The world around her was empty.
White. Silent. Endless.
Milly blinked slowly, her mind dazed.
She tried to move but her body didn't respond. There was no floor beneath her feet, yet she wasn't falling. No air, yet she could breathe.
"Where… am I?" she murmured softly, her voice echoing faintly into the void.
Then, a sound deep, resonant, ancient.
A voice that felt both terrifying and familiar.
"My queen…"
Milly froze. Her heart skipped. That tone it stirred something deep in her chest, like an echo she'd forgotten long ago.
The whiteness before her rippled.
From the horizon, shadows began to form rising higher, larger, darker.
And then she saw it.
A massive dragon, its scales pure black with faint red veins glowing beneath each plate. Its eyes, molten gold, radiated wisdom and power.
It bowed its head slightly, its breath shaking the air itself.
"W–Who… are you?" Milly stammered, her voice trembling.
The dragon's eyes softened.
"You do not remember me… yet your heart still carries my flame. I am Arthianos, the dragon who once swore loyalty to you."
Her breath caught.
"Arthianos…?" she whispered, stepping back. "That name… I - I said it once before…"
"Yes," he rumbled gently. "And when you did, my essence answered your call though your body was unready. The pink crystal… it tries to chain your will, to bury your power. But your soul is still yours, my queen."
Milly stared at him, stunned. Her memories flickered brief, fragile fragments of light.
A battlefield. Fire in the sky. A dragon kneeling.
Her eyes widened. "You… you gave me your power, didn't you?"
Arthianos's massive wings stretched outward, scattering the white fog around them.
"My life was yours long ago. You fought beside me, not as a master… but as my equal. And now, even in your fragmented state, I feel your pain."
Milly clenched her fists. "That crystal… it's trying to control me again. I can't move… I can't think-"
"Then let me help you once more."
The dragon lowered its head until his eyes were level with hers.
"Take what remains of me. My flame. My soul. My will. Reclaim your right to command it and remember who you are."
A sudden warmth surrounded her, flooding her veins like fire turned to light.
Milly gasped as red and gold flames wrapped around her, her disguise shimmering, almost breaking.
Her mind flashed a memory she didn't know she still had.
She saw Arthianos, wounded and smiling, kneeling before her past self before the Milly she once was.
"My queen," his voice echoed from the memory, "let my fire burn with yours. I give you everything I am… for your future."
The vision shattered, returning to the white void.
Milly looked up her eyes glowing fiercely now, gold burning brighter than ever.
"I… I remember now."
Her voice was calm, resolute.
Arthianos smiled faintly, a deep rumble of approval in his chest.
"Then rise, my queen. The chains cannot hold you anymore."
Light exploded from within her, shattering the void.
The white faded to nothing replaced by the sound of crackling energy.
When Milly opened her eyes again, she was back in the real world still bound by the runes.
But this time, they were glowing gold instead of blue.
The pink hue in her eyes flickered and died.
She whispered softly,
"Arthianos… thank you."
And for the first time since the crystal touched her, she smiled free.