruit... you don't cut down the whole tree."
Without another word, he walked away.
Behind him, Zyr stood smiling because...
It was the first time Strom had answered instead of standing in silence.
____
Meanwhile inside of the house...
Sam had already cast countless spells on the Dragon Pendant.
None of them had worked.
But there were still many left to try.
Wraith: "Sam, please stop... You're hurting yourself."
Sam: "Don't worry, Wraith. I can handle a little more mana."
Most of the spells demanded an enormous amount of mana.
Still...
He continued.
Again.
Again.
And again.
Finally...
One spell reacted, just for a brief moment.
But it was enough.
Sam (eyes widened): "Got her!"
Wraith jumped to her feet.
Wraith: "Where?"
Sam: "Follow me."
The connection lasted less than a second. But Sam's memory was sharp enough, more than anyone could imagine.
He remembered exactly where it pointed.
He grabbed Wraith's hand tightly when his own hands were shaking.
They both closed their eyes.
Teleportation!!
A flash of light.
Moments later...
They appeared before a small cave covered with thick vines.
Old and tall trees surrounded the area... A silent forest, unknown for them.
But strangely familiar to Strom...
Sam looked toward the entrance.
Sam: "She's inside."
Wraith: "Are you sure?"
Sam nodded and summoned a mana lantern.
Its blue light slowly pushed back the darkness.
Together...
They stepped inside.
Slowly...
The darkness faded beneath the lantern's glow until finally...
They found her.
Her wings were folded.
Claws rested quietly beneath her.
Her eyes were closed...
Yet the dried tear stains remained.
The moment Sam and Wraith saw her, they ran without hesitation and wrapped themselves around her chest, holding on as tightly as they could, as if letting go would make her disappear again.
Dravyss slowly opened her eyes.
She looked down at the two small figures clinging to her.
Dravyss (softly): "How did you two even find me?"
Sam (without letting go): "Let us stay like this for a while... I'll answer later."
Wraith (tearfully): "Please... Don't leave us again."
Dravyss remained silent.
Fresh tears slowly gathered in her eyes.
Not because she was sad...
But because she had been wrong about one thing.
She thought there was nothing left for her.
Yet these two idiots had crossed half the kingdom...
Just to hug her one more time.
____
Meanwhile...
Back at the training ground...
Every nearby target had already been reduced to rubble.
Now...
Strom wasn't missing anymore.
Every Fire Strike landed exactly where he wanted.
Precise.
Controlled.
Focused.
Zyr watched quietly, a genuine smile resting on his face.
Because for a mentor...
There is no greater reward than watching a student succeed.
A treasure...
That no one could ever steal.
Chapter 6: A Painful Truth...
A massive shadow covered the villages below as it flew high through the sky, its wings cutting through the clouds and wind.
Dravyss.
Two figures sat on her back, because the mission was finally complete.
Sam had already explained everything to her.
Dravyss hadn't wanted to return.
But if she didn't...
This might be the last time she ever saw Strom.
Dravyss (quietly): "He'll never forgive me... I shouldn't show my face to him again."
Sam: "Come on. Don't be afraid. We can handle him."
Wraith: "Yeah. I'll break his jaw if he dares say something bad."
Dravyss: "But I can't watch my child get hurt."
Sam: "Close your eyes. Easy."
Sam had a special talent for turning the worst possible moment into a casual day.
Sometimes, just having him around was enough to ruin an emotional moment.
And somehow...
That was exactly why places felt empty without him.
Dravyss: "So... what has his new master done?"
Sam: "I don't know. We haven't even seen him... But I felt him. Something is wrong."
Dravyss: "If you haven't seen him, how can you say something is wrong?"
Sam: "Presence. I can feel an unknown energy. It's strange... Almost like something I haven't felt since you were around."
Dravyss: "What?"
Sam: "Yeah. That's all I know."
Wraith (suddenly pointed ahead): "That place! The forest near that cave!"
They looked down. When the entire land surrounding the cave was destroyed.
Ash covered the ground.
Trees had been reduced to blackened remains and some places were still burning.
Dravyss descended.
They landed near the dark forest and began walking toward Strom's training ground.
Eventually, Dravyss became the slowest among them.
Not because she was tired.
She simply couldn't find the courage to face Strom again.
Meanwhile...
Strom was still throwing rocks into the sky, desperately trying to cast Fire Strike without using Spell Manipulation.
But no matter how many times he tried...
He couldn't do it.
Sam (shouting): "That's enough, Strom!"
Strom turned around.
Then froze.
Sam.
Wraith.
And...
Dravyss.
She stood with her head lowered, eyes were closed.
She couldn't even look at him.
His earlier words had broken something inside her, and she couldn't bring herself to speak.
Strom felt the same.
He could show his hatred toward Dravyss in front of others. But standing directly in front of her?
He couldn't bring himself to hurt her again.
There was no hatred in his eyes this time.
He wanted to say something.
Anything to start the conversation.
