Fire rained from the sky, scorching the lands of greenery, and turning it into ash. Flames that were once rumored to incinerate even the Gods, leaving no trace of their origins throughout history.
This fire is said to represent absolute destruction, destroying everything that it touches.
Flames that originated deep from the underworld in the lowest layer of the Nine spheres of Hell.
They continued to burn everything in their way, except for one individual who resisted its scorching heat, "You will not take my child!" A woman yelled from below, holding a baby in her arm, and carrying a blade in the other, pointing it towards the sky.
"Your child is an enigma. His mere existence is a threat, not only to this world but to the others as well. If you continue to resist, you too will perish within my flames of Armageddon, Amelia Lionheart."
The mother yelled at the dragon, fierce in her tone, "It's only a child… how can a child cause so much destruction?! Answer me that!"
"Didn't you notice, Amelia? The moment your child was born—everything changed. The Gods cannot answer humanity's call, not even those of the Abnormal race. Your child's mere existence is what's causing the balance of the Mortal World to crumble apart. He is just like his father, Severus Lionheart… but even his birth wasn't this chaotic."
The mother glanced at her son in her arms, closing her eyes shut, "I don't understand… I don't understand any of it. What does Severus, my beloved, have to do with anything, Ancient Dragon, Fafnir?!"
The Dragon flapped its wings in the sky, slowly landing upon its feet, "The Lionheart family are known to have escaped the laws of the world, disobeying the rules of mana, which is the fundamental source that rules supreme over the Mortal realm, and Heavens."
Amelia looked up at the Dragon, baffled in her face, yet angry at the same time, stating, "What are you trying to tell me? Is my child going to rid of mana throughout the entire world? Is that it?!"
The Dragon marched forward, "Yes, Amelia, your child spreads the essence of chaos itself. I cannot explain it, but from his birth alone, mana has become tampered with, and not even the Gods can answer our prayers. It is through mana that the Gods speak to us, it is through mana that we cast spells, and it is through mana that we live and learn. Will you be the cause of destruction, for the entire world?"
"Slumbering Grace!" Amelia would stab her blade into the ground, casting C-Tier Celestial magic from her hand. Fafnir widened its eyes and took flight once more, but it was too late, "Haaaahhh!" Forming a ball of light in her hand, it quickly expanded into an omnidirectional explosion that dealt damage, transforming the pain of its victim into pleasure, and putting them to sleep as they die.
It was a spell meant to peacefully end someone's life, but to the likes of Fafnir, he resisted its effects and mustered flames from its mouth, "So be it." The dragon opened its maw, hurling intense flames at the mother.
"Hiyaaaahhh!" Picking the blade back up in her hand, she lifted it above her head, slashing down with all her might, "You will not have my child!" Her blade parted away the flames, splitting it into two.
Fafnir closed his mouth, irritated with the woman, "Our battle has waged on long enough, you foolish woman. You've been running from me for days, even the country of the Dragonkin, Argonaut, was burned to the ground in our fight. Do you want to destroy more lives?"
"…Yes, as many as it takes until you give up."
"You lunatic!! Why are you humans so persistent?!" Shouted the dragon.
"You have no clue how it feels to be a mother, Fafnir. A mother would take on the entire world to protect their child, even at the hands of God himself!"
Fafnir had enough of this woman's antics, deciding to end her with its next attack. The Dragon flew higher into the sky and started circling above Amelia at high speeds, forming a funnel cloud above her.
"Tsk!" Turning around, she started running again with all her might while the baby in her arms continued to cry, "Do not worry, Maverick, your mother will protect you with her life. I won't let nothing happen to you!"
"Amelia!" A voice called out to her from a distance away, revealing a man running at her.
"B-Balthazar?!" The mother was astounded, and even started to smile, "You're alive!"
The Funnel cloud continued to swirl in the sky, slowly making its way to the ground.
A tornado eventually formed at high winds, pulling Amelia backward. She continued running for dear life, struggling to get closer, "Take my child!" She shouted in desperation.
