C2 Ashes and Questions
Kael hit the ground hard.
The explosion above the village shook the earth beneath him. Heat washed over his back as flames roared through the evening sky.
People screamed.
The sound seemed distant, muffled by the pounding of blood in his ears.
For several heartbeats, he lay motionless in the dirt.
The dragon’s words echoed inside his mind.
Can you hear me?
He squeezed his eyes shut.
It couldn’t be real.
Dragons didn’t speak.
At least, they weren’t supposed to.
A hand grabbed his shoulder.
“Kael!”
His father’s voice.
Strong. Urgent.
Kael opened his eyes.
The blacksmith hauled him to his feet.
“Move!”
Another blast sounded overhead.
Villagers rushed toward the shelter entrance.
The great iron doors stood open, guards waving everyone inside.
Kael stumbled forward beside his father.
Behind them, fire rained from the sky.
The black dragon circled above the village, pursued by streaks of blue light fired from the church tower. Each blast illuminated the darkening sky.
The dragon wasn’t attacking.
It was trying to escape.
The realization struck Kael unexpectedly.
The creature’s movements were desperate, not aggressive.
Then another dragon emerged from the clouds.
This one was larger.
Its scales glimmered crimson in the dying sunlight.
A collective gasp swept through the village.
Two dragons.
No one had seen such a thing in generations.
The red dragon released a roar that rattled windows and sent livestock scattering.
Then both creatures vanished beyond the mountains.
The silence afterward felt unnatural.
Like the world itself was holding its breath.
Only the crackling of distant fires remained.
Slowly, villagers emerged from the shelter.
Kael stood frozen.
His eyes searched the horizon.
The dragons were gone.
But their words remained.
At last.
His stomach twisted.
What had the dragon meant?
Why had it spoken to him?
And why had nobody else reacted?
“Kael.”
His father was watching him closely.
“You look pale.”
“I’m fine.”
It was a lie.
The blacksmith frowned.
“You hit your head?”
“No.”
“Then what happened?”
Kael hesitated.
The truth sounded insane.
But he couldn’t keep it inside.
“It spoke to me.”
His father blinked.
“What?”
“The dragon.”
The words came out barely above a whisper.
“It spoke.”
Several nearby villagers turned toward him.
Confusion spread across their faces.
“What are you talking about?” one asked.
Kael swallowed.
“It looked at me.”
The memory sent a chill through him.
“I heard a voice.”
Silence followed.
Then someone laughed.
Not cruelly.
Nervously.
“As if dragons speak.”
A few others nodded.
His father’s expression softened.
The kind of look adults gave children who had seen something frightening.
“Kael…”
“I’m serious.”
No one answered.
The villagers exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, his father placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve had a shock.”
“I know what I heard.”
His voice rose.
Several people stepped away.
The blacksmith lowered his voice.
“We’ll talk at home.”
Kael wanted to argue.
Instead, he clenched his jaw and followed.
The village looked different now.
Smaller.
More fragile.
Several buildings had been damaged.
Smoke drifted through the streets.
Families inspected their homes.
Neighbors comforted one another.
Life was already trying to return to normal.
But Kael knew normal was gone.
Something impossible had happened.
And somehow, he was at the center of it.
⸻
That night sleep refused to come.
Moonlight filtered through the window of his small room.
Outside, the village remained unusually quiet.
Kael lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the dragon’s golden gaze.
Hours passed.
Then a sound reached him.
Soft.
Distant.
Like a whisper carried on the wind.
He sat upright.
The room was empty.
The sound came again.
Not through his ears.
Through his mind.
Dragon Speaker…
Kael’s breath caught.
His heart hammered against his ribs.
The voice was faint.
Weak.
Yet unmistakable.
The same voice.
The dragon.
Can you hear me?
“No.”
Kael immediately regretted speaking aloud.
The room remained silent.
Good.
The answer arrived instantly.
A strange mixture of relief and exhaustion.
Then there is still hope.
Fear gripped him.
“What are you?”
The response came after a long pause.
I am dying.
The words carried ancient sorrow.
And you are the first human to hear us in nearly a thousand years.
Kael’s mouth went dry.
Questions flooded his mind.
Thousands of them.
But before he could ask a single one, the connection weakened.
The voice faded like smoke.
Find the mountain called Skyrend.
Before they do.
“Wait!”
Kael jumped from his bed.
The room echoed with silence.
The voice was gone.
Completely gone.
Only the moonlight remained.
Kael stood trembling beside the window.
Far beyond the village, the Spine Peaks rose against the night sky.
Dark.
Mysterious.
Waiting.
And somewhere among them, a dying dragon had left him a message.
A message that would change everything.
