In another place
The wasteland stretched for miles, bathed in the dim glow of a fading sun. Ruined buildings, hollowed by time, stood like the skeletons of a dead civilization. The air was thick with dust, kicked up by the pounding hooves of the convoy's mounts.
Dain rode at the front, his expression unreadable as he scanned the road ahead. The convoy behind him was a mess of merchants, armed men, and families clutching their children. Their mounts horses, but with thicker limbs and eyes that shimmered like molten gold moved in unsteady unison. They appeared with the beginning of the disaster.
And now the caravan wasn't just traveling fast.
They were running.
"Hold the line!" Dain barked, his voice firm. "Stay together!"
The soldiers flanking the convoy tightened their grips on their weapons, strange tools that resembled firearms but had a bizarre metallic attachment on the back. Even their spears and longswords seemed unnatural, glinting with an eerie sheen. Though trained fighters, a creeping tension coiled around them, making fingers twitch near triggers.
Then it happened.
A sharp cry split through the wind from a merchant.
"Eldons!"
raw with terror and fear.
Dain didn't need to look back. He had already felt it.
Shadows flickered between the ruins, moving with an unnatural fluidity. The first attack came from above.
A monstrous figure soared through the sky, wings stretched wide. It was humanoid—barely—but its form was lined with jagged, shifting scales that bristled like living weapons.
Then, its wings flexed.
Black, spear-like scales shot downward, slicing through the air with a shrill, unnatural whine.
"Scatter!"
Dain yanked his reins, his mount jerking sideways just as a spear slammed into the ground beside him, punching through the dirt like a spike through flesh. A merchant wasn't as lucky. One of the spears tore straight through his chest, impaling him clean off his mount. He hit the ground in a lifeless heap, blood soaking into the dust.
The convoy erupted into chaos.
Then came the second.
The Eldon on the ground moved—fast.
Lightning crackled across its elongated limbs as it tore across the ruined street. Its every step sent bursts of electricity through the ground, supercharging the air around it. The moment its clawed feet touched down, it launched forward again, covering impossible distances in the blink of an eye.
A bolt of lightning snapped forward, striking a rider in the back.
The man's body convulsed as the electricity ripped through him, twisting unnaturally before he collapsed, smoke curling from his seared flesh. His mount, panicked, reared up before bolting away into the ruins.
One of the soldiers swore under his breath. "Oh, you can't be serious—"
Another yanked him forward. "Shut up and focus!"
Dain kept his horse steady, eyes locked ahead. "Keep moving! Don't stop!"
The winged Eldon shrieked above, circling once before spreading its wings again. More black scales rippled along its body, shifting, preparing to fire.
This time, they weren't aimed at the riders.
They were aimed at the center of the convoy—where the children were.
A mother's scream rang through the chaos.
Dain exhaled slowly.
"Master Dain!" one of the soldiers shouted, urgency laced in his voice.
Dain's fingers twitched. Heat stirred beneath his skin.
The air shifted.
A flicker of crimson light glowed at the base of his left horn.
Then, fire erupted.
Dark-red flames ignited across his fingertips, alive and violent. The temperature spiked, the very air distorting from the sheer heat.
The moment the black spears touched the fire, they vanished from the intensity of the flames.
The soldiers turned, wide-eyed.
One of them muttered, "What the hell…"
The soldier who had spoken earlier exhaled through his nose. "Well. That's new."
Dain said nothing, his breath steady despite the lingering heat that pulsed beneath his skin.
No one had time to speak.
The lightning Eldon moved.
One moment, it was distant.
The next, it was right in front of him.
Dain's mount reared back, shrieking in terror.
The Eldon raised a clawed hand, electricity snapping to life around its fingers.
Dain tightened his grip on his blade.
Then, everything exploded into motion.
—End of Chapter 4.