A dragon's roar can echo across mountains. But the cry of a new Rider… travels deeper.
Setting: Emberfen Marshlands – South of the Broken Spine Mountains
Kael had never traveled this far. The air was thicker here, damp with steam and the residue of magic. Mist rolled across the ground like it was alive.
Cinder hated it. He kept shifting, wings half-flared, nostrils twitching.
"Too wet," the dragon muttered in Kael's mind. "Smells like rot… and something worse."
"I feel it too," Kael whispered. "But this is where the map leads."
Behind them, Lira scanned the horizon, her lightning dragon perched silently atop a stone pillar—watchful, twitching, uneasy.
They had followed the pulsing sigil for days, and now it burned hot under Kael's skin. Another Rider was here. Somewhere close.
But who? And why had they not revealed themselves?
The Flameborn Rebel
A sudden rustle. The air hissed.
Kael turned, blade drawn—just in time to see a girl leap from the trees in mid-spin, twin curved daggers flashing, her hood falling back to reveal glowing golden eyes and deep auburn skin.
"You're late," she said, stepping into view.
Lira stiffened.
"Kael… That's Nyra of the Burning Vale. A rebel assassin. I thought she vanished after the Black Summit."
"I vanished because people started dying," Nyra said, voice sharp."You're the Rider-boy? The one bonded to a fire dragon?"
Kael nodded, unsure.
Nyra looked him over, unimpressed—then her gaze flicked to Cinder. She whistled low.
"Alright. That's something."
Then she stepped aside and gestured to the trees behind her.
"You'll want to meet the one we found."
Another Awakening
They followed her through twisted marsh paths until they reached a sunken temple, half-buried in vines and dragon bone statues. Inside, a boy no older than sixteen sat cross-legged before a still-cracked egg. His hands trembled.
"His name's Finnel," Nyra whispered. "He touched the egg last night. It didn't hatch."
"Not everyone is chosen," Lira said carefully.
"It did choose him," Nyra snapped. "It's just… broken. Like him."
The boy suddenly stood, staring at Kael with wild, desperate eyes.
"I can hear it," Finnel gasped. "I can't sleep. It's in my head. It's screaming…"
Kael stepped forward slowly.
"You're bonding," he said gently. "But the dragon… It's trapped."
He looked at the egg and realized it was wrapped in binding sigils.
"This egg was sealed… on purpose."
"By who?" Lira asked.
A voice answered from the shadows of the temple:
"By those who fear what it could become."
An Old Rider Appears
From the dark stepped a cloaked man. His armor was worn, but the rune of a Rider still glowed faintly beneath his collar. His face was marked by time, scarred by fire and loss.
"Name's Theron. Last of the Skyshard Riders. I've seen what happens when dragons awaken too soon. Or bond to the wrong hearts."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"And who decides who's worthy?"
Theron looked him dead in the eyes.
"You will. If you lead them."
He pointed to Finnel.
"Free the egg, boy. Let the dragon choose."
Kael hesitated… then nodded.
He knelt by the egg and sliced through the old bindings.
The temple trembled.
The egg cracked.
ROAAAAAR!
A burst of emerald wind shot through the chamber. From the shell, a sleek, snake-like dragon emerged—its wings feathered, its tail long and whiplike.
Finnel gasped. The Mark lit up on his chest.
"I hear it…" he whispered."Its name is Zephyron."
Chapter End:
Another Rider joins the flame. Kael's path as a leader begins—unwanted, but necessary. But in the shadows, Raven Drake watches. And he is displeased by the gathering storm.