One second, he was standing, feeling the weight of his body, and the next, everything went dark. No air. No sound. His body was heavy, and yet, he couldn't feel it. He couldn't move.
He opened his eyes, but there was nothing to see. The darkness swallowed him whole. Coldness seeped in, sharp and biting, but he couldn't escape it. He felt it around him, pressing in from every side. His limbs felt numb, his heart thumping loudly in the silence.
Suddenly, a soft glow flickered in the distance. It was faint at first, but it grew brighter, pulsing like a heartbeat. His body moved toward it, almost against his will. The light was warm, a stark contrast to the cold air surrounding him.
As he got closer, the ground beneath him began to change. The darkness faded, replaced by a vast, space, that stretched on forever. The air was thick here, heavy with something Kaelen couldn't name. The more he looked, the more he saw that the space was not empty at all. It was full of shadows, writhing in the corners of his vision.
A chill ran through him. He wanted to call out, but his voice was lost in the air. No sound came. He moved forward anyway, drawn toward the light.
But as he stepped into the clearing, the light vanished. It was as if it had never existed. His surroundings darkened again, the mist thickening around him, clinging to his skin like cobwebs. A low, eerie hum filled the air, and the ground beneath his feet trembled.
Whispers echoed around him, soft and faint, but unmistakable. They were words he didn't understand, voices twisted by the wind, distant and close all at once. His heart beat faster. He couldn't make sense of them, but they felt… familiar. Too familiar.
Then, a figure emerged from the shadows. At first, it was just a shape, like a silhouette against the mist, but it slowly became clearer. A dark version of himself. The shadow's eyes glowed, empty pits that seemed to suck in all the light.
Kaelen's breath caught in his chest. The figure took a slow step forward, its feet not quite touching the ground. It circled him like a predator, moving gracefully, too smoothly.
"You're lost," the shadow's voice was a low, mocking tone. "You always have been, haven't you?"
Kaelen clenched his fists, trying to steady himself. "I'm not lost."
The shadow laughed, a cruel sound that echoed in the thick air. "Really? Then why are you here, Kaelen? Why are you standing in this dark place, trapped between worlds? You think you're strong enough to survive?"
"I will survive," Kaelen said, his voice barely a whisper, but his words felt like a promise.
The shadow's lips curled into a sneer. "You can't escape. Not from me. Not from yourself." It circled him again, its steps growing faster, more erratic. "Do you feel it? The fear? It's always there. The fear of failing. The fear of not being enough."
Kaelen's chest tightened. The shadow's words were like daggers, cutting deep into the core of him. His knees wavered, but he refused to fall.
"You're weak," the shadow hissed, voice growing colder. "Weak like always. No one believes in you. No one trusts you."
Kaelen felt something stir inside him—an anger, a defiance that he had buried deep inside. He refused to let the shadow win. He couldn't.
"I'm not afraid," he said, louder this time.
The shadow's eyes narrowed. It moved closer, almost too close. Kaelen could feel its coldness, the darkness that surrounded it, pulling at him. He had to do something. He couldn't stay here.
The shadow's lips parted in a grin. "You will be. In time."
Before Kaelen could react, the ground beneath his feet cracked, deep and sharp. He stumbled, his body fighting against the pull of the shadows. They surged forward, dark tendrils reaching out for him, wrapping around his legs, his arms.
The shadow stood still, watching him struggle, as the darkness closed in, swallowing him whole.
"Choose," it whispered, its voice like a snake's hiss. "Take what's offered, or let yourself be consumed by the darkness."
Kaelen's heart raced. He had to fight. He couldn't fall. The mist surrounded him, thick and heavy, suffocating him. He tried to move, to break free, but the shadows held him tighter, pulling him deeper into the cold.
And then, just as the darkness reached for his throat, he heard it. A crack, sharp and sudden, splitting the air. A light. Faint, but unmistakable.
Kaelen's eyes snapped open. For a brief second, the world around him seemed to shudder, the shadows pulling back just a little. The light flickered again, brighter this time. He reached for it, his hand stretching out.
But as his fingers touched the edge of the light, it disappeared, leaving him in the crushing blackness.
A voice echoed in his mind. Wake up, Kaelen. You have a choice.
His breath came in short gasps. He felt the darkness closing in again, colder, tighter than before.
Kaelen's chest heaved, but no air came. His body was like stone, his muscles stiff, trapped in a cold void that seemed to stretch on forever.
His limbs refused to move, weighed down by invisible chains. His mind screamed for freedom, but there was nothing—just silence and darkness, wrapping tighter around him.
Then, something shifted. A distant hum, low and soothing, brushed against his consciousness. At first, it was faint, barely a whisper in the blackness. But it grew louder, richer, and stronger until it drowned out the quiet panic gnawing at him.
The shadows recoiled, and a warmth began to spread through the void. It was gentle at first, like the sun's first rays warming the ground in the early morning.
