In consultation with Echo and after informing the student of the risks involved, the team decided to bring along the student Utran, who had been part of their previous mission in Azarim tombs. Speed was of utmost importance for this mission, and given that very few people could use the Pal, they decided to call upon Utran.

He accepted the task, fully aware of the risks and the possibility of being scorched by the dragon. Using the Pal and a large amount of sand, Utran would generate additional wind to speed up the Mythic Whirl, a small ship they would use to lure the dragon to the Island of Moire and incinerate the pirates and finally brake the blockade.

On the Mythic Beast, alongside Utran and Eloken, waited Captain Iodisi and navigator Gyra, both young but celebrated naval soldiers, recommended by the general.

With Utran's Pal and favorable winds, they reached Pyre Crest quickly, as Eloken had calculated, at least an hour before the battle at Moire was to begin. What surprised Eloken was the sheer number of ships around Pyre Crest, both naval from neighboring kingdoms and ordinary fishing boats.

As they passed by one of the fishing boats in their path, Eloken asked Captain Iodisi to halt their ship for a moment. The small fishing boat, based on its design and the inscription "Small Coast", suggested to Eloken that it was from Azarim. This was confirmed when an older, dark-skinned man with a cloth wrapped around his head appeared on the deck.

"Good fortunes, sailor," Eloken said with the friendliest smile he could muster.

"Good fortunes to you too," the captain replied in slightly broken common language, his desert accent unmistakable.

"I have one question if you don’t mind," Eloken continued.

"Sure, I can help you, stranger, for the right price, of course," the old man said, his grin revealing more gaps than teeth.

Desert people were known for their haggling and rarely did anything without a coin exchange, even if it was a symbolic amount. Eloken rummaged through his pockets but found nothing. He hadn’t planned on needing money for a dragon confrontation. Gyra noticed this and pulled out a few silver Isari coins from her pouch, tossing them to Eloken, who then handed them to the captain of the small boat.

"My memory is already improving; feel free to ask what you wish."

"Why is there such a crowd here? With the talk of the dragon and the fate of those people, I assumed everything around Pyre Crest would be deserted," Eloken inquired.

"People are curious. Everyone has come here to see the dragon, and some want to be heroes, to kill the beast and bring its head back to their homeland to become part of the legend. Many have gone to the island, but few have returned, so it’s not just a legend; the story is one hundred percent true."

"And what are you doing here? Surely you haven't come to kill the dragon and become a hero?" Eloken asked, somewhat mockingly.

"Oh no, I brought one of those heroes and his crew here. They are on the island now. I must wait another day for them; if they don’t return, I’m free to go. And there’s one more thing..." the old man trailed off.

Eloken recognized the hint and looked at Gyra, who tossed more coins. He kept some in his hand and gave the rest to the old man.

Without being asked, the old man continued, "I came to see if by any chance there’s an Azure Fin. The story is that the fishermen who awakened the dragon were following the Azure Fin to the island..."

This information wasn’t particularly helpful to Eloken, so he decided not to comment. Tossing the remaining coins to the old man, he asked, "Just tell me where people say the dragon is on the island; I’d like to find it myself."

"You don’t look like a naive hero," the old man said, as he for the first time to a good look of Eloken.

"Appearances can be deceiving."

"Possibly..." the old man paused for a second as if he recognized Eloken but then continued.

"The story is that the dragon is in the heart of the island, but it’s most often seen on the other side." The old man pointed to the western side of the island.

Before Eloken could say anything, his vision grew blurry, and only the old man remained in focus. It was similar to the night he met the old woman outside the Drunken Dragon Inn. He had almost forgotten that event, but now all those feelings returned, just like that night.

The old man spoke in a strange language, looking at Eloken with a piercing gaze. "Zapi tsai drais, zlibu esi jakra, njidone esces jakra voj tvsje."

Eloken was lost again. He tried to find the words, but he couldn’t.

