Some time had passed as we waited for the rest of the crew to arrive. Lyra paced around the cave, inspecting every tiny detail, muttering to herself as if caught in an internal debate. Meanwhile, I had dragged one of the larger dragon skulls across the room and repurposed it as a makeshift chair. The skull I chose had impressive, ram-like curled horns, which conveniently served as armrests. It was surprisingly comfortable.

“How are we going to travel to Dragonspyre, anyway? Do we just walk through the rift, or is there more to it?” I asked, leaning back in my unconventional seat.

“We could just walk through, but there’s no way of knowing where we’d end up if we did that. To make sure we all arrive together, and as close as possible to the coordinates Archmage Theros provided, I’ll need to tinker with the rift a bit,” she replied, still engrossed in her exploration.

“My ember?”

“Yes?”

“If you were a dragon, what kind would you want to be?”

“Huh? That’s a silly question,” she dismissed my query initially, then added, “But I suppose... a fire dragon, of course!”

“So, just like any other fairytale dragon? A fire-breathing, red-scaled beast?”

“Now that you mention it, that is rather basic,” she mused, as she paused. “What if I were made of fire itself? Instead of flesh, I’d be a living inferno shaped like a dragon!”

“That would be incredible!”

“What about you?” she asked, turning the question back on me.

“I’d rather not say...”

“Oh, come on! You asked, so it’s only fair you answer it!” she insisted, a playful challenge in her voice.

It took me a moment to muster the courage to answer. I felt a bit embarrassed. As a child, I had spent countless hours dreaming about dragons, and the answer to this question had been ready in my mind for years. But what if she laughed at me after all the thought I’d put into it?

“I’d want to be a dragon as big as the universe! A devourer of worlds!” I declared with enthusiasm.

Lyra burst into laughter, her eyes crinkling with amusement.

“You must have been one angry child,” she teased, wiping tears of laughter from her face.

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“I knew I shouldn’t have shared that...” I sighed, feeling a bit deflated.

As Lyra’s laughter echoed through the cave, time seemed to stretch on endlessly. But then, a familiar voice reverberated through the tunnel.

“You’re massive! You can barely fit through here! Everyone, push!” Silas shouted, grunts of effort filling the space. Moments later, Orion emerged from the narrow passage, followed by the rest of the group.

“I’m surprised you managed to squeeze that giant head of yours through the tunnel,” I teased Orion.

“Just barely,” Silas added with a smirk. But Orion didn’t react to our jabs; he was unusually quiet.

His gaze fell upon the ground littered with dragon bones, and a wave of dread seemed to wash over him. His breath hitched, his eyes flickering with suppressed anger, and tiny sparks of lightning crackled across his shoulders.

“What is this place?” he asked, his voice low and growling.

“Oh, dragon bones!” Silas exclaimed cheerfully, rushing past Orion to inspect the room.

“It’s some sort of shrine.” Lyra explained, her tone thoughtful. “As you know, the Dragonsworn Conclave worshiped dragons as gods, so it’s not surprising they’d build something like this to honor them. But what puzzles me is how they amassed so many bones. Vixen’s Veil has always been known as a dragon cemetery, but most of those remains were cataloged and archived at the academy. The few that weren’t were lost to time or stolen by the Dragonsworn Conclave. They shouldn’t have access to this many.”

Lyra continued to pace, deep in thought. Silas, meanwhile, couldn’t resist touching everything within reach, while Orion stood still, lost in his own turmoil. Kaela sat on the floor, methodically sharpening her golden halberd, her bracelets clinking softly. Finn lingered at the far edge of the room, hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall.

“Did Orion do anything to you?” I asked, approaching Finn.

“No, not physically, at least. But if you count the intense staring for the whole ride, the insults every time I spoke, the threats whenever I looked Kaela’s way, and the grunts each time I blinked—then yes, he terrified me for the rest of my short, miserable life,” Finn replied with a wry smile.

“I’d love to tell you it’ll get better, but honestly, I just met him. I dont know if it will.”

“It’s okay. Silas treats me well. I’m still figuring Lyra out. Kaela tries to talk to me when Orion’s not glaring, and you were kind enough to let me tag along. All things considered, I’d rather be here with you guys than alone, stealing to fill the bottomless void with riches,” he joked, though there was a hint of truth behind his words.

“I wouldn’t call it kindness, dragging a kid along on what might be a death mission.”

“Well, life’s overrated anyway.”

“Oh, so life was overrated that night that Orion and I wiped out your entire order? What was it you kept muttering when you were shaking like a scared little kid?” I teased. “Ah, that’s right! ‘Silence marked the beginning and will mark the end of my life!’ You were scared shitless, admit it!”

“Of course I was! Did you see the looks on your faces? Orion was drenched in blood, decapitating every Talon that dared face him—he even ripped out spines, Valerian! And you—dying and coming back to life just to unleash pure darkness that devoured everything in its path. I still hear their screams fading into nothing. Damn right I was scared!”

Suddenly, a roar of fury echoed through the cave as Orion kicked one of the dragon skulls with all his strength, sending it hurtling into the rift. The impact triggered a blue shockwave that spread with the speed of light, too fast for any of us to escape. One by one, we were sucked into the rift, our bodies disintegrating into pure energy. Darkness engulfed my mind as consciousness slipped away.