Chapter 7

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The world around me is swallowed in darkness, save for the thin lines of light seeping through the cracked window, casting ominous shadows across the damp, mold-ridden basement where Aika and I are imprisoned. The stench of rust and stale blood thickens the air, mingling with a palpable tension that coils around us like a living thing. Every breath feels like inhaling glass.

Aika’s pained gasp slices through my thoughts, sharp as a knife. I turn just in time to see the leader’s fist slam into her temple, the brutal impact echoing in the cramped room. Her body slumps, barely held upright by the ropes cutting into her skin, and I watch her struggle against the darkness closing in. Blood trickles from the corner of her mouth, a crimson streak against her pale skin, igniting a fury in me hotter than any fire. My chains rattle as if sensing my rage, straining with my every pulse.

“Aika!” I roar, yanking against my restraints, feeling the cold metal bite into my flesh. Her bleary gaze finds mine, and even through her pain, there's an unbroken spark in her eyes. She grits her teeth, swings her leg, and her foot connects with the leader’s groin. He lets out a strangled howl, stumbling back, momentarily dazed. Her gaze shifts to me, desperate, pleading.

"Sharva… you have to escape. Go, while you still can," she whispers, her voice barely holding together, each word laced with a tremor.

My chest tightens, fury and despair tangling in my lungs. How could she believe I’d leave her here? My fists clench, the chains slicing into my skin, but I barely register the pain over the searing need to tear these monsters apart. Her defiance only enrages them further. One of the men strikes her across the face, and she collapses, her fragile form crumpling against the grimy concrete.

The leader sneers, stepping forward with a glinting knife. “Think you can fight us all?” His voice drips with mockery, each word twisted with scorn. "You're bound, helpless. There's no escape for you."

But something in me snaps, a thread I’ve held onto for too long. My heartbeat slows, and a dark energy unfurls within me, powerful and ancient. Their faces shift from sneering confidence to horror as I lift my head, my eyes blazing a fierce, blood-red hue, sharp and primal—a glimpse into the creature within. The change isn’t just visible; it’s a force, thick and stifling, filling the room like a storm.

I rise from my knees, snapping the chains on my wrists and ankles with ease, the broken links clattering to the floor. Silence hangs in the air, thick with the realization that everything has shifted.

"I warned you," I growl, my voice a dangerous murmur. "Don’t hurt Aika."

A hot, wrathful breath seethes from my lips, filling the room with a smoldering menace. "Say your goodbyes to this world," I hiss.

The men stagger back, panic flickering in their eyes. One raises a gun, his hand shaking, his voice wavering. “D-don’t move, or I’ll shoot!” But the leader, defiant, lunges forward, knife in hand. I sidestep, moving with an ease that leaves him unbalanced, stumbling into his own doom.

The darkness within me unfurls entirely, transforming my body. Scales, cold and gleaming in hues of green and blue, ripple over my skin, as resilient as steel. My wings tear through the back of my shirt, stretching wide, casting a monstrous shadow across the walls. My hands and feet elongate into claws, glinting sharp and merciless.

I remain human in shape, but the dragon has surfaced, its lethal strength surging through me. My mind narrows, focused on a single purpose: vengeance. I leap, claws slashing with deadly precision, bones snapping beneath my strikes as if they’re made of brittle wood. Each movement is calculated, bones breaking, screams echoing, their agony palpable.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” I sneer, my voice a low, smoky rasp as tendrils of smoke curl from my mouth. “Why the screams now?”

One by one, I tear through them, claws digging deep until blood flows freely, painting the floor in a thick, dark red.

“You forced this on me,” I murmur, each word heavy with the weight of choices I wish I’d never had to make. I kneel beside each of their crumpled forms, letting them see the creature that now holds their fate. “Regret your choices,” I whisper coldly, “in the depths of hell.”

I stand, surveying the remnants of those foolish enough to harm Aika. My clothes hang in tatters, soaked with blood, the remnants of my transformation still clinging to me. My rage fades as I approach her, kneeling by her side. Gently, I lift her, cradling her in my arms, moving her away from the carnage to a cleaner spot, safe from the blood-soaked floor.

Closing my eyes, I whisper a quiet incantation, summoning the chains scattered around my heart to lock my power once again. They warped my heart, binding me, forcing the power within me back into submission. My scales retract, my wings folding and vanishing as I revert to my human form. I am Sharva once more—concealed, controlled.

Though my dragon blood heals me swiftly, I know I need to bear visible wounds. Without hesitation, I slam myself into the wall, bruises blooming across my skin. I let my fists crash into my face, forcing the pain to match the brutality around me. I have to look like I barely survived.

Grabbing a discarded phone, I dial for help, my voice low and broken as I murmur into the receiver, then toss it aside. Wrapping my wrists with cable ties, I tighten them until they cut into my skin. Nearby, a long black plastic sheet catches my eye. I roll myself into it, hiding my blood-streaked skin, feigning unconsciousness beside Aika, just another victim awaiting disposal.

In the silence, I lie there, my breaths slowing as I listen for the faint sound of sirens.

Aika can never know. She must never know that Sharva, the man she trusts, is not human—but the last prince of the dragon clan, a creature of ancient and lethal power hidden behind mortal flesh.

 She must never know that Sharva, the man she trusts, is not human—but the last prince of the dragon clan, a creature of ancient and lethal power hidden behind mortal flesh

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32 Oct 24

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