The day the sky broke was the day I witnessed one of our greatest dragons fall.

  My name is Arienya. I am not a general, not a hero. I’m merely a third-tier mage from the Etharil Academy, sent to the Valley of a Thousand Fractures to “observe and support.” No one expected I’d be standing on the west tower, watching lightning converge in the sky, and staring directly into the eyes of a legend.

  Zepharyx.

  The high council called him a great threat from the skies. But I grew up with a different story. In the worn pages of old books at the Etharil library, I read about Zepharyx as the guardian of the skies, protector of the mountains, and—most astonishingly—a hero who once halted the eastern demon tide nearly two thousand years ago. Even the Elves once called him the sky’s companion.

  Seeing him now, flying through the spiral of clouds with his silvery scales glinting like a storm’s mirror... I didn’t see a monster. I saw loneliness.

  “Point your staff at coordinate three-eight,” ordered Captain Elsin, her voice sharp.

  I kept my gaze on the sky. “Captain, are we sure? This is Zepharyx. He’s not just any dragon. He once—”

  “—Once saved the world? Yes, I read the books too, Arienya,” Elsin cut me off. “But that was then. Today, he comes as a destroyer. And if we fail to bring him down now, while he’s alone... tomorrow we’ll face an entire flight of dragons.”

  I swallowed. “So this is to prevent a bigger war?”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “It’s to save Therethil. Our city will be annihilated if he escapes.”

  “What if he’s only defending himself...?”

  “Then we all die.”

  “He’s alone!”

  “Exactly!” Elsin’s voice rose. “Do you think a creature that powerful would come alone if not to destroy?”

  “Captain!” Lieutenant Ryel called from the left side of the tower. “Plasma spear is ready! We need your coordinates now!”

  My hand trembled as I reached for my ion staff. The wind on the tower’s peak lashed my face, carrying the scent of ozone and scorched earth. Below, our forces were ready. Five plasma launchers, three lines of magic archers, and an Aetherial unit. But none of them moved.

  Zepharyx descended like a falling star. Silent. Only the wind shattered.

  “Now!” Elsin shouted.

  The first bolt struck. A silver-blue light tore through the sky, hitting the dragon’s chest. He groaned. But did not fall. He circled in the air, opened his jaws, and slammed the ground with a spinning gale. Its shockwave reached our tower. I was flung back, hitting the stone wall.

  Pain. But what made me shiver was the sound… a faint roar that didn’t want to be heard. Like... a sob. Like the voice of a creature who knew it would die, and still chose to fight.

  Zepharyx turned, and for a fraction of a second, his eyes met mine. Those eyes... weren’t a dragon’s. They were the eyes of something that once dreamed.

  “Something’s wrong,” I whispered. But no one heard. Everyone was busy. Everyone focused.

  From the eastern cliff, I saw it—The Aether Lance. The plasma spear. Our last weapon.

  “Captain! Wait—”

  “Too late!” Elsin snapped. “Fire!”

  Blue light blazed. The sky cracked again. The sound of plasma tore the air like a howling thunder.

  Zepharyx reeled midair, staggered, then fell, tearing through the mountainside. A mist of debris swallowed our view.

  Everyone cheered. But I didn’t.

  I kept staring at where the creature I once secretly adored had fallen. My stomach felt hollow, as if pierced from within.

  God of Wind... forgive us.

  And more than that—forgive me.

  Because I knew...

  I was part of this destruction.

  And there’s no turning back time.