"Jevrju moj ne komenie," the old man's gaze sharpened further, his face devoid of any other emotions. "Lia damne ese ada soj jeni snoka."

Eloken tried to find his bearings, but just like that night on the Island of Moire when he met the old woman, his senses seemed to abandon him. "What are you saying? What language is that?" Eloken finally managed to find some words.

"What?" the old man asked, puzzled, and Eloken's vision cleared once again, the sound of waves becoming the predominant background noise.

He paused for a second and managed to gather himself. "Nothing, excuse me."

Eloken thanked the old man and told the captain where to steer the ship. On that side of the island, there were fewer ships, clearly afraid of the dragon and keeping their distance. Gyra spotted a suitable place for them to dock, a small cove with a sandy beach surrounded by rather tall black rocks on both sides.

"I'm going alone," Eloken said as he fastened his sword behind his back.

"Maybe I could go with you," Utran said softly, as if hoping Eloken would refuse him, but his pride wouldn't let him not ask.

"Not a chance," Eloken replied brusquely, his voice stern, and Utran looked as if he wouldn’t try to ask again.

"Wait for me there," Eloken pointed to a spot beneath the large black rock. "About twenty or thirty meters from the shore."

"Why there?" the captain asked.

"Trust me..." Eloken said. "I have an idea." Saying that, he slipped off the ship, jumping onto the soft yellow sand that shone like tiny gold nuggets in the bright sun.

Looking at the footprints on the beach, Eloken concluded he definitely wasn’t the first to disembark at this spot and head towards the center of the fiery island. Following several pairs of footprints, he moved into a small clearing in the otherwise dense shrubbery around the beach. Whoever had passed this way had used a machete or similar tool to clear the path, Eloken deduced, seeing broken branches on both sides.

Walking through the thick jungle, Eloken noticed thick black smoke rising from at least three places on the island. In some spots, the dense jungle on either side was trampled, as if someone had dropped a massive boulder and then made it disappear with a snap of their fingers.

After more than five minutes of brisk walking, Eloken was uncertain of the exact direction to go. But then, he heard a human scream followed by a thunderous, inhuman roar, not far ahead. Eloken immediately used Vis, quickly casting a spell to enhance his speed and sprinted toward the source of the sounds.

Suddenly, his narrow path widened into a small clearing with bright green grass and large, lightly blue flowers, unlike any Eloken had seen before, covering most of the field. It was immediately clear where the thunderous roar had come from moments earlier. In the middle of the clearing stood a red creature with outstretched wings—a dragon.

To Eloken's surprise, the creature was much smaller than he had expected, but such were stories; they often exaggerated real events, much like the tales he'd heard about himself. In one of them, he was said to shine with a bright golden light, floating above the arena as he killed his uncle and freed the Isari Kingdom from tyranny.

Still, the creature did not look harmless at all. Its wingspan was at least eight meters, and as it stood on its hind legs with its head raised, it was at least four or five meters tall. In front of the dragon were four people, one already on the ground in a pool of blood, likely the source of the earlier scream.

Before he could think further about his next move, the dragon let out another roar, and a stream of fire burst from its throat, turning one of the people to ash. Another person, in light armor with an axe in hand, charged at the dragon from the side while it was still breathing fire, swinging the axe with all his might at the creature's neck.

The axe bounced off with a metallic sound, and as far as Eloken could see with his sharp vision, the axe had cracked from the impact. The dragon stopped breathing fire and, with an elegant turn, struck the armored man with its wing, sending him flying at least ten meters until he slammed into the nearest tree. As he slid to the ground, his body was motionless, and the cracked axe fell from his limp hand.

Eloken watched the remaining two. One of them was also in armor, holding a mace and shield, while the other had no weapon or armor. Looking closer, Eloken realized the other was a boy, no older than fifteen, with a terrified expression and as pale as a sheet. The dragon reared up on its hind legs again and roared fire towards the boy.

