I am fury made flesh. Rage given wings and claws and fire.
My tail catches one across the chest, sending him crashing through trees. My claws tear through another’s wing membrane, and he falls with a shriek that cuts off when he hits earth.
Fire pours from my throat in waves. To disable. To burn wings. To force submission.
Within minutes, it’s over.
Bodies litter the forest floor. Human and dragon both. Groaning. Broken. Defeated.
I shift my attention to Mara.
She’s exactly where they dropped her. Curled on her side. Breathing shallow but steady.
The rage drains instantly. Replaced by something gentler.
I approach slowly. Carefully. My massive form—
The thought stops.
Mymassive form.
I look down.
Gold scales catch moonlight. Claws longer than daggers dig into frozen earth. A tail—my tail—extends behind me, powerful enough to snap trees.
What—?
Whatam I?
The shift happens without conscious thought. Scales receding. Wings folding into my back. Bones reforming until I’m standing on two legs instead of four.
Human again.
Naked, I realize distantly. The transformation destroyed my clothes.
I stare at my hands. Human hands. But seconds ago, they were—
Claws.
The memory is vivid. Undeniable.
I just—
I justflew.
The ground shifts. I catch myself against a tree, breathing hard.
Dragon.
The word surfaces from somewhere deep. From the cave paintings. From Dragana’s cryptic comments. From the villagers’ wary respect.
Fire-blood.
Old blood.
Your kind.
I’m a dragon.
