The forest around us had grown unnaturally quiet. Not the calm of peace — the calm that comes before annihilation. Even the wind refused to blow here, as if afraid of the thing that lurked ahead.
We stood before it — a clearing surrounded by jagged black stone, scorched and cracked like the remains of a world once burned. In its center stood an ancient door, towering fifty feet high, carved with glowing runes that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
The door was beautiful, but my eyes weren't on it.
They were fixed on the creature lying before it — a mountain of crimson scales and molten breath.
The Flame Wyvern.
Even asleep, it radiated heat so fierce the air shimmered. Each breath it took released curls of fire from its nostrils, and the ground beneath it was melted glass.
Alex swallowed hard beside me. "That… that's a genuine King-tier beast."
"I know." My hand tightened around the hilt of my sword. "And it's between us and Father's treasure."
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The air vibrated with suppressed energy. Then, without another word, I stepped forward.
The wyvern's eyes opened.
Twin suns blazed in the shadows — molten gold, ancient and intelligent. Its gaze fixed on me, and the world itself seemed to stop.
The roar that followed split the sky. Trees bent under the shockwave; the ground cracked beneath our feet. I barely raised a mana barrier in time to keep from being blown away.
"Move!" I shouted, and Alex darted left as the beast's massive tail came crashing down, smashing into the ground like a meteor.
The impact sent shards of molten rock flying. I rolled to the side, mana surging through my veins, and slashed upward — a silver arc that sparked off the wyvern's scales with a deafening clang. Not even a scratch.
It turned toward me, fire building in its throat.
"Alex!" I yelled, already diving for cover.
The world exploded in light.
Flames erupted from its mouth in a torrent that turned stone to ash and air to fire. My barrier shattered instantly, the heat searing my skin as I barely managed to roll behind a chunk of blackened rock.
Alex's voice rang out from somewhere behind the smoke. "Aqua Veil!"
A dome of shimmering water appeared, quenching part of the inferno just before it reached him. Steam exploded outward, filling the clearing with a blinding fog.
Through the haze, I moved — every step a test of will. My mana surged into my blade, making it hum with blue light. I lunged, aiming for the joint of its wing.
The wyvern twisted with impossible speed. Its claw met my strike midair, sparks flying as metal met scale. The force of the clash sent me flying backward, crashing through a half-melted boulder.
"Damn it," I coughed, spitting blood.
Alex darted in from the side, his twin daggers glowing faintly green as he struck at its leg tendons. His movements were fast — too fast for human eyes — his mana control sharper than ever. But even his best strikes only drew shallow wounds.
The wyvern bellowed and swung its tail, slamming him into a tree.
"Alex!"
He groaned, rolling to his knees, blood dripping from his lip. "Still alive," he wheezed. "Barely."
I gathered my mana again, channeling every ounce into my sword. "We have to break its defenses somehow."
He nodded weakly. "Then let's make it bleed."
We moved together this time — twin streaks of blue and green against the blazing red of the wyvern. Every strike we made was met with fire, wind, or claws. Every dodge brought us closer to death.
Hours seemed to pass like seconds — a blur of heat, pain, and desperation.
By the time the wyvern's movements began to slow, our mana reserves were nearly empty. My arms felt like lead. Alex's healing aura flickered, barely holding us together.
The wyvern, enraged, let out another earth-shattering roar. Its wings spread wide, flames spiraling around them like a living storm. The sky turned red, clouds burning away as it prepared its final strike.
"We can't survive that!" Alex shouted.
"Then we stop it before it fires!" I roared back.
I launched myself forward, sword blazing with the last dregs of my mana. I could feel my core straining, screaming in protest, but I pushed harder.
The world became a blur of heat and motion. I struck — and struck again — each blow driving me closer to the limit of my strength.
When my blade finally connected with the wyvern's chest, it felt like hitting a mountain. The impact shattered my weapon and sent me flying backward, slamming into the ground hard enough to crack stone.
I couldn't move. My vision swam.
The wyvern loomed above me, jaws glowing brighter than the sun.
This was it.
And then — something inside me broke.
Or perhaps it awoke.