Eloken finally snapped into action but was surprised when the fire stopped just before reaching the boy, splitting and bypassing him as if hitting an invisible barrier. The boy could use magic. Despite the barrier, the boy, overwhelmed by the force and fear, sat on the ground, covering his face with his hands against the oncoming fire.

His remaining companion charged with the mace, aiming at the dragon's outstretched wing instead of its neck. The impact tore a piece of the wing membrane, and Eloken noticed the dragon's skin there was thin, unlike the rest of its body covered in thick red scales.

The dragon let out its loudest roar yet, stopping its fire on the boy and focusing all its attention on the mace-wielder. The man managed to take a few steps back, avoiding the dragon's wing by a second. He swung the mace again and rushed at the dragon, but the creature turned with incredible speed for its size, flapped its wings enough to lift off the ground, and dodged the attack. In the process, it grabbed the man with its massive claws and flew about fifteen meters high before dropping him.

Before the man hit the ground, screaming all the way down, he found himself in the dragon's jaws. His screams were abruptly cut off when the dragon's quick bite split him and his armor in half. Two pieces of his body fell to the ground, the dragon's teeth red with blood.

The dragon paused for a second, then turned back to the boy, rising on its hind legs again. The boy was frozen in fear, unmoving. Fire shot towards him once more, but fortunately, the boy managed to conjure the invisible barrier just in time. The dragon, visibly angrier after the loss of a piece of its wing, intensified the fire.

Eloken finally moved, activating Vis, Vit, and Aet, thinking he would need the speed and physical enhancements from Vis to deal with the massive creature. If he got injured, he would need everything Vit could offer to heal. He considered using Tem to slow time but decided to rely on the effective invisible barriers of Aet as his new source.

He drew his sword from his back and started towards the dragon, but then he stopped for a second. If he killed the dragon, what would happen to Moira and the blockade? He took a step back, relaxing the sword by his side. The boy saw Eloken move and a flicker of hope crossed his face, but when Eloken retreated a step, horror took over. The boy’s barrier was weakening, the fire creeping closer to him.

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Eloken assumed the boy’s source was depleting, giving him no more than a minute. Aet was a highly volatile source of power, and the boy seemed inexperienced to Eloken. The boy's expression grew more desperate, and finally, he managed to murmur under his breath.

“Help me,” he said, now lying completely on his back as the dragon approached, only a few meters away, with the invisible barrier just half a meter from his face.

Eloken was torn internally. Should he save the boy, an innocent life from the creature that he and his magic had likely brought into the world, or let the dragon finish its job and use its anger to lead it to Moira to burn the pirate ships? If he killed the dragon, the chance to free Moira and advance his plans could die, and worse, Echo, Dalamir, and the others would soon have to face the Morrowshade and Joixari fleets without Eloken’s help. Without the dragon, they were almost certainly doomed. The General might save part of the fleet, but it would be a devastating blow to the Isari Kingdom, bringing it to its knees.

He had to let the dragon kill the boy. There was no other option—one life against the lives of his friends and the fate of the kingdom for whose throne his family had been killed.

“Please,” the boy pleaded with his last ounce of strength, the fire now dangerously close. He was completely on the ground, arms raised in a futile attempt to shield himself.

At that moment, Eloken didn’t see an unknown young man but his younger brother. The scene of the Imperial Guard cutting down his helpless brother was forever etched in his mind. This boy was much older than his brother had been, but the situation was the same—a helpless boy before an unstoppable force.

Eloken recalculated and raised his sword again, burning Vit and quickly casting a series of spells to enhance his speed and physical strength. He jumped towards the dragon, deciding to think of something else for his friends and the kingdom.

He charged and leaped at the dragon. The creature, consumed by rage, did not expect him and didn’t even know Eloken was there. Eloken used this to his advantage, landing on the dragon’s back just above its wings where its long neck began. Only then did the dragon notice him.

Its scales were as hard as titanwood or the strongest steel, Eloken felt under his hand. The dragon immediately started to thrash, but it did not stop breathing fire at the boy, as if sensing the end of the barrier and the boy’s life was near.

