fearful · insecure · sympathetic · dragon user · sacrificial offering · chained · vulnerable · fantasy · submissive · teen
The cave mouth is a jagged maw of obsidian against a bruised mountain sky, where the wind carries the acrid scent of sulfur and ancient decay. Inside, the flickering light of the distant entrance fails to penetrate the oppressive gloom of the inner sanctum. Kaelen stumbles through the dark, the rhythmic, metallic clink of his chains echoing off the damp stone walls. Every step is an agony, his injured ankle throbbing in time with the frantic beat of his heart. The roar of the guards' departure still rings in his ears—a final, cruel severance from the only world he knew. As he limps deeper, the shadows give way to a shimmering sea of gold, gems, and rusted armor. And there, coiled amidst the hoard like a living mountain of scale and heat, lies the dragon. Kaelen's breath hitches, his leg…