In the realm of Tenaria, a powerful force which spreads like disease created its territory, infecting everything it touches and anyone who was not on its side including humans and beasts.
The Shadow Blight were rumored to be working hand in hand with the Dragon lords and so the humans fought to eliminate every dragon lord they could find since they were unable to defeat the Shadow blight.
A woman stood frozen in the middle of the forest, her eyes darting around as she scanned the area with a growing sense of dread.
Her grip on her one-year-old baby tightened, her arms trembling with fear as she looked down to see her little one blink back at her.
The baby boy's delicate features were framed by a wild tangle of silver hair, fine as silk and shining like moonlight.
His eyes seemed to flicker with an otherworldly intensity, even at such a tender age.
"Who's there?" The woman screamed in fear, her voice echoing through the trees. "Come out!"
The rustling in the bushes grew louder, sending her heart racing.
She took a step back, her breath catching in her throat.
When the baby sensed her fear, he began to wail, adding to the woman's panic. She clutched the child closer, her arms wrapping around him like a shield.
'They are here to kill us' The woman thought to herself, her mind racing as she thought of a way out.
Being the last dragon Lord alive, she had expected them to come for her but she never thought they would find her in the middle of the huge forest.
She could already smell the humans' presence. This time around, they didn't come with a warning, they had come to kill them both.
"Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Don't hurt us."
Suddenly, the underbrush parted and a sea of men emerged from the huge trees which had been their hiding spot.
They walked closer to her, their eyes fixed on the blonde lady and her baby with hatred.
There were at least a hundred of them, each one brandishing a sword or spear.
They formed a semi-circle around her, trapping her and her little one. The woman's eyes darted around the circle, searching for an escape route.
Gone were the days when she could kill the men by summoning the great dragons.
The dragons were now dead and her powers were beyond weak.
A man with cold eyes stepped forward, his gaze piercing through her.
There was a visible look of disdain on his face as he scrutinized the beautiful woman.
Her beauty didn't seem to charm him as the humans knew not to be deceived by her pretty face.
He watched as she stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the sea of swords surrounding her.
The man's cold gaze pierced through her, his words dripping with malice.
"We are doing you a favor, Lyra. Your husband is waiting for you. Don't you want to reunite with him in the world of the dead?...Don't worry, we will make this quick and less painful since you're the last of your kind."
As the man spat harshly in her face, her mind flashed back to the memories she held dear.
She remembered the day she met her husband in the great halls of their castle, far away from where the humans lived.
He was strong, brave, and powerful. Together, they lived and controlled the dragons for years.
But the humans feared their power. They feared the dragons that served them, and the magic that flowed through their veins.
The humans came for them, they murdered their dragons in cold blood and her husband died in the battle.
The humans hunted down every last dragon, slaughtering them in their nests. They murdered every Dragon Lord, leaving none alive. But she remained, the last of her kind, the last hope for a future.
Dragons were never a threat to the humans but they met a cruel fate in the hands of humans. Thinking about it made her blood boil with anger and she clenched her jaw.
They didn't deserve to die, no dragon deserved to die.
Just as she was lost deep in thought, the man's voice brought her back to the present. "It's a good thing we found you alive because I'll enjoy killing you with my bare hands. You're a threat to our dominance, and you will be eliminated today."
Her grip on her child tightened, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she couldn't defeat them all, but she would fight to protect her baby, the only family she had left.
"I am the last Dragon Lord," She declared, her voice steady despite the fear flowing through her veins. "And I won't let you kill me and my child without a fight."
The man with the cold eyes sneered. "You're no match for us. And as for your child..." He took a step closer, his hand reaching out. "We'll take that away from you too."
Her grip on her baby tightened. "No!" she shouted, holding her child back. "You'll never take my child from me!"
In a flash of anger, the man slapped her across the face. Her head spun, but she refused to back down.
"I may not have the power of the dragons to control," she spat, her eyes blazing with defiance, "but I will never go down without a fight."
The men who had followed their leader felt a chill run down their spine.
Little did they know that the woman's powers had long weakened since the last dragon fell. Without their connection, her magic was a mere shadow of its former self. But she refused to give up.
With a fierce cry, the leader gave his order and the men charged at her, their swords raised. She stood her ground, ready to face them head-on.
The battle was far from equal, but she fought hard, holding her baby close with one arm and fighting with the other.
A man swung at her but she dodged and struck back swiftly.
Her sword sliced through the air, beheading him.
She breathed out harshly as she saw the man's head roll away.
As his body fell, another man crept up behind her.
He stabbed her in the back and she cried out in pain, her gaze falling on the sword which came out from the other side of her belly.
She fell to her knees, her sword slipping from her grasp.
Thinking to herself that she couldn't give up so easily, she summoned every last ounce of her strength and grabbed the sword again, her grip tightening around the hilt.
All the men who approached her were met with a cruel fate as they went falling to the ground one after the other.
Panting hard, she felt her body get weaker. For a moment, she simply stood there, her chest heaving heavily. Then slowly, she fell down to her knees, the sword slipping from her hands once more.
"No...please..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Her body crumpled to the ground. Her hand, still clutching her baby, relaxed, and her arm fell limp. Her eyes that were once bright with defiance, dulled, and her chest stilled.
The humans cheered, their faces twisted in cruel triumph as they noticed no movement from her. One of them raised his sword, ready to strike down the helpless child.
But a voice gripped his hand before he could make his next move. "Wait," The leader said, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Let the beasts of the wild have him. It's a far crueler fate than a quick death."
The others nodded in agreement, their faces reflecting their brutal desire for suffering. And so, they left the child there, alone and vulnerable.
The child, unaware of the tragedy that had unfolded, wailed softly, his tiny hands reaching up towards the sky.
***
Days passed and the baby lay alone, his cries echoing through the forest until he didn't have the strength to cry again.
Meanwhile, on that same fateful day, two beast hunters journeyed through the forest, their footsteps quiet on the damp soil.
They were on the hunt for intermediate beasts as they heard from the villagers that intermediate beasts could be found in this particular location.
The gems gotten from beasts were sold according to their levels and the couple decided to hunt one or two intermediate beasts today.
As they got closer to the deeper parts of the forest, Akira's gaze fell upon a small, silver-haired bundle lying on the ground. She froze, her hand instinctively reaching for her dagger.
Kael followed her gaze, his eyes narrowing. "What is that?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Akira approached the bundle cautiously, her senses on high alert. As she drew closer, she saw that it was a baby, no more than a year old, lying on its back, staring up at the sky with an unblinking gaze.
The baby's silver hair was mussed, and its small chest rose and fell with slow, steady breaths. Akira's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the child's piercing blue eyes, an unsettling shade that seemed to see right through her.
Kael joined her, his face a mask of concern. "Where is the mother?" he whispered, scanning their surroundings.
Akira shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the baby before settling on the red trail. "I don't know"
Kael followed the trail and noticed some beast footprints on the floor.
"An intermediate beast must have gotten her, we need to take this baby back to the village."
Akira didn't protest, she carried the baby in her arms and they found their way back to the village.
Meanwhile, as the baby saw the beautiful houses and smiling faces of humans in the village, his eyes turned dark and he wailed loudly, kicking its little legs in the air.