The broodling cavern was vast, lit by veins of molten rock that pulsed like a heartbeat through the volcanic walls. Hatchlings of the Infernal Pyreclaw gathered in a loose circle, claws scraping, wings twitching, tails lashing. The air was thick with anticipation and the tang of sulfur.
Aurelius stood among them, straight-backed, molten-gold eyes calm. His dark skin glistened with patches of black scales that caught the firelight, but unlike the others, his silhouette lacked one thing every dragon here bore proudly, no tail lashed behind him.
"Look at him." the silver-eyed hatchling sneered, stepping forward. "Half-formed. Half-human. Half-dragon. No tail, no real wings. A cripple trying to play at being Pyreclaw."
Snickers rippled through the broodlings. Several flexed their tails mockingly, sweeping them across the obsidian floor as if to emphasize what Aurelius lacked.
"Silence."
The command came from Varkis, his deep rumble silencing laughter like a blade to the throat. The elder's gaze moved across the circle, then settled on Aurelius.
"Today, you will not fight beasts or spirits. Today, you fight each other. Not with claws and fire, but with wit. Each hatchling will stand and claim what makes them worthy of Pyreclaw. The brood listens. The brood judges."
The silver-eyed rival stepped first, scales shimmering like polished steel.
"Strength." He hissed, voice sharp as lightning. "Strength alone rules. I will tear down our enemies, rip the marrow from their bones and scatter the ash across the skies. That is Pyreclaw's will."
The circle growled approval. Flames licked from nostrils, tails lashed.
Another hatchling followed, boasting of firestorms that would raze villages, of conquest and dominance. One after another, they spoke of destruction, of proving superiority, of bending the weak.
Finally, Varkis' gaze shifted.
"Aurelius."
The circle quieted. Dozens of slit-pupiled eyes gleamed in the molten light, watching, waiting for the half-breed's humiliation.
Aurelius stepped forward, his claws scratching softly against obsidian. He stood tall, wings absent, tail absent, only molten aura flickering faintly at his skin's edges.
"What makes you worthy?" Varkis asked.
Aurelius let the silence stretch, heavy as stone. Then he spoke, his voice calm, steady, burning not with rage but conviction.
"Strength." he began, and several hatchlings smirked, until he continued, "is not destruction. It is creation. To burn is easy. To rule is harder. And to unite? Hardest of all."
The brood hissed, restless. Some snarled, others jeered.
"Unite? With prey?" one spat.
"Blasphemy."
But Aurelius did not waver. His golden eyes locked on theirs, steady as molten iron.
"Yes. Humans are weak. Fragile. Small. But they endure. They adapt. They build. Dragons burn their cities and they rise again from the ash. Alone, they fall. With us, they could rise higher than either ever could alone."
"Madness." the silver-eyed hatchling growled. "Tainted blood speaks of tainted dreams."
"No." Aurelius voice cut through like a blade, sharper than the hatchling's snarl. "It is vision. The Pyreclaw brood rules through fire and fear. But fear breeds rebellion. Fear breeds ruin..." He stopped, chest tight, the memory of a burning world flashing behind his eyes.
The chamber trembled with shifting bodies. The brood was unsettled, angered, confused. Some mocked, but others... others stayed quiet, thoughtful.
Varkis studied him with narrowed eyes, unreadable. Finally, he rumbled:
"A bold claim. Dangerous. You speak of peace in a brood of war."
Aurelius bowed his head slightly, molten aura flickering like a restrained flame.
"Not peace. Balance. Dragons and humans together, not as master and slave, but as one. That is strength. That is endurance. That is the fire that will never die."
The silence was heavy.
Even the magma seemed to still.
Lira, hidden in the shadows of the cavern, clutched the bars of her cage. Her eyes shone wide, lips parted.
"He's not just surviving, she thought. He's... dreaming of something more."
The silver-eyed hatchling spat flame in disgust.
"You'll never be more than a crippled ember, Aurelius. Dragons rule. Humans kneel. That is the way of the world."
Aurelius met its glare, calm, molten-gold gaze unwavering.
"Then I will change the world."
For the first time, the brood fell truly silent and in that silence, something dangerous was born, an idea.