Sabir’s ears rang with the thunder of galloping hooves as he tightened his grip on the baby pegasus, bracing for impact. The black veins grew further past his chest, constricting his breathing. He was powerless, unable to do anything. The largest of the pegasi, thick with muscle and snow-white feathers, charged straight at him. For a moment, fear gripped his heart as he felt the baby Pegasus stir in his arms, ever since he went down the ice slide, he had prepared for death, but with the looming shadows of the pegasi bearing down on him, he questioned if he was ready.


    The pain in his chest burned beneath his skin, every pulse left him feeling paralyzed. His strength gave way. The baby pegasus slipped under his grip. Sabir dropped to one knee. His body gave up, and slowly his mind was accepting his fate. His vision swam, fading in and out as the wave of Pegasi approached.


    From the corner of his eye, he noticed movement behind him. Maize, Elektra, Rudiger, and Saliba all jolted awake from their unconscious states, immediately springing into action, their eyes glowing; activating their powers. Instincts took over as they stood battle-ready, eyes darting around the chaotic scene. Maize’s gaze swept the area quickly, taking stock of the situation. She frowned, noticing that Frederick was nowhere to be seen.


    Her vision quickly returned to Sabir, knowing Frederick could look after himself. The thundering hooves grew louder as the Pegasi drew nearer. But just as Sabir’s body tensed for the inevitable collision, something extraordinary happened. The baby pegasus stirred in his arms, nuzzling his chest. It lifted its head before letting out a melodic coo that cut through the clomping of the pegasi hooves. The pegasi stopped in their tracks, creating a storm of dust. Their ears twitched as they stood only a few paces away from the kneeling Sabir.


    Sabir felt a wave of relief wash over him as the large Pegasi stopped, their fierce eyes softening as they regarded the baby in his arms. He couldn’t move, the pain from the black veins rendering him immobile, but at least he would not be trampled.


    The four who had just woken saw the opportunity.


    “Now!” Elektra’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding.


    Electricity crackled between Elektra’s fingertips. Her eyes glowed, calling upon her Esper powers. Without hesitation, she launched a bolt of electricity towards the stationery pegasi, aiming to kill many of them before they retaliate. Rudiger, standing beside her, conjured a flurry of ice in his hands, forming them into sharp icicles. With a roar, he launched them forward, cutting through the air towards his target.


    Saliba, not to be left out, opened his mouth wide, expelling a stream of corrosive vomit that splashed toward the Pegasi. The liquid hissed and sizzled as it hit the ground, burning through the soil and rocks like acid. The three of them attacked in unison, their powers converging on the startled Pegasi.


    The primal instincts of a beast could never be stopped. With a rush of wind, their powerful wings beat against the air, lifting them off the ground and into the sky. They weaved through the trio’s attacks with ease, like it was practice. Sabir, lying helpless, watched in awe as the massive creatures ascended, their white feathers reflected the light of the setting sun.


    Just as everyone thought the pegasi were flying away, the lead pegasus turned back. The herd of pegasi didn’t break formation, but slowed down as they waited for it to return. It swooped low, its massive body cutting through the wind, its gigantic shadow loomed over Sabir. Just as it reached him, with a surprising gentleness, it clamped its teeth on Sabir’s half-eaten shirt, lifting him into the air.


    “No!” Warren’s scream cut through the chaos. “Somebody stop them!”


    Zabo reacted first. His chains rattled as he swung them towards the retreating pegasi. The metal links rocketed through the air in an arc. His chains weren’t long enough. The pegasi sped up; the chain missing the back of their formation by a whisker.


    Elektra clicked her tongued. “You’re useless,” she hissed. Bring her hands together, electricity repelled between her palms. Stretching the energy, she formed a spear. Zabo gulped at the technique, caressing his side, where Noah struck him. She threw out the spear. It spun, collecting more energy, heading straight towards the pegasi leader, who held Sabir.


    The pegasus sensed the attack coming. It barrel rolled, tucking in its wings for only a few seconds. The spear landed on the ground, creating an explosion. “Damn it!” Elektra swore. “That was one of my brother’s technique.”


    Rudiger pushed her out of the way. “I’ll get them.” He took a sharp intake of breath before shooting an icy blast, aiming for the pegasus’s wings, but the attack missed its mark, dissipating harmlessly in the distance.


    Maize cursed under her breath, eyes narrowing as she watched Sabir being carried away. She twisted to her pet, Violet, who had been standing protectively by her side. Without hesitation, she prepared to mount the giant creature, her hands already reaching for the reins.


    “We can catch them,” she said, her eyes focused on the pegasi as they flew.


    She felt a hand grab her by the shoulder, wrestling her off her mount. “Don’t be a fool. A Pegasus is faster than anything we’ve got. That porter’s as good as dead. We’re lucky we survived.” Rudiger said, with a shake of his head. “We’ve got some Quillark meat as compensation. It’s fine.”You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Maize’s eyes blazed with fury. “This isn’t about food!” she cried, even with her retort. She knew the pegasi were unmatched in speed. Violet wouldn’t be able to catch up in a million years. Slowly, she let go of the reins with a sigh, frustration etched on her face.


    “We’ve got a mission,” Rudiger continued. “Let’s focus on reaching the dungeon. We can’t afford to lose more than we already have.”


    Sabir continued to be borne aloft ever deeper into the sky. The earth grew a blur below him, and the wind slapped him in the face. He hung helpless, hanging on for dear life on the back of the pegasus, agony growing in the black veins with each passing second. His chest constricted, the burning sensation grew with a wildfires intensity through his frame. It happened more rapidly than any time previously—the veins inflating, creeping over his flesh, throbbing with malignant life.


