ETERNAL FLAME (The Dragon's Bride)

Three Thousand Years Ago (Kingdom of Draventhia) (Axel's POV) The skies were on fire. The once-lush valleys of Draventhia, the homeland of my kind, now blazed with crimson flames that reached into the smoke-filled sky. I raced through the collapsing corridors of what was once my ancestral home. Ancient stone walls that had stood for millennia crumbled around me, destroyed by the cursed weapons of dragon hunters. Screams echoed through the choking air—the death cries of my people, my brothers and sisters, who trusted me to protect them. I failed them all. What was I thinking would come out of a relationship between a dragon and a human girl. But Sera! Oh she was everything I'd ever wished for. She saw me beyond the monster her kind thought me to be and loved me like no one ever had. "Sera!" My voice tore from my throat as I searched desperately for her. Screams of pain and the crash of falling stone thundered through the chaos. "Sera, where are you?" Panic clawed at my chest as fear gripped me. She should’ve been in the eastern wing in the library but she wasn't. I kicked away fallen stones and burst forward through the temple where we had taken our vow three moons agoand there she was. Stumbling through the debris. Her white dress was torn and stained with soot. Blood trickled from her forehead. Her dark hair fell wildly around her shoulders, and her emerald eyes were wide with fear. But she was alive. By the gods, she was alive. "Axel!" she cried, running into my arms. I caught her and held her close, as tightly as I could. She collapsed into me, sobbing into my chest. "I thought... I thought I’d lost you." "No. I’m here," I whispered, kissing her hair. "I will always be here." Then I heard them. The heavy stomp of boots on stone. "They're coming," I said, pulling back to cup her face. "We have to go." "What about the others?" she asked, her hands clasped tightly together. "They didn’t make it," I said quietly, unable to meet her eyes. "No." Her voice cracked. "All of them?" "The Blackthorne clan came prepared. Their weapons were forged to kill our kind, iron cursed by blood magic. We didn’t stand a chance." "No… No. This is all my fault." "No, Sera. Don’t say that. None of us wanted this. But we have to move—now." I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me. We ran through the burning halls. My arm wrapped around her waist as the hunters closed in behind us, howling like wolves. "This way," I said, guiding her toward a hidden passage that led to the forest. If we could just reach the tree line, I could shift. We could fly to safety. "We’re almost there," I told her. But then an arrow flew out of nowhere. I heard the whistle a split second before it struck. I turned, but too late. The arrow pierced Sera’s back. The cursed metal glowed with dark magic as it went through her heart. My blood froze. She gasped—Her eyes went wide. Then pain. Then confusion. Crimson bloomed across her white dress like spilled wine. I caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her gently. Her blood was warm, soaking into my hands. “No,” I whispered. “No, no, no. Stay with me. Please, Sera. Just hold on.” "Axel… my sweet dragon…" she choked, blood bubbling from her lips. "Don’t talk," I said, trying to stay strong. "You’re going to be fine." "I… I’m so cold." She whispered lightly. "Don’t you dare," I growled, holding her closer. "Don’t you dare leave me. My blood can heal you. I can—" "No." Her trembling hand touched my cheek, leaving a crimson smear. "The arrow… it’s cursed. Your dragon magic won’t work. You know this." "There has to be something. I’ll get you to someone who can help—" "Axel." Her fingers found mine. "Look at me." I met her gaze and my heart broke. The light in her eyes, the spark I fell in love with, was already fading. "I’m dying," she said softly. "No." I shook my head, the tears now pouring in torrents. "You're not. I won’t let you. I’ll tear this realm apart before I let you go." A sad smile crossed her lips. "Axel…" Her breath was shallow. Her voice weaker. "There’s something I need you to do." "Anything. Just tell me." She reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out a pendant—an obsidian stone carved into the shape of a dragon, hanging on a silver chain. It had been my first gift to her, a token of my love. "Take this," she whispered, pressing it into my palm. "Bind it… with my soul." "Sera, what are you saying?" "Use your magic," she urged. "Anchor my spirit to this world. I don’t want to go somewhere you can’t follow." Her words struck like a blade to the chest. What she asked… it was possible. But dangerous. Binding her soul to the pendant meant she wouldn’t pass on. She’d be trapped. Lost. Until reborn. "It’s too dangerous," I said, my voice cracking. "What if you’re lost forever? I can’t bear—" "Listen to me, Axel. I don’t have much time." Tears blurred my vision. "Bind me to it. My soul. Before I pass. Promise me." "Sera—" "I will come back to you. I promise," she whispered. "I’ll be reborn. I’ll find you again. Our love is eternal, Axel. I’ll find you in another lifetime… I swear it." “No,” I whispered. “I can’t lose you. Not like this.” She smiled, and it shattered what little was left of me. "You won’t. Promise you'll wait for me." I looked into her fading eyes. How could I deny her anything? "I promise," I said. "However long it takes, I’ll wait." I clutched the pendant with trembling hands. “I don’t know how to live without you.” "You won’t have to. I’ll come back. I’ll always come back to you." Her eyes began to close. "Say the words, Axel. Bind me." I sobbed as I pressed the pendant to her chest and whispered the ancient spell. The pendant glowed, then darkened, sealing her soul within. And then… she was gone. The woman who was my everything, my light in the darkness was dead in my arms. “No… no… SERAAAA!” I roared, my heart breaking into a thousand pieces. The ground trembled at my cry. The flames bent away. Even the smoke seemed to recoil from my grief. With trembling hands, I closed her eyes and pressed a final kiss to her forehead. Footsteps echoed through the forest behind me. The hunters—drawn by my scream. I rose slowly, gently laying Sera’s body down and backing toward the hidden passage. "Find the dragon!" someone shouted. "He can't have gone far!" They were wrong. I was already gone—not just from this place, but from the man I once was. They say I vanished that night. They say I became a shadow of rage and vengeance. They were right. I hunted them. Every last dragon hunter. I tracked their bloodlines for centuries. Burned their homes to ash. Crushed their legacies. Etched their names in stone before turning them to dust. It still wasn’t enough. So I waited. For three thousand years, I waited. My castle became ruins. I watched empires rise and fall. The age of dragons faded like candlelight. My name became legend. A bedtime tale. But I lived. I searched. Because she promised she’d return. And I’ll be here. Waiting. Always and forever.