I stared at the gap in the bridge left by the fallen sentinel, wondering how the hell I was going to cross it—thirty feet of jagged void yawning below, lava glowing faintly in the depths, heat rising in waves that stung my eyes. The bridge''s shattered edge crumbled underfoot, a mocking reminder of our last fight.
Torglel didn''t hesitate—he ran full speed toward the edge and jumped, fiery wings erupting from his back mid-leap—crimson and gold flaring bright, casting flickering shadows across the cavern. He landed hard on the other side, boots slamming stone with a thud that echoed, then turned around and hollered at us like there wasn''t a thirty-foot gap between us, his grin wide and wild. "See? Easy! Run, jump—bam!"
Alythiel stepped up to the edge, drawing her daggers—their edges glinting faintly in the dim light. The runes carved into the blades flared with green light, a pulse of energy humming through the air. "Remember when I etched these runes?" she asked, giving me a cocky grin—rare mischief sparking in her moonstone eyes.
"Yeah," I said warily, eyeing the glow, suspicion tugging at me. "You said it was for a bit more power."
She nodded, still smiling—confidence radiating like the heat around us. "Don''t blink."
And then she vanished—no smoke, no sound, just gone—like she''d melted into thin air, leaving only the faint shimmer of her runes behind.
I blinked, startled, my head snapping around—searching the shadows, the gap, the air itself.
She stood beside Torglel like she''d been there the whole time—daggers sheathed, arms crossed, a smug tilt to her lips as she watched me flounder.
"Oh, come on!" I snapped, exasperation bursting out. "How the fu—"
"Tap into your power," he said smoothly, voice slithering over my shoulder—too close, too familiar. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, a chill cutting through the heat.
I didn''t need to turn around to know who it was—my darker self, standing at my shoulder, his presence a shadow I couldn''t shake. Smirking like he knew everything I didn''t—teeth sharp, eyes black as the void below.
"You''ll clear that gap with ease," he whispered into my ear, breath cold against my skin—a taunt, a promise.
"Nope," I said flatly, jaw tight, shoving him back with sheer will. "Not happening ever."
His grin widened—sharp and hungry, a predator''s glee glinting in the dark. "Suit yourself."
And he was gone—like he''d never been there, leaving only the echo of his smugness in my skull.
Torglel and Alythiel''s voices reached me from the other side of the gap—distant, teasing, pulling me back. "Oi, Solari! You gonna stand there all day?" Torglel bellowed, hands cupped around his mouth.
I took a slow breath—Focus, Solari—steadying the storm churning inside me. "Zinra''thul... vel''kari," I whispered, voice low, deliberate.
Lightning surged through me—crackling around my legs like a storm barely held in check, electric tendrils snapping in the air. I felt the familiar heat of the runes along my skin—burning bright beneath my armor, molten red flaring under my sleeves, a pulse of power I couldn''t ignore. I became the storm''s fury—wild, alive, unstoppable.
And then I ran—the first step cracked the air behind me with a sonic snap, the second blurred the world around me into streaks of heat and stone. When I leapt—thunder boomed, the bridge shuddering under the force, a shockwave rippling outward—I cleared the gap like it wasn''t even there, landing in a crouch beside them, lightning sparking off my boots.
Torglel clapped me on the back the second I landed—hard enough to jolt me forward, his laugh booming through the cavern. "Told you it was easy," he said, grin fierce. "Run, jump—bam!"
Alythiel smiled at me—soft, warm, her eyes catching mine. "I knew you could do it." Was it me, or did her smile linger longer than usual—something unspoken flickering there, a quiet pride cutting through the heat?
We descended the twisting stairs deeper into the Deeps—stone steps winding tight, walls closing in. With every step, the air grew hotter—each breath a battle in itself, thick with ash and sulfur, scorching my throat. Sweat slicked my skin, dripping into my eyes, and the stifling heat pressed against my lungs like a vice—unrelenting, oppressive. Scorch marks marred the walls and steps—blackened streaks where fire had licked stone, jagged scars telling tales of fury unleashed.
"Looks like we''re getting closer to finding the Drake," Alythiel murmured, running her fingers over a charred gouge in the stone—her touch light, tracing the burn with a frown.
"We''re gonna beat this dragon to a pulp," Torglel said with a grin, cracking his knuckles loud enough to echo—a sharp pop bouncing off the walls, his fire sparking faintly in anticipation.
At the base of the stairs, the cavern opened into a vast expanse—a hollow heart of fire and stone. Before us stretched a seething lake of lava—its surface bubbling and shifting like something alive, red-orange glow pulsing, waves lapping at jagged edges. Scattered across the molten expanse were small islands of black rock—each barely large enough for two people to stand on, precarious stepping stones in a sea of death. At the center of the lake loomed a single, massive island—a black plateau wreathed in shimmering waves of heat, its edges jagged and sharp.
The air was suffocating—as if my flesh were being stripped from bone, heat clawing at my skin, searing every inhale. My vision blurred as I squinted toward the central island—something was there, a shadow in the haze—but the rising heat made it impossible to see clearly, shapes dancing in the distortion.
