A terrifying silence struck Riven's consciousness. It wasn't peaceful—it was a void that gnawed at his soul. The world around him seemed to freeze. His vision dimmed, his ears rang empty, and the only sound left was the rapid, wild beating of his heart.
He turned frantically, realizing his awareness was slipping.
"Melly!"
Without thinking, he immediately embraced his little sister, who was trembling on the ground. Her small body was cold, her eyes wide open, staring up at the sky still ablaze with fire. Riven held her tightly, as if the world could collapse at any moment and he was the last shield that stood between her and death.
Then, everything went black.
.
.
.
On the far edge of Glimfell, in the ruins untouched by the dragon's rampage, a man with golden hair and golden eyes stood alone. He walked slowly, carrying an old sack slung over his shoulder. His steps were light, as if the destruction around him meant nothing.
Then suddenly, the hairs on his neck stood on end.
He stopped.
The eyes that had seemed lazy and detached sharpened in an instant, narrowing, then widening with intensity. He turned, gazing toward the heart of the burning city.
And that's when he saw it.
The dragon.
Modrax fell from the sky, his massive body ablaze like a comet from hell on a collision course with the earth.
But that wasn't what made Eldric freeze.
What stopped him in his tracks… was the fact that the dragon's body had been split in two.
A glowing rift ran from Modrax's chest down to his tail. The cut was too clean… too absolute. It wasn't the result of an ordinary power.
Meanwhile, the sack on his shoulder had begun to smolder at the bottom.
Eldric looked down at it briefly, expressionless. As if responding to an invisible summons, flames licked up the sack and devoured it.
From within, a young dragon shot out. Small, its silver-red scales gleamed like polished embers. Its eyes burned with an instinct it hadn't yet been taught. Without hesitation, the little creature flapped its wings and soared toward the fallen body of its mother.
It had never seen her. But in its heart, it knew. It knew where it had to go.
Eldric simply watched it leave, saying nothing.
Then, he vanished.
No sound. No trace. Only lingering heat and a gust of wind marked his departure.
The sky collapsed.
DUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMM!!!
The massive, severed body of Modrax slammed into the earth with a cataclysmic force.
The impact ripped through the ground like a tidal wave of violence. The surface buckled and heaved, fracturing in jagged lines as if the land itself was screaming. Stone exploded skyward. Deep cracks tore open. A shockwave surged outward in every direction—silent for a breath, then deafening like the end of the world.
Glimfell was obliterated in the blink of an eye.
From the crater, fire erupted like a volcanic inferno, a pillar of hellfire clawing at the heavens. The wind carried searing ash and molten debris, razing everything in its path. Buildings disintegrated. Walls crumbled into dust. Towering spires splintered and collapsed, powerless against the storm.
From above, the city was unrecognizable—no longer a place of life, but a churning sea of flame and ruin. Smoke twisted into the sky in great black coils. The very air shimmered with heat.
There were no cries left. No voices. No struggle.
Only silence swallowed by the howl of destruction.
In the midst of the chaos and destruction, Melly's small body lay limp in her brother's arms. Riven shielded her with everything he had, his body curled over hers like the last barrier standing in a burning hell.
The shockwaves still quaked the earth, rubble continued to fall—but strangely, where they were lying… everything felt still. There was no heat. No fire. No crushing pressure like the one that had destroyed the rest of Glimfell.
Melly slowly opened her eyes, her awareness returning though her head throbbed from the impact. Her brother's body was heavy, but warm and calming. She shook his shoulder with trembling hands.
"Brother… Riven… please wake up…" she whispered, panicked. But Riven didn't move. His eyes were blank, his breath heavy, as if something invisible had ripped his soul out.
Melly pushed herself up slightly. Her gaze swept around, fearful. She saw fire devouring everything, the two halves of a dragon's corpse like twin mountains. The world around them was scorched. The sky was red, the earth cracked, fire raged in all directions.
And yet somehow, in the small space where Riven held Melly, nothing touched them. That tiny circle felt like another world—untouched by destruction.
And when she turned her head, her eyes widened.
Behind Riven's back, a figure stood.
A man with golden hair falling loosely to his shoulders, glowing faintly in the hellish backdrop. His golden eyes shimmered, staring directly at them with an unreadable face. No smile, no anger, no pity—only a gaze that hinted at something far deeper.
Melly recognized him. He was the man they saw in prison. Their mysterious cellmate. A silent figure who always seemed distant, sleeping through everything as if nothing around him mattered. Then suddenly, he awakened, unleashed a strange, unexplainable power… and slaughtered the guards before walking out of his cell.
Now, a small dragon perched on his shoulder. Its scales were a blazing crimson, like fresh-forged steel. Its eyes glowed with caution and curiosity as it stared at Melly and Riven. Though small, its aura was impossible to ignore. It sat still, yet tense—ready to strike at any moment.
'He's the one who saved us…' Melly thought, without needing confirmation.
The man didn't speak. Didn't move. He only stood there in silence, watching them. His gaze wasn't human. There was something in it—a strange curiosity, as if Riven and Melly were puzzles he intended to solve.
Melly opened her mouth, wanting to say thank you… but never got the chance.
In a blink, Eldric moved.
His body blurred like a shadow. Before Melly could react, he was already in front of them. Effortlessly, he lifted both Riven and Melly as if they weighed nothing at all. No strain, no struggle—as though they were feathers in his hands.
Then he jumped.
Soaring through the burning wreckage.
Leaping over ruins that exploded one by one.
The flames crawling toward him never touched his cloak. The scorching winds couldn't ruffle his golden hair. Embers flew in the air, but he moved as if time had slowed for him alone.
Melly held her brother's hand tightly, her body trembling in Eldric's arms. She wanted to scream, to ask where they were being taken, but no sound came out. The world around her became a blur of rushing crimson. Only the steady beat of her heart kept her anchored to consciousness.
At last, the hellish glow began to fade.
Eldric leapt past the city's cracked and blackened walls, sprinting over dead fields where nothing would ever grow again. Burned trees stood like skeletons. Wind roared, carrying smoke and dust in endless waves behind them.
Then came the forest.
The last green left standing. A sanctuary untouched by fire.
Eldric stepped into the shadows of the woods and stopped. He gently lowered Riven first, laying him on the mossy earth. Then Melly. Both now lay on living ground, far from the destruction they had just escaped.
The man stood in silence. His golden eyes looked skyward, now shrouded in smoke. The dragon on his shoulder gave a soft, angry growl. After a pause…
Melly finally spoke, her voice nervous.
"Thank you for saving us. But… why did you?"