The battlefield was silent.
The terrifying battle of the night had finally ended, but the land still carried the scars of war. Smoke slowly rose from the burnt forest. Broken trees lay scattered across the ground like fallen soldiers.
Ash drifted through the cold morning air.
The first light of dawn began to appear behind the distant mountains, painting the sky with a faint golden color.
Aria sat near a small fire they had built among the ruins. Her body was exhausted, but her mind refused to rest.
Images of the battle kept flashing in her thoughts.
The Shadow creatures.The screams of the villagers.
The endless darkness crawling out of the earth.
She tightened her grip on the sword resting beside her.
Rowan stood a few steps away, staring at the massive figure of the Dragon.
The creature stood silently at the edge of the battlefield, its enormous wings folded behind its back. Even while standing still, it looked powerful enough to shake the world.
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
Finally, Rowan broke the silence."There's something I need to know."
The Dragon slowly turned its massive head toward him.
Its golden eyes reflected the rising sunlight.
Rowan hesitated for a moment, but then stepped forward.
"You saved us tonight," he said.
"You fought those shadows like you've done it many times before."
He paused.
Then his voice grew more serious.
"But you never told us the truth."
The Dragon remained silent.Rowan clenched his fists.
"Who are you?"
The wind passed through the broken trees with a low whisper.
Aria slowly stood up.
She had been wondering the same thing since the very beginning.
Why would such a powerful dragon suddenly appear?
Why was it protecting them?
And most importantly…
Why did it seem so familiar with the Shadow creatures?The Dragon looked toward the horizon where the sun was slowly rising.
For a moment, its expression almost seemed… sad.
Then it spoke.
"The time has come for you to know the truth."
Its voice was deep and ancient, like a sound carried from another era.
"Thousands of years ago," the Dragon continued, "this world was not the same as it is today."
"There were many powerful beings that lived alongside humans."
Aria listened carefully."Among them," the Dragon said, "the dragons were the guardians of balance."
Rowan frowned.
"Guardians?"
The Dragon nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"We protected the boundary between worlds."
"There are many realms beyond this one."
"Some filled with light."
"And others… filled with darkness."
Aria immediately understood what it was talking about."The Shadow Realm."
The Dragon looked at her with approval.
"Yes."
"For centuries, the barrier between our world and the Shadow Realm remained sealed."
"But one day…"
Its voice became heavier.
"The ruler of the Shadow Realm awakened."
Rowan's eyes narrowed.
"Abyss Lord."
The Dragon's wings moved slightly."That creature was not like the others."
"He was the first shadow ever born."
"A being created from pure darkness."
The wind grew colder.
"When Abyss Lord discovered our world," the Dragon continued, "he tried to invade it."
"He wanted to cover the entire world in eternal darkness."
Rowan crossed his arms.
"So the dragons stopped him."
"Yes."
"And that was the beginning of the greatest war this world has ever seen."The Dragon's eyes looked far away, as if remembering something painful.
"The war lasted for decades."
"Mountains collapsed."
"Oceans boiled."
"The sky burned with dragon fire for years."
Aria could almost imagine it.
Thousands of dragons fighting against endless shadows.
A battle powerful enough to reshape the world.
"But even dragons were not invincible," the Dragon said quietly."The shadows kept multiplying."
"Every fallen warrior became another shadow."
"One by one… the dragons began to fall."
Rowan's voice became softer.
"So in the end… the dragons lost?"
The Dragon remained silent for a moment.
Then it answered.
"No."
"We sealed the Abyss Lord back into the Shadow Realm."
"But the victory came at a terrible cost."
Aria felt her chest tighten"How many dragons survived?"
The Dragon slowly looked at her.
"Only one."
Rowan's eyes widened.
"Only one…?"
The Dragon spread its enormous wings.
Golden flames flickered across its scales, illuminating the ruined battlefield with a powerful glow.
"I am not just a dragon."
The air suddenly felt heavier.
"I was the leader of the Dragon Kingdom."
"I commanded the dragon armies during the war."Rowan took a step back in shock.
"Wait… you mean…"
The Dragon's voice echoed across the silent land.
"I am the last ruler of the Dragon Kingdom."
"I am the last guardian of this world."
Its eyes burned with ancient power.
"I am the Ancient Dragon King."
The words seemed to shake the air itself.
Aria stood frozen.
The Dragon they had been traveling with…
The one who saved them countlessWas not just a dragon.
It was the ruler of all dragons.
The last Dragon King.
Rowan ran a hand through his hair, still trying to process everything.
"So you've been hiding all this time?"
The Dragon King nodded slowly.
"For a thousand years."
"I watched the world change."
"I waited for the day the shadows would return."
Aria looked up at him.
"And now they have."The Dragon King's expression hardened.
"Yes."
"Abyss Lord is awakening again."
"His shadows have already begun spreading across the world."
Just as he finished speaking—
The sky suddenly darkened.
The sunlight disappeared behind thick black clouds that appeared unnaturally fast.
A cold wind swept across the battlefield.
The ashes on the ground began to swirl.
Rowan instantly grabbed his sword.
"What is happening?"Then they heard it.
A deep, terrifying voice echoed across the sky.
"Dragon King…"
The voice sounded ancient.
Powerful.
Filled with hatred.
The clouds twisted like a massive vortex above them.
The voice spoke again.
"I have returned."
Aria felt a chill run down her spine.She slowly looked up at the sky.
"Abyss Lord…"
The Dragon King spread his wings and looked toward the dark clouds.
His eyes burned like golden fire.
"So it begins."
"The final war."
Lightning flashed across the sky.
Somewhere beyond the dark clouds…
Something enormous was awakening.
And this time—
The fate of the entire world would be decided.The War of Shadows had only just begun.