Heart of Fire

Chapter 1 - Dragon's World

The world smelled of ash and smoke. 

The air heavy with the remnants of things long since burned. 

Beneath it all was the earth. And it was bare. 

You had heard the stories, of course—whispers in the dark corners of the world where humans still dared to gather. The tales were all the same: survive by any means necessary. For as long as you could remember, survival had meant hiding, running, scavenging—anything to avoid the piercing eyes and fiery breath of the dragons.

Dragons. 

You'd laughed at them as a child, thinking they were nothing but some big scaly dogs. But now the very word was enough to chill your blood, even though you had never seen one up close before today. You had watched them from a distance, seen them fly overhead like shadows crossing the sun, their massive wings blotting out the light, leaving darkness in their wake. This was their world, and you were just living in it—if you could even call it living.

Today was different. Today, you were not just surviving; you were being offered up as prey, or perhaps something worse.

Your wrists chafed against the rough rope binding them as you were led to the edge of the cliff. The ground beneath your feet felt brittle, as if it would crumble away at any moment, sending you plummeting into the abyss below. You tried to focus on the ground, tried not to think about what awaited you, but your mind betrayed you. Images of scales, fangs, and burning breath filled your thoughts, twisting your stomach into knots.

The trader who had sold you—a wiry man with a greedy glint in his eyes—nudged you forward with the butt of his spear. "Keep moving," he hissed, his voice low and urgent. "Best to get it over with quick, before it smells your fear."

You agreed. You no longer wanted to fight, you'd tried that and your captors had beat you brutally. Now, you were in pain. And you wanted that pain to end. You could only pray it would be quick. You hoped it would eat you, and your flesh would not burn. 

You stumbled, nearly losing your footing, but managed to stay upright. You had no choice but to move forward, to follow the winding path up the cliffside that led to the dragon's lair. The closer you got, the thicker the air seemed to become, as if the atmosphere itself was tainted by the presence of the creature that awaited you.

Your heart pounded in your chest, each beat louder than the last, until you thought it might drown out the world around you. But even the sound of your own heartbeat couldn't drown out the low rumble that echoed from within the cave—an ominous sound that vibrated through the very stones beneath your feet.

The trader stopped just outside the cave's entrance, his hand resting on your shoulder to keep you in place. He wouldn't go any further; that much was clear. He was as afraid as you were, though he tried to hide it behind a mask of indifference. "Good luck," he muttered, though there was no sincerity in his words. "You'll need it."

And then he was gone, leaving you standing alone before the dark of the dragon's lair.

You took a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves. This was it. The end of your life. Whatever happened next, there would be no going back. You were about to face the one creature that had haunted your nightmares for as long as you could remember.

You stood there for a moment, accepting your death. It was alright, you reassured yourself. It was alright. You had lived a life worth living. And now you would die unafraid. 

With trembling legs, you stepped into the cave.

The darkness swallowed you whole, the air inside cool and damp, a stark contrast to the arid world outside. Your eyes struggled to adjust, but you could make out the faintest glimmer of light deeper within, casting strange shadows on the rough walls.

You didn't have to go far. The rumble you had heard before grew louder, filling the cave with its resonance, until it was more than just sound—it was a presence, something you could feel vibrating in your bones. And then, as your eyes finally adjusted to the dim light, you saw him.

The dragon.

He was immense, far larger than you had ever imagined, his body coiled in the center of the cavern like a mountain of scales and muscle. His skin was the color of molten bronze, glinting in the faint light with an unnatural sheen, his scales overlapping in an intricate pattern that seemed to pulse with life. His wings were folded against his back, but even tucked away, they seemed to fill the space, a reminder of the power they contained.

But it was his eyes that truly caught your attention—burning, golden eyes that seemed to pierce straight through you, pinning you in place. You couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even breathe as those eyes bore into you.

In that moment, time seemed to stop. The world around you faded away, leaving only the two of you—the dragon and his prey. But something strange happened. As your eyes met his, you felt a shift, a crack in the air around you, as if the very fabric of reality had been altered.

The dragon stiffened, his eyes narrowing as he studied you, and you felt a strange pull in your chest, a warmth spreading through your veins that had nothing to do with fear. It was as if something inside you was reaching out, connecting with the creature before you, a bond forming in the space between you.

And then you realized what it was. The stories of soulmates, of bonds that transcended time and species—they were real. And you had just been bound to a dragon.

You wanted to laugh at the hilarity of it, but the dragons eyes kept you silent from fear. You were not out of the woods yet. 

The dragon seemed to sense it too. His eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, you thought you saw a flicker of something—confusion, perhaps, or maybe even fear. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a cold, calculating stare.

You should have been terrified, but instead, all you could feel was the strange warmth that had taken root inside you, spreading through your limbs, easing the tension from your muscles. The bond was real, and it was stronger than anything you had ever felt before.

The dragon tilted his head, his gaze never leaving yours. "What are you?" he rumbled, his voice low and gravelly, reverberating through the cavern like the echo of thunder.

You opened your mouth to speak, but no words came out. How could you possibly explain what was happening when you didn't understand it yourself? But the dragon didn't seem to expect an answer. He shifted his massive body, uncoiling from his resting place and moving closer to you, his movements surprisingly fluid for a creature of his size.

He lowered his head until his snout was just inches from your face, his hot breath washing over you in waves. "I do not know what you are," he said, his voice softer now, almost a whisper, "but I do know this: you are not my prey."

The words sent a shiver down your spine, though you weren't sure if it was from fear or something else. You could feel the bond between you, a connection that seemed to pulse with each beat of your heart, drawing you closer to him even as your mind screamed at you to run.

The dragon's eyes narrowed again, as if he was trying to understand something beyond your comprehension. And then, slowly, he drew back, his gaze still locked on yours. "This bond," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "is not of my choosing. But it is not something that can be undone."

He studied you for a long moment, and you felt as if he was seeing through you, as if he could read the very essence of your soul. Finally, he sighed, a deep, rumbling sound that echoed through the cavern. "It seems," he said, his tone resigned, "that fate has decided our paths are now one."

You weren't sure if you should be relieved or terrified. The dragon's words were not exactly comforting, but there was something in his tone that suggested he was just as trapped by this bond as you were.

He turned away from you, his massive body shifting as he settled back into his previous position, his wings folding more tightly against his sides. "You will stay here," he commanded, his tone brooking no argument. "Until I decide what to do with you."

And with that, the dragon closed his eyes, as if dismissing you from his thoughts entirely.