The cavern's heat pressed against Aurelius' scales as he tried to move. Every claw sank into the jagged rock with a sharp snap, every muscle tensed with raw, untrained power.
He was small, a hatchling among the infernal brood, yet he felt the ghost of the man he had been, the warrior, the rebel, the Cinderblade.
The Matriarch's words echoed:
"Only the strong survive. Only the Core decides."
Instinct urged him to roar, to assert dominance. But his human mind reminded him: patience.
Observation first.
From the shadows, other hatchlings emerged, each smaller than him but sharp-eyed, scales glinting with firelight. One stepped forward, a silver-streaked hatchling with ember-orange eyes.
"You. Who are you?" it hissed, claws scraping the stone. "You're new. Smell... different."
"I am Aurelius." he replied, voice a strange echo of human tone and growl. "And I'm going to survive this."
A low, mocking laugh rolled from the back of the cavern. Another hatchling, black as soot, with spikes along its jaw, stepped forward.
"Survive? Don't make me laugh. In Pyreclaw, survival isn't about talking. It's about taking. Eating. Burning."
Aurelius' eyes narrowed. He flexed his claws. Embers lifted from his scales, tiny sparks that danced in the air like living stars. The other hatchlings recoiled slightly.
"Instinct. Power. Dominance."
"Not like this." a voice whispered inside him, the human soul still alive, fragile as a dying flame.
"Control it or you become what you fought against."
The first test came suddenly. A wall of fire erupted across the cavern floor, roaring and twisting like a living beast. The Matriarch's voice boomed from above.
"First trial: Heartflame! Show the Core within you! Survive the blaze, or be ash!"
The heat surged, licking his scales, searing the air. Aurelius' claws dug deep, grounding himself. Memories of the apocalypse came cities aflame, skies blackened, death searing everything he loved.
"I will not fail again."
A flicker ran across his mind and then... a pulse. The Core answered.
Molten veins glowed along his arms, a warmth unlike mere fire. With a roar that mixed boy and beast, he leapt. Flames parted around him as if recognizing him, forming a protective wave that carried him across the cavern floor.
The other hatchlings stared, wide-eyed. Whispers of awe, fear, spread among them.
"You... you control the Core?" the silver-eyed hatchling asked, awe lacing its tone.
Aurelius crouched, chest heaving.
"I don't just control it. I am it."
A laugh, low and rolling, came from the shadows again. The black-spiked hatchling circled him like a predator.
"Words are wind, flame-boy. Let's see if your claws match your roar."
And so it began, the first of many battles, tests, and trials. Aurelius' body, small yet potent, flexed, wings twitching where none yet existed.
His human mind whispered.
"Do not lose yourself. Do not become the monster they expect."
But deep inside, another voice, older, darker, growled back:
"Power is survival. Humanity is weakness. Remember that."
The cavern rumbled as the first true clash of his reborn life erupted. Fire, smoke, and the scent of scorched stone filled the air.
Aurelius took a deep breath, feeling the Core awaken. The past life, the man, was still there, but the future, the dragon, was rising.
And the Infernal Pyreclaw brood was watching.