As despair had invaded Nozomi, facing this unreal creature that inspired only fear and despair, standing before him like the very incarnation of death. A dragon over a hundred meters high, armed with scales as hard as steel, as dark as obsidian, with claws and fangs capable of shredding entire armies in a single blow.
Before this monstrous creature, Nyx, a small dragon barely two meters tall. He did not hesitate to stand before him to protect Nozomi. Despite his inferiority in size and power, Nyx stood with a piercing gaze illuminated by a thousand lights through his body as black as onyx. He positioned himself between Nozomi and the dragon, and with all his strength, emanating from his bowels, a roar that echoed throughout the hall, a sound that seemed to defy even the laws of physics.
A roar so intense that it was heard on the surface and was enough for all the Vorthrax to stop dead as if they were paralyzed by Nyx's cry. A cry of pure defiance, of love and absolute protection.
Nyx seemed to defy the dragon to defend what he loved. However, the dragon did not let himself be defeated. Despite Nyx's courage, it did not impress him. Before a creature that barely reached the size of one of its claws, he had nothing to fear. Without wasting time, he opened his mouth wide, preparing to launch a devastating breath to get rid of his enemies.
Nyx didn't move an inch, despite Nozomi's cries asking him to take shelter. He remained standing, trembling slightly but overcoming his fears. Enveloping Nozomi with his wings, he prepared to take the blow head-on, sacrificing his fragile body for the one he cherished.
Suddenly, the fire breath that came from the dragon's mouth spread throughout the hall, a breath that could have melted entire mountains, incinerating everything in its path. The heat was so intense that the air itself seemed to vibrate. The cavern walls cracked under the power of this attack.
As the smoke gradually dissipated, a body was seen on the ground, apparently lifeless. Nyx's body lay on the ground and was not moving anymore. The fire breath would have gotten the better of him. Anguish gripped Nozomi's heart.
But suddenly, the body moved and Nyx stood up, trembling slightly, with traces of burns all over his body. Smoke continued to rise from his battered body, but his eyes of an unwavering emerald green shone with an even fiercer determination. He had not given up. He would never give up.
Thanks to Nyx's wings, he had managed to protect Nozomi, who came out of this attack without any injury or scratch. Nozomi, in shock at what was happening, cried out. "Nyx! Are you okay? Did you get hurt? That's enough! You don't have to do so much for me! You're risking your life!"
Nyx didn't move, remaining standing and looking straight ahead. He spread his wings around Nozomi as if to tell him that he would protect him no matter what, no matter the price. Tears of emotion came from Nozomi's eyes, who couldn't help but stop in the face of his friend's sacrificial love. It was a silent promise, etched in every burned scar on his body.
The irritation and anger were evident on the dragon's face as it immediately prepared to unleash a new attack, even more powerful. But Nyx stepped forward and hurled a plasma ball directly at the dragon. From there, a series of multiple blows between our two dragons followed, a deadly dance in the flaming cavern.
The Vorthrax, watching the duel, observed silently without interfering. They seemed to respect the will of the two dragons and awaited the one who had freed them to give them orders. It was almost respect in the face of this titanic duel.
Nozomi remained in the background, not moving, overwhelmed by the power and spectacle taking place before him. Fear was overwhelming him, but however he tried to get up. Each time, like a sort of invisible helplessness froze him dead. Whatever he did or thought, he could do nothing in the current state of things. Despair and frustration were evident on his face and, unable to help himself, he murmured, his voice filled with self-ridicule. "I'm truly incapable. A hero of the worst kind."
The dragon's strength was destructive and imposing, but against all odds, Nyx was defending himself magnificently. His scales could withstand the blows and attacks of the dragon, and despite his small size, Nyx's breath and attacks were of almost equal power, years of solitude had forged a formidable warrior.
Nyx was fighting with all his strength, while trying to protect Nozomi, not letting any attack reach him. He alternated between attack and defense with remarkable precision. His small body was a whirlwind of energy and determination.
Nyx's body was clearly very resistant to remain intact after the power of the blows it received. Conversely, Nyx's attacks did not leave the dragon unmoved. The longer the fight went on, the more you could see marks of wounds on the colossal body, blood oozing from its scales.
At the end of his nerves and patience, the dragon roared with all its might and opened its mouth wide. A luminous ray of brilliant violet illuminated the entire hall, creating dancing shadows. It was visibly about to put all its power to finish it in one fell swoop, to reduce this insolent little dragon to ash.
Nozomi came forward shouting with all his being, his voice trembling with urgency. "Nyx! Leave! You'll never be able to stop such an attack! If you keep going, you'll die!"