But it felt as if his voice had been taken away.
Sam: "Strom, we need to talk. Your master is dangerous."
Strom finally spoke.
Strom (defending him): "No. You're wrong! Master Zyr isn't like that."
Wraith: "Then can you explain why only you can see him?"
Strom: "When Sam came here, he went to make tea. That's all."
Sam: "Listen to me. He isn't what he shows. He has two faces."
A voice suddenly came from behind them.
Zyr: "Are you talking about me, Sam?"
Sam immediately turned around.
Sam: "Who the hell are you?"
Strom: "Don't talk to him like that."
They finally understood that this is Strom's master.
Zyr, The Flame Shaman.
But Dravyss felt something the others didn't.
The moment Zyr appeared, something about his presence felt strangely familiar.
She don't even know how or why.
But she knew something was wrong with him.
Dravyss: "Strom... Please stay away from him."
Strom: "He's the one who erased my weakness. He helped me when I needed it most. So leave him alone."
Before anyone could say another word...
Zyr's smile stretched unnaturally wide.
His body suddenly began to change.
Bones expanded.
Fangs emerged.
Horns rose from his skull.
Scales spread across his body.
Massive wings erupted from his back.
A long tail tore through the air behind him.
And before anyone had time to react...
A gigantic claw closed around Strom.
Zyr was gone.
What stood before them now was something else entirely.
Zyron.
The Crimson Dragon.
Zyron: "Alright, Strom. Your work is done."
Strom struggled inside his claw, shock freezing his mind.
Strom: "What...? How?"
Dravyss: "Zyron!"
Zyron: "Still remember me... Dravyss."
Dravyss: "Why are you here?"
Before he could reply, a violent flash suddenly tore through the clear sky.
Lightning struck Zyron directly in the face.
It didn't hurt him much.
It only forced him to close his eyes for a moment.
Sam: "I knew something was wrong. That's why I came prepared."
Dravyss immediately rushed forward.
She snatched Strom from Zyron's claw and pulled him against her chest.
Then she slammed Zyron into the ground.
Dravyss: "Go back to your home."
Zyron (slowly lifted his head): "And you?"
Dravyss: "Earth is my home now."
Zyron: "I hate this."
They didn't give him another chance to attack.
Sam began casting every damage based spell he knew.
This time, he had no idea what kind of dragon they were facing, so he wasn't taking any chances.
Wraith attacked with her daggers and claws, but neither could even scratch Zyron's scales.
Dravyss kept forcing him backward, countering every attack.
Yet something felt strange.
Zyron wasn't even fighting seriously, or even trying.
He dodged.
Blocked.
Smiled.
Almost as if he were waiting.
Dravyss dropped Strom safely beside Wraith before immediately charging back into the fight.
Then...
A massive flame erupted around Zyron.
He pushed Dravyss away and just before he could complete his own spell...
A blazing Fire Strike descended from the sky.
BOOM!!
Strom: "You betrayed me."
Silence filled the battlefield.
Dust slowly settled.
Two glowing crimson eyes appeared through the smoke.
Zyron stood there. Completely unharmed.
Not even a scratch.
Zyron: "Let me try."
He picked up a massive boulder.
Then threw it into the sky...
Strom's eyes widened. He immediately understood.
The larger the object...
The greater the Fire Strike.
After a few seconds the entire sky suddenly turned crimson.
Something enormous moved behind the clouds.
Dravyss instantly grabbed Strom, Sam, and Wraith.
She spread her wings around them, fully covered them. Then...
BOOM!!
The Fire Strike crashed down.
Dravyss took the entire impact herself.
The ground shook when flames swallowed everything.
When the smoke finally began to clear...
The three were safe.
But Dravyss collapsed.
Zyron stared at her.
For the first time, his expression changed.
Not anger. But Confusion.
Zyron (quietly): "Why her?"
Dravyss could barely lift her head after that.
Zyron: "Why did you do this, Dravyss?"
Dravyss (weakly): "I won't let you hurt them."
Zyron suddenly snatched all three of them. His eyes burned like molten lava.
Zyron: "You three really matter to her, huh?"
None of them could answer him, they were too terrified for that.
Zyron released them but Sam attacked again.
Lightning struck Zyron.
Nothing really happened to him.
Zyron (mocking): "Try using more mana next time."
His tail swept across the battlefield.
All three were knocked down instantly.
Sam was barely conscious.
Wraith struggled against the unbearable heat radiating from Zyron's body.
A deep wound crossed Strom's chest, though the flames had already cauterized it.
All four of them had fought together.
And they had still lost.
Zyron barely moved.
He lifted Strom with one claw and examined him.
To him...
Strom was nothing.
Sam was nothing.
Even Wraith, who is a demon but... Still nothing.
None of them were threats to him, killing them would be pointless.
Zyron: "Poor child."
His eyes shifted toward Dravyss.
She was too weak to stand properly. Yet the worry in her eyes was unmistakable.
Zyron looked away.
