Dragon Maid:

Title: Dragon Maid: Rekindled Flame Chapter 1: The Book That Shouldn’t Exist The snow hadn’t melted yet in the city above the clouds. Mei stood at the edge of the balcony, her apron flapping like a flag in the wind. Below her, nobles sipped wine, laughter spilling across golden halls. But Mei's eyes weren’t on them. They were on the worn leather-bound book hidden under the folds of her skirt. The Book of Infernalis. A volume that should have never survived the Dragon War. A book that spoke of flames that remember. Names that burn. Truths that kingdoms buried. And worst of all — maids who vanished, forgotten between worlds. She gripped it tighter. If this was true… then her entire life had been a lie. “Mei!” called Rikka, her fellow maid. “You’ll miss the prince’s procession!” The prince — her only friend left in this world, the one entrusted with her legacy. She had already packed her final message for him, sealed with her insignia and scent — something the wind dragons could trace if she never returned. He wouldn’t understand now, but someday… maybe he would. Mei turned, her eyes calm, but fierce. “Tell the prince I’ve gone to chase the story behind the flame.” Rikka’s brows furrowed. “What? Mei, you’re not—!” But she was already gone. --- Inside the royal library’s sealed archives, the air hung still. Dust shimmered like stardust. Mei flipped through the forbidden book one last time. Drawings of maids trapped in eternal fire. Scripts about a Dragon World, where servants once ruled like queens before being betrayed by their own kind. At the final page: “To return to the origin, step through the hollow flame and remember your name.” Her fingers trembled. This was madness. But so was letting others disappear like she nearly had. She placed her palm on the ember-shaped sigil. Heat pulsed. The room grew brighter—then darker—as light bent inward. --- With a final glance behind, Mei leapt into the portal. --- Fire. Sky. Wind. She landed hard on scorched ground, coughing. The air smelled of ash and something ancient. Above her stretched a blood-red sky — and in the distance, a mountain carved like a sleeping dragon. This was not the palace. This was not Earth. And she was no longer just a maid. She stood, brushing soot off her uniform, spine straightening with purpose. A strange glow pulsed beneath her collarbone — her contract sigil from the prince. Even here, it responded. “Time to find out what they tried to erase,” she whispered, drawing a blade hidden in her thigh-high boots. Flames sparked to life around her. A new story was beginning. ---