The Eternal Dragon's call

The Red Sanctuary

Stop breathing if you want to live."

Xavier landed hard on a pile of something that crunched under his boots. It sounded like brittle bone. He tried to stand, but his legs gave way. He gasped, his lungs feeling tight. A sickly, green fog curled around his feet.

"Get up, Xavier," Lyra yelled. She grabbed his arm. She pulled him toward a wall. "Move. Now."

"I cannot," Xavier grunted. He felt like lead. He looked down. The ground was covered in white, calcified ribs. They were dragons. Dozens of them, dead for years. "Look at them. This place is a tomb."

"It is a trap," Lyra hissed. She pointed at the ceiling. "Look."

A shadow dropped from above. It was made of brass and cold steel. It looked like a gargoyle with wings that sawed through the air. It shrieked, a sound like grinding metal, and dived straight for Xavier’s head.

Xavier raised his hand. He tried to summon his fire, but nothing happened. He just felt cold, thin air. His body was failing him.

"Move," Lyra screamed.

She stepped in front of him. She did not use a sword. She raised her hands, and the air around her turned purple. A wave of dark energy exploded outward. The gargoyle shattered in mid-air. It broke into a thousand tiny metal pieces that clattered against the stone floor.

Xavier stared at her. His chest heaved.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Don't," Lyra said. She wiped sweat from her forehead. "Just stand up."

Another gargoyle shrieked from the dark. Then another. They were coming from everywhere. Lyra spun around. Her hands were glowing again. She looked different. Her eyes were not human anymore. They were dark, bottomless voids.

"You are not a spy," Xavier said. He crawled toward her. He felt ashamed. He felt like a child, watching her do the work while he rotted. "Who are you?"

"I am someone trying to keep you alive," Lyra yelled. She slammed her hand into the floor. A spike of shadow burst up and skewered a mechanical beast. It fell dead. "Get behind me."

"No," Xavier growled. He forced himself to his feet. He felt his scales twitching. He hated this. He hated that he had to rely on a woman who lied to his face. "Why do you have that magic? That belongs to the shadow nobility. You are not from the Dominion."

Lyra ignored him. She swung her arm. A whip of darkness lashed out and crushed the last gargoyle.

The room went silent. The only sound was the hissing of the green gas. It was rising fast. It reached their knees now.

Xavier grabbed her. He spun her around and shoved her back against a stone pillar. He was taller, and for the first time, he felt a flicker of real anger.

"Tell me," Xavier said. He was panting. He looked into her eyes, which were fading back to normal. "That magic—it is death. It is the void. Only the elite use that. Why are you here?"

Lyra looked at him. She was tired. Her mask was finally gone. She looked like she had been holding her breath for years.

"Because I am not just a spy," she whispered. Her voice shook. "I am the one who was supposed to rule those families. I am the one they tried to kill when the war started."

Xavier let go of her. He leaned his forehead against the pillar. The gas was at his waist now. His skin felt like it was burning.

"So you are a noble," he said. He sounded bitter. "Great. Just what I needed."

"I am a traitor," Lyra snapped. She shoved him back. "I am a traitor because I saw what they did to people like you. I saw what they did to your kind. I spent my whole life hiding in the dirt, learning their own magic so I could destroy them."

"Why tell me now?" Xavier asked.

"Because we are going to die in this tomb," Lyra said. She pointed to the wall behind them. "Look."

Xavier turned. The green gas cleared for a second. The far wall was covered in carvings. But as he watched, the stone began to glow with a deep, pulsing red light.

It was a map of the land.

He saw the mountains, the rivers, and the capital city. A line of crimson light started to trace a path across the stone. It moved like blood. It crawled over the ruins, over the forests, and finally, it stopped at the heart of the empire.

A symbol flashed there. It was the Silent Blade.

"That is where they have him," Xavier whispered. His blood turned to ice. "That is the execution site."

"It is not just a weapon," Lyra said. She looked at the map with wide, terrified eyes. "Read the script underneath."

Xavier squinted. He read the ancient words. His heart stopped.

"It says the blade does not end the war," Xavier said. His voice was a thin, trembling thread. "It says it consumes the soul of the one who holds it. It is not an artifact. It is an executioner."

"For who?" Lyra asked.

Xavier pointed at the center of the map. The crimson trail did not stop at the blade. It looped back. It circled the entire land, binding it all together in one red, glowing chain.

"For everything," Xavier said.

The ground beneath them groaned. The walls began to vibrate. The green gas hissed as it rose to their chests.

"We have to leave," Lyra said. She grabbed his hand. Her grip was tight. "Now."

Xavier looked at the map one last time. The crimson light was growing brighter. It felt like a heartbeat. It felt like a warning.

"We are walking into a trap," Xavier said.

"We are walking to the only place that matters," Lyra replied.

The door behind them began to slam shut. The sanctuary was dying, and they were still inside.

"Can you run?" she asked.

Xavier looked at his hand. He looked at the scales. He felt a flicker of the dragon inside him. It was scared, but it was awake.

"I can do more than run," he said.

He didn't wait for her. He lunged toward the exit. He felt the heat in his veins. He felt the, weight of the lie he was living.

They hit the doorway just as the ceiling started to crumble. Behind them, the red map flared once, a blinding flash of blood-light that burned the image into his memory forever.

They were in the hallway again. But it was not over.

The citadel was waking up. The alarms were changing. They weren't just sirens anymore. They were rhythmic, deep, and heavy.

They sounded like a drum.

Xavier stopped. He looked back down the hall.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

Lyra paled.

"That is not the alarms," she whispered. "That is a heartbeat."

The floor beneath them buckled. They fell forward, sliding down a ramp of slick, cold metal. Below them, a massive chamber opened up.

It was filled with light.

And in the center of the light, trapped in a cage of pure, white Aether, something was moving.

It was large. It was ancient. And it was looking right at them.

Xavier’s breath caught in his throat.

"Ignis?" he whispered.

The creature opened its eyes. They were gold, burning, and filled with a pain so deep it made Xavier’s own soul bleed.

"Xavier," the voice roared in his mind, not a whisper this time, but a command that shook the very foundations of the earth. "Run."

The cage shattered.

The citadel went dark.

And then, the sound of metal tearing—it was the loudest thing he had ever heard.