THE FIRE BENEATH HIS SKIN
1491 Words
"I was cursed by the heavens, unlike this human" the Dark dragon Valcanar answered Winter first.
A fire crackles between Winter and Prince Red, casting flickering light upon the shattered carvings of long-forgotten gods of dragon's.
"What's the reason?" Winter clarified. While Prince Red quietly stared into the flames.
“Because I hate human beings. They dream big… too big. And when they reach for those dreams, they e*****e others to build them. The weak, the lost, even the innocent, all just tools for their ambition.”
The dark dragon voice tightens, shadowed with memory. "They use. They destroy. And when power isn’t enough, pride finishes the job. They’ll even kill their own kind, just to prove they’re right. That's why I don't want to be a guardian for you, humans! to all of you. The existence of your kind is so useless! and must be vanished so we can enjoy our stay here on earth." hearing these words from the Dark dragon Winter felt so sad.
Winter softly watched him “Is that what happened to you?”
The Dark dragon glances up, eyes reflecting firelight
“…It’s what happened to everyone, I once knew." The Dark dragon said as he remembered the past, where his brother named Skyrathor, the Red dragon was being abused by a human.
But just after the Dark dragon finished speaking, a loud crunching noise echoed off the rocks. It sounded like a whole group of feet marching in. At the same time, they could hear screams and the rumble of falling rocks, which reverberated throughout the cave, even reaching the farthest corners.
“Red, what’s happening?” Winter gasped as they stumbled over a broken path, the glow of fire reflecting in her eyes.
“They found us,” Red muttered. His tone was low. “But they found something far worse instead.”
The sky split open with a roar. A massive shadow swept across the mountains, blotting out the moon. The Black dragon descended, its wings stirring a storm of cinders and flame.
Winter froze, horror etched into her face. “That thing... it’s real…”
“It’s not a thing,” Red said, turning toward her. “It’s the curse itself.” His gaze softened for the briefest moment. "Now, we have to run.."
Prince Red grabs Winter's hands and they both look for the exit of the cave.
The air outside the cavern was thick with the scent of rain and ash. The night had fallen hard, in which clouds swirled like ink above the jagged peaks.
Prince Red still held Winter’s hand, his grip burning against her skin. His pulse felt like a flame, steady and strong. Behind them, is the echo of the Dark dragon’s roar rippled through the mountain, followed by the unmistakable cries of men, hunters, turning to screams
Running fast, they stopped at a stream. Winter gasped at what had happened. She felt not only fear and apprehension for herself but also the possibility that the Dark Dragon would chase them because they had escaped from the cave.
In a seconds of taking their deep breath. no time to rest. Prince Red looked at her and said, “Winter, you deserve to know before it’s too late.”
Prince Red took a trembling breath, his voice rough as gravel.
“When I was a child, I wasn’t cursed by an enemy. I was cursed by my own kind, the blood of the Firstborn Red Dragon . My father tried to bind the dragons’ rage within me to protect the kingdom. But the seal broke the day you touched that sigil.”
Winter’s eyes widened. “You mean… you’re part of them?”
Prince Red’s lips curved into a bitter smile. “Part dragon. Part human. Neither side truly accepts me.”
A thunderous crash shook the ground, the hunters’ last screams were swallowed by a burst of flame that rolled through the mountain like a tidal wave.
“Red, those people!” Winter cried.
He turned sharply, eyes flash from the cliff side, molten light painted the trees in gold and crimson.
They ran, through the smoke, throughing. “If we stay there, we will die too.”
The heat licked at their backs as he pulled her forward again. Rocks tumbled the burning air, until the cave was only a fiery wound in the distance.
Winter’s legs trembled beneath her. “Why would the Black dragon kill them by burning?”
Red stopped, turning toward the horizon where the beast soared. “Because it knows I live,” he whispered. “And it wants me back."
The wind howled through the forest as he looked down at her, his eyes brighter than the fires behind them.
“Winter,” he said, his voice steady but heavy with sorrow, “you’ve seen too much. From now on…that Dark dragon and the hunters will hunt you too.”
The forest stretched endlessly before them, wild, dark, and ancient. Each tree was gnarled with age, its bark slick with mist. The only light came from the faint shimmer of the sigil that still pulsed weakly beneath Winter’s wrist.
They ran until the smoke from the mountain faded into a dull haze. Finally, Prince Red slowed, his chest heaving as he leaned against the moss-covered stones of a ruined temple buried deep in the woods.
“We’ll rest here,” he said hoarsely. His voice cracked, rough from exhaustion and pain.
Winter looked around. The temple was crumbling, swallowed by vines. Broken pillars lay half-buried in the soil, and the remnants of forgotten carvings, dragons entwined with human figures, peeked through the overgrowth.
“Is this… one of your hide outs?” she asked quietly.
Prince Red’s eyes flickered toward the carvings. “Long before I was born,” he said. “These were places where men and dragons once swore peace. Before greed… and fear.”
Winter knelt beside him, noticing how pale he had grown. Beads of sweat glistened on his skin, but beneath the surface, faint lines of molten gold crawled like veins of fire.
“Red—your skin!” she gasped.
He grimaced, clutching his arm. “It’s starting.”
“Starting? What’s starting?”
“The curse,” he whispered. “The seal that bound the dragon inside me is breaking. Every time I use my power, it weakens.”
His breathing turned ragged. He tried to stand but faltered, his hand bracing against the cracked stone floor. The faint smell of smoke began to rise from his skin.
Winter rushed to his side. “You’re burning up! Let me help you.”
He shook his head violently. “No. don’t come closer.” His voice deepened, echoing strangely, as if another presence spoke beneath it. “If I lose control, I could hurt you.”
“I don’t care!” she cried. “You saved my life, I won’t leave you like this!”
Her words broke something in him. His head bowed, and for a moment, his eyes softened, no longer blazing, but filled with pain and longing.
“Winter…” he breathed. “You shouldn’t care for a monster.”
“Then stop calling yourself one,” she said firmly, her hand trembling as she reached for his face. “You’re not the fire. You’re fighting it.”
He froze under her touch. Then the world went still.. the forest, the ruins, even the wind. Then, suddenly, his pulse flared like lightning. His back arched, a strangled cry escaping his lips as faint outlines of scales shimmered across his neck and shoulders.
The air around them vibrated, heat rippling through the ruins. The dragon’s presence was trying to surface.
Winter, terrified but determined, she pressed her glowing wrist against his chest. The bronze watch on her hand flared in response, light meeting flame.
“Please,” she whispered. “Come back to me.”
The glow expanded, enveloping them both in a soft, golden light. Slowly, his body relaxed... the lines of fire fading back beneath his skin.
He slumped forward, catching himself on one arm, his breath heavy against her shoulder.
“You… stopped it,” he murmured weakly. “How?”
Winter shook her head. “I don’t know.” She looked down at the bronze watch on her wrist, it pulsed once, like a heartbeat, then faded again.
Red looked up at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Maybe… the storm chose you.”
From somewhere far off, a roar echoed, deep, ancient, and furious. The Black dragon was still searching.
Winter’s eyes met Red’s, the reflection of fire dancing in both.
“What happens now?” she asked softly.
Prince Red stood slowly, eyes burning with quiet resolve. “Now,” he said, “we must find the truth. Before the curse consumes me. If not, all humans will be burned."
- Writer
