The Rise of The Fallen Dragon Lord

Fire lit up the night sky over Cloudreach City. Donny Fen ran through the halls, his small feet slapping against the stone floor. He was seven years old. He did not understand why men with swords were killing people he knew since birth. "Father!" he shouted. He turned a corner and stopped. His father, Fen Wei, stood in the main hall with a sword in his hand. Blood covered his white robe. Six men lay dead around him. But more men kept coming. "Donny, stay back!" his father shouted. Donny froze by the door. He wanted to help, but he had no strength. He was just a boy. A tall man walked into the hall. He wore black armor. His face was old, but his eyes were sharp and cold. It was Grandfather Fen. Donny blinked hard. This did not make sense. Why was Grandfather here with these men? Why did the guards let him pass? "Father, why?" Fen Wei asked, breathing hard. "Why are you doing this?" Grandfather Fen smiled. It was not a kind smile. "You were never fit to lead this clan," he said. "You are weak. You care too much about the people. A leader must be strong. He must take what he wants." "You are my father!" Fen Wei shouted. "I trusted you!" "That is your mistake," Grandfather Fen said. He raised his hand. More men rushed into the hall from every door. Fen Wei turned and fought. His sword moved fast. He cut down two men, then three. But there were too many. A guard grabbed Donny from behind. "Young master, we must go now!" "No! My father needs me!" Donny screamed and kicked, but the guard was too strong. He carried Donny out of the hall and down a dark hallway. Behind them, Donny heard his mother scream. "Mother!" Donny cried out. The guard did not stop. He ran faster, down stone steps, into a tunnel under the clan hall. Water dripped from the walls. It was cold and dark. "Where are we going?" Donny asked, tears on his face. "Away from here. Your father told me to protect you no matter what happens." They ran through the tunnel for a long time. Donny could still hear fighting far above them. Then it went quiet. Too quiet. The guard stopped at the end of the tunnel. A door stood in front of them, covered in vines. He pushed it open. Cold night air rushed in. They stood at the edge of a cliff, above a wide, fast river. "This leads out of the city," the guard said. "You must cross the river and keep going. Do not stop for anyone." "What about you? What about my parents?" The guard knelt down and looked Donny in the eyes. "Listen to me. Your parents want you to live. That is all that matters now." Footsteps echoed in the tunnel behind them. Men were coming. The guard stood up fast. "Go now!" "I'm scared!" "I know. Go!" Donny ran to the edge of the cliff. He looked back one more time. Three men in black armor stepped out of the tunnel. The guard drew his sword. "Run, young master! Don't look back!" The guard charged at the men. Steel hit steel. Donny heard a cry of pain, but he did not know whose voice it was. He jumped. Cold water swallowed him whole. The river pulled him under, spun him around, and pushed him downstream fast. He could not swim well. He fought to reach the surface, gasping for air, then went under again. Rocks scraped his arms and legs. He swallowed water. His body felt heavy and cold. He thought about his mother and father. He thought he might die here, in this river, far from home. Then everything went black. Far away, in a place hidden by clouds and tall mountains, a man and woman stood on a high peak. The man looked like an older version of Fen Wei. The woman had the same gentle eyes as Donny's mother. "It is done," the man said. "Cloudreach City believes we are dead." The woman did not look happy. She looked out over the clouds with worry on her face. "And our son?" she asked. "What happens to him now?" "He must grow strong on his own. That was the plan." "He is seven years old! He is alone in the world now, and he does not even know why!" The man's face turned hard. "If he cannot survive this, then he was never meant to carry our name. The Fen bloodline must be strong, or it means nothing." The woman closed her eyes. Tears fell down her face. "You are cruel," she whispered. "I am doing what must be done," the man said. "One day, he will understand. One day, he will thank us." The woman said nothing more. She turned away and looked at the horizon, where somewhere far below, her son was fighting for his life in cold water, thinking his parents were dead. ***** Back in Cloudreach City, morning came. Smoke still rose from the broken clan hall. Grandfather Fen stood in front of his men, now wearing fine robes instead of armor. A soldier ran up to him and bowed. "Master Fen, we found the boy's trail. It leads to the river outside the city." "And?" "The river is fast and full of rocks, Master. No child could survive that fall. We believe he is dead." Grandfather Fen nodded slowly. A small smile touched his lips. "Good. Then there is no one left to challenge me." He turned and walked toward the clan hall, where servants were already cleaning the blood from the floor. "Tell everyone in the city that bandits attacked the Fen Clan," he said. "Tell them Fen Wei and his wife died trying to protect their people. Tell them the young master died with them." "Yes, Master Fen." "And find the guard's body. Make sure no one finds it strange." The soldier bowed again and walked away. Grandfather Fen stood alone in the hall, looking at the broken furniture and dead bodies still being carried out. He felt no guilt. Only satisfaction. "This clan is mine now," he said quietly. "No boy, no matter how strong his blood, could take that from me." But even as he said this, a servant girl stood hidden behind a pillar, watching him. She had served Donny's mother for many years. She saw everything that happened last night. She saw Grandfather Fen give the order to attack. She knew the truth. And she knew that if Grandfather Fen ever found out she saw him, she would be next. Quietly, she slipped away into the crowd, her mind racing. She had to find a way to warn someone. She had to find a way to make this right. But who could she trust in a city that now belonged completely to a murderer? **** Downstream, far from the city, Donny's body washed up on a muddy riverbank. He was not moving. His skin was pale and cold. Around him, tall grass swayed gently in the wind. A pair of boots stepped closer to his body. An old man looked down at the boy, his eyes studying him carefully. "A child," the old man muttered. "Alone, in this place? That is strange." He knelt down and checked for breath. There was a faint pulse. The boy was alive, but barely. The old man's eyes narrowed as he looked closer at the boy's face and the torn clothes he wore. He saw a mark on Donny's wrist, hidden under mud and blood. His eyes widened. "This mark," he whispered. "This cannot be true." He looked around quickly, then picked Donny up in his arms. "If I am right about who you are, boy," he said quietly, "you have no idea what kind of trouble is coming for you." He walked away from the river, carrying Donny into the thick forest, disappearing from sight just as heavy footsteps approached from the other side of the riverbank. Soldiers sent by Grandfather Fen were searching the water's edge, looking for any sign of the missing boy. They found nothing. No body. No boy. Just muddy footprints leading into the trees, already fading in the wind.