Dragon Bride

Chapter Three

There was an unbearable chill in the air and an overshadowed hue of dark blue. Kendria could feel the sharp prick of broken branches and ice on her naked feet as she walked through the endlessly of the quiet. Her golden-brown skin was a contrast to the paleness and her curly hair acted as the sun after centuries of the cold. She couldn't see anyone but she didn't feel like she was alone. There were endless whispers. Shifting figures every time she turned her back. Whoever was there, they were hiding from her. But the constant shifting and whispering made her head swell and threatened to madden her mind.

"Who's there?!"

No one answered but she could tell that the curious figures began to cower further into the shadows. That furthered her anger.

"I know that you're there! Come out or I'll come in after you!"

Everything she couldn't see came at a standstill. The complete silence was bone-chilling. Kendria was afraid but she refused to let it show.

"Hey! I said show yourself—"

"There's no need to scream. If I didn't wish to speak to you, you would not be here."

Kendria gasped. It was instant. One moment she couldn't see anything and the next, a woman with three faces appeared before her, like a flash of lightning. She towered over her like a mighty castle. One kick and every bone in her bone could shatter. The young woman screamed and jumped back in shock. Never in her life had she thought she'd see something so mighty and she was a Dragon and had met the God of Fire.

"Who are you and what do you want?!"

The woman lowered herself to her knees and stared into her eyes. Every single eye she owned was void of color, but glimmered with an eerie luminosity. Kendria felt a shiver run down her spine, as though the woman's gaze was unraveling her thoughts, stripping away her defenses. Time seemed to stand still in that moment, the air thick with tension, as if the very essence of her being was laid bare before the unyielding stare. In that stark, disorienting gaze, Kendria glimpsed both a warning and a promise before she fixed her lips to speak.

"You are in grave danger, Dragon Warrior."

Kendria's heartbeat quickened. She didn't just hear her voice. She could feel it shake every inch of this morbid realm.

"Wh... What do you mean?"

"Prepare yourself. A great darkness seeks you out. The shadow of your world means to destroy you and he just might succeed."

The moment she mentioned darkness, she recalled that night in the castle when a dark, looming presence seethed with pure hatred for her.

'Is that who she's talking about? Is this darkness the danger Basilisk spoke of?'

She could feel time running out. The ground began to crack beneath her feet. Any moment and she would slip between the cracks. With every passing second, she thought of what to say. Only one question could be allowed in the time.

"... How does he mean to destroy me?"

The looming woman stood to her feet and started to walk away. But Kendria refused to take silence as an answer, as horrified as she was. But when she tried her move, she found her feet glued to the floor. So, she bellowed as loudly as she could.

"Hey! Answer me!"

She stopped walking and looked back at her. Those white eyes, unblinking and vast, held a profound stillness that spoke of ancient wisdom, unfathomable secrets... and hesitance. As though something was holding her back. As though there was something she was afraid of. But even so, she managed to say one last thing.