Kael stumbled through the towering halls of the Great Library of Skathar, his arms precariously laden with a stack of heavy tomes. The library was alive with the whispers of scholars and the soft scrape of quills on parchment. It was a place of order, where knowledge was preserved and guarded like treasure. To Kael, though, it often felt like a cage.
The air was thick with the scent of ancient parchment, candlewax, and ink. Shafts of light filtered through the towering stained-glass windows, painting the polished marble floors in hues of crimson and gold. Each step Kael took echoed off the vaulted ceiling, reminding him how small he was in this grandiose place.
His mind was elsewhere, though. The dream still clung to him, vivid and unshakable.
The sky burned like a forge. Ash fell like snow over a barren landscape. Shadows of wings stretched across the horizon, their forms colossal and otherworldly. And then came the voice—deep, resonant, and full of sorrow. It spoke his name.
"Kael!"
Elder Lorys's sharp voice tore through the memory, yanking Kael back to reality.
"Yes, Elder!" Kael jerked upright, nearly dropping the precarious stack of books.
Lorys loomed over him like a vulture, his thin face set in a permanent scowl. The elder's robes rustled as he crossed his arms. "If your mind wanders as much as your feet, you'll never be more than a fetch boy in this library. Do you think the history of the world will preserve itself?"
Kael muttered an apology and adjusted the stack in his arms. "No, Elder."
Lorys sniffed disdainfully. "Focus, boy. The work we do here is sacred. There's no room for idle dreamers."
Kael bit back a retort and shuffled away, heading toward the restricted archives as instructed. The elder's words stung more than they should have, but they weren't entirely wrong. Kael had always been prone to daydreaming, his thoughts drifting to places far beyond the stone walls of the library. He'd grown up here, raised by the archivists after being found abandoned on the library's doorstep as an infant. His life had been one of study and routine, yet he often felt a deep yearning for something... more.
By the time Kael reached the restricted archives, the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the library was bathed in flickering candlelight. The archives were his favorite place to work. Few dared to venture into its labyrinthine halls, where the oldest and most fragile texts were kept. It was a place of mystery, where every shadow seemed to hold a secret.
Kael set the tomes on a wide oak table, brushing dust from his hands. The faint scent of mildew lingered in the air. As he turned to retrieve his next task, his gaze caught on something unusual—a book he'd never seen before.
It sat on a high shelf, bound in blackened leather that seemed to absorb the light. A strange symbol was embossed on the cover: an eye with a slit pupil, like that of a dragon. Kael's pulse quickened. He shouldn't be touching anything that wasn't part of his assigned duties, but something about the book called to him.
With a quick glance over his shoulder to ensure he was alone, Kael grabbed a nearby ladder and climbed to reach the mysterious tome. It was heavier than he expected, and a strange warmth emanated from its cover. When he opened it, the pages gave off a faint, metallic sheen, as though they were etched with some kind of alchemical ink.
Kael's fingers trembled as he traced the first line of text. The words were in an ancient dialect, but he recognized enough from his studies to piece together the meaning. His voice was barely a whisper as he read aloud:
"When the ashen skies rain fire, and the hearts of dragons beat in time, the last bondkeeper shall rise to reignite the Eternal Flame."
A shiver ran down his spine. The phrase was familiar, though he couldn't place where he'd heard it before. He flipped to the next page, his curiosity mounting.
The symbols grew more intricate, forming what looked like a map. Kael's breath caught in his throat as he realized it depicted the continent of Eryndor—though not as it was now. The mountains were taller, their peaks crowned with flames, and rivers of lava flowed where no such formations existed today. At the center of the map was a mountain unlike any Kael had ever seen. It was wreathed in fire, its peak splitting the sky.
Suddenly, the air around him grew heavy. The candles flickered, their flames shrinking to faint glimmers. A deep hum filled the room, resonating through Kael's chest. He staggered back, the book slipping from his hands and falling open on the table.
The symbols on the pages glowed, casting eerie shadows across the walls. Kael's vision blurred, and a sharp, searing pain lanced through his skull. He clutched his head, falling to his knees as images flooded his mind.
A colossal dragon, its scales glistening like molten gold, spread its wings against a sky painted in ash and fire. Chains bound its limbs, each link glowing with runes of dark magic. Around it, figures in blackened armor chanted, their voices merging into a single, malevolent roar.
A voice—deep and commanding—echoed above the chaos. You must awaken me, Kael.
The scene shifted. A glowing egg sat atop a pedestal, pulsing with energy. Kael reached for it, but the vision dissolved into darkness.
Kael gasped as the images vanished. He was back in the archives, lying on the cold stone floor. The book was closed, its eerie glow gone. The room was silent except for the frantic pounding of his heart.
He pushed himself to his feet, his legs trembling. What had he just seen? Was it some kind of hallucination? A warning? And how had it known his name?
Before Kael could gather his thoughts, the distant sound of voices reached his ears. He froze, his breath hitching. Someone was coming.
Panicking, he grabbed the book and slid it into his satchel. He didn't know why he did it—only that he couldn't leave it behind. Its secrets were tied to him now, whether he wanted them or not.
Kael extinguished the candles and slipped out of the archives, his mind racing. Whatever the book had shown him, it was only the beginning. Something ancient and powerful was stirring, and he was caught in its wake.
As he stepped into the cool night air, the dream returned to him. The burning sky. The dragons. The voice calling his name.
Kael looked up at the stars and whispered, "What are you trying to tell me?"
Above him, a single star flared brighter than the rest before vanishing into the darkness.