From the shadows emerged not a simple beast, but a creature of myth and legend—a living embodiment of primal majesty.

    Its scales shimmered under the painfully bright torchlight, refracting in a dazzling prismatic sheen. A long, sinuous neck arched forward in a graceful yet menacing curve. Its reptilian head, crowned by two curved horns sweeping back, housed rows upon rows of knife-like teeth—designed not for grazing on leaves but for ripping flesh with brutal efficiency.

    It was undoubtebly a Dragon.

    Though young, its total length barely exceeding a dozen feet, the sheer presence it exuded was overwhelming. A newborn it might have been, but for their party, it still spelled almost certain doom.

    The group collectively gasped, their years of experience the only thing keeping them standing in the face of its overwhelming presence. There was an indescribable majesty to the creature, as if its very existence demanded submission—a relentless, unspoken command pressing down on their minds.

    The aura of a superior predator, an ability unique to the ancient races and one of the reasons they were considered the greatest threat to humanity.

    But in that moment, Zeke could do nothing but stare, frozen, at the terror that had revealed itself as their prey.

    They were finished.

    "We have a chance," a voice rang out beside him, defying the hopelessness clawing at Zeke''s mind. Instinctively, he turned toward the speaker, clinging to the faint hope those words offered. He wasn''t alone in his reaction; the rest of the group mirrored him, their desperate gazes locking onto the source of the voice.

    It was Durrek.

    Their leaders expression was grim, but unlike the others, despair hadn''t taken hold of him. His calm, steady demeanor stood out against the panic and resignation that clouded the air.

    "It''s wounded," he said, his tone sharp and unwavering. "Badly."

    Only after Durrek pointed it out did Zeke and the others notice. The young Dragon wasn''t standing straight—it was clearly favoring one of its hind legs, unable to put much weight on the other.

    With remarkable precision, Finn hurled his torch in a wide arc. It bounced off the stone wall, skidding in a way that sent it curving around the Dragon''s massive form before landing behind it.

    In the magical fire''s illuminating glow, the group finally saw the full extent of the Dragon''s injuries. This was no superficial wound—it was a crippling blow. A massive chunk of flesh had been torn from its backside, nearly severing one of its legs. The sight made it all the more astonishing that the beast could still walk at all.

    It became painfully clear—the Dragon had recently lost a battle with an even larger predator. Its current weakness was likely the only reason it hadn''t attacked them outright. Instead, it lingered at a distance, watching them with an unsettling intensity.

    "It must have just escaped from the jungle," Helena said, a note of resolve creeping back into her voice as she straightened her armored form. "The Druids might even still be chasing it."

    "That explains why it preyed on the villagers," Bram added, hefting his massive crossbow. "It was probably in a hurry, desperate for food."

    "Whatever the case," Mara said, her tone sharp as her gaze regained its predatory focus, "if it''s this young and wounded, we can take it—if we play this right."

    Helena nodded, her eyes hardening behind her helmet. "Agreed. As long as we keep our distance, we should be fine. A Dragon this young shouldn''t have developed any Magic yet."

    For the first time, Zeke—or rather Cal—spoke. His voice was quieter than the others, almost like a whisper. "Can it... understand us?"

    The group''s gazes collectively snapped to him, but what truly caught his attention was the Dragon''s reaction. Its sharp eyes had shifted to him as well, now watching him with an unsettling intensity. That confirmed it. It was listening. It could understand them. This was no ordinary beats but a sentient being, its intelligence at least equal to that of a human.

    Zeke''s voice grew louder, emboldened by the discovery. "You can, can''t you?"

    His question was directed at none other than the Dragon. The massive creature continued to observe them, its calm, calculating gaze locked onto Zeke.

    The shock on her face was plain to see. Her eyes widened with unmistakable vulnerability as she stood defenseless before the towering reptile. Panic flashed across her features.

    That fleeting moment of weakness was all the Dragon needed.

    With a motion so swift it seemed as if the beast wasn''t even injured, the Dragon lashed out. Its claws sank into Helena''s exposed side, tossing her across the cave with contemptuous ease. Her scream echoed through the clearing as blood sprayed in all directions. She crumpled, weightless in the air, before collapsing to the ground in a heap of broken armor and torn flesh.

    "NOOO!" A scream tore through the cave, but Zeke was too shocked to even register who it had come from.

    The Dragon snorted with glee while the party stood frozen, momentarily paralyzed. Its amber eyes gleamed with malicious intelligence, its predatory gaze locking onto the remaining members.

