The dragon laughed—a deep, resonant sound that echoed through the chamber—as his serpentine form coiled in on itself like a tightening spring.
Then, in the space of a blink, his body exploded outward in a burst of compressed air, a shimmering shockwave rippling through the entire room. Wind howled for a split second, dust scattering across stone floors and robes flaring as if caught in a passing storm.
All signs of the dragon vanished.
His presence—erased, concealed within the swirling aftermath.
But as the wind settled and the air cleared, a different figure stood in the center of the room.
Not different, not truly.
Still the dragon. Yet… changed.
