@ Dragon Clan - Roosevelt's Manor
The sky above the Roosevelt estate turned dark without warning.
What had been a clear, golden afternoon transformed into something unnatural, something wrong. The heavens churned with black clouds that roiled and twisted like living things. A red lightning bolt split the sky, illuminating the horizon in a bloody glow. The wind howled angrily, cold and sharp, carrying with it the scent of ash and iron.
Gary Theodore, barely ten years old, sat beside his mother on the wide stone balcony of their home. He stared up at the sky, his small hands gripping the railing tightly.
"Mother..." His voice trembled. "What's happening?"
Samantha Theodore sat rigid in her chair, her hands clenched so tightly in her lap that her knuckles had gone white. Her face was pale, her eyes distant and vacant as if she were seeing something far beyond the storm clouds above.
"The last time I saw a sky like this," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind, "was the day my father died in battle."
Gary's heart clenched. "You mean... it's a sign?"
Samantha closed her eyes, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, forcing herself to sit straighter, to remain composed.
"It's just a storm, sweetheart," she lied, her voice strained. "Your father is strong. He'll come home to us."
But Gary saw the truth in her eyes.
Before he could say anything more, a roar erupted from the village entrance below.
"VICTORY! VICTORY! VICTORY!"
The returning soldiers flooded into the village square, their armor dented and bloodstained, their faces gaunt and hollow. But they were alive. The villagers poured out of their homes, cheering, weeping, embracing their sons and husbands who had returned from the war.
But Samantha's gaze was fixed on one figure.
Logan Roosevelt rode at the head of the column, his face grim, his shoulders slumped. And beside him, draped across the back of a horse, was a body wrapped in white linen.
Samantha's breath caught in her throat.
Her legs gave out beneath her.
She collapsed onto the balcony floor, her hands clutching at the stone railing as a wail tore from her throat, a sound so raw and so primal, that it silenced the celebration below.
Gary dropped to his knees beside her, his small hands shaking as he tried to pull her upright. "Mother! Mother, what's wrong?"
But she couldn't speak. She could only stare at the shrouded body being carried through the gates.
The love of her life was no more.
Theodore was gone.
@ Roosevelt's Manor - That Evening
The house was silent save for the sound of Samantha's quiet sobbing.
She sat in the main hall, her face buried in her hands, her body trembling with grief. Gary sat beside her, his own tears streaming down his cheeks as he clung to his mother's arm.
A knock at the door broke the silence.
"Who's there?" Samantha's voice was hoarse.
"It's Logan," came the reply from the other side. "Please... let me in. I need to speak with you both."
Samantha hesitated, then slowly rose to her feet and opened the door.
Logan stood in the doorway, still dressed in his bloodstained armor. His face was haggard, his eyes red-rimmed. He looked like a man who had aged ten years in three days.
"Samantha," he said quietly as he stared at her, "I'm so sorry."
She said nothing. She simply stepped aside and let him enter.
Logan walked into the hall, his gaze falling on little Gary, who sat on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest. The boy's eyes were swollen from crying.
Logan knelt down in front of him, his expression softening.
"Gary," he said gently. "Your father was the bravest man I've ever known. He died protecting his people. He died a hero."
Gary sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "Will he come back?"
Logan's chest tightened. "No, son. He won't. He is now up in the sky watching over us"
Gary's face crumpled, and fresh tears spilled down his cheeks.
Logan reached out and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "But listen to me, Gary. Your father may be gone, but his spirit lives on. In you. In your mother and In everyone who loved him." He paused, his voice growing firmer. "And I promise you – I will take care of you. I will teach you everything your father would have taught you. I will train you to be strong, to be brave, to be a warrior worthy of the Roosevelt name."
Gary looked up at him, his tear-streaked face filled with hope. "You will?"
"I swear it," Logan said. "From this day forward, consider me your father as well. I will not let you walk this path alone."
Samantha, still standing by the door, watched the exchange in silence. Her expression was unreadable as she stared at the both of them.
Logan stood and reached into his cloak, pulling out the medallion Theodore had given him. He held it out to Gary.
"Your father wanted you to have this," Logan said. "He told me to tell you... that he loves you."
Gary took the medallion with trembling hands, staring down at the engraved dragon. His tears fell onto the silver surface, pooling in the grooves of the design.
Logan turned to Samantha and his expression shifted. "I will return tomorrow morning to begin his training. He needs to learn how to protect himself and how to survive in this world."
Samantha nodded slowly, her voice barely a whisper. "Thank you, Logan."
Logan inclined his head and turned to leave. But as he reached the door, he paused and glanced back at Samantha.
For just a moment, his gaze lingered on her face and then drifted to the curve of her neck, he swallowed at the way the firelight played across her face and then abruptly and without a word, he turned and stepped out into the night.