The Enchanted Warriors (Dragon Riders AU)

49❤

The moon hung low in the darkened sky, casting a pale silver glow over the North Christyl Kingdom. The peaceful silence of the night was shattered as a sudden, scorching heat began to rise from the outskirts of the kingdom. Unbeknownst to most, the protective barriers that had stood tall and unyielding for decades-shimmering with an ethereal glow-were gone.the kingdom lay exposed, vulnerable to the flames that were swiftly approaching.

In the distance, a line of fire lit up the horizon as the King of the Fire Kingdom marched his forces toward North Christyl with the intensity of an inferno. His eyes burned with fire at his command, flickering and dancing around him like an extension of his rage. His heart was set on reclaiming the power and nothing would stand in his way.

"What is it?" Harry whispered, quickly rising from the bed, his hand instinctively reaching for the crystal pendant around his neck, which pulsed faintly in response to his touch. He walked to the window, his heart sinking as he looked out into the night. The horizon, which should have been bathed in moonlight, was flickering with an ominous glow.

Fire.

Not the distant flicker of a torch or a festival flame, but a raging inferno. It was spreading, licking at the far edges of the kingdom's borders.

"They're here," Azriel growled through their telepathic bond, his voice low and grim. "The Fire Kingdom."

Harry's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the advancing force. It wasn't just a raid or a small skirmish. It was an army-a vast, formidable army that stretched as far as the eye could see. Soldiers clad in dark red and gold armor, their weapons glowing with heat, marched in perfect unison. At their center, leading them with an air of absolute authority, sat their king-Leo.

Leo, the Fire King, was unlike any ruler Harry had ever faced. His reputation was as fierce as the flames he commanded. Sitting atop his massive dragon, whose scales burned with the intensity of molten lava, Leo was a sight to behold. His posture was regal but predatory, his every movement slow and calculated, as if the very act of waiting was a form of control. His dragon mirrored his demeanor-slowly, deliberately flapping its wings, sending waves of heat across the battlefield.

The flames reflected off Leo's dark, piercing eyes, eyes that seemed to hold the weight of a thousand battles. His armor, red as blood and trimmed with gold, gleamed under the firelight, and the heat that radiated from him was palpable, even from this distance. He wasn't a man driven by rage or emotion; he was calm, focused, as though every flicker of flame that consumed the land was part of a master plan that had been set in motion long ago. His very presence exuded control, power, and a cruel indifference.

Beside Leo stood his commanders, hardened warriors with flames in their eyes and the smell of smoke clinging to their armor. They barked orders to their troops, and with each command, the Fire Kingdom's soldiers set the ground ablaze, their fiery weapons cleaving through anything in their path. The landscape beyond the kingdom's walls was engulfed in fire. Forests that had once thrived were now reduced to glowing embers, the once green and fertile fields now charred and smoldering under the weight of the inferno.

Harry's jaw tightened as he watched the destruction unfold. The Fire Kingdom wasn't just attacking-they were burning everything. Fields, homes, forests, nothing was spared from the devastation. The heat was so intense that even from his vantage point in the tower, Harry could feel the sting of it. Smoke billowed into the air, dark and heavy, threatening to choke out the stars themselves.

But something wasn't right. The kingdom's protective barriers, the magical shields that had safeguarded North Christyl for centuries, were gone. There was no shimmer of light, no resistance to the advancing flames. Harry's heart pounded in his chest as he realized the full gravity of the situation.