Ash clung to the air like a second skin.The Nameless One walked through the ruins of the Valyrian Freehold, his steps silent, unhurried. The landscape stretched for miles — jagged ruins, melted towers, and rivers of glass that caught what little light still dared to fall.
Vaerynna padded beside him, her claws crunching against the brittle earth. Though young, she moved with a regal bearing, her eyes bright and curious.
We've been walking for days, she said. And every ruin looks the same. Were they all this proud?
He smiled faintly. "Pride rarely leaves room for difference. They built perfection in their own image — and in the end, even their ruins look alike."
It feels… heavy here. The air doesn't breathe right.
He glanced at her, then at the horizon. "That's the Doom. The air itself remembers burning. Even time feels reluctant to pass here."
You've seen other places like this?
"In different ways," he said. "Some worlds rot from ambition, others from fear. Valyria died from both."
For a while, they walked in silence — only the crunch of their steps echoing through the desolation. Then Vaerynna looked at him again, eyes bright with thought.
You said you've been to many worlds, she began. Did you ever meet others like me? Dragons?
He smiled at that, a rare glint of warmth in his eyes. "Many. Some were ancient and wise — guardians who watched over the balance of creation. They spoke in riddles and flames and judged mortals by the strength of their hearts."
Guardians? she asked, curious. Like protectors?
"Exactly," he said. "In another world, though, dragons were bound to curses — their fates twisted by the colors of their scales. Red for rage, blue for greed, black for envy. Entire realms fell to their fury."
And you fought them?
He chuckled softly. "I fought beside them. Against them. It depends on who started the fire first."
And what about me? she asked, half-proud, half-curious. What am I?
"You," he said, glancing at her, "are still deciding what you'll become. But I'll warn you — dragons who try to be gods always end the same way."
She snorted, her nostrils glowing faintly.
Then I'll settle for being a queen.
"That sounds far more dangerous."
She tilted her head, feigning offense.
You mock me, old one.
He smiled faintly. "If you think that's mockery, then you're not listening closely enough."
Then tell me, she pressed. Why do you always sound like you've already seen the end of things?
He paused at that — his gaze drifting across the horizon."Because I have."
Vaerynna fell silent, sensing the weight in his tone.
They walked on until the path changed beneath their feet — the glass giving way to blackened soil. The air grew erratic, pulsing with faint red light.
Something's wrong here, she murmured. The ground feels alive.
"It's reacting," he said. "We're close to the Doom's heart."
She lowered her head, wings folding close.
I don't like it.
"You don't have to," he replied. "Fear is wisdom when you listen to it."
But he didn't slow his pace.
Soon they reached a ridge overlooking a vast crater — an open wound carved into the world. At its center lay a single orb, black as obsidian, cracked with faint veins of crimson. It pulsed weakly, like a dying heartbeat.
Vaerynna froze.
That thing feels wrong. I can hear it whispering.
"It's not whispering," he said softly. "It's remembering."
Don't go near it.
He looked over his shoulder, amused. "You're afraid."
You aren't?
He smiled faintly. "I've faced worse horrors than this. Some worlds have suns that scream, seas that eat thought itself. Compared to those, this…" he gestured toward the orb, "…is little more than a remnant."
It's still dangerous.
"Everything worth touching is."
She hissed low in her throat, watching as he descended toward the crater's center.
The air around him warped and shimmered, energy thrumming like a wounded beast. The orb flared violently, sending ripples of heat that cracked the stone beneath his feet.
It lashed out — a surge of pure chaos — but he raised his hand, and the energy broke harmlessly against him, scattering into harmless embers.
"Temperamental," he murmured.
Stop mocking it!
He smirked. "Mockery would imply respect."
As he reached the orb, he crouched and studied it closely. "So this is what remains of Valyria's sin. All their arrogance, bound into a single breath."
Leave it, she warned. I don't like the way it looks at you.
"It's not looking," he said, placing his hand on it. "It's begging to be acknowledged."
The orb pulsed violently, flaring with red light. Vaerynna flinched, spreading her wings in alarm.
Enough!
But before she could move, he lifted the orb — and without hesitation, swallowed it whole.
The earth shuddered. Light exploded outward, devouring the air, shaking the mountains. When it faded, he stood motionless, brushing the ash from his shoulder.
You're insane! she hissed. You could have died!
He laughed softly. "Died? I've done that before. It's inconvenient."
You ate that thing like it was nothing!
He looked up at her, eyes faintly glowing with a light not meant for mortal sight."Vaerynna… if you ever saw what I truly look like — what I am without this body — you wouldn't call that 'nothing.'"
Then what are you?
He smiled faintly. "Something this world isn't ready to see. Not yet."
Her expression softened — fear fading into awe.
You're not what I expected.
"Few things ever are."
He turned away from the crater, voice returning to calm. "Come, Vaerynna. This land will heal. Fire always does, eventually."
And where will we go now?
"Volantis," he said. "It's time to see what the living have built from the ashes."
Do we fly?
He chuckled quietly. "If you wish the whole world to know a dragon lives again, then yes. Otherwise, we find a boat."
She huffed.
A boat sounds… slow.
"Then it will give us time," he said. "You'll learn patience. I'll learn if your seas still remember how to carry men."
And if they don't?
"Then we walk again."
You're impossible.
He smiled. "And yet, you follow."
She exhaled, smoke curling from her nostrils.
I suppose I do.
"Then let's move, before this land remembers it hates us."
They turned toward the distant coast, two silhouettes against the crimson haze.Behind them, the crater pulsed faintly, like a dying star, and the wind carried a whisper through the ruin:
Even after the fire fades, the shadow walks on.