Zenith and Saphira were deep in conversation, discussing their next move, when the atmosphere in the room shifted. It started as a subtle change, the air growing dense with an unspoken tension, and then the sound of distant voices echoed in the hall. The voices carried on the wind, growing louder, clearer.
"Zenith," Saphira muttered, a look of realization crossing her face. "They're looking for you."
Zenith's eyes widened. "Who? Who's looking for me? The whole world's looking at me already!"
"No," Saphira replied, her face pale. "The queen. And her... special forces."
Zenith groaned, sinking into a chair. "Great. Just when I thought things were starting to calm down. A queen now? What is she, my manager? Or is this more of a... 'we need you to join our kingdom' thing?"
Saphira didn't laugh. Instead, she pulled him toward a window, gesturing toward the horizon. The sky had shifted from the soft purple to a darker, more ominous hue. A ripple passed through the air, and in the distance, Zenith could see the unmistakable shape of something large and powerful.
"That's the one who's searching for you," Saphira whispered. Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "The queen's dragon."
Zenith peered out. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the enormous creature soaring through the air. It had the body of a dragon, but its glowing eyes seemed to pierce through the surroundings with unnatural precision, scanning every corner of the kingdom below.
"A dragon?" Zenith asked, almost incredulously. "Well, that's one way to handle things. Is she sending it to eat me? Or maybe it's just... you know, for dramatic effect?"
"Not just any dragon," Saphira replied with a grim tone. "This one's been trained for one thing: finding you. And it's got a magical ability. It can see through walls, through doors... through everything. There's no place to hide from it."
Zenith stared at the dragon, the reality of his situation sinking in. "So, what you're saying is... I can't even escape by hiding in a closet? This is like... a personal invasion of privacy plus the fear of being eaten. Fantastic."
"Yeah," Saphira said, her voice tight. "Pretty much. You don't just escape a magical dragon, Zenith. We've got to come up with something fast."
Zenith scratched his head. "Wait, wait, wait. So, the queen's looking for me, but this dragon is like some kind of magical GPS? Can't we just... well, I don't know, hide and wait it out?"
Saphira shook her head. "That won't work. The dragon's x-ray vision doesn't just work on buildings and walls; it can see people too. It can sense where you are, your aura... anything about you."
Zenith stared at the dragon again, a shiver running down his spine. "It's like a creepy, flying detective. Just what I needed today."
"Exactly. And right now, it's heading straight toward us. We need a plan, and we need it fast."
Zenith took a deep breath, pacing in a small circle. "So, what, I'm supposed to just walk out there, raise my hand, and say, 'Hey, I'm the man you're looking for, let's skip the part where the dragon eats me and go straight to the awkward royal introductions'? Not sure that's going to work."
Saphira raised an eyebrow. "Well... it's better than staying here and waiting for the dragon to barge in."
Zenith stopped pacing, eyeing the door. He was about to say something when a loud thud shook the ground beneath their feet. The dragon's wings beat through the air, sending tremors through the floorboards.
Zenith's eyes went wide. "Okay, yeah. The dragon has definitely found us. It's like the world's worst game of hide-and-seek."
"More like a game of 'you're going to be found whether you like it or not,'" Saphira retorted, clearly tense.
Zenith glanced out the window again, seeing the dragon circling closer, its glowing eyes darting over the kingdom. Then, just as quickly, it paused mid-flight, its gaze locking onto the building they were in.
"Alright, time for action," Zenith said, his voice brimming with a mix of humor and urgency. "I've got a plan."
Saphira raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"
Zenith shot her a grin. "Probably not. But I'm going to give it a shot."
Before Saphira could protest, Zenith dashed for the door. He had one idea in mind—if he was going to be the center of attention, he might as well make it work in his favor.