"Don't be such a fool!" Balthazar continued sprinting until he jumped into the air, transforming his body. Wings protruded from his back, scales emerged from his body while his size grew even bigger, taking the form of a dragon, "Fafnir, you fool!" Balthazar flew towards the tornado, opening its mouth wide, "Luu-romta!" Speaking in Dragon tongue, he dispelled the high winds and charged towards Fafnir.
"Balthazar, so you're alive from Argonaut's destruction?!" Asked the ancient dragon.
"How could you? How could you destroy the country of we Dragonkin to kill one child?! Have you gone mad?!"
"This child will be the doom of us all!!"
"Idiot!" Balthazar lowered his head, ramming into Fafnir's body which pierced his scales.
"Aaaaghhh!" The ancient dragon was pushed away, recovering from a few flaps of its wings, "Do you want this world to perish, Balthazar?! Are you the same as that woman, Amelia?!"
"No… I don't want this world to perish, but I know how it feels to want to protect your child. I have a son, his name is Crimson Argonaut, the future ruler of the Dragonkin. We survived your flames of hell, and now I'll be the one to put an end to you, as king of Argonaut!"
Fafnir frowned, hissing smoke from its nose, "You would rather side with a human, than me?!"
"That human is a friend of mine." Stated the Dragon King.
"A friend that you've only known for ten years, Balthazar."
"Ten years is a long time in a human's perspective. We may have the physiology to live hundreds of years, but their lifespan is far lesser."
Fafnir lifted his head back, laughing at the Dragon King in humility, "Bwa ha ha ha! Are you Dragon, or are you Human, King of Argonaut?! Your words make me laugh. Is there no shame in your speech?!"
Balthazar shook his head in denial, "No, there's none at all." His eyes gazed at Fafnir, serious as ever, "I meant every last word. She's a friend, and I will be willing to side with her, and give my life for her sake."
"Utter fool!!!" Fafnir shouted to the heavens in anger, causing the clouds above them to become grey, and for lighting to spark.
"Amelia, run!" Proclaimed Balthazar.
"Balthazar… are you-" Amelia hushed herself, and bit her tongue. She knew she had no choice in the matter.
Sticking around would only make Balthazar's fight even harder.
"Right!" She turned tail and ran, shouting, "Flight!" Utilizing General Magic, she took flight, flying away from the battlefield.
Behind Amelia, flames were lighting up the sky, and spells illuminated the entire clouds. Standing in the battle between two powerful dragons was a death wish to the likes of humans, unless they came prepared, but Amelia wasn't.
She was running for days, hiding, crying, and praying for the Gods to help her.
Her beloved son, Maverick, only continued to cry in her arms. She hugged him tightly, cherishing her newborn baby, "Let us return home to your sister, Emerald, and then we will escape far away from here. I'll move to the West Continent and endure the mana of the gods if I have to!"
"Waaaaa!! Waaaaaaaaa!!!" Maverick continued to cry in his mother's arms and suddenly answered her prayers.
They vanished from the sky, appearing in the confines of Ottenmore castle, where her husband, Severus, remained, alongside Emerald.
"…I-I'm… back home? But I can't perform spatial warp… Maverick isn't allowing me to, so how?"
"Goooo…Ghhhnnn!" The baby in her arms calmed down and started laughing, happy as ever.
The world was suddenly back to normal as if its crying was the cause of unbalance.
Amelia looked at her blissful baby, smiling in relief, "You've been crying for days, nonstop, Maverick, you had me worried sick. All of a sudden appearing in Ottenmore made you happy." She hugged her baby, resting her chin against its head, "You weren't even born here, I had given birth to you at Argonaut. It's almost like you know that this is where you belong." Kissing her child's cheek, Maverick giggled happily.
"Come, let us show you to your father and sister, I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you." Amelia walked through the castle's throne room, heading her way to the stairs, "Balthazar… stay safe, I'll be praying for you."