The light swallowed everything.
Aric's scream never made it out of his throat.
Fire exploded through his veins.
Not heat.
Not pain.
Something older.
Something alive.
Images slammed into his mind.
Sky.
Endless sky.
Clouds torn apart by massive wings.
Mountains burning beneath rivers of flame.
Cities crumbling under shadows that blotted out the sun.
Aric staggered.
"What is this?" he gasped.
The dragon's voice thundered inside his skull.
"Memory."
The chains snapped again.
One of the massive bindings along the dragon's wing shattered with a violent crack.
Ancient runes burst apart like shattered glass.
The chamber trembled.
Above the ruins, the containment circle collapsed in a shower of blue sparks.
Aric fell to one knee, clutching his head.
"You're killing me!"
"No," the dragon said calmly.
"I am waking you."
Another surge of power rushed through Aric's body.
The glowing runes that once burned his arm now spread across his chest like molten veins.
He could feel something inside him.
Something massive.
Something breathing.
Aric sucked in a sharp breath.
"Get it out."
"Impossible."
"Then slow it down!"
The dragon laughed.
"You asked for power."
"I asked for magic," Aric snapped.
"This feels like death."
The dragon shifted.
Another chain snapped violently.
The chamber shook harder.
"You misunderstand," the dragon said.
"This is magic."
Aric forced himself upright.
His vision blurred with golden light.
"You said bonding would help me survive."
"It will."
"Then why do I feel like I'm burning alive?"
The dragon's eyes gleamed.
"Because you are not built for dragonfire."
The ground cracked open beneath them.
Chunks of stone began falling into deeper darkness.
The ruin was collapsing faster now.
Aric looked up toward the pit.
The exit was nearly gone.
Huge slabs of rock crashed down from the ceiling.
"If this place collapses," Aric said, "we're both buried."
The dragon tilted its head.
"You are buried."
"Great."
Another chain along its neck snapped.
The sound echoed like thunder.
Dust blasted through the chamber.
Aric felt the power in his chest pulse again.
He stumbled backward.
"What did you do to me?"
"I shared my flame."
"That sounds worse than it feels."
The dragon leaned closer.
"You are the key."
Aric groaned.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it is true."
Another violent tremor shook the chamber.
A pillar collapsed beside them.
Stone shattered across the ground.
The dragon lifted its massive wing.
More chains snapped.
Ancient runes burned away.
Aric's eyes widened.
"You're breaking free."
"Slowly."
"Too slowly."
The dragon's golden gaze sharpened.
"You doubt the bond?"
Aric wiped blood from his mouth.
"I doubt everything right now."
The dragon studied him.
Then it spoke quietly.
"Stand."
Aric blinked.
"I am standing."
"No," the dragon said.
"Stand."
Aric frowned.
Then the meaning hit him.
"Wait."
The dragon's voice rumbled.
"Feel the flame."
Aric clenched his fists.
The power inside his chest pulsed again.
Hot.
Violent.
Unstable.
"Focus," the dragon said.
Aric took a slow breath.
The heat inside him shifted.
It moved.
Like something responding to his thoughts.
"Good," the dragon murmured.
Aric's eyes widened.
"I can feel it."
"Yes."
"It's like a second heartbeat."
"That is my flame."
Another pillar collapsed.
The ceiling cracked open above them.
The ruin was seconds from complete collapse.
"You need to move," Aric said.
"I am moving."
The dragon flexed its massive wings.
More chains snapped.
But several still held tight across its chest and legs.
Aric stared at them.
"You're still trapped."
"For the moment."
Aric looked down at his glowing hands.
Then back at the chains.
"Can I break them?"
The dragon's eyes gleamed.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"On how much of my power you can survive."
Aric let out a tired laugh.
"That sounds encouraging."
The dragon's voice hardened.
"The ruin will bury you in moments."
Aric glanced upward.
The pit entrance was nearly sealed by falling stone.
"Yeah," he said.
"I noticed."
"Then choose again."
Aric frowned.
"I already chose the bond."
"Yes."
The dragon's eyes burned brighter.
"Now choose the flame."
Aric stared at the massive chains binding the creature.
"You want me to break those."
"Yes."
"With dragon fire."
"Yes."
Aric rubbed his face.
"I've had magic for about ten seconds."
"You will learn quickly."
Another massive crack split the chamber floor.
Stone dropped away into darkness.
Aric's heart pounded.
"Fine," he said.
"How do I do it?"
The dragon's voice filled his mind.
"Release the flame."
"That's vague."
"Imagine burning the chains."
Aric stared at the glowing runes across his hands.
"Alright."
He took a slow breath.
Focused.
The heat in his chest surged.
Aric raised his hand toward the nearest chain.
"Here goes nothing."
The power inside him exploded outward.
A burst of golden fire erupted from his palm.
It slammed into the chain.
The chamber filled with blinding light.
The chain shattered instantly.
The sound echoed like a thunderclap.
Aric blinked.
"...I did that?"
The dragon's laughter shook the chamber.
"Yes."
The remaining chains trembled violently.
Cracks spread across their glowing runes.
Aric's eyes widened.
"Oh."
The dragon lowered its massive head again.
"Again."
Aric grinned despite the chaos around them.
"Yeah."
This time the flame came easier.
He lifted both hands.
Golden fire roared from his palms.
It smashed into the remaining chains.
One snapped.
Then another.
Then another.
Ancient magic shattered across the chamber.
The dragon's wings finally spread wide.
The ruin trembled violently.
Above them, the entire ceiling collapsed.
Stone rained down like an avalanche.
Aric looked up in horror.
"That's bad."
"Yes."
The dragon crouched low.
Massive wings unfolding completely for the first time in centuries.
"Hold on," it said.
Aric blinked.
"To what?"
The dragon's eyes gleamed.
"To survival."
The final chains shattered.
The dragon roared.
The sound shook the entire ruin.
Flames erupted from its jaws.
Stone melted.
The collapsing ceiling exploded outward.
The dragon launched upward through the falling rubble.
Aric barely had time to grab onto one of the massive scales along its neck.
The world blurred.
They burst through the collapsing pit in a storm of fire and shattered stone.
Above North Ashfall, the Iron Phalanx stared in horror.
A dragon exploded from the ruins.
And clinging to its back…
Was the powerless knight they had sent to die.