Then his eyes locked on Strom.
Zyron: "You still believe she stayed silent when your parents died?"
Strom froze.
Zyron spoke without sympathy.
And even without anger. Like if he was simply speaking about matter of fact.
Zyron: "How cruel this world is... to let you believe that? Getting inside an Essence Stone isn't like going home."
Strom's expression changed, fear was slowly moving towards confusion.
Zyron: "It's a prison."
Absolute silence.
Zyron: "A dragon trapped inside cannot leave whenever they want."
His grip tightened slightly.
Zyron: "The holder must summon her or the holder must be close to death."
Strom's eyes widened in realisation.
Zyron: "Only then can a trapped dragon break free."
The words hit Strom harder than any Fire Strike ever could.
His entire understanding of the past began to melt away beneath Zyron's flames.
Dravyss hadn't stayed silent because she didn't care about his parents.
She hadn't abandoned him.
She couldn't leave.
She had been trapped.
And Strom had blamed her for it.
Dravyss suddenly forced herself to speak.
Dravyss (voice breaking): "Please... Don't hurt my children."
This time her words break something inside of Zyron.
His eyes remained cold. But he released Strom.
Zyron: "Your children?"
Dravyss didn't answer.
Zyron looked toward the three broken "Earth beings" lying nearby.
Zyron: "You know who you are, Dravyss?"
Dravyss closed her eyes.
She already knew what was coming next.
Zyron: "You're a Knight-Class Dragon."
Dravyss (voice trembling): "I know... Please, Zyron. Leave them."
Zyron: "You cannot bear children."
Dravyss (looked away): "Please... Don't remind me."
Zyron: "You lost the chance to have your own family the moment you opened your eyes."
Dravyss: "I said please."
Zyron looked toward Strom.
Zyron: "So how could you love them? Especially him."
Dravyss looked toward Strom.
His head was lowered. Body shaking in fear.
And inside his mind...
One sentence kept echoing.
"You are not my mother."
It had sounded like anger when he said it.
Now...
It sounded like a blade cutting through his own heart.
He wanted to apologize, but guilt had crushed his voice completely.
Dravyss: "Loving doesn't cost anything..."
She looked at Strom.
Dravyss: "Even when you don't get it back."
Zyron stared at her for several seconds, his eyes no longer carried any type of anger anymore.
Zyron: "Wow... You've changed."
Dravyss said nothing, when Strom just can't.
Sam and Wraith were too exhausted to speak.
Zyron finally turned away.
Zyron: "I won't leave until you come with me."
He paused.
Zyron: "But I won't force you."
The battlefield continued burning around them.
Smoke covered the sky.
Flames crawled across the ruined earth.
And Zyron stood still like a Crimson Dragon...
Because he had never stopped being one.
Chapter 7: One Month of Flames
Since Dravyss wasn't ready to return, Zyron refused to force her.
Instead, he decided to rule the entire kingdom, making the wait a little more interesting for himself. This new planet wasn't exactly to his liking.
He didn't like talking much, so he established one simple rule for the humans.
"I'm your new king. Until I leave."
That was enough.
Those who refused his rule ended up in prison, but none of them were chained.
There was nothing humans could possibly do to threaten him, so chains were pointless. Killing them would be an even greater waste of time.
The villagers were forced to work for him, building whatever he demanded for.
His statues.
His castle.
Even statues of Dravyss too.
The sky turned crimson, as if someone had dissolved blood into it.
The air became suffocating, the heat burning their lungs. Even breathing became torture.
Volcanoes constantly erupted, pouring rivers of lava across the land.
It felt as though the sun itself had come to Earth.
Only Dravyss had a room without a lock.
No chains.
No guards.
Nothing.
If she wanted to leave, she could simply fly away.
But she didn't.
Meanwhile, in the marketplace...
Demons working for Zyron dragged more villagers toward the construction sites.
Yes. Zyron had servants not because he needed them, but because they were occasionally useful for him.
None of them were truly loyal to him.
They all knew Zyron wouldn't need even a second to turn them into ashes.
So they did everything they could to stay on his good side.
His rules were simple.
Protest: Prison.
Beg endlessly to be freed: Ignore them.
Cry constantly or show overwhelming fear: Leave them alone.
Zyron couldn't tolerate the sound of someone crying all day.
He preferred peace.
He also never harmed children.
Because he didn't know whether Dravyss's affection was limited to Strom, Sam and Wraith, or whether she cared about children in general.
Until he knew the answer, he wouldn't risk hurting them.
And asking Dravyss about something like that felt wrong.
That evening, the sun finally began to set.
Golden and crimson light faded across the horizon as the moon slowly rose.
Zyron stood watching the beautiful sunset.
Zyron (disgusted): "Huh!"
He stared at the fading sunlight.
Zyron: "Poor planet. Only one sun and one moon. Eww!"
His home planet, Aeltharion, had seven suns and twenty-one moons.
Compared to that, Earth had almost nothing.
