Serika POV
Fire tears through my lungs as I gasp for air. I do not die. I burn and stay alive. My heart slams against my ribs like it wants to escape. Heat floods every part of me. I scream, but the sound turns into a sharp cry that does not sound human.
Golden flames wrap around my body.
They rise from my chest, coil around my arms, and crawl up my neck. They do not burn my clothes away. They do not eat my skin. They sink into me instead. The pain is deep and wild. It feels like my blood is turning into light.
I fall onto my hands and knees. Fire spills from my mouth when I cough. The floor cracks beneath my palms. I smell smoke and metal.
Dragon marks flare along my arms.
They glow bright gold and deep purple, twisting into shapes I do not understand. They move like living things. I watch in fear as they spread up my shoulders and down my sides. Every mark burns as it settles. Every mark feels earned.
I cry out again. Tears streak down my face and vanish into steam.
My eyes sting. Heat presses behind them. I squeeze them shut, but the light is inside now. When I open them, the world shines gold. Every edge glows. Every sound is sharp. I can hear stone settling. I can hear my heart. I can hear Ignaroth breathing far below.
My eyes have turned gold.
Fear slams into me harder than the fire. I clutch my face. My hands shake. Sparks jump from my fingers and fade in the air.
I whisper my name again. I cling to it. I am still me.
The fire answers with a roar.
Pain explodes across my back.
I arch and scream as something pushes outward from my spine. It feels like my bones are breaking open. I feel tearing. I feel pressure. I feel heat rip through muscle and skin.
I collapse flat on the ground.
Then wings made of fire burst from my back.
They tear free in a flash of light. Golden flames stretch wide and tall. The wings move on their own. They beat once and the chamber shakes. Wind slams into me. Dust and sparks fly.
I sob as the pain spikes again. My body shakes. I cannot control the wings. They curl around me, then spread wide. Fire drips from their edges like liquid light.
I am terrified.
Ignaroth's voice fills my head, deep and steady.
Breathe. Do not fight the change.
I try. I suck in air through burning lungs. I let it out slow. The fire listens a little. The wings settle, folding closer. The pain does not stop, but it becomes something I can hold.
I push myself upright. My legs tremble. Power hums under my skin. It feels endless. It scares me.
I lift one shaking hand. Flames curl around my fingers like pets waiting for a command. I pull my hand back, heart racing. I do not want to hurt anyone.
I think of Kai.
His weak smile steadies me. The fire eases. The wings dim slightly. I stay standing.
The altar pulses behind me. The dragon eye glows brighter than before. I feel it watching with pride.
You are changing, Ignaroth says. This is only the first step.
My throat tightens. First step means more pain is coming.
I stagger forward. The floor is warm under my feet. My wings brush the air behind me. I feel them like real limbs. Heavy. Powerful. Mine.
I glance down at my arms again. The marks have settled. They glow with my breath. They fade when I calm. They flare when fear rises.
Control. I repeat the word inside my head.
The temple answers with a low hum.
I hear something new. A deep echo far below. A heartbeat that is not mine. It calls to the fire in my chest.
Ignaroth.
I take a step toward the altar. My wings twitch. I feel drawn and warned at the same time.
Then my head explodes with images.
I cry out as memories crash into me like a tidal wave.
I am no longer in the temple.
I am flying.
The sky stretches wide and red. My wings are huge and real. Wind screams past my scales. Fire burns in my throat, eager to be released.
I see armies below. Tiny. Weak. I breathe and they scatter. I breathe fire and cities burn.
I feel rage that shakes mountains. I feel grief that cracks the world.
The vision shifts.
I am chained.
Massive runes dig into my scales. Magic spears pierce my wings. I roar and the sky breaks, but I cannot escape. Men laugh below me. A king raises a blade.
I feel the cut.
I feel centuries of pain.
I scream and fall to my knees in the temple.
More memories flood in.
Eggs smashed on stone. Dragons screaming. Fire dying in the sky. The last survivors hunted like beasts. Lies spread. History erased.
I clutch my head. It feels too small. I cannot hold this much sorrow.
Make it stop, I beg.
Ignaroth's voice is strained now.
The bond is deepening. You must endure.
I shake my head. Tears stream down my face. Fire spills with them. I see Kai again, but his face twists into something else. I see nobles wearing dragon bone crowns. I see children burning. I see the Empire rising from dragon blood.
My heart feels like it will tear apart.
I curl on the floor, wings wrapping around me in instinct. The fire grows wild. The marks blaze bright. The temple shakes harder.
I hear cracks spreading through stone. I hear alarms far away. The world feels close and far at the same time.
I scream until my throat burns.
The memories do not slow. They dig deeper. They show secrets Ignaroth never spoke. They show betrayals. They show a truth worse than genocide.
I see a human girl long ago. She stands at an altar just like me. Fire wraps her. A dragon watches with hope.
I feel Ignaroth's fear.
I gasp. I look up, eyes blazing gold.
This has happened before.
The memories slam into me harder.
And my scream turns into a roar that shakes the world.