Dragon Blossom

The end of the night

The roars filled the sky like clashing storms. The fire of the dragon princes illuminated everything like a midnight sun. A cloud of smoke surrounded the combatants, emanating from their wounds and their fiery snouts.

It was the image of fear, surpassing each of her nightmares. For Eri, her dragon siblings represented everything that made her suffer, everything she hated or feared about the world and herself. Since her birth, she was reminded daily that she was a dragon, but she hadn't known what it meant until that day in her grandfather's castle courtyard. She had seen for the first time the monster that others saw in her. She never judged those who feared her, for she herself was afraid of her nature.

She didn't know if she had somehow devoured Bestenar's sister, or if one day she would irreparably harm someone. She only thought about proving that she was a good girl, while riding her unicorn, lance in hand, towards where the most fearsome beings in the world awaited her. Accepting, at least, that she was as powerful as they were.

Her teacher followed closely, along with those other two people Eri knew very little about. She didn't believe they could do what Mom and Dad couldn't. Her hope lay in Queen Clessa, who was still fighting with the weakened green prince and a swift, seemingly tireless black prince.

Eri could hear the roars more clearly as she approached, realizing that it was a conversation after all. They used their dragon names, impossible for humans to pronounce. Eri knew her name meant something like "Sky," and she heard Queen Clessa being called "Sun," while she called them "Night" and "Wind." The White Prince had been called "Moon."

As she got closer, she infused Lady Val and Master Genwill with her orange fire, bathing herself in it as well. She had never known if it made a difference before; she was already remarkably strong. But she felt a new fire within her, the one she had stolen from Wind. She couldn't remember what power it had, so she simply exhaled a purple fire that surrounded her like any of the others.

When the fire died down, Eri realized she was seeing strange things. Colored lights surrounded the world, like a rainbow stretching everywhere. But what caught her attention was that she could suddenly see a third person riding the black dragon she called teacher. And it was none other than... her teacher. There she was, unmistakable, the woman and the dragon who were the same person, looking at her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. This day couldn't get any stranger.

Questions would have to wait, as they were already within reach of the battle. The three enormous dragons continued to clash with claws and fangs, opening wounds from which flames and smoking blood emerged. They had been fighting for hours, their fires slowly consuming. If she could do the same to the black one, the queen could win. Her teacher signaled for her to come closer.

"Eri, dear," Master Genwill always treated her like a child, which Eri loved. He spoke to her while drinking something shiny from some small bottles. "I will try to protect you from here. You must empower the queen as soon as possible. Do it and return; we will focus on taking down the green one first."

Eri looked at Peony, who hadn't spoken for hours, but sometimes nodded or shook her head. Eri thought it might be because she didn't want others to hear her. The unicorn shook its head insistently in the direction of Lady Valderant.

Eri looked at Peony, who hadn't spoken for hours, but sometimes nodded or shook her head. Eri thought it might be because she didn't want others to hear her. The unicorn shook its head insistently in the direction of Lady Valderant.

"Alright, alright, I understand, Peony," Eri said, removing the horn from her mount and placing it on her lance to hand it to the woman who claimed to be as incredible as Dad.