Then the lake erupted—a violent surge sending lava spewing in every direction, splattering against stone with a hiss. Bubbles burst—huge, boiling—as a colossal shape rose from the molten depths—massive, terrifying, alive with the fury of a volcano itself, a force of nature breaking free.
Lava rolled down its sides like a tidal wave—hissing and steaming as it struck the cooler air, clouds of vapor swirling upward. Smoke curled from the cracks in its scales like breath from a furnace—a constant seething, spitting noise filling the cavern, like water on a hot blade but deeper, alive, as if the creature itself exhaled molten rage—a volcano poised on the verge of eruption, raw and primal.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Its obsidian-scaled body gleamed in the fiery light—black as night, reflecting the glow like polished stone. Its head was broad and flat, shaped like a shovel—wide, menacing, built to crush. Its long, cylindrical body resembled some grotesque, oversized salamander—sinuous, heavy, rippling with power. Its legs were thick as oak trunks—ending in taloned feet that gouged into solid stone as though it were soft earth, claw marks trailing behind. Slowly, it hauled itself from the lake—each movement deliberate and menacing, a predator claiming its domain.
Its tail swung behind it like an enormous mace—the bludgeoning end crusted with blackened stone, swinging with a weight that shook the air. Cracks webbed its scaly hide—glowing with molten veins of orange that pulsed like living magma, a heartbeat of fire beneath the surface. Then it turned toward us—and its eyes, twin orbs of blazing, molten orange, locked onto me with an intelligence that made it clear: this was no mindless beast—cunning burned in that gaze, a predator sizing us up.
The Deepfire Drake was far more fearsome than I had realized—its sheer size dwarfing the sentinel, its presence a living inferno. For the first time, I wondered if we would survive this encounter—my chest tightening, sulfur stinging my nose. I really didn''t want it to be the last thing I smelled before I met my end.
We charged in—leaping from one jagged island to the next, the molten lake occasionally shooting hot geysers beneath us—spurts of lava hissing as they grazed our path, heat searing my legs. The air was suffocating—lungs burning—but we didn''t stop. We couldn''t—momentum was all we had.
As we landed on the central plateau—stone hot underfoot—the Deepfire Drake let out a deep, bone-rattling roar—like the rumblings before a volcanic eruption, shaking the cavern, rattling my skull. Its throat glowed brighter and brighter—orange flaring to white—until it wrenched open its massive jaws and spewed a torrent of lava straight at us—liquid fire surging forward, unstoppable.
We dove aside just in time—scalding heat washing over me as the molten stream hissed past, splashing onto the rock and sending up clouds of sulfurous steam—acrid, choking, stinging my eyes.
"LAVA?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? IT''S A VOLCANO WITH LEGS!" Alythiel shouted—voice cutting through the roar, already readying her twin blades, their edges glowing with radiant energy—green runes flaring bright, pulsing with power.
"Aye," Torglel barked with a grin—wild, fierce, unshaken. "A volcano dragon."
I shook my head and drew my swords—lightning crackling along the edges as I focused in on the Drake—black and white steel humming, energy sparking in my grip.
Alythiel was the first to move—blinking in and out of existence in bursts of white light, a ghost weaving through the heat. She appeared around the Drake—flashing at its flank, its legs, its neck—striking precise blows with her radiant blades. Every hit sent shockwaves of blinding light flashing across the cavern—each slash carving thin fissures into its obsidian armor—but only just, cracks barely spidering before sealing with heat.
Torglel charged in with a roar—hammer swinging in powerful arcs, slamming into the Drake''s legs with a clang that echoed like forge hammers on steel. The creature snapped at him—jaws wide enough to swallow him whole, teeth glinting—but Torglel met it head-on, swinging his hammer into its snout with sheer brute force—deflecting the bite, stone cracking under the impact.
I dashed in behind them—lightning surging through my veins, enhancing my speed and strikes—boots skidding on stone as I wove through its reach. My blades chipped away at the cracked obsidian scales—black and white steel flashing—but even with magic coursing through them, I barely left more than scratches, sparks spitting uselessly against its hide.
Torglel''s hammer blazed as he swung again—fire licking the weapon''s head, a crimson arc—only for him to curse loud enough to echo off the cavern walls, voice raw with frustration. "My fire magic heals the overgrown lizard!" he spat—flames licking up its leg, sealing a crack instead of breaking it.
We kept pressing the assault—Alythiel blinking between dimensions, her strikes illuminating the cavern like flashes of starlight; Torglel battering at its legs, dodging furious swipes and snapping jaws with grunts of effort; and me weaving through its defenses—lightning sparking—looking for an opening, any weak point in that molten armor.
But it wasn''t enough—we were ants to this monstrosity, bites against a mountain.
Lava dripped from the Drake''s jaws—sizzling as it splattered across Torglel''s armor, burning holes through the metal with a hiss. Torglel grunted—fighting through the pain, his shoulder smoking—but kept swinging, stubborn as stone. Despite our best efforts, we weren''t making progress—its scales barely chipped, its fury unyielding. One hit from this thing would be a death sentence—bone-crushing, fire-searing end.
We needed something—an edge, a break, anything.