Eloken summoned all his strength and drove his sword directly between two of the dragon’s scales. The sword found a line of lesser resistance and pierced beneath the dragon’s skin. Eloken knew that if it had been any other, ordinary sword, it would have shattered from the impact and the thickness of the dragon’s hide. The dragon roared with a different sound, similar to a wail.

Eloken barely managed to pull the sword out using his superhuman strength and then stabbed it again between two scales nearby. The dragon thrashed and tried to flap its wings, but it was clear that Eloken had severed some tendon because it couldn’t lift off more than a few meters, and its wings moved sluggishly.

Eloken pulled the sword out again, leaped off the dragon as high as he could, and brought it down with all his weight on the creature, aiming to cut through the already weakened spots on its neck. His plan worked. The dragon’s hide offered resistance, but already weakened, it gave way under the force of Eloken’s leap and strength. The dragon’s head was severed, falling to the ground not far from the boy, who still lay on the ground, unable to move from shock.

Eloken landed beside the fallen dragon, breathing heavily. The boy’s barrier flickered out, and he stared at Eloken with wide, grateful eyes.

"Are you alright?" Eloken asked, approaching the boy and offering him a hand to get up.

"I don't know," the boy replied, barely managing to speak. "I think I am, thank you."

"You're welcome," Eloken said, glancing at the dragon's head lying nearby, its enormous tongue hanging out of its mouth.

"Why didn't you help right away? Were you scared too?" the boy asked timidly.

"No," Eloken replied bluntly. "I needed the dragon alive. I thought about letting it kill you and then using it, but in the end, morality prevailed. Now I'm in trouble."

The boy was shocked by Eloken's honesty. "Alive? For what?"

"Doesn't matter now, I have to go," Eloken said, turning away.

"Wait, what should I do?"

"What were you doing here in the first place?"

"They convinced me to come, promising me a little coin. My family needs it," the boy said, pointing to the lifeless bodies around him. "And they needed my power. They thought with it we could defeat the dragon."

"Idiots," Eloken said. "Figure it out. Go down the path to the beach and catch a boat home. I really have to go; lives depend on me."

"Who are you?" the boy asked, bewildered. Something about Eloken's aura seemed familiar.

"Eloken, maybe you've heard of me."

The boy stared at him in awe. "Yes," was all he could say.

"Will you be alright?" Eloken asked.

"Wait, you need a live dragon?" the boy asked instead of answering.

"Yes."

"Well, this isn't the only one on the island. There are many."

Eloken paused and turned back to the boy. "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, this is just a small dragon. We've seen at least a dozen flying around the island. There are some really huge ones."

Hope returned to Eloken, but time was running out. "Where exactly?"

"All over the island, but mostly towards the center, near the volcano."

At that moment, a deafening roar shook the ground, and Eloken felt like his eardrums might burst. A few seconds later, the sun suddenly disappeared, and the entire clearing was covered by a massive shadow. Eloken looked up. Now that was a mythical creature, a dragon. The creature flying above them had a wingspan of at least fifteen meters, and from tail to head, it was at least twice as long.

"Shit," Eloken muttered, and at that moment, the dragon ascended higher into the air before turning and beginning to descend onto the clearing. "Run," Eloken shouted, grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him in the direction he had come from.

They scrambled through a large bush and watched as the dragon landed. The ground shook from its weight. It approached the body of the fallen smaller dragon, nudging it with its enormous snout, then walked over to the head lying a few meters away.

"It must be its mother," the boy whispered, but Eloken did not respond.

When the dragon sniffed the head, it let out a roar so loud that the boy instinctively covered his ears, and Eloken felt like he might collapse. The dragon returned and sniffed the ground around the fallen smaller dragon, then turned in all directions and began sniffing the air. It paused in their direction and let out another thunderous roar.

"It found us," Eloken said simply. "Run after me."

