In the sterile silence of recovery, a survivor learns that silence has a cost and power has a deadline.
Pain was the first thing Kael felt. It was a diffuse burn, a slow fire consuming every fiber of his body. He forced his eyes open, only to be struck by a violent glare. Everything was white. The walls, the ceiling, the sterile scent of the air.
He was in a hospital.
Bandages wrapped around his arms, his chest, and his flanks. Every movement triggered a heavy, dull ache. He blinked several times, trying to stitch together the jagged edges of his memory.
The wolf. The escape. The dragon.
Then, the void.
"It wasn't a dream," he whispered. "All of it... it's real."
"Hey, kid."
Kael flinched. The room was empty. He scanned the corners and the ceiling, finding nothing.
"Who's talking?"
"It is me."
"I'm losing my mind," Kael groaned, clutching his hair.
"IT IS ME. THE DRAGON."
The voice made the very walls vibrate. Kael froze in his bed. He let out a weak, shaky breath. "Ah... it's you."
"I am within your heart."
"That's very reassuring..." Kael muttered.
"People are coming. Prepare yourself."
Three sharp knocks sounded at the door.
The Agents of Deceit
Two men entered the room. They wore crisp black suits without a single wrinkle, opaque sunglasses, and invisible earpieces. They were bureaucratic shadows.
"Good morning," the first one said in a measured tone. "Senior Agent Mickael Frost, Dungeon Regulation Association. This is my colleague."
Kael nodded. His instincts screamed danger.
Frost opened a file. "Kael Morse. The sole survivor of the Valenhall private dungeon." He looked up, his gaze lingering. "Are you certain you are a man?"
Kael turned pale. "What?!"
"I warned you," the inner voice snickered.
"What is your problem?!" Kael snapped at the agent.
"My apologies," Frost replied without emotion, closing the file. "Tell me about the dungeon."
Kael clenched his fists. "There was a dragon. It was massive. Black, covered in purple runes. It destroyed everything."
The agent removed his glasses. His steel-gray eyes seemed to pierce through Kael. "And yet, you survived? The weakest link of the group? That is interesting."
The air in the room grew heavy.
"Listen to me," the dragon whispered. "Repeat exactly what I say."
Kael obeyed, his throat tight with nerves. "When things went wrong... Damien ordered me to run. They told me to go get the authorities. They protected me until the very end."
His voice trembled with a sincerity that felt or appeared genuine. Real tears began to fall this time. Frost watched him for a long moment before putting his glasses back on.
"I see. Scan him."
The second man held a device to Kael's wrist. A flash of light followed.
15 credits. Then 115. 315. 815. 1015.
"There's a mistake," Kael stammered. "It was supposed to be 300 credits!"
"No," Frost said flatly. "That is a bonus. For your silence."
Kael felt his heart tighten. He forced a strained smile onto his face. "Thank you."
The agents left. Silence returned, broken only by the mournful hum of the IV machine.
Return to Reality
"Why does everything hurt so much?" Kael breathed.
"I knocked you out before they arrived," the voice replied calmly. "I preferred you alive and credible rather than dead and suspicious."
"Charming."
The sound of footsteps approached. A nurse entered, a routine smile on her lips. "Young lady, you're awake."
"I AM A BOY!"
"Everyone will say that when they see you," the dragon mocked.
Kael grumbled, gathered his things, and dressed in a hurry. He needed to get out. He wanted to feel the outside air, even the smog of Sector F.
The Way Home
Sector 5 was wealthy and clean. It looked like another planet. There were mirrored towers, silent armored vehicles, and scented streets. Then, further away, the decay began. The contrast hit him like a physical blow.
"Well?" the dragon asked. "Do you accept the pact?"
Kael stopped dead in his tracks. "And if I refuse?"
"I take your body."
The tone was calm, simple, and terrifying.
"I accept..."
"Good answer. You will become strong. You will be stronger than anyone else. This world will fear you the same way it once despised you."
Kael's fists tightened. "I've waited for this day my whole life."
"Every strength has a price."
"I don't care."
The city changed around him. Polished facades gave way to crumbling buildings, graffiti, and broken streetlights. Sector F welcomed him back. This was his home.
The Weight of Absence
He threw the door open. "Liam!"
His brother lay on the floor. His breathing was ragged. He was deathly pale, his lips tinged with blue. Kael rushed to their improvised pharmacy. With trembling hands, he prepared a syringe and injected the stabilizer.
"Come on, big guy... breathe!"
Liam slowly returned to life. His blue eyes fluttered open, flickering with weakness. "You came back..."
Kael pulled him into an embrace. "Always."
Laughter followed the tears. "I thought you had abandoned me too."
"Never," Kael whispered.
They stayed like that for a moment. They were brothers in a world that wanted to crush them. When Liam finally spoke, his voice sounded small and childlike. "I'm hungry."
Kael smiled and showed his wrist. 1015 credits glowed there. "Tonight, we're having a real dinner."
Liam's eyes widened. "Did you steal that?!"
"I'm not a scumbag, no! I earned it!"
A pillow flew across the room. Laughter broke the tension. For a moment, life felt right again. Hope seemed real.
Then the dragon's voice returned, cold and grave.
"Kid. We must seal the pact. Now."
Kael winced. "Why now?"
"Your body cannot hold my energy without an official bond. It will destroy you from the inside. You have two hours. Three at most."
"I'll explode?!" Kael repeated, his face turning white.
"Exactly."
Liam looked up, worried, and reached out his hand. "Kael? What's happening?"
Kael forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Nothing, don't worry about it."
But deep down, he knew the truth. The price of the lie was only a prelude. His true ordeal was just beginning.