SAGE
An ancient.
That was my first thought when I saw the dragon.
For a heartbeat, my brain refused to process what I was seeing. Then the sight before me swallowed every other sound, every other thought, until there was nothing left but awe.
The creature towered before me—no, loomed—scales gleaming like molten bronze under the glare of the sun, streaked with veins of dull gold that pulsed faintly, as though alive. Each breath it took was accompanied by a low rumble that shook the earth beneath my feet. The smoke drifting from its nostrils carried the scent of ash and iron, and each exhale left trails of heat curling through the air.
