The Dragon's Chosen

The air hung heavy after Zoren's defeat. Eira knelt beside his unconscious form, her heart still pounding from the fight. His final words echoed in her mind "You should've trusted me."

Kael sheathed his sword, his expression cold. "He made his choice, Eira. You can't save everyone."

"But what if he's telling the truth?" Eira murmured, her fingers curling around the seventh medallion. "What if these medallions are more dangerous than we realize?"

Valeria leaned against a crumbled pillar, wiping a thin line of blood from her cheek. "Zoren's a liar. He abandoned us once he'll do it again if we let him."

Selya's voice was quiet but firm. "Still… he knew about the Ebonwyrm. That's not something you make up."

Eira's thoughts spun. Malgrin's goal had always been to gather the medallions but why? If Zoren was right, were they helping to unleash something even worse?

A faint tremor shook the ground beneath them. Ryven stiffened, his senses alert. "Something's still here."

Selya nodded, scanning the ruins with narrowed eyes. "The ancient prison is beneath us. If there are answers, we'll find them below."

Without another word, the group moved toward a shattered temple at the heart of the ruins. Its broken archway hummed with faint magic a gateway long sealed shut.

Eira raised her hand, letting her magic flow into the doorway. Symbols blazed to life, and the earth trembled as the seal broke. With a low groan, the stone door slid open, revealing a dark stairway leading deep underground.

"This feels like a trap," Kael muttered.

"Only one way to know," Eira said, stepping inside.

The air grew colder as they descended, their footsteps echoing against ancient stone. Faint carvings lined the walls scenes of dragons and humans locked in battle, and at the center of it all, a monstrous shape bound in chains.

"The Ebonwyrm," Selya whispered, brushing her fingers over a worn inscription. "It took thirteen dragons to imprison it and the Ancients feared it even more than Malgrin."

Eira's stomach twisted. "If Malgrin frees it, we won't stand a chance."

As they reached the bottom of the staircase, a vast chamber opened before them. At its center stood an obsidian pedestal, its surface cracked and pulsing with faint light.

"That's not a medallion," Ryven said softly. "It's a key."

A key to unlock the prison.

Eira hesitated. "If we destroy it, we might stop Malgrin from freeing the Ebonwyrm."

"But if we're wrong," Kael warned, "we could be breaking the last barrier holding it back."

The decision hung heavy in the air.

Before Eira could speak, the shadows stirred.

A figure stepped from the darkness tall, cloaked in black, with silver eyes that gleamed like cold fire. Not Malgrin but something worse.

"I was wondering when you'd find this place," the stranger said, his voice smooth and sharp. "But you're too late. The chains are already breaking."

Selya's breath hitched. "Who are you?"

A cruel smile curved his lips. "I am Vaelor, the Warden of the Abyss and soon, the Ebonwyrm's master."

Without warning, Vaelor raised his hand. A surge of shadow magic erupted toward them.

Kael reacted first, his sword flashing as he deflected the strike. "Move!" he shouted, charging forward.

Eira summoned her magic, hurling a blast of fire at Vaelor but he twisted his wrist, absorbing the flames effortlessly.

"You are nothing without the dragons," Vaelor taunted, stepping closer. "And they will not save you from what's coming."

Valeria struck from the side, her daggers slicing through the air. Vaelor caught her wrist mid-swing, hurling her across the chamber.

"We can't hold him!" Ryven growled, launching a flurry of shadow blades that barely slowed Vaelor's advance.

Eira's heart pounded. If Vaelor took the key, Malgrin's plan would be unstoppable.

With a desperate breath, she focused all her magic, drawing on the dragon's flame deep within her. Blue fire blazed brighter than ever as she unleashed a torrent of energy toward the pedestal.

"Break it!" she cried.

Kael's sword flashed as he struck the pedestal's core. Cracks spidered across the surface then with a deafening shatter, the key crumbled into dust.

A tremor ripped through the chamber as the prison's magic faltered but the Ebonwyrm remained sealed.

Vaelor's expression darkened. "You'll regret that."

Before they could react, he vanished into the shadows, leaving the broken pedestal behind.

As the tremors faded, Eira sank to her knees, exhausted. "It's not over," she whispered. "Not even close."

Kael knelt beside her, his voice low but steady. "We'll face whatever comes next together."

But deep inside, Eira knew the battle had only just begun. And the worst was yet to come.