Sometimes, Zyron simply wandered.
He flew across different regions, searching for something he couldn't even properly explain.
Trying to understand what Dravyss liked about this planet.
Were the flowers beautiful?
Were the forests beautiful?
Were the oceans?
Sometimes he watched children playing.
Arguing over something stupid.
And becoming friends again minutes later.
He couldn't understand what Dravyss found so lovable about them.
There was nothing here that could truly entertain him.
Yet he remained.
Waiting for her...
____
One night, with nothing better to do, Zyron decided to check on his prisoners.
Even the midnight winds were hot.
His footsteps echoed against the dark stone as he slowly walked through the castle, keeping one eye on the prisoners.
Eventually, his gaze stopped.
The cell belongs to Strom, Sam and Wraith.
The walls carried marks from failed escape attempts.
Broken stone.
Damaged bars.
Blood.
Wraith and Sam were already asleep, exhausted from their attempts.
Sam's knuckles were still bruised and bloody from punching the walls in frustration.
Wraith's nails were broken from desperately trying to cut through the stone.
But Strom...
Strom wasn't participating in their attempts.
He wasn't even sleeping, just simply sat with his face toward the wall.
Silent.
Zyron: "You don't get a luxury bed under my rules."
But Strom didn't reply.
He was already lost inside his own thoughts. When the world outside didn't matter anymore.
He was fighting a much bigger war inside his head.
"What if she leaves?"
"What if I can't apologize?"
"What if she goes back to her home and all she remembers about me is, 'You are not my mother'?"
"What if I die before I can tell her how I feel?"
Zyron eventually walked away because he didn't really care about Strom.
Or Sam.
Or Wraith.
But Dravyss cared about them.
And her opinions mattered to him.
____
The next morning wasn't peaceful, it just couldn't.
Thousands of people were suffering beneath Zyron's rule.
Yet Zyron was simply standing on top of his castle, examining statue number 56.
Zyron (criticizing): "Why is my nose slightly big in this one?"
Waiting every day felt like a punishment.
Yet somehow, Zyron was the one living the easiest life, according to the prisoners.
Later, he visited Dravyss.
Zyron: "How many days do you need, Dravyss?"
She didn't reply, just simply looked toward the horizon.
Just like Strom had done the previous night.
Zyron: "Why didn't you come back?"
Dravyss took a deep breath before finally answering.
Dravyss: "Because I left Aeltharion willingly. They will never accept me again."
Zyron: "There was still a place where you could live happily. With me."
Dravyss: "I'm still happy here... Without you."
For a moment, Zyron's expression hardened.
Then it returned to normal.
Zyron: "Just because of that wizard... You rejected me."
Dravyss: "It was my choice. And I'm still carrying those consequences."
Zyron: "You thought no one would care if you simply disappeared."
A pause.
Zyron: "But I did."
He stopped for a moment.
For an instant, it almost seemed like his breathing had stopped.
Dravyss had never thought of Zyron that way.
He was a higher-category Assassin Dragon.
She was only a Knight-Class Dragon.
The strongest Knight-Class Dragon perhaps.
But to Zyron, none of that mattered.
Dravyss (quietly): "May I ask you something?"
Zyron (softly): "Why not?"
Dravyss: "There is no curse on you from birth. You can have your own family. You can live happily."
She lowered her head before saying.
Dravyss: "Then why me?"
Zyron became silent.
He didn't know how to answer this.
So he did what he knew best.
He became cold.
Zyron: "My life. My rules."
Then he left her alone.
He was built to kill.
Born to destroy.
Talking about feelings wasn't something he understood.
____
Days passed slowly.
And the heat grew worse.
Rivers began to dry.
Forests slowly turned into dead deserts.
One day, Dravyss's eyes caught sight of a cow outside her room's window.
At first, there was nothing strange about it.
A cow was simply eating grass.
Then she collapsed and never stood again.
That poor soul can't survive the unbearable heat of Zyron's crimson hell.
No mercy.
No exception.
And Dravyss knew the same fate could eventually reach the humans too.
The air grew hotter every day, becoming harder to breathe.
Her eyes remained fixed on the dead animal.
Then she began to cry.
Tears refused to stop.
Her mind began filling with terrifying possibilities.
"What if Zyron was lying and already killed my children?"
"What if the demons are torturing them?"
"What if they cried for help and were killed?"
"What if Strom called for me... and Zyron burned him alive?"
Her crying grew louder with that.
A few moments later, Zyron returned.
Zyron (worried): "What happened?"
Dravyss couldn't stop crying, the tears kept falling.
Negative thoughts kept coming.
Dravyss: "My children must be so scared of you... Monster!"
Her words struck something inside him.
Zyron didn't reply or try to defend himself.
He simply turned around and walked away.
Straight toward the prison.
His footsteps became heavier, breathing uneven.
He stopped in front of the cell.
Only one iron door stood between him and the prisoners.
Then...
CRACK!
His claws ripped the entire door from its frame.