I sprinted behind the beast—boots pounding—trying to run up its spine toward the base of its skull, lightning crackling to boost my leap. But I misjudged the speed of its tail—whipping around like a battering ram, fast as a whipcrack. It slammed into me—the impact cracking bone, stealing my breath—a dull snap in my ribs as I flew, weightless, over the edge of the island, toward the molten lake below—red death rushing up to meet me.
"SOLARI!" Alythiel''s scream cut through the battle like a blade—sharp, desperate, piercing the roar.
I was falling—air rushing past, heat searing my skin. We were in over our heads—that mistake had cost me my life, the lava below a glowing grave.
"It''s time to use your power," whispered a voice I knew too well—my darker self, his tone smug, curling through my panic like smoke.
And then something exploded from my back—sudden, violent, a jolt that stopped my fall.
I wasn''t falling—I was hovering, wings beating the hot air beneath me, steady and strong. I looked up, stunned—breath catching as I saw two massive, leathery wings stretching out from my shoulders—midnight black, the color of ash and shadow, flapping lazily as if they''d always been there, edges rippling in the heat.
Torglel and Alythiel stared from the plateau—their faces masked in a mix of shock and confusion, jaws slack, eyes wide. But we didn''t have time—lava bubbled below, the Drake''s roar shaking the air.
"Torglel, Alythiel—fall back!" I barked—voice rough, rising higher toward the cavern ceiling—wings lifting me with a steady beat.
They obeyed without hesitation—leaping from the central island to the smaller ones at the lake''s edge, boots skidding across stone—Torglel''s fire dimming, Alythiel''s glow flickering low.
I felt the runes on my skin ignite—glowing faintly beneath the surface, a heat pulsing through my veins. I poured lightning into my blades—watching as they crackled and sparked with crimson and ashen-gray energy—a storm barely held in check, wild and raw in my grip.
The Drake''s throat glowed again—orange flaring bright as it reared back, preparing another blast of molten death—jaws parting, heat shimmering.
I didn''t give it the opportunity—folding my wings tight, I dive-bombed from the cavern''s heights—shot toward it like a bolt of crimson and gray lightning, wind howling past, heat searing my face. Pain flared as I moved—my ribs protesting—but I couldn''t afford to slow down.
As it opened its maw to unleash another wave of lava—glowing white-hot—I drove my blades into its throat—cleaving deep, splitting flesh and scale with a wet crunch. The Drake''s roar became a wet gurgle—molten blood erupting from the wound like a rainstorm of fire—splattering stone, hissing as it cooled.
Its eyes dimmed—the fiery light within them flickering and dying—as it collapsed with a thunderous crash onto the stone—shaking the plateau, cracks spidering outward.
I landed beside its still body—boots hitting hard—my blades still thrumming with raw energy, sparks snapping in the air. Without hesitation, I raised them again and struck hard—severing the Drake''s head from its neck in one clean blow—steel biting deep, bone crunching, blood sizzling as it spilled.
Silence settled over the cavern—broken only by the hiss of cooling lava and the labored breaths of my allies on the distant islands, a stillness heavy with victory and shock.
As the head hit the ground with a solid thud—stone trembling beneath it—the runes faded from my skin, a faint heat lingering then gone. The wings vanished like smoke on the wind—dissolving into nothing, leaving my back bare, a ghost of their weight fading fast.
Alythiel and Torglel ran toward me—their boots pounding against stone, echoing in the quiet. Torglel reached me first—grabbing my shoulders with both hands and giving me a hard shake, his grin wide and fierce, eyes blazing. "I didn''t know you could fly! That was absolutely amazing!" he barked—voice booming, shaking me again like he couldn''t contain it.
Alythiel stopped just behind him—but she wasn''t smiling—her eyes sharp, searching, cutting through me like a blade. "What happened?" she asked quietly—voice steady but laced with something heavier, worry or fear or both.
I exhaled—dragging a hand through my hair, sweat-slick and tangled, my chest still heaving. "I have no idea," I admitted, voice rough, raw. "I thought I was about to die... then suddenly, I wasn''t. I was flying. I don''t even know if I could do it again if I wanted to." I wasn''t sure if I wanted to—the thought sinking cold into my gut, wings a shadow I didn''t ask for.
Then I heard it—the maniacal, bone-chilling laugh that echoed in the hollow of my skull—sharp, gleeful, cutting through the silence. "Flying around like that felt amazing. You can''t deny it." The voice was smug—familiar—the darker version of myself I''d tried to ignore, his presence a claw at the edge of my mind.
"That was only a taste of what you''re capable of. It goes beyond anything any Drydalis has ever touched."
I clenched my jaw—pushing the voice down, teeth grinding as I forced it back—but the words lingered, a whisper I couldn''t unhear. Because he was right—even for those brief, terrifying moments, that power had felt... incredible—wild, free, a rush that sang in my blood.
But was it worth the cost? Could I accept the monster that came with it? I didn''t know—not yet—doubt coiling tight, a shadow I couldn''t shake.
But I was absolutely sure of one thing—this was only the beginning. A spark of something vast and dark had flickered awake inside me. And it was hungry."