The next few days passed in a strange haze, caught between wonder and fear.
Eric went about his daily chores — chopping wood, tending the fields, delivering grain to the mill — yet his thoughts were never truly there. His mind wandered constantly to the river, to the mist, and to the golden-eyed woman who had vanished into light.
He tried to convince himself that it had all been a dream, some vivid illusion conjured by exhaustion or the loneliness of long days spent in quiet labor. But then he would glance at the river, and something inside him would stir — a whisper, faint yet persistent, like the echo of her voice calling from far away.
"The whisper of scales…" he murmured one evening, watching the moonlight shimmer on the water. "What did you mean, Seraphina?"
But the river offered no answer, only the soft murmur of current over stone.
Still, strange things began to happen in Drakenvale.
The villagers spoke of odd gusts of warm wind that carried the scent of lightning, even on clear nights. Old trees by the river had begun to shed their bark in spiral patterns, as if some hidden force moved through them. Animals were restless. The sky, some nights, glowed faintly gold on the horizon — not the color of dawn, but of dragonfire.
Eric noticed it all. He felt it in his bones. Something was stirring. Something vast.
And then came the messenger.
It was midday when the stranger rode into Drakenvale — a tall man clad in dark blue armor, his cloak embroidered with the sigil of a coiled dragon. His eyes were cold and sharp, and his horse's hooves struck the ground with unnatural precision.
The villagers fell silent as he dismounted in the square.
"I am Sir Kael of House Drakonis," the man announced, his voice deep and commanding. "By decree of the Aurelian Court, I seek knowledge of a fugitive — a noble of our kind who was last seen near these lands."
The villagers exchanged nervous glances. Most of them had never even seen a dragon in human form before. The idea of angering one — or worse, lying to one — sent shivers through their spines.
Eric stood at the edge of the crowd, his heart hammering. He knew, without question, who Kael was searching for.
The knight's golden eyes scanned the crowd, resting briefly on each villager. "A woman with silver hair, tall and fair, wearing robes of white and gold. If any of you have seen her, speak now, and your name will be rewarded in the courts of dragons."
No one spoke.
The silence hung thick.
Kael's expression hardened. "Then I will ask differently," he said. "If I learn that any mortal harbors her, hides her presence, or speaks falsehood before me, I will burn this entire valley to ash."
His words dropped like stones into the air, heavy and suffocating. A murmur rippled through the crowd. Mothers clutched their children closer. The village elder bowed low and stammered, "We—we have seen no such lady, great one. Only travelers and merchants."
Kael studied him for a long moment, then nodded curtly. "Very well. But if she passes here again, you will summon me. Her crime is not yours to bear."
He turned, mounted his horse, and in a flash of blue light, vanished down the main road, leaving the faint scent of smoke in his wake.
The villagers let out a collective breath of relief.
But Eric's hands were trembling.
He knew he couldn't stay silent forever. Seraphina was in danger — hunted by her own kind. And though logic screamed at him to stay away, to forget her, something in his heart refused.
That night, he could not sleep.
He lay on his cot, staring at the rafters of his small cabin, while the wind whispered through the cracks in the walls. The words she had spoken echoed in his mind again and again:
> "Follow the whisper of scales. When the river sings beneath the silver moon, you will find me there."
He sat up abruptly. The moon. The river. The whisper.
Outside, a silvery light filtered through the window — the full moon, round and bright, hung above the valley. The sound of the river was louder tonight, its murmur almost musical, as though it truly sang.
Eric's pulse quickened. He grabbed his cloak and stepped out into the night.
The air was cool, tinged with the faint scent of ozone. Fireflies drifted lazily between the trees. And somewhere, faint but clear, he heard it — a hum, low and resonant, like the notes of a distant flute carried by the wind.
He followed the sound to the riverbank. The water shimmered under the moonlight, glowing faintly with golden flecks that moved like living sparks.
Then, as he watched, the current shifted. The river began to swirl slowly, forming a small whirlpool that pulsed with light.
Eric stepped closer, heart pounding. "Seraphina?" he called softly.
The water shimmered — and from its depths, a figure rose.
Silver hair. Golden eyes. The same soft radiance that had haunted his dreams.
Seraphina emerged from the river as though it welcomed her, droplets clinging to her skin like tiny gems. Her gown of moonlight seemed woven from the current itself.
"You came," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
Eric could barely breathe. "You told me to follow the whisper. I… I didn't think it would actually lead me to you."
She smiled faintly. "The river remembers. It carries the voices of dragons and men alike. It heard you call for me."
He stepped closer, stopping only a foot away. The air between them hummed faintly with warmth. "They're looking for you," he said. "A knight — Kael of Drakonis — came to the village. He said you're a fugitive."
Seraphina's expression darkened. "Kael," she whispered, her tone bitter. "My father's right hand. If he has come this far, then my absence has been noticed."
"Why are they hunting you?"
She looked away, the moonlight catching the faint shimmer of her horns. "Because I broke the oldest law of my kind. I descended to the mortal world without permission — and worse, I allowed a human to see me."
Eric's throat tightened. "Me."
She nodded. "You."
For a moment, silence hung between them. The river's gentle song filled the space words could not.
"Why?" he asked finally. "Why risk everything? Why come back again tonight?"
Her gaze softened, and he saw in her eyes something raw, something unguarded. "Because I couldn't stay away," she whispered. "When you saved me, when you looked at me not with fear but with kindness — it changed something inside me. I wanted to understand why a mortal would risk himself for one of my kind."
"And now?" he asked quietly.
Her lips curved into a faint, wistful smile. "Now I understand. And it terrifies me."
"Because you love me," he said, before he could stop himself.
Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn't deny it.
For a heartbeat, the world held its breath.
Then thunder rumbled faintly in the distance — low and angry. The wind shifted, carrying with it a faint scent of smoke and ozone.
Seraphina's expression turned grim. "They've found me."
Above them, dark clouds gathered unnaturally fast. A golden streak of lightning tore through the night sky.
Eric grabbed her hand. "Come with me — we can run—"
"No," she said sharply, though her fingers tightened around his. "You don't understand. If Kael finds you with me, he will kill you without hesitation."
"Then what am I supposed to do? Let them take you?"
Her voice softened. "Trust me, Eric. Please. Hide until the storm passes."
"I can't."
"You must."
She stepped closer, placing a trembling hand against his cheek. The warmth of her skin was unlike anything he'd ever felt — ancient and alive, like sunlight made flesh. "There will be a time when you can stand beside me," she whispered. "But not yet. When the sky burns gold and the river runs crimson, follow the whisper again. It will lead you to me."
Before he could reply, the air exploded with light. A roar echoed through the clouds — the sound of a dragon's wings beating the air.
Seraphina's form shimmered, her eyes burning bright with power. "Go!" she cried. "Don't let them see you!"
And then, with a blinding flash, she leapt into the river. Her body dissolved into light, merging once more with the current.
Eric stumbled back, shielding his eyes as a shadow swept over him — vast and terrible. For a split second, he saw a golden-scaled dragon descending through the clouds, its eyes like twin suns of fury.
"Seraphina!" he shouted, but his voice was lost in the roar of the storm.
The dragon's cry split the heavens.
And then — silence.
The river was calm once more, as though nothing had happened.
Eric fell to his knees on the wet earth, trembling, soaked by the mist of her passing. The scent of smoke lingered in the air. His heart ached, torn between love and dread.
He did not know if Seraphina had escaped — or if she had been taken. But one thing he knew with absolute certainty:
He could no longer return to the life he'd known. The world of mortals and dragons had collided — and he was now caught in the storm that would decide their fate.