CHAPTER 4
924 Words
LYRA
I run to the temple balcony, the red dress billowing behind me like living fire.
The sky is covered by black clouds, and the shadows move like predators in the darkness.
I smell them before I even see them.
Werewolves.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
“They came…” I whisper, clenching my fists.
The Dragon King appears behind me, his black cloak open, revealing a body covered in old scars.
His golden eyes shine with fury.
“Dragons!” he roars, his voice echoing through the temple like thunder. “Protect your queen!”
Screams and wingbeats fill the air.
Human bodies begin to dissolve, giving way to massive, scaly, winged forms.
The sky fills with dragons.
The ground, with werewolves.
I have never seen a war so beautiful and terrible.
And then, in the middle of the chaos, I see him.
Kael.
He stands among the other werewolves, eyes locked on me like blades.
His sword is in his hand.
The same cold stare from when he gave me away.
The same hatred.
“Traitor!” he shouts, pointing the sword in my direction. “You should be dead! And now you're marrying a… beast!”
My heart races.
The king immediately pulls me behind him, like a living shield.
“No one will touch my queen,” he growls, his eyes glowing pure gold.
“She’s not queen of anything!” Kael steps forward.“She’s a lie. A disgrace. A freak!”
The pain in his words is real.
But now, it’s also meaningless.
I am more than the rejected.
More than the offering.
More than he can comprehend.
Kael lets out a roar and raises the sword.
“Werewolves! Get her!”
I run, heart pounding in my chest, but I’m not fast enough.
Three werewolves surround me.
One of them shoves me hard.
I hit the stone floor with my shoulder, the dress tears, my skin burns.
They grab me roughly, pinning my arms, even as I fight, even as I scream.
“No!” I yell, kicking, struggling.
And then, I see it.
Kael and the king face off in the center of the temple.
The king is still in human form, but his eyes glow, claws already partly out.
Kael charges with blind fury.
His sword is silver, engraved with runes.
No… that sword…
It’s the Blood Dagger.
It’s the only weapon made to kill an ancient dragon.
“No!” I scream, my voice tearing through the air. “STOP!”
Kael runs, and the king tries to transform.
Wings begin to sprout.
Scales rise on his skin.
But it’s too late.
The dagger pierces the king’s chest with a dull, cruel sound.
He roars in pain and falls to his knees.
Black blood spills onto the white stone.
“No!” I scream so loud my throat tears.
Something inside me shatters.
And then… there’s no more control.
Something in me — something that slept, something ancient, monstrous — awakens.
The stones beneath me begin to burn.
The air turns thick, suffocating.
My eyes burn.
My hands are covered in scales.
Claws emerge.
The werewolves holding me scream as fire erupts from within me, consuming them alive.
I rise amid the flames, my hair blazing like flaming serpents.
I feel the wings spread, cutting through the air.
My eyes… I see their reflection in a fallen sword. They are pure fire.
“YOU GAVE ME UP TO DIE!” I shout at Kael, my voice deeper, more animalistic. “I’M NOT YOURS ANYMORE!”
He turns to me, surprised, breathless, holding the dagger now stained with the king’s blood.
“Lyra…”
But it’s too late.
A jet of fire shoots from my throat, hitting the ground between us with fury.
Werewolves around us scream and run.
Some burn alive.
Kael charges again.
Now, the dagger is pointed at me.
“No!” the king yells, even wounded, rising with effort. “She is mine!”
With his last ounce of strength, he intercepts Kael, grabbing his arm and throwing him against a pillar.
Kael falls, coughing blood, but looks at me with eyes full of shock.
“What… what have you become?”
“Justice,” I growl, walking toward him with claws glowing in fire.
Dragons fly above us.
Werewolves retreat.
The temple is in ruins.
But I am standing.
Amid the ashes.
Amid fire and blood.
“I am what you all created.”
Kael tries to get up, but collapses, his body covered in burns.
Behind me, the king staggers.
I run to him and catch him before he falls again.
I pull the dagger from his chest, watching his skin heal quickly.
I breathe in relief as his hands touch my face.
“You burned them for me.”
“I’d burn the whole world…”, I whisper, tears in my eyes.
I look at Kael with anger, seeing his eyes watching us intently.
“Look at what you’ve become, Lyra. A beast like him. The Dragon King’s whore.”
I feel my hands heating up again, but the king holds them, as if asking me to control myself this time.
I look at him, and he holds my hand.
“Your power could burn the whole world with just one simple move, Lyra.”
“You think that beast will love you like I do?” he keeps shouting, and I take a deep breath.
I look at the mark on my wrist.
I am not the same anymore.
- Writer
