The wind roared around Kael'thir as he stood atop the Beast King's corpse, his wings fully unfurled for the first time.
They were no longer fragile, underdeveloped appendages clinging to his back.
They were weapons.
Majestic, jagged, and sharp like blades forged from the void.
His scales shimmered under the fractured light piercing through the canopy, casting flickering shadows that danced with his every movement.
The weight that had once chained him to the earth was gone.
The mana from the Beast King still burned within his veins, fusing with every part of him—reshaping not just his body, but his very existence.
Kael'thir breathed in deeply.
The air felt different now.
Lighter.
Alive.
The sky above was no longer something distant—
It was his.
His wings flexed, the membranes stretching wide, catching the currents of wind that spiraled through the trees.
The moment had come.
No more climbing.
No more crawling like lesser creatures.
A dragon was meant to rise.
And he would.
Kael'thir crouched low, his muscles coiling with raw power.
The world around him blurred, his focus narrowing to the open sky above the towering trees.
His tail lashed once—
Then he leapt.
The force of his jump shattered the ground beneath him, leaving deep cracks where his claws had launched him upward.
His wings snapped downward with explosive force, the sound echoing like a thunderclap through the valley.
For a brief, heart-pounding moment—
He felt weightless.
The ground shrank below him, the treetops rushing past in a blur of green and gold.
The wind roared against his scales, fierce and untamed, but Kael'thir was stronger than it.
His wings beat again—
And he soared.
The sky welcomed him.
Kael'thir shot into the open air, leaving the suffocating canopy of the forest behind.
The vast expanse stretched out around him, endless and pure.
Clouds drifted lazily in the distance, the sun's light casting a golden glow across the horizon.
For the first time—
There was nothing above him.
No stone.
No shadows.
No limits.
Kael'thir's heart raced, not with fear, but with something new—triumph.
He had done it.
He was no longer bound to the earth.
He was free.
He tilted his wings, shifting his weight, and felt the wind respond like an extension of himself.
Each movement was instinctual, as if he had been meant to do this all along.
Because he was.
He dived sharply, the ground rushing toward him, then pulled up with ease, climbing higher, faster.
The sheer speed sent a rush through his body—a thrill unlike anything he had ever felt.
Kael'thir roared, his voice thundering across the sky, a sound of pure dominance, echoing for miles.
It was not just a cry of victory.
It was a declaration.
To the world.
To the creatures below.
To the gods above.
A dragon had risen.
And he would never fall again.
Kael'thir soared for hours, mastering the art of flight with every beat of his wings.
Diving, twisting, gliding—he tested the limits of his new form, pushing himself harder with each movement.
But even now, amidst the euphoria of the sky—
The hunger remained.
Not just for mana.
But for more.
More strength.
More power.
More realms to conquer.
His journey was far from over.
This was just the beginning.
The sky was not the end.
It was just the first threshold.
Kael'thir angled his wings and began to descend, his sharp gaze locking onto the land below.
There was still prey to hunt.
Still power to devour.
And nothing would stand in his way.
As he neared the treetops, his crimson eyes caught a familiar figure.
The fox was still there, standing on a cliff's edge, her golden eyes following him as he soared overhead.
She had watched him rise.
Watched him conquer.
And yet, she remained.
Kael'thir didn't question it.
Not yet.
There would be time for that.
For now—
There was only one thing left to do.
Hunt.
And this time, he would do it from above.