    He cried out in agony, battering at his chest with a desperate clasp, as the Pegasus bore him aloft into cloudland. He did not know the beast’s purpose, but it didn’t seem hostile. Its eyes continued to peer at him intensely, but with a softness, almost, with a desire to watch over him, but he couldn’t think deeply about it with the deadly heights disorienting him, his eyes blurred, growing ever larger, ever deeper, with an infinite blue expanse around him.


    As they flew higher, the sky grew dark in seconds. A creeping shadow consumed the sunlight, dropping them into an umber-colored duskiness. Sabir’s clasp about the Pegasus grew taut, all instinct screaming at him to turn back, but a deep, shivering coolness in the atmosphere warned him enough even then. His heart thudded against his ribs. With a twisting motion in his head, he peered over his shoulder, seeing a glimpse of a horror cutting through cloudland, an indistinguishable shape, but one growing ever larger.


    The thing’s titanic, leathery wings spread out, its serrated, frayed tips tattering and fraying from battles fought high in the sky. With each thunderous beat, the air lashed out in a maelstrom, creating gusts strong enough to threaten to yank Sabir off the back of the Pegasus. Clouds scudded out of its path, torn and shredded in its wake, with nothing but chaos in its aftermath.


    The cold deepened, cutting through Sabir’s clothes and flesh, as if winter lay in the creature’s bones. What little sunlight reached them grew even dimmer, obscured in its path by the dark shape closing in, its massive bulk blotting out the sun. Sabir’s heart quickened, his breath shallow, seeing it in fuller view—gleaming scales, darker even than shadow, sucking in the light and radiating an unnatural, reflective glow, so that the beast seemed a living shadow.


    A low, rumbling growl shuddered through the air, a deep, primal sound that rang off cloudscapes and seemed to echo in Sabir’s head. The Pegasus lurched beneath him, its wings fighting the strong current, desperately striving to flee. But whatever pursued them moved faster.


    Its long, curved form twisted through the air with deadly, unbalancing ease, its form moving in deadly, sweeps, it’s bulging, powerful muscles under its scales, taut and full of force, driving it onward, closing in with ease-chilling ease. Sabir’s gut roiled in horror, seeing its claws—razor-sharp talons extending out of its enormous, powerful legs, capable of tearing through metal, let alone flesh and bone.


    A snarl, guttural and menacing, reached Sabir’s ears, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He felt the hunger of the beast, its raw intent as it closed in, its eyes blazing with an unnatural light fixed on them. The creature wasn’t hunting—it was stalking, toying with the fear, enjoying the terror of its prey.


    Its maw yawned wide, rows of teeth revealed, each one long and dagger-sharp, sharpened to a killing point. Saliva dripped in thick ropes, glinting in the faint light as the creature poised to strike. Sabir’s chest tightened as the air seemed to hum with its sheer presence, his heart pounding in his chest as the beast let out a roar so massive it shattered the world around him.


    The creature let out a sound that struck him like a physical blow, shaking his bones, a deafening, frightening bellow that drowned out all other sounds.


    “Where are you hiding him?” The monster screamed, the sky tremored under its voice.


    Sabir shivered, unsure if his ears were working. Did it just speak? Sabir felt the Pegasus beneath him shudder in response, almost losing its rhythm as the roar ripped through the sky. His ears rang, his vision swirled, and for a moment, he thought the sound itself would rip him apart.


    And then it surged forward, closing the last distance between them, wings outstretched, claws extended, as if about to strike down from the heavens. Sabir’s breath caught as his mind caught up with the reality of the beast that was now upon them—the dragon.


    Sabir’s mind whirled. He remembered Maize’s words—the only true king of the skies was the dragon. And now it had found him.


    The Pegasus holding him sprang into immediate motion. Sabir clung desperately to the creature’s mane, holding for all its worth, as it accelerated, fighting to outmaneuver the dragon. The world whizzed past him as they careened through cloud cover, wind burning his face, hurtling through the sky at breakneck pace.


    The dragon roared a second time, its titanic form tearing through the sky as it gained ground. Its eyes, afire with inner fires, locked onto Sabir and the Pegasus, and it hurled towards them, jaws closing inches in front of its tails. The Pegasus veered to one side, narrowly avoiding its jaws by an inch.


    Sabir’s heart pounded in his chest, the black veins pounding in concert with the dragon’s relentless drive. Every beat of the dragon’s wings sent a shiver through his body, as though the creature’s presence alone was enough to speed up the curse coursing through him.


    The Pegasus veered and dove, twisting and curving through the sky in a desperate attempt at evading the dragon. Sabir clung with white-fingered hands, eyes screwed shut, the dragon mere seconds in its wake. The chase was mad, unpredictable, and deadly. One miscalculation, and Sabir knew he’d be dead and buried.


    And then, out of nowhere, the Pegasus jerked sideways, throwing Sabir off its back in a stumbling motion. Before Sabir could even grasp, the creature shrugged him off, sending him hurtling through the sky.


    As he plummeted, the wind swallowed Sabir’s scream, his arms flailing as the ground rushed up to meet him. The world spun around him in a dizzying blur; the clouds parting to reveal a shimmering body of water below. It looked like an oasis, the clearest, purest water he had ever seen, glistening like a jewel in the middle of the barren land.


    He was falling—far too quick. Thoughts flashed in his mind, and a single panic gnawed at his heart: could he make it?


    The water grew closer, the surface shimmering like glass as Sabir hurtled towards it. He closed his eyes, bracing for the impact.