They started running, and the dragon flew after them. As they broke through the underbrush, following the path to the shore that Eloken had taken, the enormous shadow loomed over them again, followed by a blast of fire in their direction. Both raised invisible barriers using Aet and barely avoided being burned alive.

"Don't waste your source, save it for later," Eloken said as they crouched under the barrier, and the boy let his shield drop. "Can you use Vis and enhance your speed?"

"No, this is all I can do," the boy said, disappointed.

"Alright, when the barrier falls, jump on my back and hold on tight. We need to sprint to the shore."

The dragon stopped breathing fire and took to the air again, swooping down to check if its victims were dead. Eloken took this opportunity, and the boy jumped onto his back. With his speed maximally enchanted, Eloken sprinted towards the shore. They heard the dragon land where they had been moments before, letting out another angry roar before taking to the skies again. It managed to catch up with them not far from the beach and showered them with fire again. Eloken told the boy to raise the shield while they ran, and the boy complied.

The dragon continued to breathe fire, but fortunately, they were close to the beach where Eloken had landed. Instead of heading directly to the beach, Eloken turned right towards a large rock under which he had instructed the Captain to park the ship. Trusting that the ship was exactly where he had said, Eloken charged towards the high rock with the boy on his back, ready to jump down.

The dragon was now closely pursuing them, ceasing its fire breath and trying to grab them with its enormous claws. Luckily, Eloken was fast enough and managed to leap from the edge of the rock just in time. He heard the sound of rocks shattering behind him as the dragon's claws struck the stone instead of them, causing the rocks to tumble into the water below.

The ship was right where Eloken had instructed it to be, but with the boy on his back, his aim was slightly off, and they fell a few meters short, landing directly in the sea. The Captain reacted quickly, throwing them a sturdy rope ladder. Eloken let the boy climb first, and soon he too was on the deck. The dragon stood on the rock above, seemingly confused by what had just happened.

"Set sail immediately," Eloken shouted, and the Captain obeyed. The ship's crew quickly hoisted the sails and Utran tried to create as much wind as possible, forming a sand tornado to gain speed.

Seeing the ship start to move, the dragon leaped from the rock and flew towards them, its enormous mouth open, releasing a stream of fire. Eloken reacted in time, raising a large barrier that protected almost the entire ship. They were moving quickly, but the dragon followed effortlessly, breathing fire the entire way.

There was no way Eloken's Aet reserves could last even a quarter of the journey to Moira at this speed, let alone the entire trip under constant fire. This plan didn't seem as brilliant now; even Eloken wasn't sure what he had expected. After nearly two minutes of constant fire, the dragon stopped and rose high into the air before diving towards the ship without fire.

"Get down," Eloken shouted, and everyone lay flat on the deck. The dragon's massive claws struck some empty wooden crates and tore off part of the ship's railing. It repeated this maneuver, and this time, Eloken stood up and drew his sword, trying to defend the ship. The dragon swooped down, and Eloken swung, barely dodging the dragon and striking its claws. The sword bounced off as if hitting steel with a wooden stick, leaving the dragon unharmed as it soared back into the sky.

The dragon repeated this maneuver three more times, each time causing more damage to the ship. It was only a matter of time before it sank the ship or caught one of them with its massive claws. When the dragon dove again, Eloken had the idea to try to ride it like the smaller dragon on the island and kill it that way. He would figure out another plan to help the fleets at Moira; he was more useful alive than dead at the bottom of the sea or in the dragon's stomach.

He prepared to jump as the dragon charged towards the ship again, but just before reaching the ship, the dragon slowed and straightened its flight. Its angry expression relaxed, and it began to hover just above the ship, flapping its wings gently.

Eloken stood in bewilderment, not understanding what was happening. A few seconds later, from below deck, using stairs no one had descended, Cel emerged with her hands raised towards the dragon, her eyes almost completely purple. Eloken thought he could even see a faint purple mist emanating from her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Eloken asked, completely shocked but with an indescribable smile on his face.