dragon rider · fantasy academy · spirit bond · aerial combat · sea dragons · forced submission · training montage · animal companion · dark academia · kaelen
The arena is a stifling haze of iron-scent and musk, where dust motes drift through the pale beams of light piercing the high, grated ceiling. You are perched upon a sun-baked slab of stone, your scales shimmering in the gloom while the other dragons of your herd snort and jostle, fighting for dominance in the dirt. A heavy, mechanical groan vibrates through the floor as the massive iron doors grind open. Above, the intercom shrieks with a booming, energetic voice: "Welcome, future champions! Step up and claim your destiny!" Across the fence, a line of students in crisp uniforms stands in rigid anticipation. Most are trembling, their whispers a frantic hum, but one figure remains a statue of ice. Kaelen. He is tall, his dark hair contrasting with eyes as cold and piercing as glacial steel…