    Durrek roared in fury as he charged, but the Dragon was ready for him this time. And without Helena to back him up, their leader stood no chance. Its jaws opened wide, rows of razor-sharp teeth clashing with the swing of his axe. Durrek''s form vanished in an instant, his scream briefly echoing before it was silenced.

    Mara cursed, firing arrows at the Dragon with deadly precision, but it was futile. The earlier pain the creature had shown had clearly been an act, as none of her arrows even scratched its scales now. In the blink of an eye, the beasts was upon her, knocking the agile woman off her feet and sending her crashing into a stone pillar. She lay still after that.

    Bram, now frantic, reloaded his crossbow in a desperate attempt to stop the beast, but the Dragon was already upon him. With a brutal swipe of its claws, Bram was sent flying, his crossbow splintering in midair. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, and blood pooled beneath him as his body lay limp.

    Finn darted through the shadows to flank the Dragon, but it was already too late. The creature had either detected him or never lost sight of him in the first place. Before he could strike with his daggers, the Dragon snatched him up in its talons, squeezing with such force that his bones cracked like dry twigs.

    Only Zeke was left now.

    His breath came in ragged gasps as he summoned the last, feeble flickers of flame. His body trembled, exhaustion weighing heavily on his bones. He had never stopped casting, though his flames might as well have been useless, given the Dragon''s utter indifference—and the fact that it had saved him for last. Now, even that was gone. His Core was empty, the final traces of power spent.

    The beast approached slowly, its steps deliberate. The playful glint in its eyes was unmistakable. It wanted Zeke to understand just how futile his efforts had been—like a child tossing pebbles at an armored knight. Then, without warning, its maw snapped forward with blinding speed.

    Zeke, anticipating the attack, tried to throw himself out of the way. He avoided the worst of it, but he still felt like he was caught in the creature''s jaws. Razor-sharp teeth tore through flesh with brutal precision. He fell, but immediatly struggled to up. His efforts were futile. Somehow, he couldn''t get his feet under him.

    His gaze dropped, and the horrifying realization hit him—one of his legs was gone, severed cleanly above the knee. Blood poured relentlessly from the gruesome wound, a steady torrent that quickly turned the cave floor into a crimson pool. He didn''t even feel any pain.

    Unable to stand, he pushed himself backward, desperate to create distance. He tried to summon more fire, but his hands trembled uncontrollably. The creature loomed closer, its maw curling into a mocking sneer.

    "Why do you struggle, little ant?" it asked, its voice dripping with disdain. "Can''t you see it''s hopeless?"

    Zeke didn''t respond. He continued to claw his way back, his mind consumed by a singular, primal instinct—survival. Rational thought had abandoned him, leaving only the desperate drive to stay alive as the monstrous predator closed in.

    The Dragon, evidently displeased by his silence, no longer smirked. Its eyes gleamed menacingly in the dim cave, piercing through the darkness like twin embers. They had moved far enough from the fallen torches that shadows now enveloped their surroundings. Only those glowing eyes lit the gloom, locked unyieldingly onto Zeke.

    His retreat was abruptly halted as the Dragon''s massive claw came down on his remaining foot, crushing every bone with a sickening crunch. This time, Zeke felt the pain, raw and unbearable, and a hoarse scream tore from his throat despite his efforts to hold it back. But the agony would be fleeting, as the Dragon''s gaping maw loomed above him, ready to deliver the final blow.

    This was death.

    Zeke was as certain of it as he had been of anything in his life. Yet, just as the cold embrace of the grave began to close in, something impossible happened—a miracle.

    A colossal beast, larger than anything he had ever seen, erupted from the shadows and hurled itself at the Dragon. Its muscular arms locked around the Dragon''s neck, effortlessly flinging the creature against the jagged wall of the cave. Without hesitation, the beast lunged again, meeting the Dragon''s furious roar head-on. The air seemed to freeze as the two titans clashed in a brutal storm of claws and teeth, their ferocious battle shaking the cave to its core.

    Zeke couldn''t tell if it was pure luck or deliberate intervention, but he remained untouched amidst the chaos. His vision blurred, his body trembling on the brink of collapse. Blood trickled down his face, blinding one eye, while the rest of his body grew heavier with every passing second. His leg was a numb, lifeless stump; his breathing came in shallow, ragged gasps. The cacophony around him faded into a dull roar, and the world sank into darkness.

    Just before his mind slipped into oblivion, Zeke caught a final, fleeting glimpse of the two monstrous figures locked in their savage battle, their towering forms illuminated by the flickering glow of distant flames. Around them lay the broken bodies of his comrades—his brothers and sisters, the only people he had ever called family in this cursed world.