The thunderous roar of fire and the trembling earth around him made each step feel heavier, but Riven kept carrying his sister and walked out of the cell. No guards tried to stop him. Perhaps they had already been dealt with by the golden-haired man, or had fled, terrified by the beast's monstrous cry.
The moment Riven stepped outside the prison, he looked up. The city that was once peaceful and modest had become a sea of flames. The sky burned, buildings collapsed one after another, and the screams of the people merged with the sound of destruction. But this was no time to hesitate. Above him, a massive dragon floated in the air, radiating heat intense enough to roast a man alive.
There was only one thing Riven could do now: escape as fast as possible before the fire reached them or the surrounding buildings collapsed on top of him and his sister.
He ran through the city streets that had turned into a battlefield. His arms wrapped tightly around Melly, shielding her from the heat and the debris flying through the air. Every step felt like a struggle against the world itself. The air boiled, the ground quaked, and the sky cracked open under the dragon's roar.
Corpses lay scattered along the way. Some were charred beyond recognition, others frozen in expressions of sheer terror.
Suddenly, an explosion erupted behind him. The shockwave slammed into his back like a giant hammer. Riven was flung forward. His grip slipped. Melly fell from his arms and tumbled across the ground, rolling until her small body came to a stop.
"Melly!" he shouted, panic surging through him.
He hit the cobbled street hard. His side burned from the impact, and when he tried to move, blood dripped from fresh cuts on his arms and legs. A long gash ran across his cheek, and shards of stone rained down from above like a deadly hailstorm. One chunk of debris lodged into his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, he tore it out without a sound.
Above, the dragon flapped its wings again. The blast of hot wind knocked Riven sideways, slamming him into the cracked wall of a nearby house. Dust and splinters rained over him, and the world spun.
Through the haze, he spotted Melly—just a few meters away. She was trembling and sobbing quietly.
The pain vanished from his mind.
He crawled, then stood with trembling knees. Every step was unsteady, but he reached her and pulled her into his arms again.
"I'm here," he whispered through ragged breaths. "I'm not leaving you."
No matter how much it hurt, no matter how hard it was to breathe, Riven kept walking. The sky above burned, but he refused to stop. The dragon's shadow loomed behind him, but he pressed on, carrying his sister away from the inferno that had swallowed their city.
Black smoke cloaked the streets, stinging his eyes and throat. Tongues of fire crept out from the cracks of fallen buildings, spreading along scorched walls. In the distance, screams still echoed, faint and broken, as if the city itself were devouring its people alive.
He turned into a narrow alley between two ruined houses. The wall to his left had partially collapsed, leaving behind barely standing wooden beams. He lowered his head, shielding Melly under his chest. Then a shadow swept above them. A gust from Modrax's wings sent pebbles and dust flying through the air.
Riven glanced up.
And then, the voice returned.
Cold, furious, and not from the sky—this time, it spoke inside his mind.
**"Where have you hidden my child, human?"**
A sharp throb pierced his skull. His steps faltered. The voice had been so clear, as if someone whispered it right beside his ear. Melly whimpered softly, trembling in his arms. Riven clenched his jaw, forcing the fear back down.
The wall ahead of them cracked. A wooden beam collapsed onto the roof above, bringing the structure down toward the alley. Riven leapt to the side, clutching Melly tightly. Dust engulfed them, and a jagged piece of rubble tore through his shoulder, reopening the wound.
His body hit the ground again. This time, his back slammed into stone. Darkness rushed into the edges of his vision.
Then he heard it—Melly's faint, choked sobs.
His eyes opened. Blood trickled from his temple. His vision blurred, but Melly was alive. That was all that mattered.
He stood again. His legs trembled, but his resolve held firm.
Step by step, Riven pushed forward through a city that barely resembled itself. Smoke choked the air, the stench of burning flesh mingling with scorched stone and dust. Cries for help still rose between the ruins, fading one by one.
"Help! Please, my father's trapped!" a young boy screamed, pointing to a crushed body buried beneath rubble.
Riven glanced at him, then walked past.
A few steps later, another voice.
"Take her! Please, take my daughter!" A woman lay crushed beneath a collapsed beam, blood pouring from her leg. She held out a wailing infant with shaking hands, eyes pleading.
One after another, the cries echoed like whispers from the underworld.
"Please... I can't move..."
"I don't want to die here..."
"You're strong, help us!"
He passed them all. His steps didn't slow. His gaze didn't waver.
They weren't his priority.
Riven tightened his hold on Melly. His face remained expressionless. The little girl said nothing, but she heard everything. She saw everything. And in her silence, she felt like a coward.
She wanted to speak, to beg him to help them. But deep down, she knew the truth.
If they stopped now, they wouldn't make it out alive.
And in the shattered pieces of her heart, Melly whispered silently, "If only I were stronger... if only I wasn't a burden..."
But she was just a child. And this world had no room for the weak.
The sky dimmed. Not because night had come, but because the monster had returned.
GRRRRHHAAAAAARRRR!!
Riven looked up. The heat singed his skin. That sound wasn't just a roar. It was a detonation of will that shook the bones.
Modrax, the Fire King, flew overhead. But now, something had changed. Flames erupted from its body, surging from tail to horn. Its wings spread like the cloak of a demon, its entire form igniting, transforming into a colossal beast of fire.
Riven froze.
His breath caught. Not from exhaustion, but from a fear he hadn't felt before.
Then the sky screamed.
CRACK!
A lightning arrow slammed into the dragon's side. A surge of thick white mist followed from another direction, swirling like a vortex. Both attacks struck the same spot in perfect unison.
All the attacks landed at once.
DOOOMMM!
A deafening blast shook the city. The air split. The shockwave struck Riven hard, but he held Melly tightly.
Then came the worst sound yet...
KRAAAAAAKKHHHH!!
Through the fire and smoke, Modrax's massive body began to fall.
Riven turned his head upward.
That silhouette swallowed the sky. It fell straight toward them.
The dragon's shadow blotted out the sun. Everything dimmed. The air stilled. The world held its breath.
Riven stood frozen.
"No…"
His legs refused to move. His arms trembled. His body locked in place.
Melly looked over his shoulder, eyes wide with horror. She couldn't breathe.
The shadow grew larger, darker, faster.
There was nowhere to run.
And no time left to hope.