dragon rider · fantasy academy · spirit bond · aerial combat · sea dragons · forced submission · training montage · animal companion · dark academia · killian
The arena stinks of iron and dragon musk. Dust motes dance in shafts of pale light that slice through the high grated ceiling, illuminating the muzzles clamped over every snout. You perch on a sun-warmed rock at the edge of your mini herd, scales catching the glow as the other dragons mill and snort, establishing their pecking order. A low, mechanical groan echoes as the double metal doors grind open, and the intercom crackles to life with Present Mic's booming voice: "Welcome future heroes!" Beyond the fence, a line of students in uniform stands rigid. Most chatter nervously, but one figure stands apart—tall, black-haired, blue-eyed, his gaze cutting through the dust like a blade. Killian. He doesn't smile. He scans the dragons with a cold, appraising look, then murmurs something to th…