Strom, Sam and Wraith immediately stepped back in terror.
To them, this was the end.
But Zyron didn't attack.
He simply destroyed the door...
Then walked away.
Wraith: "D... Did he just free us?"
Strom (quietly): "I... I don't know."
Sam: "What is he planning?"
None of them understood what had happened.
Freedom felt strangely suspicious.
They slowly stepped outside...
There were no guards.
No traps.
No attack.
They were free.
Yet fear didn't care.
They had spent more than a month without seeing the open sky.
And now even the sky itself has changed.
The peaceful blue had been replaced by crimson.
The feeling of safety was gone with it.
Sam: "We have to find her room. Then we'll free her too."
Wraith: "Yes. You're right. Our mother needs help."
Before Strom could even speak, his eyes caught something nearby.
Zyron.
The Crimson Dragon stood in the castle yard.
One claw was holding a massive boulder.
Then Zyron also noticed Strom.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
Not a genuine smile but an unsettling one.
Strom's eyes widened.
He knew exactly what Zyron could do.
And right now...
Zyron was looking directly at them.
Strom's body began trembling.
He suddenly grabbed Sam and Wraith and started dragging them away.
No explanation.
No words.
He kept looking back.
Again.
And again.
Walking faster each time.
His mind praying only one thought.
"Please don't kill us."
After they had walked far enough from Zyron's castle, they reached the marketplace.
The place that once flooded with people every day was now empty like a graveyard.
Strom began collecting anything that could help them survive a long journey.
Bread.
Dried meat.
Water.
Anything useful.
His hands were still shaking and eyes still carried the terror of what he had just seen.
Sam: "What are you doing, Strom?"
Strom: "Don't waste time asking questions. Help me collect the things we need to leave."
Wraith: "Are you planning to leave Dravyss like that?"
Strom: "It's called survival."
Sam: "Coward!"
He didn't even look at them.
Strom: "We can't defeat him. You already saw that."
Wraith: "How can you leave her when she needs you the most?"
Strom: "I said help me collect everything. Zyron will erase us before we even get the chance to leave."
Wraith stood there for several seconds, she wasn't even angry anymore... Just disappointed.
Wraith: "Sorry to say this, but if you're really planning to leave her..."
She said that without breathing.
Wraith: "Then you never deserved her as your mother."
Her words froze Strom in place, he couldn't answer that.
He had always believed that he had already lost enough.
That Dravyss 'must' love him because she had stayed despite everything.
But Wraith had just denied that theory of him.
Sam: "You know what? I'd rather die than leave her in that place."
Wraith: "Me too. Even if there's only a 0.01% chance of winning, I'll fight until my last breath."
They turned and started walking back toward the castle.
Their emotions had drowned out logic. No way of showing back.
Wraith stopped after a few steps then she turned around one last time.
Wraith: "You are not the Strom I loved."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying that.
Wraith: "That idiot doesn't know what defeat is... Because he never gives up."
She and Sam continued walking.
Neither of them looked back again.
Strom remained alone in the marketplace.
His heart was still calling for Dravyss.
But his mind kept screaming that 'returning' meant death.
His grip slowly loosened around the sack.
The food slipped from his hands and fell onto the ground.
Strom stood completely stunned.
For the first time, he wasn't running toward something.
He was standing between fear and the person he couldn't abandon.
Chapter 8: Who He Is Now?
The Walking Back
Wraith and Sam were moving toward Zyron's dark castle beneath his crimson hell, already regretting the decision to return with Strom because, at this point, it felt like a waste of time.
It wasn't that they didn't fear Zyron. They did, so much.
But leaving Dravyss with him felt even worse.
They knew there was almost no chance of making it out alive, but they had already decided one thing.
If they were going down then Zyron wasn't making it out with all four limbs either.
Then a voice echoed from somewhere ahead.
???: "Walking like turtles when you're trying to save someone should be illegal."
They both froze for a moment because the voice was clearly familiar.
They turned around.
...And there he was, standing on the rooftop.
Fully armored.
His helmet was still dented, cape moving with the wind, his spear resting in one hand.
And the great Dragon pendant hanging around his neck.
Strom: "Thinking about fighting a Dragon without the Dragon Knight is a poor life decision."
He jumped down.
The ground cracked beneath the impact.
Sam: "Look who is here."
Wraith (arms folded): "What happened to that guy who was packing bags for survival?"
Strom: "That coward died waiting."
Wraith (asking): "Then who are you now?"
Strom: "The Dragon Knight. Son of the best Dragon Guardian Knight ever."
Months ago, he rejected that identity and title.
Now, he was back.
The knight never falls.
The three started moving toward the crimson hell together.
Strom knew they couldn't defeat Zyron even in their dreams.
But he had a plan.
A plan that might give him a chance of victory.
No guarantee of course.
He reached down and picked up a few pebbles, a small smile spreading across his face.
Strom (whispering): "I still remember my lessons."
Then he started throwing the pebbles into the sky.
