The smell of sulfur stung my nose as I pressed my face against the cool metal of the periscope. My heart raced, pounding so loudly I thought someone might hear it bouncing off the cave walls. But I couldn't pull my eyes away from what was happening on the surface.

"Come on, Nedu," I whispered to myself. "Just a few more minutes."

I knew I shouldn't be here. If Mom found out I'd snuck into the restricted area of our underground city, she'd ground me for a month. But I just couldn't stay away. Today was Dragon Watch Day—the one day each month when the Skyforge Academy sent their dragon slayers to patrol our sector.

Through the periscope, I spotted them: five figures in shiny, scale-like armor, their weapons catching the bright sunlight. They moved so smoothly, it made my chest ache with envy. One day, I'd be out there too. I'd leave the cramped, safe tunnels of our underground world and join the ranks of the bravest heroes humanity has left.

A flash of movement caught my eye, and I gasped. There, on the horizon, a massive shape blotted out the sun. Wings wider than our entire marketplace unfurled, and a roar shook the very ground beneath my feet.

Dragon.

I should have been terrified. Every story, every lesson, every whispered warning said I should run and hide. But as I watched the beast descend, fire gleaming in its maw, all I felt was awe.

The dragon slayers sprang into action. Their leader, a tall woman with a shock of white hair, barked orders I couldn't hear. They fanned out, weapons at the ready. I recognized the formations from the picture books I'd studied in secret.

The dragon landed with earth-shaking force, its talons gouging furrows in the barren soil. It was a nightmare made of flesh—scales the color of dried blood, eyes like molten gold, teeth as long as my arm. Yet there was a terrible beauty to it, a primal majesty that made my breath catch.

"Watch out!" I yelled, forgetting for a moment that they couldn't hear me.

The dragon's tail lashed out, nearly catching two of the slayers. They dodged with inhuman speed, rolling away and coming up with weapons raised. Energy crackled along the length of their blades—tech from the world before, preserved and repurposed for humanity's last stand.

The battle was like nothing I'd ever imagined. The dragon breathed fire hot enough to melt stone, but the slayers' armor shimmered with protective fields. They darted in and out, striking at vulnerable points, working in perfect sync. It was a deadly dance, beautiful and terrifying.

I was so engrossed that I almost missed the tremor running through the periscope. The whole setup shuddered, and a trickle of dust rained down from the cave ceiling.

"No, no, no," I muttered, adjusting the dials desperately. I can't lose sight now, not when—

A deafening roar drowned out my thoughts. The periscope went dark, and I stumbled back, blinking spots from my eyes. Had the dragon's fire hit too close? I fumbled for the backup power switch, praying to whatever might be listening that I could get the view back.

The periscope hummed to life, and I pressed my eyes to it once more. What I saw made my blood run cold.

The dragon slayers were scattered, their formation broken. Three of them lay ominously still on the charred ground. The leader was limping, her armor cracked and smoking. And the dragon—

The dragon was staring directly at the periscope.

I jerked back with a yelp, my heart threatening to burst from my chest. It was impossible. There was no way it could see me, not through the layers of rock and steel that protected our city. But at that moment, I could have sworn those molten eyes were looking straight into my soul.

A crash snapped me back to reality. The periscope was shaking violently now, bits of metal and wiring coming loose. I had to get out of here.

I turned to run, but my foot caught on a piece of debris. I stumbled, arms windmilling, and crashed into a pile of ancient tech. Sharp pain lanced through my palm as I tried to catch myself.

"Suns and moons," I swore, scrambling to my feet. Blood welled from a cut across my hand, but I didn't have time to worry about that. The whole cave was shaking now, dust and small rocks raining down. 

I sprinted for the exit, lungs burning as I gasped the stale underground air. Behind me, I heard the sickening shriek of metal giving way. The periscope must have collapsed entirely.

Just a few more steps—

I burst through the hidden door and into the familiar corridors of the residential sector. I didn't stop running until I was several levels down, finally pausing in an abandoned maintenance tunnel to catch my breath.

As the adrenaline faded, the reality of what I'd just witnessed crashed over me. I'd seen a real dragon. I watched real dragon slayers in action. It was everything I'd dreamed of and more terrifying than I could have imagined.

My hand throbbed, and I looked down at the cut. It wasn't deep, but it stung fiercely. As I moved to wipe away the blood, something caught my eye. There, embedded in my palm, was a tiny, iridescent scale.

I plucked it out carefully, holding it up to the dim light of the tunnel. It shimmered with colors I'd never seen before, blues and greens and purples that seemed to shift as I turned it. It was beautiful, mesmerizing—and it had to have come from the dragon.

A chill ran down my spine. I was holding a piece of the very monster that had just attacked the surface. I should throw it away and report it to the authorities. That's what any sane person would do.

Instead, I clutched it tighter, ignoring the way it seemed to pulse against my skin. This was my chance—my proof that I'd seen the surface, that I had what it took to be a dragon slayer. With this, they'd have to let me apply to Skyforge Academy. They'd have to see that I was meant for more than a life of hiding underground.

As if in response to my thoughts, a wave of dizziness washed over me. The scale grew warm in my hand, and for a moment, I could have sworn I heard a voice—ancient and powerful and utterly inhuman—whispering in the back of my mind.

"Nedu, it seemed to say. You are meant for greatness."

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I must have hit it harder than I thought when I fell. Voices in my head? Dragons knowing my name? I was losing it.

But as I pocketed the scale and headed home, a part of me knew that everything had changed. I'd taken my first step into a larger world, one filled with danger and wonder beyond imagining.

And somehow, I knew this was only the beginning.