She never meant to become a Rider. But when dragons choose sides and secrets ignite, Elaenor Cardulo finds herself caught between duty, rebellion-and the boy with fire in his eyes who was never supposed to notice her. At Basgiath, love is a risk. And falling for him might just cost her everything. Dain Aetos x OC Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own character and storyline.

Auren Riorson has always walked a fine line-between shadow and steel, between survival and something more. Trained as a Rider, secretly drawn to healing, and bonded with a dangerous bloodwielding power, she can control blood itself-either to save or to destroy. Stepping into Basgiath War College, Auren finds herself back in the chaos: brutal training, cutthroat politics, and dragons circling overhead, their roars shaking the stone halls. With her loyal best friend Liam by her side and her older brother Xaden looming over every move, she has to keep her wits sharp. Because in this world, one wrong step could mean death-or worse. But graduating the war college isn't the only danger. Venin hunters, wyverns with razor-sharp teeth, and enemies hiding in plain sight are closing in. And as the stakes rise, Auren will have to face her family's deadly past, master the terrifying power she was bound with, and figure out if loyalty and love are worth the risk when everything could be ripped away in a heartbeat. ------------ if you haven't already read the Fourth Wing series... like, what are you even doing with your life?? 😂 go give rebecca yarros all the love because it's honestly one of the best series i've ever read. this fic is obviously inspired by her world, but for me it's turned into a story about love, friendship, found family, and especially the bond between siblings. a lot of it follows the storyline from fourth wing / iron flame / onyx storm, but i've changed up some of the characters, a few signets, and since onyx storm just came out-anything beyond that is just my own theories and imagination making it my own thing. and hey, if it's not your vibe... totally fine. don't read it, I'm sure there are sooo many other good ones out there! 🖤 and nooo i'm not telling you who Auren's romance arc is-you'll just have to keep guessing 👀

Auren Riorson never expected to survive her first year at Basgiath War College-not like this. Not with the memory of Liam's death carved into her bones. Not with a signet that grows more volatile by the day. Not with the truth about her family's murder and the fables of dark wielders and wyvern proving to be terrifyingly real. Now, the real tests begin. Second year at Basgiath is more brutal than the first, filled with survival trials designed to break riders from the inside out. But it isn't just the enemy outside the wards she has to fear. With her dragon Mal newly mated to a dragon-Auren finds herself tethered, however unwillingly, to the one rider she vowed never to trust. And with Navarre's lies unraveling, every secret threatens to destroy her before the venin ever can. The world is burning. Wardstones are failing. And the dark wielders aren't just stories whispered in the archives-they're coming. To survive, Auren must decide who is truly worth her trust, even as betrayals cut closer to home than she ever imagined. Determination won't be enough this time. Because in a world where dragons choose their riders, and dragons themselves carry dangerous secrets, Auren will have to prove that her iron will is strong enough to save them all- -or risk losing everything she holds dear to the flames.

Alina Valoria once believed in the goodness of the world-believed in friendship, in faith, and in a future filled with warmth and safety. She believed in him too-the boy she was never meant to love, her brother's best friend, the one her heart chose long before she understood the cost. But war has a way of turning belief into ash. When war and tragedy tore her from her family and the boy she loved, Alina learned how merciless the world could be. How a heart can shatter quietly and still be forced to carry on. How someone raised to shine with hope can be remade by grief and survival. She vowed never to depend on anyone but herself again. Entering the Riders Quadrant to honor her family's legacy, Alina expected hardship, loss, and the brutal truth of war. What she didn't expect was to face everything she once mourned as if it had died-alive again, altered by war, and no longer the people she remembers. Time and battle carve new versions of us, and not all of them survive with their humanity intact. Least of all the boy she once loved. Within a kingdom trembling under ancient prophecies and the truth of fables, Alina finds herself caught between duty, faith, and a fate whispered about since before she was born. Here, loyalty can ruin, love can destroy, and belief is a dangerous thing to hold. As the gods turn their gaze back to the mortal world, Alina must decide which pieces of herself she is willing to sacrifice-and what she will fight to protect, even against destiny itself. This is a story of war, faith, and forbidden love-of a girl hardened by fate and a boy forged by loss, bound to a prophecy that could save their world... or end it.

Eleanor "Len" Lennox is a survivor. Scarred, feral, and feared by all, she thrives in the chaos of Basgiath War College. When she bonds with Noxarathian-an ancient, deadly white dragon known for killing his riders-Len becomes something extraordinary. Together, they wield Shadowfire, a destructive power capable of annihilating the Venin threatening Navarre. But beneath her terrifying reputation lies a fractured soul. Len keeps her scars, her pain, and her dark past hidden, even from her closest friends, Xaden Riorson and Bodhi Durran. The only person who dares to break through her walls is Garrick Tavis, the one man who might teach her what it means to love-and to heal. As rebellion brews and the Venin's power grows, Len must embrace the shadows within her. Because saving the people she loves might demand the ultimate sacrifice.