But this wasn't a practice anymore.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
More followed.
Eighteen.
Nineteen.
Twenty.
He launched them all into the sky, then picked up a large rock.
He could barely get a proper grip on it, but he knew the bigger the object, the greater the damage.
He needed both hands and a considerable amount of magic just to launch it.
Then he began casting a massive glass blade.
It wasn't something the size of a titan, but it was more than large enough for the task he had in mind.
Strom: "Can't end a war, huh? I know what I can end."
And they continued toward the castle.
____
Meanwhile, in the castle yard, Zyron stood doing nothing but staring at the crimson sky.
Then his servants arrived, dragging a group of humans who had been protesting since the first day.
Zyron had already told them he would leave one day, but some of them still refused to accept his rule.
Demon Servant: "My Lord! They still aren't willing to call you king!"
The waiting had tested Zyron's patience for too long.
Now he was tired of humans.
Zyron (cold): "These stubborn pests just don't listen."
No warning followed.
No speech.
Only flames.
Natural dragon fire swallowed the mortals, turned to ash in less than a second.
His servants survived, but not a single protester remained.
Then another human voice echoed behind him.
Strom: "Last warning, Zyron. Back off."
Zyron turned.
He knew that voice.
And there they were, all three of them.
Standing against him once again.
Zyron (calm): "Why?"
Strom: "I forgot to take something from here."
Zyron: "You can't take her away from me."
Strom: "I don't think so."
Strom flicked his hand upward, then brought it down.
Zyron looked toward the sky.
One fire strike was already coming toward him at full speed.
Zyron: "My own trick against me? Wow."
He simply caught the attack before it crashed into him.
The flames died against his claws.
But holding it took several seconds.
He barely had time to release the attack before another one came down.
Zyron (annoyed): "How many?"
He caught it again.
Then another came.
This time, he said nothing, just simply raised his claws.
Then...
STRUCK!
The massive glass blade slammed directly into the stone embedded in his chest.
The gem shattered into pieces.
Zyron's eyes widened.
For several seconds, his breathing stopped.
His blood seemed to stop flowing.
He dropped to his knees from the overwhelming pain.
Blood poured from his mouth.
His enchanted powers vanished in seconds.
Zyron's claws moved toward his bleeding chest.
The stone was gone.
Even the glass blade had shattered completely from the impact.
Zyron (cold): "What have you done?"
Strom: "Now it's a fair fight between a human and a Dragon. Let's see who's making it out alive."
Before Zyron could even stand, another fire strike slammed directly into him.
He couldn't see it coming properly, so he couldn't simply dodge it.
BOOM!
This time, there was no supernatural resistance protecting him.
The wounds were real.
Meanwhile, Wraith was already inside the castle.
She knew Zyron's radiant heat would make approaching him directly nearly impossible, so she decided to deal with his demon servants and free the prisoners instead.
Some prisoners didn't want to be freed by a Demoness.
So Wraith didn't argue.
She simply left them behind and helped the others who accepted her help.
___
Outside, Sam was preparing to strike Zyron with a lightning spell.
But he suddenly stopped.
He canceled the spell and began casting another one, gathering as much mana as he could.
Sam: "More mana next time, huh? Take this then!"
A massive lightning strike slammed directly into Zyron.
For a moment, the flash blinded everyone, but the impact was real.
Then everything returned to normal.
Zyron: "I should have ended you all that day."
Strom: "Too late."
Another fire strike came down.
This time, Zyron caught it without even looking back.
His claws crushed the space stone within seconds.
Zyron finally realized the pattern.
He launched himself into the air and rushed toward them at full speed.
Sam immediately ran to create distance while Strom stood his ground.
Before Zyron could crash into him, Strom's spear struck his injured chest again.
Zyron staggered backward from the pain.
Strom drove a powerful punch into his jaw, but it barely affected him.
Because Zyron was still a Dragon.
His claws finally caught Strom, but another attack from Sam forced him to release him.
Zyron flicked his hand and threw Strom across the battlefield.
Then he grabbed an entire statue and hurl it after him.
The massive statue crashed directly onto Strom.
THUD!!!
The spikes on his armor bent or broke under the strong impact.
When Strom finally crawled out from underneath it, he saw Sam running for his life.
Zyron's flames were burning everything behind him.
Suddenly, another fire strike smashed into Zyron.
Sam caught his breath before launching another mana chain at him.
Since the stone had shattered, Zyron could no longer cast fire strikes.
The mana that once flowed through the gem was gone.
His regeneration was gone.
His enchanted attacks were gone.
His resistance was gone.
Only his Assassin Dragon body remained.
And even without his enchantments, he was still physically far stronger than any of them.
No one stopped.
The crimson hell that had once been filled with statues, workers and terrified villagers had become a ruined battlefield.
Ashes covered the ground as fire strikes continued falling from the sky.
Zyron began dodging most of them through sheer speed, barely getting hit anymore.
