The mountain roared.
High above the forest line, a massive shape rose from the summit, wings unfurling with a sound like tearing steel. Scales, the color of molten crimson caught the sunlight, each one glowing faintly.
The red dragon lifted its head and roared again.
Lyra stood firm on the scorched stone slope, feet planted wide, swords drawn.
"Easy now," she murmured. "I'm not here to kill you."
The dragon's slit-pupiled eyes locked onto her.
Another human.
Fire gathered in its throat.
Lyra vanished.
The dragon's flame tore across the slope where she had been standing, melting stone into liquid. Lyra reappeared to the side, blades flashing as she struck the dragon's foreleg, hard enough to draw sparks, but not blood.
"Hey," she called sharply. "Up here."
The dragon snarled and swiped at her with a claw the size of a wagon. Lyra leapt backward, skidding across glassed stone, then launched herself upward again.
Below the Mountain
Akari crouched behind the rocks, hands clenched tightly in her lap.
Every roar made her chest vibrate. Every impact sent tremors through the ground beneath her feet.
Boom.
She gasped as loose pebbles rained down around her.
"Breathe… breathe…" she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.
Her power stirred, warm and restless, responding to the overwhelming presence of the dragon. It felt like standing next to a raging furnace.
Calm down. I'm safe. Lyra said I'm safe.
She pressed her palms against the ground, feeling its solidity.
Another roar split the sky.
Akari flinched.
Light flickered faintly beneath her skin.
"No, no, not now…" she pleaded softly.
Back at the Summit
The dragon lunged, jaws snapping shut inches from Lyra's head. She twisted, rolling beneath its neck and slashing upward, aimed precisely at a loosened scale.
The blade rang sharply.
The dragon reared back, more surprised than injured.
Lyra exhaled slowly.
"Good," she murmured. "You're shedding already."
The dragon roared again, this time beating its wings violently. A shockwave blasted outward, nearly knocking Lyra off her feet.
She braced herself, digging her boots into molten stone.
"I just need a few scales," she said calmly. "You'll survive."
The dragon answered with fire.
Below
The heat spiked suddenly.
Akari cried out softly as the air grew almost unbearable. Sweat beaded on her brow as her heart pounded wildly.
Her power surged again, pushing outward like a tide.
No, stop!
She hugged her knees tightly, rocking slightly as she forced her breathing slow.
"In… out… in… out…"
Her glow dimmed, then flared again as another explosion rocked the mountain.
"Lyra… please…"
Tears welled in her eyes, fear and worry tangling together.
If I lose control now… I might draw more monsters. Or hurt her.
She bit her lip hard.
"I won't," she whispered fiercely. "I won't be a burden."
The light receded, trembling but contained.
Above
Lyra vaulted high, spinning in midair as she drove both swords downward in a crossing strike. Sparks flew as she pried loose several glowing red scales from the dragon's back.
The dragon howled, rearing back in fury.
Lyra landed lightly, already retreating.
"That's enough," she said, tucking the scales into an enchanted pouch. "I'm done."
The dragon lunged again, but Lyra was faster.
She sprinted down the slope, dodging fire and falling debris as the dragon's roar echoed behind her. Another blast scorched the mountainside where she'd just been standing.
She didn't slow.
Akari felt it before she saw it.
The pressure lifted.
The overwhelming heat receded slightly, and her power settled like a calm lake after a storm.
She looked up just in time to see a familiar figure sprinting down the mountain.
"Lyra…!"
Moments later, Lyra slid to a stop in front of her, breathing hard, but smiling.
"See?" Lyra said, holding up the pouch. "Told you I'd come back."
Akari lunged forward and hugged her tightly.
"I was so scared," she whispered. "The ground kept shaking and I thought"
Lyra hugged her back, one arm firm and reassuring.
"But you stayed calm," she said gently. "You did exactly what I told you to do."
Akari pulled back slightly, wiping her eyes. "…I did?"
"Yes." Lyra nodded. "And because of that, nothing else was drawn to us."
Akari felt something warm bloom in her chest, pride.
Lyra straightened and gestured toward the forest.
"Let's get out of here before he changes his mind."
Akari nodded eagerly. "Yes!"
As they walked away, the dragon's distant roar echoed one last time, angry, but fading.
And tucked safely away, glowing faintly in Lyra's pouch, were the red dragon scales that would become Akari's future blades.