Dalirina rushed out of the burning palace, her eyes desperately searching for a single glimmer of hope amidst a suffocating sea of ash and smoke.
The kingdom was no longer as she had left it.
Flames devoured the ancient royal towers. Soldiers fell one after another in the dirt. Every neighboring realm was casting whatever strength remained just to try and endure the onslaught.
She stopped for a sharp moment among the crumbling ruins, staring at the destruction as heavy, hot tears weighed upon her cheeks.
She whispered bitterly to herself: — "I didn't know… I didn't know the outcome would be like this…"
Tears of deep remorse carved their path down her face—a harsh, punishing reproach to both her heart and mind.
But suddenly…
From afar, she caught sight of a massive, colossal body ablaze with celestial fire.
Wings cut violently through the smoke. A deafening roar shook the very foundations of her soul.
It was Elinor.
Dalirina wiped away her tears with brutal force, erasing her weakness in that exact moment.
She dashed directly toward the panicked square, crying out with all her might: — "Eleanoooor!!! Eleanooooor!!!"
Her scream echoed between the burning stone towers, piercing the air until it reached the ears of the furious white dragon.
Then came a strange, unbelievable moment—Elinor's raging flames ceased abruptly.
The beast turned. Her massive, slitted eyes gleamed with absolute astonishment.
Then, she began to stride directly toward her.
Every single person in the square froze dead in place.
Soldiers, mages, allied kings… all of them stared in complete disbelief. — "Impossible… how could she?" — "She calls to the beast as if she knows her!"
Elinor drew closer, each heavy step making the stone ground tremble beneath them.
When she finally arrived, the colossal dragon slowly lowered her massive head to the dirt. A deep rumble, mixed with pure joy, reverberated through the air.
Yet Dalirina did not smile.
Instead, she shouted, her voice breaking with pain and heavy reproach: — "What have you done, Elinor?! Is this what I taught you?! Is this how you treat humans?!"
Elinor lowered her head further in pure shame, as though she completely understood the scolding.
Her vast eyes brimmed with unease and fear of disappointing her.
Dalirina stepped closer. She placed her trembling hand gently upon the great white brow, patting her scales as one would comfort a lost child.
She said with a tender, aching longing: — "I know… I know, my dear, you were afraid. But this was not the right way…"
Suddenly, a terrified cry erupted from behind the ranks: — "The other dragon!! It's attacking the guards!!"
Dalirina spun around swiftly.
She watched the deadly flames surge toward a group of defenseless, retreating soldiers.
Without thinking, she screamed from the absolute depths of her soul, using a voice she had never heard from herself before: — "Stoooop!!! Nooooooo!!!"
And the air itself was instantly cut off.
It was as though the very sky above Nairon had frozen into ice.
Both raging dragons halted exactly where they stood.
They bowed their massive heads in total, absolute submission, leaving everyone in the burning square utterly stunned.
Even Dalirina stood frozen, unable to believe the raw power that had just erupted from her.
The dragons stepped closer in perfect obedience, lowering their giant bodies before her feet as though she were their absolute queen.
The entire square quaked with silent awe. The soldiers murmured aloud, their weapons lowering: — "What is this…? How…?"
The allied kings stood high atop the crumbling palace walls, gazing down in sheer disbelief.
The eldest king whispered, his voice trembling: — "A servant… and three legendary dragons bowing before her?"
And it did not end there.
A thunderous, cracking roar echoed from the far horizon.
The fourth Big Dragon returned, landing heavily before the gates of the shattered kingdom.
A agonizing moment of suspense gripped the crowd… then it, too, bowed its heavy head before her.
The crowd rippled with urgent, hushed voices: — "Is she of that bloodline?!" — "Who is this girl?!" — "Is this real… or some ancient sorcery?!"
Dalirina stood alone in the center of the square, her heart pounding violently against her ribs, her eyes brimming with fresh tears and dread.
She was no longer just a mere servant.
She was a mystery. A secret far too great to ever be concealed again.
Yet within her breaking heart, a trembling question arose—one she could not answer:
What happened to the dragons?… Was it only my voice? Or is there something deeper, something royal, flowing in my blood?
A strange, overwhelming sensation overtook her—a terrifying blend of fear and absolute belonging.
It was as if her desperate cries had not been mere words… but a living echo of something ancient.
Something she had yet to truly realize