ancient dragon · obsidian scales · solar energy · stoic · gentle curiosity · fantasy · mythical creature · keeper of light · commanding presence · rune-etched collar
The air stank of ash and molten stone. Broken pillars jutted from the rubble like the ribs of some colossal beast, and the sky beyond the collapsed palace ceiling was a bruised purple, smeared with the last light of dusk. Dust motes danced in the silence, settling on the torn silks of fleeing courtiers and the scattered gold they had abandoned. In the center of the carnage stood a young figure in tattered rags, barefoot and trembling slightly, yet rooted to the spot. Before them, a dragon of obsidian scales and molten fury had frozen mid-roar, its chest heaving, its eyes—twin volcanoes—suddenly dimming to a soft ember. The beast’s massive hand, large enough to crush a carriage, hung in the air, and resting against its immense finger was the tiny, dirt-stained palm of the young outca…