The sky trembled violently beneath Elinor's roar as she soared over the high palace walls.
She unleashed her fire directly before the terrified soldiers and massive war machines. It was as if she were declaring in a voice of pure flame:
None can stand against me, if I so will it.
The front ranks of the royal guard quivered. Some stepped back in panic, while others raised their weapons uselessly toward the burning heavens.
Though the Flame Kingdom had long been known as the most warlike among all realms—its vast armies and devastating fire-forged weapons unmatched—it now stood utterly powerless before these beasts.
Walls that had withstood hundreds of historical wars crumbled in mere moments beneath the claws of a single dragon.
In the grand throne hall, the king sat deathly pale. His hands trembled over endless letters of threat and plea from neighboring realms.
His confusion and dread deepened with every passing minute.
They all demanded he extinguish this rising hellfire, yet the disaster was already far beyond quenching.
But the terror did not end there…
In the magic mountain, where the dragons had broken free the night before, ancient fire blazed once more.
With its blinding glow, another prison shattered into pieces.
A massive, ancient dragon burst into the open air, immediately followed by a quake-born roar from the darkest depths of the cavern.
Four Big Dragons were enough to completely cover the skies of Nairon.
Their wings stretched out like dark storm clouds. Their relentless flames turned bright day into an endless, bloody sunset.
Fire rained upon the ancient forests. Mountain huts burned one after another, while thick, choking smoke rose to shroud the helpless villages.
In the palace, the king sank deeper into absolute despair. Missives from other kingdoms flooded his hands. Some were openly renouncing him, flatly refusing to risk the catastrophic wrath of the dragons.
Then, three envoys arrived, bearing different royal seals.
The messenger of the Water Kingdom entered first, bowing deeply before the throne: — "My liege, our water faeries can suppress these tongues of flame. Allow us, and we will safeguard your people."
Next came the stern envoy of the Ice Kingdom, backed by its ice faeries, frost warriors, and sorcerers capable of freezing even the skies if needed.
Then rose the giant envoy of Zephyra, the Kingdom of Wind, his voice rumbling like a heavy storm: — "The warriors of wind and faeries of the storm will be your ultimate shield. Should fire rise, we will smother it with our gales. Should dragons descend, we will drive them back."
These three kingdoms had long been bound to the king by a sacred, ancient alliance.
Yet in this time of global upheaval… they alone chose to remain firmly by his side, even as the world around him completely unraveled.
Amidst the absolute chaos, one terrifying truth settled in every beating heart:
This was no longer a fleeting crisis…
But the brutal dawn of war.
A war with absolutely no place for neutrality.
For even if the surface flames were temporarily quelled, the Big Dragons would never be stopped.
These mythical beasts could be controlled by none…
Save for the exiled bloodline.
And thus, the dark fears that had long haunted them were no longer whispers…
But an inescapable, living truth.