Wraith was still searching for Dravyss.
What she didn't know was that Zyron would never keep Dravyss in the same place as the humans.
He believed they had manipulated her once already.
He wasn't going to let them do it again.
So he had built another castle specifically for her.
Sam remained at a distance.
He knew he couldn't survive close-range combat, so he focused on heavy ranged spells.
Strom was the one fighting Zyron head-on.
Or, more accurately, trying to survive everything Zyron threw at him.
Another lightning strike struck Zyron in the face.
Sam knew ordinary mana attacks and flames wouldn't do enough against his Dragon body anymore.
Lightning was their best option here.
Zyron fell near one of his massive statues.
He grabbed it with his claws, his eyes locked onto Strom.
Then he threw it with full force.
But Strom wasn't the target this time.
Sam was.
Zyron knew that trying to kill Strom while Sam was nearby was almost pointless.
Sam would simply save him again and again.
The statue was massive and running wouldn't be enough.
Sam was forced to cast a barrier around himself.
Zyron saw the opening.
He suddenly grabbed Strom in his claws and launched himself into the sky.
His flying speed was far greater than even Dravyss's.
He carried Strom away from the ruined battlefield, taking him away from others.
Zyron's mouth began glowing red.
He was preparing to melt Strom inside his own armor.
But Strom's spear came back flying from the battlefield.
The blade struck directly into Zyron's wing membrane.
Strom guided the blade through it, tearing the membrane apart.
It wasn't some legendary weapon capable of slicing through an entire Dragon.
But the wings were different.
Their membranes were far more vulnerable.
Zyron's balance collapsed.
With one damaged wing no longer functioning properly, both of them began falling rapidly.
Then...
CRASH!!!
Both warriors slammed into the ground.
Zyron landed first, with Strom crashing onto him.
But Zyron immediately stood and shoved Strom away.
His burning claws came forward at full speed.
Strom raised his spear to defend himself.
But the shaft wasn't strong enough to survive.
SLICED!!!
The shaft split cleanly in half.
Zyron attacked again giving no time to recover.
This time, Strom couldn't dodge properly.
The claws tore through his armor and left deep wounds across his chest.
Those scars would remain forever.
Metal and skin tore together when blood poured out.
There was no time to think or react about the injuries.
Attack or be attacked.
Zyron brought both claws toward him at once.
Strom barely dodged.
Then countless small glass blades suddenly struck Zyron.
But Sam was already too far away.
The mana chain trick wouldn't work.
Four.
Five.
Fire strikes descended from the sky, tearing through the crimson clouds before crashing into Zyron.
Flames consumed him.
Blood splashed across the battlefield.
But the monster still rushed forward.
A Dragon wasn't going to fall that easily.
Another claw tore through Strom's armor and skin.
Then larger glass blades came crashing down together.
None of them were fighting like warriors anymore.
They were fighting like survivors.
If any of them made it out alive, that alone would be a victory.
Strom's hands flickered upward and downward again.
Zyron's claw stopped inches from tearing Strom's face.
Not because the attack had hit him.
Because Zyron suddenly noticed something coming.
He turned and saw the upcoming disaster.
A fire strike was approaching.
But this one was different...
It was noticeably larger than every previous attack before.
And blazing with blue flames.
Zyron: "Blue flames? How?"
Strom: "It's my favourite colour!"
It sounded like a joke.
But it revealed something important.
Now Strom could manipulate the spell completely.
Zyron looked at him.
Strom was standing nearby, already so injured that he couldn't escape from impact.
And Zyron himself had been pushed to his limits this time.
One wing was destroyed.
He couldn't fly.
His stone was gone.
His enchanted resistance was gone.
He couldn't grow larger.
Nothing supernatural was helping him anymore.
So instead of dodging, Zyron simply took two steps backward.
Even closer to Strom.
Zyron: "So this is how it will end? We both die here. No one wins."
Strom (confident): "Nah! Bitch, it's not my ending."
BOOM!
Blue flames swallowed the entire battlefield.
The impact shook the land.
But Strom's Dragon pendant had already reacted.
A small magical barrier formed around him, appearing automatically whenever his body couldn't survive an incoming attack.
The barrier wasn't especially strong.
Cracks immediately began spreading across its surface.
It managed to block most of the flames and direct impact, but the force of the landing still reached Strom.
The barrier finally shattered when dust settled.
Zyron was lying nearby.
His body was burned alive, scales were cracked beyond repair.
Blood covered him, pooling beneath him.
He could no longer stand.
And Strom was barely better.
He was down on one knee, one hand pressed against the ground to keep himself from collapsing face-first.
One horn of his helmet had completely broken away.
Blood continued dripping from his chest, drop by drop.
His remaining hand still held the broken half of his spear, the blade attached to its end.
He gathered whatever strength remained and forced himself upright.
Then he drove the spear blade into Zyron's cracked scales and used it to climb onto him.
It took nearly everything he had left.
Eventually, he reached Zyron's chest.
