Born by the Flame of the Dragon

The dragon stared at them with burning eyes, her gaze locking onto Martha. Her voice was low and cold.

"Who are you? Why do you come here with such boldness? Such fury? Who is this lying here beside you?"

Martha stood firm, her voice steady. "I am the last descendant of the witches. I have come to set you free. It is my destiny."

The dragon narrowed her eyes. "Through prophecy? The one that speaks of a chosen one who will return, who will liberate the dragons, who will set us all free? Is that him?"

John lay unconscious beside them, his body still and marked by strain.

The dragon queen turned her head slowly. "And how do you expect me to help? The dragons are returning. I've seen them. They'll come for me. I don't need your help. No one can stop them. Not even me. The Dragon King is coming, and he will destroy everything in his path."

Martha's voice wavered slightly. "You're right. Neither of us can stop them alone. I don't expect you to fight for humans. Not after what they did."

The dragon's eyes gleamed with old pain. "They enslaved us. Locked us away because of a mistake. My husband, the Dragon King, fell from the sky, wounded after a great battle. He crashed into the queen's body. And for that, they blamed all of us. I was his dragon. He spared me, locking me here alone. I wish he hadn't. A thousand years in this tomb... can you imagine it?"

Martha lowered her head. "No. I can't."

"Then don't expect me to fight your war," the dragon growled. "This isn't my battle. Humans deserve what's coming. Let them watch their world burn."

A heavy silence followed. But then, something shifted in the dragon's expression. Her eyes flicked to John.

She saw something.

Something ancient.

A flicker of memory.

A shadow from the past.

"Maijou," she whispered.

The name dropped like thunder.

"I've seen that spirit before. It was Maijou who injured the Dragon King, who weakened him during the last war. Because of that, he fell into the human queen's body, crushing her to death... and everything changed. It was Maijou who twisted the balance, who shattered the trust between our worlds."

Rage flared in her voice.

"If not for Maijou, none of this would've happened. Our imprisonment... the betrayal... it all began with him. And now I see him again. Inside him."

Without warning, flames erupted from the dragon's throat. A white-hot breath, blazing like molten metal, surged toward John with devastating force.

But the fire didn't consume him.

It surrounded him.

It transformed.

Maijou, the creature within John, realised it could no longer control him. John's strength, both body and spirit, proved too much. Desperate, Maijou tore itself free, leaping from John's body and into Andrew.

Andrew's body convulsed. Unlike John, he couldn't resist. The fury, the pain, the unresolved grief—all made Andrew the perfect vessel. Maijou claimed him fully.

Andrew's eyes ignited with unnatural light. His muscles surged. Energy crackled through him like a living storm.

Maijou had returned reborn in rage.

And then he vanished, escaping into the darkness.

John remained within the flames.

But the fire didn't burn him. No pain. No smoke. Only power.

They purified him.

Reforged him.

When he opened his eyes, he had changed.

Stronger.

Brighter.

A thousand times mightier than before.

Even stronger than when Maijou possessed him.

The dragon stepped back, stunned. Her eyes widened.

"You…" she whispered. "You've fulfilled the prophecy."

The prophecy spoke of a young man, born of magic and raised among humans, who would be purified by dragon flame and reborn to reunite both worlds.

The dragon trembled.

"I didn't mean to help you. I had no intention of doing so. But the prophecy... it cannot be denied."

John blinked, dazed. "Where's Andrew? What happened to him?"

The dragon lowered her head. "He's gone. The creature that once lived in you...It took him. Fully. And now, it controls him."

"What? No, he was just here!"

"That creature," the dragon said grimly, "was the true cause of the ancient war. It avoided capture when the rest of us were sealed. It survived, hidden in shadow. Now it has fled to restore its strength."

Martha stepped closer, placing her hand on John's shoulder. "There's not much time."

The dragon nodded slowly. "The Dragon King is on his way. When he arrives, he will search for Maijou. Nothing will stand in his way."

John clenched his fists. "Then we must stop him. We must save Andrew."

The dragon's voice softened. "But I am still bound to this tomb. Only the blood of King Johan can break the seal."

John blinked. "But why me?"

The dragon turned to Martha.

"She hasn't told you? You carry the bloodline of King Johan. You are his last descendant. Only you can unseal this tomb."

Stunned, John stepped forward. He looked down at his hands, then at the stone barrier. Drawing a small blade, he sliced his wrist gently, letting the blood drip onto the seal.

The chamber lit up. Runes danced along the walls. The stone shifted.

The gate opened.

The dragon breathed deeply, tasting freedom for the first time in a thousand years.

She spread her wings.

"Where are the others?" John asked.

"At King's Landing," Martha said. "Both the human armies and the mythical creatures are gathering. The final battle is upon us."

"Can you take us there?"

The dragon lowered herself. "Yes. Now that I'm free, I will carry you."

John and Martha climbed onto her back. As the dragon took to the skies, wings cutting through the heavens, the storm of destiny swirled below.

The final battle had begun.

And the fate of both worlds rested on what came next.