When Draven strode through the stone doors of the council, the air shifted instantly. The dragons seated around the massive table beneath the high dome watched him with glowing eyes. Each was a representative of thousands of years of grandeur and power. Every word uttered here could alter the fate of the entire realm.
Galdor, the head of the Council, spoke first. "Draven… news of the palace events has reached every ear. Confronting a chained dragon for the sake of a slave... it is a matter that demands an explanation."
Murmurs rose. Some members cast challenging looks at Draven, while others clearly disapproved of Thor's vile attempts. Draven narrowed his eyes, his gaze cold as ice.
"Thor's actions are not just a betrayal of me, but an insult to the honor of all dragons. He touched my slave; he challenged my chains. This is an insult to us all!"
Thor was brought into the hall in chains. A mocking smile played on his lips. "Elanor was merely a slave. What I did was simply our nature. Draven's only concern is his own obsessive desire for possession."
Some dragons roared in fury, while others sank into a heavy silence. Galdor slammed his hands onto the table. "Enough! You have both crossed the line. However..." He turned his gaze to Thor. "To break the chains of a dragon and challenge one's own brother is unforgivable."
A crimson flame ignited in Draven's eyes. "The punishment is death!" he declared.
A deep silence fell. Galdor contemplated for a long moment, then shook his head. "No, Draven. To kill a dragon... it upsets the balance. But he will not go unpunished."
At a signal, the doors opened. Ancient sorcerers in black cloaks entered, carrying staffs etched with primordial magic. Thor's eyes flared with rage.
"We shall bind his power," Galdor stated. "His flame shall no longer flow freely. Beyond these chains, he will lose half of his might. This is his sentence."
Thor strained against his bonds. "You cannot do this to me! I am a dragon! For this slave—" But the sorcerers' chants filled the air. They whispered in ancient tongues, and shadows coiled around Thor's body. The fire in his eyes began to dim; his flame was suppressed. He let out a strangled cry, then collapsed under the weight of his chains.
Draven watched, an unsatisfied rage still burning in his core. He wanted to end him then and there. But at least, Thor's wings had been clipped.
The Healer's Chamber and the Oracle
Draven returned to his room with heavy steps and sat by Elanor's bedside. As the serum dripped rhythmically, his anger was replaced by the weight of another emotion. He rested his head against the edge of the bed and surrendered to sleep.
Hours later, Elanor opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Draven asleep by her side. Her heart quickened. How can a dragon protect someone as ordinary as me like this?
Sergie appeared in the shadows. "Elanor, don't move. You must grow stronger." "Sergie... why is he like this?" she whispered. "So terrifying, yet so... protective." Sergie smiled. "Because sometimes within the greatest rage, the deepest wounds are hidden."
Seeking answers, Elanor eventually found herself before the oracle, Lysra. "You carry the warmth of the Fae," Lysra said, her eyes twinkling with ancient wisdom. "The Fae lineage withered generations ago, but your light is different. And it shines in the shadow of a dragon's heart."
Sergie stepped forward. "Lysra, do you know the prophecy?" Lysra sighed. "A century ago, it was written: 'When the light of the Fae and the heart of the Dragon unite, a new tide is born. The trees awaken, the earth heals, and life is chosen where blood once flowed.' But there is a price—a price that tests the very soul."
Elanor's breath caught. "What is this price? Who am I?" Lysra opened an ancient, tattered book. "Fae carry the essence of nature. Your light opens a door to the living roots of the world. But the door does not open without an offering. 'Blood and earth shall become one,' the old words say."
The Awakening of the Ancient Tree
Following a call from the earth, Elanor left her room and walked toward the Ancient Tree—a massive sentinel whose roots pierced stone walls. Draven followed her, his instincts screaming to stop her, but his heart urging him to stay close.
As Elanor touched the bark, the world went silent. A light, a mixture of gold and emerald, surged from the roots and flowed into her body. "Elanor!" Draven called out, but an invisible wall of energy blocked him. "The awakening begins..." a voice whispered, though it wasn't Elanor's.
Across the dragon realm, a shiver was felt. The balance was breaking. Back at the palace, reports flooded in: dragons were falling from the sky, losing their strength.
"The balance is broken," Elanor whispered, her voice echoing in the ears of everyone present.
The Final Sacrifice
"I will not do this, Elanor," Draven pleaded, standing before the tree. "I will not spill your blood. Not for my people, not for the throne." "This must be my choice, Draven," Elanor replied. "If this light demands a price, I will pay it."
"No!" Draven's eyes turned gold, his voice cracking. "You brought me life! I was born to protect you!" His rage erupted, and his dragon form burst free, flames tearing through the sky. But Elanor did not flinch.
"If the light does not flow from me," she said, trembling, "it will flow from your heart!" She reached out and grasped one of Draven's massive wings. Blood mixed with fire, but in Elanor's hands, that blood turned into pure light.
The tree inhaled the radiance. The earth groaned. The light pierced the heavens. In the cities, the sick stood up. Slave chains shattered across the realm. The tree bloomed with golden brilliance.
Elanor fell to her knees, her blood mingling with the soil. Her body became translucent, her Fae essence flowing into the sky. Sergie's voice whispered in her heart: "You are free now, Elanor. You have saved your brother."
Draven, still in dragon form, wept tears of fire. "Elanor...?" She looked at him one last time, her eyes overflowing with light. "It is not a goodbye... Draven. Perhaps under another sky..."
The light of the tree exploded. A vortex of wind and radiance swirled. Elanor's body rose, turning into shimmering stardust, and in an instant, she vanished.
Silence. Only the pulse of the tree remained. Then... a breath. A veil was lifted.
When Elanor opened her eyes, she was back in her own room.