Celm's lungs burned as he ducked under a swooping claw, the dragon's golden eyes tracking him with surgical precision. Every muscle screamed for him to stop, but the will to survive propelled him forward. His rusted sword felt like a toy in his hands-a child's plaything against an ancient titan.
He spun on his heel, attempting to strike the dragon's exposed flank. The blade met scales harder than steel, and the force of the impact nearly dislocated his shoulder. The dragon barely flinched.
"You amuse me, mortal." The dragon's voice rumbled, each word dripping with disdain.
It towered over Celm, its massive frame blocking out the faint purple glow of the moon.
"You fight as if you have something to protect. Yet here you are, alone and weak."
Celm wiped blood from his mouth, his breathing labored. "Weakness is only... temporary," he growled, his voice hoarse. "Even mountains crumble eventually."
The dragon tilted its head, as though considering the words. Then it laughed- a deep, bone-shaking sound that echoed through the clearing.
"Mountains? Foolish. You are less than a pebble beneath my claws."
Celm gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright. His thoughts swirled with fear, doubt, and a stubborn resolve. What am I doing? I can't win. But if I die here, will it even matter?
The pendant around his neck felt heavier now, its once-faint warmth pulsing against his chest like a heartbeat. His fingers brushed it, and for a moment, he felt a spark of clarity.
The dragon's tail lashed out, slamming into Celm's side and sending him hurtling into a nearby tree. Pain exploded across his body, but he didn't cry out. He refused to give the beast the satisfaction.
"You're persistent," the dragon said, stepping closer.
"But persistence without power is pathetic."
Celm staggered to his feet, clutching his side. "And yet, here I am. Still standing."
The dragon's eyes narrowed. "Not for long."
The fight ended in a blur.
Celm lunged forward, a desperate scream tearing from his throat. The dragon met him with a single swipe of its claws, and everything fell apart.
His body was torn asunder, fragmented into countless pieces that littered the blood-soaked ground.
The world went dark.
Kalyndraxis' POV
The clearing was silent save for the soft rustle of leaves. Kalyndraxis loomed over the mangled remains, blood pooling around its talons. It stared down at the corpse, its golden eyes cold and unfeeling.
"Pathetic," the dragon muttered, its voice low and bitter.
It should have felt satisfaction. Yet there was nothing-no triumph, no pride. Only the same gnawing emptiness that had haunted it for centuries.
Kalyndraxis turned its gaze skyward, the twisted canopy blocking out the stars. The urge to fly away gripped it, to escape this wretched world and the chains that bound it.
But then came the voice.
"Do not leave, Kalyndraxis."
The dragon froze, its claws sinking into the dirt. It growled low, hatred bubbling to the surface.
"Sepulcher," it spat.
"What do you want now?"
A faint chuckle echoed through the clearing, carried by the wind.
"I see you've handled the boy. Efficient as always."
"Spare me your flattery," Kalyndraxis snarled.
"You speak as though I serve you willingly."
"I gave you freedom," Sepulcher said, his tone smooth yet oppressive.
"You gave me another prison," the dragon retorted, its golden eyes narrowing.
"Do not twist chains into gifts."
"Your bitterness is tiresome," Sepulcher replied, his voice hardening.
"You know the terms of our agreement."
The dragon's lip curled back in a snarl. "And you know what I would do to you if I were free. Say what you want and be done with it."
"Search the body," Sepulcher ordered.
"For what purpose?"
"The pendant," Sepulcher said simply.
"It holds more power than you realize."
Kalyndraxis growled, reluctant but resigned. The dragon's massive form shimmered, its scales receding and its body shrinking. Moments later, a tall figure cloaked in dark robes stood in its place, golden eyes still glowing with unearthly light.
It knelt beside the remains, its movements precise and methodical. Blood soaked its hands, but the dragon-turned-human paid it no mind.
"I should incinerate this corpse," Kalyndraxis muttered under its breath.
"And you along with it, Sepulcher."
A faint laugh echoed in response, but the voice said nothing more.
Celm's POV
Celm's eyes snapped open.
He blinked, his vision filled with blinding white. There was no ground beneath him, yet he stood. No air, yet he breathed. Surrounding him was nothing but endless, featureless white.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, panic bubbling within him. Where am I? What... what is this?
He looked down at his hands, expecting to see blood and torn flesh. Instead, they were whole, unmarred. He touched his chest, half-expecting to feel the dragon's claws still embedded there.
Nothing.
"I died," he whispered. His voice sounded strange, distant.
"I died... didn't I?"
Memories flooded back in fragments- the dragon, the fight, the pain. His body splitting apart. He shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself.
"This can't be real," he muttered.
"I... I don't understand."
Celm took a step forward, his boots making no sound against the nonexistent ground. He began to walk, his movements hesitant at first, then more deliberate.
His thoughts spiraled into chaos. Why me? Why was I there? What was I even fighting for?
The pendant.
His hand shot to his neck, but the chain was gone. Panic surged within him.
"Where is it?" he said aloud, his voice trembling.
"Where's the pendant?"
He broke into a run, though there was no horizon to chase. The white stretched endlessly in every direction, yet he felt drawn forward, as if something waited for him.
And then, he saw it.
The pendant hung suspended in the air, its surface pulsating with an otherworldly light. It looked different now-alive, almost sentient.
Celm slowed to a stop, his breaths ragged. He stared at the pendant, a mixture of fear and longing churning in his chest.
"I don't understand," he whispered.
"Why you? Why do you keep pulling me back?"
The pendant offered no answer, its glow intensifying as if mocking his confusion.
Celm clenched his fists. "What are you?" he demanded, his voice rising. "Why are you doing this to me?"
The light flared, and Celm shielded his eyes. When he lowered his hand, the pendant was inches from his face.
His hand moved on its own, reaching out. His fingers brushed the cold metal, and a surge of energy coursed through him.
Pain erupted in his chest as white lightning coiled around his arm, crackling and sparking. He screamed, gripping the pendant tighter even as it burned him.
"Show me!" he shouted. "Show me what you want!"
The light consumed him.
Kalyndraxis' POV
The dragon-turned-human froze, its hand hovering over Celm's shattered remains. The air grew heavy, charged with a strange energy that prickled its skin.
"What is this?" Kalyndraxis muttered, its golden eyes narrowing.
The pendant around Celm's neck began to glow, its light piercing through the blood and gore. The energy emanating from it was unlike anything the dragon had encountered before-ancient, chaotic, alive.
Sepulcher's voice returned, sharper this time. "Retrieve it. Now."
Kalyndraxis hesitated, a rare flicker of unease crossing its features.
"You didn't tell me it was alive."
"That's because it wasn't," Sepulcher replied.
"Not until now."
The dragon growled, its hand closing around the pendant. The moment its fingers touched the metal, a surge of energy shot through it, forcing it to recoil.
"You didn't warn me," Kalyndraxis snarled.
"Do you think I anticipated this?" Sepulcher snapped, his calm veneer cracking.
The pendant's light intensified, filling the clearing with blinding radiance. Kalyndraxis shielded its eyes, gritting its teeth.
"What have you done, Sepulcher?" the dragon growled, its voice laced with suspicion.
The voice didn't respond.