The morning after the escape from the dragon hunters came quietly, but peace was an illusion. The sky above Drakenvale was overcast, veiled by clouds heavy with stormlight. The earth still bore the scars of last night's battle — charred soil, broken trees, and the faint scent of dragonfire lingering in the air.
Eric woke to the distant crackle of dying embers. His muscles ached, his wounds burned, and his mind swam in exhaustion. The cave they had taken shelter in was dim, illuminated only by a small magical orb floating in the air — Seraphina's doing.
She sat at the far end of the cave, her long silver hair falling over her shoulders, her golden eyes glowing faintly as she tended to a wounded villager who had fled with them. Her fingers moved with delicate precision, tracing symbols of healing into the man's skin, whispering words in the dragon tongue.
Eric watched in silence. Even now, after all that had happened — the fire, the deaths, the terror — she moved with grace and calm. Yet behind her beauty, he saw something else: grief.
When she finished, the man stirred and whispered his thanks before falling asleep again. Seraphina exhaled softly, her hand trembling as she withdrew it.
Eric rose and approached her carefully. "You've been healing everyone else. You should rest too."
Her lips curved into a faint, tired smile. "Dragons do not tire as mortals do."
He sat beside her anyway. "Maybe not. But I can tell when you're lying."
She looked at him, eyes narrowing slightly — then softening. "You've become quite bold, Eric of Drakenvale."
He smiled faintly. "Maybe your bravery rubbed off on me."
A long silence followed, broken only by the wind outside. Then she spoke again, her voice low and filled with something heavy.
"My father will not forgive this," she said. "The Drakon Court will see this as treason — consorting with a mortal, defying the bloodline of flame."
Eric looked down, his hands curling into fists. "Let them be angry. I don't care who they are. I won't let them take you."
Her gaze turned distant. "You don't understand the scale of what you're saying. My father isn't merely a ruler — he is a god among dragons. The fire beneath the world bends to his will. Even I…" She hesitated. "Even I fear him."
Eric studied her face — the sadness in her eyes, the tremor in her voice. For the first time, he saw not just the noble dragon princess, but a woman torn between love and duty, freedom and blood.
"Then we'll face him together," he said softly. "I'm not afraid."
"You should be." Her voice broke slightly. "The Drakon bloodline has ruled for centuries by burning those who defy them. Even other dragons bow before their wrath. If he learns that you—" She stopped, looking away. "If he learns that I love you, he will burn the sky itself to ash."
Eric's chest tightened. Her confession — spoken through fear — filled him with both warmth and dread. "Then let him come," he said after a moment. "He can't burn what I feel for you."
Seraphina turned toward him, golden tears glimmering in her eyes. She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek, her touch warm as sunlight.
"You're a fool," she whispered. "A brave, beautiful fool."
"And you," he replied, leaning slightly closer, "are the reason I'll never stop fighting."
Their lips met — not with passion, but with desperate tenderness. A kiss born from fire and fear, from the knowledge that the world might destroy them for it. For a moment, the storm outside ceased to exist.
But fate had no mercy.
The ground trembled — a deep, rumbling vibration that echoed through the mountains. Pebbles fell from the ceiling. The magical orb flickered.
Seraphina's eyes widened. "No…"
"What is it?" Eric demanded, already standing.
She looked toward the cave's entrance, her face pale. "He's found me."
Before he could respond, a thunderous roar split the sky. A wave of heat crashed over them, and the entrance to the cave burst into flame. The air filled with the scent of sulfur and burning stone.
From the inferno, a colossal shape emerged — wings the size of castles, scales black as obsidian, eyes glowing with ancient wrath.
Drakonis, the Dragon King.
His voice was a storm that shattered the air. "Seraphina. My daughter. You shame your blood."
Eric's breath caught. The sheer presence of the creature stole the strength from his body. He wanted to run, to hide — but then Seraphina stepped forward.
Her body shimmered, her human form fading as wings of radiant silver erupted from her back. She stood tall, her horns gleaming like blades. "Father," she said, her voice echoing through the mountains. "You have no right to command my heart."
Drakonis roared, shaking the earth. "You betray your kind for a mortal! You would throw away our legacy for weakness?"
Eric tried to move closer, but the heat was unbearable. Flames licked at the edges of his clothes, forcing him back.
Seraphina lifted her chin. "If love is weakness, then I choose it proudly."
The Dragon King's eyes blazed brighter. "Then you will burn with him."
With a sweep of his wings, fire erupted toward them — an ocean of flame. Eric screamed her name, but before the fire could consume him, Seraphina turned.
Her eyes met his one last time. "Run," she whispered.
And then she unleashed her own power — a burst of silver light that collided with her father's flame, shaking the mountains apart.
The world dissolved in light and thunder.
When Eric awoke, he was alone. The cave was gone, replaced by ash and silence. The storm had cleared, and dawn was breaking once more.
But Seraphina was nowhere to be found.
He fell to his knees, staring at the horizon, where a faint streak of silver light vanished into the clouds.
"She's alive," he whispered to himself. "She has to be."
Behind him, buried in the ashes, something glowed faintly — a single silver scale, warm to the touch, pulsing like a heartbeat.
He clenched it in his hand. "I'll find you, Seraphina. No matter how many gods stand in my way."
And as he rose, the wind carried a faint whisper — the echo of a dragon's voice, soft and sorrowful:
> "The fire beneath the crown burns for you still…"