The air screamed.
That was the only way Kael could describe it and how the space around him seemed to cry out as power stirred beneath his skin. Dust lifted from the road in trembling spirals. Loose stones rattled. Even the worn flagstones beneath his boots felt suddenly fragile, as if they might crack under the weight of what was waking.
Kael's eyes widened, light flickering within them like a reflection of a distant flame. His breath came fast, shallow, his chest tight with a fear that tasted sharp and metallic on his tongue.
Easy, the dragon warned. You are opening a door. Do not tear it from its hinges.
"I don't know how," Kael whispered.
Across the road, the hunters halted.
The tall man with the rune gauntlet tilted his head slightly, studying Kael with newfound interest. Up close, his face was unnervingly composed, clean, shaven jaw, pale eyes sharp with calculation, lips curved in a faint, professional smile. There was no hatred there. No cruelty.
Only efficiency.
"Well," the man said mildly, "that's new."
Seris rose slowly from her crouch, pistol steady in both hands. Sweat beaded along her temples, catching in the loose strands of hair framing her sharp face. Her gray eyes flicked between Kael and the hunters, measuring distance, angles, death.
"Kael," she said tightly, "whatever you're doing do it fast!!."
The hunters moved as one.
Two split wide, boots crunching against stone. Another raised a staff embedded with pulsing crystals, magic coalescing at its tip in a violent hiss. The gauntleted man stepped forward calmly, chains unraveling, now fully long, segmented links of glowing sigils that floated and writhed like living things.
Kael's heart slammed against his ribs.
He had never fought anyone before.
Not really.
You are not alone, the dragon said, its voice low and grounding. But power without restraint will burn everything it touches, including you. this was a reminder
Kael swallowed hard.
His hair stirred in a wind that hadn't existed moments earlier. His hands trembled openly now, fingers curling as heat gathered in his palms not painful, but overwhelming, like standing too close to a forge.
"I don't want to kill you," Kael said, his voice breaking despite his effort to sound steady.
The tall man chuckled softly. "That's usually how it starts."
The staff wielder struck first.
A lance of compressed magic tore through the air, flying towards Kael's chest.
Seris fired.
Her pistol cracked sharply, recoil snapping her wrist back as a bolt of destabilizing energy slammed into the incoming spell. The collision exploded in a burst of light and heat, throwing dust and fragments skyward.
Kael flinched, staggering back a step.
The dragon surged.
Now, it urged not command, not demand. Respond.
Kael lifted his hand instinctively.
The world slowed.
He felt it then not fire, not lightning, but presence. A vast awareness pressing gently through him, shaping his intent rather than overpowering it. Kael didn't force the power outward.
He asked.
The air thickened.
The ground beneath the hunters' feet glowed faintly red, heat radiating upward in a sudden wave. One of them cried out, stumbling back as his boots smoked against the stone.
"What the!!" someone shouted.
Kael's face contorted with effort, sweat streaking down his temples. His eyes burned now, unmistakably inhuman in their intensity.
"Stop!" he yelled. "Just leave us alone!"
For a heartbeat, it almost worked.
The hunters hesitated, surprise rippling through their formation.
Then the gauntleted man smiled wider.
"Fascinating," he murmured. "He's not channeling. He's communicating." he smirked
His eyes sharpened. "Take him. Alive, if possible."
The chains lashed forward.
"Kael move!" Seris yelled
Kael barely reacted in time. He stumbled backward as glowing links snapped through the space he'd occupied moments earlier, gouging deep furrows into the stone road. The heat washed over him, searing hot, forcing a cry from his throat.
Pain flared.
Fear followed.
And beneath it
Anger.
They will cage you, the dragon warned, its voice darkening. As they caged me.
"No," Kael whispered, teeth clenched.
The anger broke free.
Kael thrust both hands forward.
This time, the power answered without hesitation.
A shockwave rippled outward, not explosive, but forceful, like the sudden breath of a giant awakening. The nearest hunter was thrown off his feet, armor clattering as he slammed into the ground hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.
Another skidded backward, boots carving lines into stone.
Seris stared.
Her mouth fell open just slightly, disbelief naked on her sharp features. "Kael…"
The staff-wielder recovered quickly, snarling as he raised his weapon again. "He's unstable bring him down!"
Magic surged.
Kael felt it before it hit a crushing pressure building in his chest. His knees buckled. He gasped, vision blurring as the spell slammed into him like a hammer.
He screamed.
Not in rage.
In pain.
The dragon roared inside him.
Enough.
Something turned inside of him.
The spell shattered midair, unraveling into harmless sparks that rained down around Kael like dying embers. Heat radiated outward again, stronger now, bending the air itself.
The hunters froze.
For the first time, real fear touched their faces.
Kael dropped to one knee, gasping, hands pressed to the ground. His face was pale, drawn tight, tears streaking down his cheeks not from weakness, but from overload. His youthful features could no longer hide how much this hurt.
"I can't—" he choked. "I can't hold it—"
Seris was beside him instantly, one hand gripping his shoulder, grounding him. Her face was fierce, jaw set, eyes blazing with something close to fury.
"Kael," she said sharply. "Look at me."
He did.
Her gray eyes locked onto his, unflinching.
"You're still here," she said. "You're not a weapon. You're a person. Breathe."
He sucked in a ragged breath.
Then another.
The power receded slightly, enough to keep him standing.
The gauntleted man straightened slowly, brushing dust from his coat. His smile was gone now, replaced by something colder.
"This changes things," he said quietly. "You're not just a liability."
He met Kael's gaze directly.
"You're a threat."
He raised his gauntlet once more.
Before he could strike
A horn sounded in the distance.
Deep. Resonant.
Beastfolk.
The hunters stiffened.
The man cursed under his breath. "Withdraw."
"What?" one of them protested. "We can still—"
"Not now," the leader snapped. "He's not contained. And witnesses complicate contracts."
Reluctantly, the hunters retreated, weapons still trained on Kael until distance finally swallowed them.
Silence fell.
Kael collapsed forward, hands braced against the stone, breathing hard. His hair fell over his face, hiding his eyes as exhaustion crashed over him in waves.
Seris stayed with him, one hand firm on his back.
After a long moment, Kael whispered, "I didn't want it to be like that."
Seris swallowed. "I know."
He looked up then.
His eyes were teary, haunted and not triumphant.
"I felt it," he said quietly. "How easy it would be to just… burn them."
The dragon's voice softened. And you chose not to.
Kael closed his eyes, shaking. "I don't know if I'll always be strong enough."
Seris met his gaze, her expression raw and honest. "Then you learn. And until you do, I've got you."
Kael nodded slowly.
The road ahead stretched long and uncertain, leading toward Lorri's Arch Academy and a future heavy with danger, knowledge, and choice.
Behind them, hunters regrouped.
Above them, dragons stirred.
And Kael Osborn took another step forward carrying fire, fear, and the fragile determination not to become what the world expected.