He could barely stand properly...
Both were breathing heavily.
The battle had nearly killed both of them.
And now, one of them would have to fall.
Zyron (broken): "How could you even claim her? She isn't even your real mother!"
Strom was having trouble breathing because of his cracked ribs.
He removed his helmet. It didn't help much, but something was better than nothing.
Strom: "You're right. She isn't my real mother... But she is my Dragon mother."
A smirk spread across his face.
The same unsettling smile Zyron had worn when Strom and the others were freed.
The expression was the same but the person behind it wasn't.
Strom: "And I'm hers Dragon Knight!"
No more words.
He pushed the remaining spear blade into Zyron's broken chest.
Zyron screamed in agony.
His eyes widened, pupils narrowed.
And the Crimson Dragon finally fell...
Yet the victory didn't come with cheers:-
Strom was literally standing on a Dragon's corpse.
And there was still one final problem left for him.
He had no idea how he was going to get back down on the ground.
Because Jumping would hurt like hell.
And at this point...
There were no real options left.
Chapter 9: The Hands Who Worked for It...
In the ruined battlefield, Strom was lying beside Zyron's corpse, covered in the Crimson Dragon's blood.
He had waited for someone to come find him, but no one approached.
Eventually, Strom decided to take matters into his own hands.
So he jumped down.
He regretted that decision almost immediately through the consequences.
Fortunately, Sam could track him. He was already coming with Wraith, although Zyron had crashed far from them, making the journey take some time. Teleportation would have required more mana than Sam currently had.
When they finally reached the dead body of the Crimson Dragon, they found Strom lying beside it, still covered in Zyron's blood.
Sam: "You could've just waited."
Strom: 👍
Wraith: "Idiot."
They helped Strom back onto his feet, knowing he would need time to recover from his injuries.
Fortunately, Strom's Dragon pendant could still track Dravyss.
They followed the pull.
Eventually, they saw a much larger castle in the distance, built from dark stone. The crimson sky above it was already beginning to return to normal.
With its ruler dead, the land was slowly returning to what it had been before Zyron's arrival.
They entered the front yard and immediately saw hundreds of statues depicting Dravyss.
Among them stood one particular statue of Dravyss beside Zyron.
Strom's blood began boiling again.
Strom: "I'm happy I killed him."
Sam: "Yeah. Imagine the Crimson Dragon flirting with our Dragon. Eww."
Wraith: "Shut up, Sam."
Sam: "Sorry."
Farther ahead, they finally saw Dravyss.
She was standing outside the castle, her head resting against the front doorframe, eyes fixed on the horizon.
The world outside her thoughts seemed to no longer exist.
When Strom had started fighting Zyron and landed those heavy attacks, Dravyss had felt it immediately. She had rushed out of her room, hoping to finally see him.
Then the barrier appeared.
The pendant's power had been disrupted.
The connection was broken.
And to Dravyss, it felt as though Zyron had been the one using that power.
It felt as though Strom was dead.
She had stood at the doorway for a long time after that, and whatever hope she had left of seeing him again had finally shattered.
Now she simply stood there, lost in thoughts that no longer felt like thoughts at all.
Strom finally reached her.
He tried elbowing Sam, silently telling him to start the conversation.
Then he realized something.
Sam and Wraith were already standing several meters behind him.
Sam and Wraith: 👍
Strom (whispering): "Who needs enemies?"
He finally gathered enough courage to step forward, one hand holding his injured ribs.
Dravyss's eyes slowly drifted toward him.
Her consciousness returned.
She rushed forward.
Then stopped.
Something was still wrong.
Both stood there, looking into each other's eyes.
Neither spoke.
The silence was awkward.
Dravyss noticed Strom's hand pressed against his ribs, blood still dripping from his wounds.
Dravyss: "Your ribs are broken?"
Strom: "Probably."
She immediately understood.
Saying everything she wanted to say while holding him wasn't possible with his condition.
Strom realized the same thing.
Hugging her would probably make his soul leave his body before the reunion even properly started.
Strom: "Ah... I'm sorry."
Dravyss: "Me too."
Both of them were terrible at apologizing.
They were much better at breaking bones.
That was probably enough proof that they were family.
Strom: "Well... I'm not trusting any old man anymore. Especially from your planet, Mom!"
Dravyss: "Not everyone from my planet who uses an old man's mask is evil."
Strom: "I already experienced this twice. I'm done."
The small conversation finally happened.
And several meters away, Sam and Wraith were still standing together.
Their hearts were racing.
They had fought for this moment for more than two months.
Now that the result was finally standing in front of them, neither of them needed to say anything.
They simply needed someone beside them.
Fortunately, they had each other.
A blue hand with every nail broken, still carrying small pieces of dark stone.
Beside it, a human hand with blood-stained knuckles and veins still tinted blue from mana consumption.
Their hands remained together.
The same hands that had fought, endured, and refused to give up.
Now they were simply holding each other.
Because they had worked for this moment to happen...