The Dragon's Call

Chapter 0 - Prologue

Ascklees felt the chilled wind blasting across his fleeing body, the icy gusts cutting through his dark, iridescent scales like shards of glass. The cold was usually his ally, a comfort that embraced him like an old friend. But tonight, it was a relentless enemy, urging him to fly faster, to escape the relentless pursuit of the dragon at his tail.

The wind whipped through his wings, frost forming on the tips of his scales, making them glitter faintly in the pale moonlight. Below him, the jagged peaks of northern Saileora were blanketed in snow, a treacherous landscape that seemed to mirror the turmoil within his heart. The snow-covered mountains, usually his sanctuary, now offered no refuge. He was exposed, his dark form a shadow against the white expanse, a target too easy for the eyes of his pursuer.

Ascklees dismissed the idea of hiding himself in the snow. He couldn't afford to slow down, not with the icy breath of his sister so close behind. Her teeth snapped inches from his flesh, her growl a low rumble that sent shivers down his spine. He flapped his wings harder, each beat a desperate attempt to gain more speed as he raced toward the sea.

The sea, he thought. What will I do when I reach the sea? It was a question that had no easy answer, but he couldn't turn back now. His options were as vast and empty as the ocean before him—an endless mirror reflecting the star-studded sky, an endless grave waiting to claim him.

"You'll tire eventually!" Vidya's voice cut through the howling wind, her words laced with chilling aggression. "I'll never let you destroy the world we've created!"

Ascklees didn't reply. There was no time for words, no time to explain the truth she refused to see. The vast expanse of the ocean spread out before him, the waters dark and foreboding under the light of the moon. The sight of it made his heart pound harder in his chest. It was a final boundary, a last hope, and yet, it felt like a trap, a place where his fate would be sealed.

He felt Vidya's cold scales brush against his tail, her claws scraping the air just inches away. In a desperate maneuver, Ascklees tucked in his wings and dove sharply, the wind screaming in his ears as he plunged toward the ocean's surface. At the last moment, he flared his wings, pulling up and zigzagging to the left and right, hoping to throw her off his trail.

The water below seemed boundless and unforgiving, a dark void that stretched out into eternity. He wondered, in that fleeting moment, if it would be better to let his sister kill him now or risk drowning in the open sea. But he couldn't give up, not yet. Maybe, just maybe, Vidya would tire first, giving him a slim chance to escape.

But as he looked back, the hope that had flickered in his heart was extinguished. Vidya was relentless, her ice-blue eyes locked onto him with a determination that cut deeper than any blade. He knew there would be no escape—not from her, not from Rykre's command that had turned his own sister against him.

A sudden impact from above drove Ascklees into the freezing depths of the ocean, the cold water swallowing him whole. Panic surged through him as he tried to yelp, but only bubbles escaped his mouth, rising swiftly to the surface. The water was an icy abyss, numbing his limbs, the pressure crushing him from all sides.

Vidya's white scales gleamed ominously as she descended, her claws digging into his shoulders, driving him deeper into the darkness. The cold was unbearable, seeping into his very bones, and for a moment, Ascklees wondered if this was truly the end. Was this where his story would end, in the freezing depths of the sea, killed by the sister who once loved him?

But he wasn't ready to die. Not like this.

With a mighty effort, Ascklees flung Vidya off, his powerful wings propelling him upward. The water roared around him as he surged toward the surface, his lungs burning for air. When he broke through, gasping for breath, the night was silent except for the lapping of the waves against his scales. But he knew Vidya wasn't far behind.

Both dragons erupted from the water, droplets cascading from their scales like diamonds in the moonlight. Ascklees turned to face Vidya, maintaining a wary distance. The moonlight illuminated their forms—his dark scales shimmering with a cold, inner light, her white scales glowing with a fierce, unyielding brilliance. He shook the water from his wings, baring his teeth in a defiant snarl.

"You don't understand," Ascklees growled, his voice rough with desperation. "Saileora won't survive without me!"

"Saileora won't survive with you!" Vidya hissed, her voice trembling with a mix of cold and conviction. "You are a threat, Ascklees! You don't understand!"

Her words stung, not because of their harshness, but because they came from someone who had once been his closest ally, his protector. Vidya didn't understand. None of the dragons did. They saw him as a threat, a force of destruction, but they didn't see the necessity, the balance he brought. There was no kindness in her eyes, only icy blue hatred—a hatred born of fear and manipulation.

Ascklees searched Vidya's face, looking for any trace of doubt, any sign that she still cared for him, that she might be swayed. But all he saw was the resolute determination of a dragon who believed she was doing the right thing, a dragon who had been convinced by Rykre's lies.

"Do you believe them? Rykre?" Ascklees asked, his voice tinged with sorrow.

"Let me do my job," Vidya growled through clenched teeth, her wings beating with renewed vigor.

"Not if you don't want to," Ascklees pleaded, his voice wavering as he made one last attempt to reach the sister he loved.

"Ascklees," Vidya warned, her voice as cold as the icy winds that whipped through the air. "You are not talking your way out of this like you always do. You are not leaving here alive."

Her words were final, a death sentence delivered with the icy precision of a blade. Ascklees took a deep, shaky breath, knowing it might be his last. He could see now that Vidya's mind was made up, shaped by their rigid upbringing, by her unwavering loyalty to Rykre and the elder dragons. She would never betray them, even if it meant killing her own brother.

With a final, mournful glance at his sister—one that she didn't return—Ascklees made his decision. He stopped fighting. He let his wings fall to his sides, let the cold wind whip around him without resistance. If this was the end, then he would face it with dignity, with the hope that his death would be the catalyst for the truth to be revealed.

Vidya struck swiftly, her claws tearing through his scales, piercing his heart with a force that sent a shockwave of pain through his entire being. Ascklees let out a final roar, one filled with pain, regret, and a deep, abiding sorrow. Then he fell, his body tumbling through the air before it was swallowed by the dark, icy waters of the ocean below.

Ascklees sank slowly into the abyss, the light of the moon fading above him as he descended into the depths. The water was cold, but it was a familiar cold, one that embraced him like an old friend. He closed his eyes, letting the darkness take him, knowing that this was not truly the end.

For the Dragon of Death never truly dies.