Aiden Long sat quietly in the back seat of his family's sleek black car, staring out the window at the dark road ahead. His driver, a loyal man named Hale, and his bodyguard, Darnell, were focused on the road. Aiden didn't speak much during these trips, his mind preoccupied by his family's recent troubles. There was an unsettling tension in the air, for some reason he always felt like there was a murderous gaze directed at him.
his worries were proven true when suddenly, headlights appeared in the rearview mirror. A car sped up behind them, its engine roaring with power. Aiden glanced at Darnell, but before he could say anything, the car swerved and tried to ram them off the road. The tires screeched as Hale swerved sharply, trying to avoid the oncoming vehicle, but it was too late. The impact was deafening as the two cars collided, metal crunching under the force of the crash.
The world tilted, and the car was sent spinning. Aiden braced himself, his seatbelt pulling tight against his chest. He felt a jolt and then… stillness.
The smell of gasoline mixed with the burning scent of rubber, and the car came to a halt, twisted and battered. Aiden blinked, disoriented, but miraculously, he was unharmed. His heart pounded in his chest, but his body felt untouched. He glanced over at Hale, who was slumped unconscious against the steering wheel, and then at Darnell, who was groaning, dazed but alive.
His instincts flared. Someone was after him.
Without another thought, Aiden threw open the door, adrenaline pumping through him. His gaze darted around the forest surrounding them. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, and the only sounds were the faint rustling of leaves and his own rapid breathing. There was no time to waste.
"Get out, Darnell!" Aiden shouted, helping his bodyguard to his feet. "We need to run."
Darnell, still groggy, nodded and pushed himself upright. They weren't safe here, not with whoever had caused the crash still hunting them. Aiden didn't hesitate—he sprinted into the mountain forest, Darnell trailing behind. They weaved between the trees, their footsteps quick and frantic.
As the night pressed on, Aiden could feel the weight of being chased. His breath grew shallow, and his legs screamed with exertion, but he couldn't stop. He had to keep moving.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet gave way.
Aiden fell, his body tumbling into the darkness as the earth crumbled beneath him. He reached out instinctively, but there was nothing to grab. His fall seemed endless, and then… thud. He landed hard, hitting the ground with a sharp pain. The air was thick, the scent of damp earth and stone surrounding him.
He groaned, pushing himself to his feet. The cavern was dark, the only light coming from faint cracks in the walls. He could hear distant echoes, but there was no way to tell how far he had fallen.
He moved cautiously, each step uncertain as he tried to orient himself in the strange, unfamiliar cave system. His foot slipped on a wet stone, and he stumbled forward, falling once more, deeper into the labyrinth of underground chambers.
Then, his body splashed into something wet—a pool of liquid that seemed to glow faintly in the dark. Aiden gasped, feeling a strange warmth radiate from the water soothing the bruises he got from his fall. But before he could even think about what was happening, the liquid began to change color, glowing a brilliant gold.
Aide let out a scream
The warm and comfortable feeling disappeared as a searing pain erupted from his chest spreading to his entire body. It felt like his very soul was being torn apart, his flesh was melting off his body and the sound of his bones breaking was audible. It was as though he was burning alive from the inside out.
the pain disappeared as quickly as it had come leaving Aiden gasping for breath, but before he could register what was happening it started again. His bones cracked and reshaped, his flesh burned away only to regenerate, and his heart hammered erratically in his chest as if it too was being remade.
He clawed at the sides of the pool, desperate to escape the unbearable sensation, but his limbs felt heavy, unresponsive. The liquid didn't just burn him—it was changing him. His body twisted, reshaped, remade. It was no longer his own. His blood seemed to boil in his veins, the intense transformation overloading his senses.
"Please… no…" Aiden gasped, his voice barely a whisper. But the pain only intensified, spreading through him like wildfire.
He could feel his body breaking down, his very identity shifting, and for the briefest moment, he wondered if he was going to die in this strange, glowing pool.
Then, just as everything began to fade, and darkness consumed him, he heard a voice—a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to come from the very depths of the earth.
"Finally… a dragon awakens."