The coldness that had gripped him began to pull away, slowly, as if the very darkness itself was being drawn back by an unseen force.
And then, she appeared.
Every light around him flared, blinding at first. A figure emerged, towering above him, the light slowly softening to reveal her form. Kaelen's eyes widened as he tried to focus on her. She was breathtaking, tall, with long, flowing robes that shimmered like liquid silver, catching the light from a source Kaelen couldn't see. Her hair cascaded down her back, glowing like strands of fire. She held an aura of strength, of power, but there was a calmness, too—an ancient wisdom that seemed to fill the space with her presence.
She stepped closer, her eyes locking onto Kaelen's, glowing with a strange warmth, like two suns flickering in the night sky.
"Kaelen…" Her voice was like the sound of wind through ancient trees, deep and resonant, but soft as a whisper. "You have wandered far, but now you must awaken."
Kaelen's breath caught. The weight on his chest eased slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came. His throat was dry, and his body still wouldn't obey him.
She stepped forward, her presence overwhelming. "I am Liara, the Dragon Goddess," she said, her voice clear and strong. "You have lost your way, Kaelen. You are caught between worlds."
Her words sank into him like heavy stones. Between worlds? What did she mean? He couldn't understand.
She raised her hand, and the shadows around them began to shift. The mist parted, revealing a vast, endless expanse stretching before him—an ancient land bathed in golden light. The ground beneath Kaelen's feet began to hum as if the very earth was alive. His heart raced. This was no ordinary realm. This was... something older.
Liara's eyes softened. "This place… is where you will face your trials. You must awaken to the power within you, Kaelen. The true strength of your dragon spirit lies dormant. And only through this journey will you unlock it."
Kaelen's head spun. Dragon spirit? He didn't understand. He was just a man. How could he have the power of a dragon?
Liara smiled as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. "You are not just any man," she said. "You are the last of the dragons. Your power is buried deep inside you, waiting for the right moment to awaken. But first, you must learn. You must walk the path of the ancients, and you will be tested."
Before Kaelen could respond, the world around him began to twist and warp. The ground cracked beneath his feet, and a deep rumble echoed in the distance. He stumbled, falling to one knee as the earth trembled violently. Above him, the sky darkened, and he heard the beating of massive wings.
A shadow blocked the sun. Kaelen looked up just in time to see the creature descending—huge, its wings stretching out wide enough to cover the sky, its scales gleaming like molten fire. It was a dragon, a true dragon, far larger and more magnificent than any creature Kaelen had ever seen.
His heart slammed in his chest. This was it. The test.
The dragon landed with a powerful thud, the ground shuddering beneath its weight. Kaelen could feel the heat of its body from where he stood. The air was thick with power. The dragon's eyes locked onto him, glowing like burning embers.
"To awaken your true power," Liara's voice echoed in Kaelen's mind, "You must face this dragon. Conquer your fear. Only then will you understand your strength."
The dragon growled a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through Kaelen's bones. It was massive, its claws scraping against the ground, its wings folding with a crack that sounded like thunder. Kaelen stood frozen, his heart racing, his legs unsteady. He could feel the heat from the dragon's breath. Every inch of his skin screamed at him to run, to escape, but something inside him pushed him to stay, to face it.
He swallowed, taking a step forward, but his legs shook beneath him. He couldn't look away from the dragon's fiery eyes, the power radiating from it.
Lowering its head, its gaze sharp, intelligent. It seemed to be waiting, watching Kaelen. Waiting for him to move, to make the first step. Kaelen's pulse raced, his body trembling with uncertainty. He could feel the power of the dragon's presence, threatening to crush him. But beneath that fear was something else. A spark, deep inside his chest. A feeling that maybe, just maybe, he could face this.
Then, without warning, the dragon lunged.
Kaelen's heart nearly stopped. He tried to move, to react, but his body felt heavy and uncooperative. The dragon's claws scraped the air, its wings gusting so violently that Kaelen had to shield his face. He staggered backward, fear surging through him. He wasn't ready for this. How could he face a creature so powerful?
But in that moment, as the dragon came crashing toward him, Kaelen felt something stir deep inside his chest—a flicker of power, of strength, as if the earth itself was responding to him.
He closed his eyes, trying to center himself, to focus. He reached out with everything he had, and suddenly, the ground beneath him seemed to pulse with energy. A warmth spread through his body, and for the first time, he felt the stirrings of something far greater than fear. Something ancient.
The dragon roared again, its jaws opening wide to strike.
But Kaelen didn't move.
Instead, he raised his hands.
And something within him exploded.
The world around him shifted.
Kaelen's body pulsed with a force he couldn't comprehend. His skin burned with heat. He opened his eyes just in time to see the dragon's jaws closing in on him.
And then—darkness.
To be continued…