Flames danced across the skeletal remains of Dracarys, casting eerie shadows over what once was the most fortified city in the Velbrath Kingdom. Stone towers lay crumbled, homes reduced to ash, and the sky above still echoed faint traces of the dragon's spectral roar.
Ryo Takahashi, the Hero of Velbrath, ran through the ruins, boots crunching over scorched debris. His golden armor was smeared with soot and blood, but he didn't stop. Not even when the heat threatened to cook the skin beneath.
"Anyone! Is anyone still alive?!" he shouted, voice hoarse with desperation.
A child's cry answered him. Ryo darted toward it, tossing aside a burning beam with sheer strength. Beneath it, a mother shielded her daughter with her charred body. The girl was crying, clutching her dead mother's hand.
Ryo gently scooped her up, teeth clenched. "I'm here. You're safe now."
Behind him, his party searched the ruins in silence.
Aria, the fox-eared mage, stood frozen, staring at a ruined home. She stepped inside, only to fall to her knees.
"Mom... Dad..." she whispered.
She didn't cry. She just knelt, tail still, eyes dead.
Lucien, the Princess's knight, found his sister buried under rubble. Her once bright blue armor was crushed, her sword bent beside her. His fist trembled before he let out a broken scream that echoed through the inferno.
Selene, the priestess, tried to revive a villager with holy light, but the spell flickered and died. She wept, her hands shaking.
Lyra, the elf archer, stood in silence, clutching a scorched ribbon. Her twin brother's. Her sobs were soundless.
The devastation was complete.
A man stumbled from the wreckage, half-burned, eyes wide and haunted. He collapsed into Ryo's arms, clutching his armor.
"It was just one dragon…" the man whispered. His voice was cracked and hollow.
"And it snapped. A giant claw came from the sky…"
Ryo looked toward the heavens, where black smoke curled into the wind. His jaw clenched. One dragon had done this.
Velbrath Capital
Within the marbled halls of Velbrath's Parliament, panic and tension hung thick in the air. Nobles crowded around a circular table beneath a mosaic of the kingdom's twelve emblems. At the center, the golden seal of Velbrath gleamed under crystal lights.
Ryle Astoria and Thea stood silently at the edge of the chamber, dressed in formal darkwear, press emblems pinned to their shoulders.
Ryle's eyes scanned the room — old men with fat bellies, ladies clenching scented handkerchiefs, young heirs hiding fear with forced arrogance.
At the head, Marquis Seraphina Elden presided, her tone calm and cold.
"Dracarys is gone."
Murmurs.
"And who do we blame?" a noble spat. "The dragons."
Dravenith stood proudly in his humanoid form, armored in gold and sapphire scales. His wings were folded tightly behind him.
"They kidnapped one of ours," he said, voice steady but thunderous.
"That broke the treaty."
"Dracarys had no treaty," Dravenith added, eyes narrowing.
"After the death of Ignilth, they refused to sign a long-term pact. Instead, they used one-time contracts. No legal obligation was violated."
Some nobles gasped. Others glanced at each other, uncomfortable.
A Baron whispered, "So, they were never officially protected?"
Dravenith nodded. "They knew the risks. They gambled with dragon trust. They lost."
Just then—
BANG.
The doors slammed open.
Ryo Takahashi stormed in, armor stained with ash and blood, his face twisted in rage.
"No. This wasn't justice. This was genocide!"
The entire room fell silent.
Ryo strode forward, fists clenched.
"Thousands dead. Families burned alive. For one dragon?"
He turned toward Dravenith. "You call that fair retribution?"
Dravenith's eyes gleamed. He took a breath
Dravenith stepped forward.
His glare silenced the entire room.
He lowered his voice. "The one kidnapped… was Vaelthia. The former queen."
Gasps erupted across the chamber.
"Enough," Dravenith said flatly.
His voice cut through the panic like a blade.
Thea stood by his side, watching everything quietly.
A duke adjusted his cuffs, clearing his throat.
"Dragons are dangerous. But also powerful. If one dragon destroyed a fortress like Dracarys..."
He paused. "Is it truly worth making them our enemy?"
The nobles nodded among themselves.
Another added, "We cannot afford war with the dragon clans. They're not beasts. They're celestial level creature."
The verdict came swiftly.
"Dracarys acted without legal backing. The dragons retaliated. It was... regrettable."
"But justified."
"Case dismissed."
Ryo's jaw dropped.
He stepped forward again. "What are you saying?! We just let it go? Thousands died—"
Guards moved forward.
"You are dismissed, Hero."
"This isn't justice—"
A mailed fist slammed into Ryo's stomach.
He fell to his knees.
"Out."
Another kick hit him in the back, sending him sprawling.
The doors closed behind him.
And the camera lingered on his bloodied face, staring at the chamber's sealed doors.
His eyes burned.
Not with tears.
But with vengeance.