Altleno sprinted forward, aura burning around him like black fire. His footsteps cracked the earth beneath him as he charged straight for the dragon's chest, screaming through the smoke.
But before he could even get close—
WHAM!
The dragon's tail whipped around like a battering ram. The sound of impact echoed through the valley, followed by the sickening crack of bone.
Altleno's body flew through the air, smashing into the ground hard enough to carve a shallow crater. Blood spilled from his mouth as he gasped for air, clutching his ribs.
Every breath was agony. His vision blurred. The world tilted.
Still—he pushed himself up.
One trembling hand after another, until he was kneeling, swaying, his chest rising and falling unevenly. His aura flickered weakly around him—unstable, chaotic.
> "I won't… fall here…" he rasped, blood dripping from his lips.
He slammed his fist into the ground, and his aura exploded outward, a surge of raw, desperate power fueled by rage. The earth blackened beneath him, the air shuddering with energy. His eyes glowed—crimson and unyielding.
Then came a blur.
The dragon's massive form vanished and reappeared—its speed terrifying for something so large. Altleno barely had time to raise his arms before the next blow came.
Another strike. Another roar.
BOOM.
The impact hurled him across the clearing. This time, before his body could collide with a tree, a colossal claw slashed through the air—striking him mid-flight.
Pain. Blinding, endless pain.
The dragon's claws tore through his chest, ripping flesh. A burst of blood sprayed into the air, glistening in the fiery light.
Altleno hit the ground with a dull thud, rolling limply until he came to rest on his side. His breathing hitched. Each inhale came with a wet, rattling sound.
He looked down—his vision dimming—and saw it: a gaping wound across his chest, deep enough to show glimpses of bone. His aura flickered, fading.
Above him, Nugst loomed like a mountain of darkness, wings spread wide, eyes glowing with ancient fury.
> "So fragile," the dragon growled, its voice like rolling thunder.
"You break so easily… just like your kind before you."
Altleno's fingers twitched weakly against the dirt. He wanted to move. To fight. To do something.
But his strength was gone.
His vision blurred further, the world around him dimming into shadow. The roar of the dragon became distant, hollow—like thunder fading into the horizon.
> "Ru… I tried…"
His eyes fluttered halfway shut. The last thing he saw was the dragon's massive form towering over him, its chest glowing again—ready to end what little life remained.
The dragon of death, free after centuries of torment, had come to claim its first victim.
And Altleno—bleeding, broken, and defiant to the last breath—was its offering.