The Rise of The Fallen Dragon Lord

Chapter 5

Mira's footsteps stopped right outside the cave.

Donny held his breath, gripping Old Bo's sword tight in his small hands. His whole body shook, but he stayed still, hidden behind a rock near the cave entrance.

"I can smell blood," Mira said loudly. "You cannot hide from me forever, Old Bo."

Old Bo lay against the cave wall, weak from his wounds. He looked at Donny and mouthed one word: *Run.*

Donny shook his head. He would not leave.

Mira stepped into the cave slowly, her thin blade glowing faintly in the dark. Her eyes scanned the shadows until they landed on Old Bo, slumped against the wall.

"There you are," she said, smiling. "And where is the boy?"

She looked around, but did not see Donny hiding behind the rock. Donny's heart pounded so loud he was sure she could hear it.

Mira walked closer to Old Bo, ignoring the rest of the cave. "Tell me where the boy went, and I might let you live."

"You already know I won't tell you anything," Old Bo said weakly.

Mira sighed. "Then I guess I will have to find him myself, after I deal with you."

She raised her blade. Donny's mind raced. If he did nothing, Old Bo would die. If he jumped out now, he might die too. But he remembered his father, fighting until the very end, even when the fight seemed impossible.

Donny jumped out from behind the rock and swung the sword hard at Mira's back.

Mira spun around fast, blocking the attack with her own blade, but the surprise made her stumble back a step.

"You," she said, eyes narrowing. "Brave, but foolish."

"Leave him alone!" Donny shouted, raising the sword again, even though his arms shook from the weight of it.

Mira laughed, but there was less confidence in it now. "You really think you can fight me, boy?"

She lunged forward fast. Donny barely blocked her strike, the force of it knocking him backward into the cave wall. Pain shot through his arms, but he did not drop the sword.

"Impressive," Mira said, studying him closely now. "For a child with no training, you have decent instincts."

She attacked again, faster this time. Donny dodged to the side, remembering the moves Old Bo showed him briefly the day before, using her own momentum to slip past her attack instead of blocking it head on.

Mira's eyes widened slightly, surprised he avoided her strike.

"Where did you learn that move?" she asked.

"None of your business," Donny said, copying Old Bo's earlier words to the Scorpion g**g leader.

Mira's face twisted in anger. She swung harder now, faster, no longer holding back. Donny barely kept up, blocking one strike after another, his arms burning with pain.

Then Mira's blade cut across his forearm. Donny cried out, dropping the sword as blood ran down his arm.

Mira stood over him, blade raised for a final strike. "This ends now."

Just as she swung down, Old Bo moved. Using the last of his strength, he threw a rock hard, hitting Mira's wrist. Her blade missed Donny by inches, striking the ground instead.

"You just don't know when to stay down," Mira growled at Old Bo.

She turned back toward Donny, anger burning in her eyes. But as she raised her blade again, something strange happened. The mark on Donny's wrist, the same one Old Bo noticed days ago, began to glow faintly.

Mira froze, staring at the glowing mark.

"That is..." she whispered, her voice suddenly filled with fear instead of confidence. "That cannot be real."

Donny looked down at his own wrist, confused. He had never seen it glow before. He did not even know what the mark meant.

"What is it?" Donny asked, his voice shaking.

Mira took a step back, her sword lowering slightly. "That mark... it means you carry the true bloodline. Not just a distant relation. The real one."

"What does that mean?" Donny asked again, more forceful this time.

Mira's eyes darted between Donny and Old Bo, calculating something quickly in her mind. Then, without warning, she turned and ran out of the cave.

"Wait!" Donny shouted after her, confused.

"Let her go," Old Bo said weakly from the ground. "She will report this back to Grandfather Fen immediately. This changes everything."

Donny rushed to Old Bo's side, tearing a piece of his own shirt to press against Old Bo's wound. "What does the mark mean, Old Bo? Please, tell me the truth now."

Old Bo winced in pain but nodded slowly. "That mark, the one on your wrist, only appears on the true heir of your bloodline. Not just any child born into your family. The one meant to carry your family's ancient power."

"But why does Grandfather Fen want this power so badly?" Donny asked.

"Because without the true heir," Old Bo said, "the power is locked away forever. Even if he killed everyone in your family, without you, everything he did was pointless. He needs you alive, and he needs you to accept the power willingly."

Donny's mind raced. "So that is why he did not just kill me from the start. He was hoping I would die on my own out here, but still hoping someone would find me and bring me back."

"Exactly," Old Bo said. "And now that Mira saw your mark glow, Grandfather Fen will know for certain that you are the true heir. He will not stop until he finds you again."

Donny's hands trembled, but not from fear this time. Anger built up inside him instead. "Then I will make sure I am ready when he comes for me."

Old Bo studied Donny's face for a long moment, seeing something new in his eyes. Determination. Strength growing where fear used to be.

"If you truly mean that," Old Bo said, "then we cannot stay in the Shattered Wilds any longer. Mira knows this location now. We must move to a safer place, somewhere I can begin training you properly."

"Train me for what?" Donny asked.

"For war," Old Bo said simply. "Your grandfather will not stop hunting you. If you want to survive what is coming, you must become strong enough to stand against him and everyone he commands."

Donny looked down at his glowing wrist, the mark slowly fading back to normal skin. He thought about his father, fighting until his very last breath. He thought about his mother's scream, echoing in his memory.

"Then teach me everything," Donny said firmly. "I want to be ready."

Old Bo nodded slowly, but his face looked troubled, like he was thinking about something else entirely.

"There is one more thing you should know," Old Bo said quietly. "The true heir's mark, it does not activate on its own. Someone triggered it just now, during this fight. And that means someone else nearby carries the same bloodline power, close enough to wake yours up."

Donny's eyes widened. "What do you mean? Who else could have that power?"

Old Bo looked toward the cave entrance, his expression dark and uncertain.

"I do not know," he admitted. "But whoever they are, they are close. Closer than we think."