Nyx in turn opened his mouth and out came an emerald green light, brilliant and pure. With his paws firmly rooted to the ground, wings spread and his gaze determined, he proudly opposed the ancient creature.
In an instant, the two launched their attacks at the same time. The two rays collided, creating a shockwave that spread for kilometers. The raw energy made the walls tremble, threatening to destroy everything.
The power of Nyx managed to hold up against that of the dragon, but that was not enough. As the shock destroyed the walls around them, cracks formed, creating rockfalls. Cracks also formed beneath their feet, but they held firm, holding their own against the impossible.
Suddenly, everything felt light. For a microsecond, time had stopped. Nozomi and Nyx's gazes crossed and all of a sudden, a power invaded their bodies. Their spirits had synchronized and they could feel each other's emotions—as if their souls had briefly intertwined. With a simple look, they understood each other and their two rays merged into a single unique ray that swept away that of the dragon without the slightest difficulty.
Just barely, the dragon dodged the ray to the sides. But the ray destroyed the entire ceiling, revealing on the surface a luminous column of aetherium that rose into the sky like a beacon of hope in the darkness.
In the distance, Kael and Harris who were running towards the crystal caught sight of the ray. They were shocked by the scene, but with a look that said they had understood, Kael cried out to Harris, his heart accelerating. "That power! That energy! It's Nozomi, Harris! Quickly, we have to catch up with him!"
The two heroes accelerated to reach Nozomi as quickly as possible, their hearts beating with renewed hope.
As they were approaching, all of a sudden, they saw a silhouette emerge from the cavern. It was the ancient dragon that had come out through the giant hole that Nozomi and Nyx had created. It let out a great cry before flying off towards the kingdom, its wings creating destructive wind.
They didn't have time to understand when just after the dragon, another silhouette emerged from it. A person they knew very well—someone they thought was dead.
Nozomi who had come out of the cavern was about to pursue the dragon when suddenly, behind him, he heard familiar voices. He turned around and didn't have time to understand before Kael and Harris jumped on him in a fierce and lively embrace.
Kael cried out with all his heart, tears flowing down his cheeks. "You're alive!"
Harris followed, his voice trembling with emotion. "We were so worried we'd never see you again. We thought you were…"
Nozomi, who understood the worry about him, that he had made his brothers and sister feel, could only whisper to them, his own tears flowing. "I'm sorry."
After a few moments, they got up and Nozomi told them, regaining his seriousness. "Guys, we'll talk about it later. For now, we have more important things to deal with."
Kael spoke up. "You mean that giant dragon that came out of that hole?"
"Yes. We have to stop it before it sows chaos…"
He didn't have time to finish his sentence when suddenly, all the Vorthrax from the cave came out at the same time, ready to follow the dragon, an entire army emerging from the depths.
Harris quickly analyzed the situation and made a decision. "Nozomi, that dragon is heading towards the kingdom. Aria and Shinrei went there to ask for help. You, catch up with it. In the meantime, Kael and I will stay here to hold back the Vorthrax."
"But I can't leave you alone facing this army! There are more than a hundred of them!"
Kael spoke up to reassure Nozomi, his hand resting on his shoulder. "The two of us, that's more than enough. Don't worry about us. Keep moving forward. We'll handle them and then we'll catch up with you. That's a promise."
Nozomi seemed to hesitate, but given the critical situation, he chose to trust his brothers. Soon after, he set off in pursuit of the dragon, leaving them to deal with the Vorthrax. Behind him, he heard Kael and Harris shouting. "Go! Catch up with him! We're counting on you!"
Harris turned to Kael and told him, a determined glint in his eyes. "I hope you're ready. This isn't going to be as easy as you claim."
"Maybe," Kael replied with a fighter's smile, "but I refuse to die here. Not after we found Nozomi. So, let's try together to get through this."
Together, they tried to hold back as best they could this army of Vorthrax standing before them, creating a living barrier. Their auras blazed with determination.
Nozomi, who was running behind the dragon, would never be able to catch up to him on foot. It was at that moment that Nyx surged from the sky, having also left the cave, his wings deploying majestically. He was gesturing with his head for Nozomi to climb on his back. A smile on his face, Nozomi climbed on Nyx's back. Now, with Nyx's help, the two set off in pursuit of the dragon to stop it before it reached the kingdom.
Each of our heroes going their missions to accomplish. Shinrei was heading towards the king of the dragons to save his brothers and sister, while Aria who stood a few kilometers from the kingdom of dragons saw in the distance an army of ravaging dragons heading straight towards the kingdom.
Alone, she stood before them to stop them, her energy preparing for combat. Our young heroes stood facing multiple and inevitable dangers. With the goal of emerging victorious and buying time for those they loved. The critical moment had arrived. The convergence of destinies was approaching.