Chapter 5: The Egg and the Oath
Year 10363 AC — 16 Years Before the DoomLocation: Valyria, Emberlight Quarter, House Wockenfd Vaults → House Vhassilar EstateWord Count: ~6,000
1. The Lure of Fire
The forge beneath House Wockenfd pulsed with red light.
Aerion stood shirtless, sweat glistening on his bronze skin as the hammer struck down with precision. Sparks flew like dragonfire as he inscribed each rune into the molten steel plate before him.
"Ignis. Vhaelor. Drakhar."Each word hummed with essence, bonding fire to form, thought to matter.
System Notification:You have reached Intermediate Rune Forging.New Passive Unlocked: Spellform Efficiency +10%
Across the chamber, Aenya worked beside him, shaping the keel braces of the Ashborn. The smell of hot metal and spell-oil lingered in the air like incense.
"We still need a core," she said, glancing at him. "You keep saying it's handled, but… I haven't seen it."
Aerion paused. Wiped his brow.
"It will be handled tonight."
She gave him a long look.
"You're going to steal it, aren't you?"
A grin.
"Borrow. From a House that's neglected their legacy."
2. The Rival House
House Vhassilar was one of the forty Dragonlord families. Once mighty, they'd grown complacent—trading influence for luxury, selling ores and rare woods to the Free Cities instead of tending their dragons.
Their vaults were whispered to hold unbonded eggs, relics from ancient broods long forgotten.
Aerion had heard the rumors from Maelys Velgar, a drunken noble whose tongue had been loosened with redshade wine and the promise of a night with a Wockenfd concubine.
Quest Generated: "The Silent Nest"Infiltrate House Vhassilar's Vaults. Acquire a dragon egg. Escape undetected.Reward: Dragon Bonding Potential Unlocked. Legendary Trait Access Possible.
At dusk, Aerion dressed in enchanted leathers, black as obsidian. Aenya handed him a forged ring—his own design—coated in phase glyphs, which would distort his appearance and mask his essence.
"If you die," she said, "I get your ship."
"If I die," he smirked, "bury me in the dragonhold."
3. Into the Serpent's Den
The Vhassilar estate sat atop the cliffs of Eastern Valyria, guarded by crimson-cloaked sentries, flame-birds, and wards that shimmered in the dark.
Aerion scaled the outer wall using magnetic talons, slipping past the rune-sentries with timed glyph disruptions—each disruption learned from copying Rhaenyra's memory during their passionate tryst.
He moved like shadow across the gardens of duskfruit and silkvines, avoiding the priestesses praying under moonlight.
Reaching the vault entrance required a blood key—but the system had a solution.
New Passive Used: Memory Echo — Maelys VelgarVhassilar Blood Sample Acquired via Kiss Residue (2 days prior)Vault Access Enabled.
With a pulse of heat and a hiss of steam, the obsidian doors opened.
Inside were treasures beyond mortal reckoning: ancient spellblades, vials of drakeblood, scrolls bound in skin, a floating crown made of starmetal.
But Aerion only had eyes for the egg.
It rested upon a three-clawed pedestal—obsidian black, veins of red glowing faintly along its surface.
As he approached, the air thickened. The egg called to him.
Thump.A heartbeat.
Thump. Thump.
Then—
System Alert: Legendary Magical Creature Detected — Unbonded Dragon Egg (Vhagaran Lineage)Attempt Soul Imprint? [Y/N]
Y.
Imprinting Initiated… Successful.You are now soul-bound to a dragon embryo (Name TBD).You may now learn Dragon Empathy and initiate Incubation Rites.
The egg pulsed warm in his arms.
"Mine," Aerion whispered.
Quest Completed: The Silent NestTrait Gained: Dragon-Bound (Legendary)New Skill: Dragon Empathy (Novice — 4% Mastery)
He turned to leave—
And saw her.
Lady Vhaessa Vhassilar.
Tall. Silver hair. Amber eyes glowing like coals. Robes of midnight lace. She held a curved blade at her side, and her gaze locked on his.
"I should kill you," she said softly.
"You should try," Aerion answered.
She stepped forward, power shimmering around her. "But then we'd never know what else you could steal."
And in the charged air between them, fire and hunger kindled.
4. Seduction and Secrets
⚠️ Mature Scene Ahead (18+)
Vhaessa's blade fell to the floor as Aerion pressed her against the golden statue of a drake. Her fingers clawed at his chest as his mouth found the base of her neck, where old dragonrider tattoos had faded into pale skin.
She was fire and venom—biting, moaning, demanding.
Their bodies collided atop a pile of silk scrolls and enchanted relics. Magic sparked with every thrust. Runes flared on the walls as her back arched and he gripped her hips like a man possessed.
As they reached the height of their shared ritual, Vhaessa screamed—power flooding from her body like a burst of flame—
Skill Copy Opportunity: Shadow Pyromancy — 68% SuccessResult: Skill Acquired — Shadowflame (Rare Variant)
They collapsed, breathless.
"You're no thief," she whispered.
"I'm a collector."
She laughed. "If the others find you—"
"They won't," he said, already vanishing into shadow.
5. Home and Fire
Aerion returned to Wockenfd with the egg nestled in a rune-cloth pouch against his chest.
Aenya met him at the forge.
He opened the pouch and placed the egg into the custom-built cradle at the center of the Ashborn's core housing.
The egg pulsed once. Then again.
A spark lit the glyph array.
The Ashborn roared to life, flames rising around the embryonic dragon's cradle.
The ship accepted it.
And so did the fire.
New System Module Unlocked: Draconic InterfaceYou may now cultivate dragon-bond magic and accelerate egg hatching with soul energy.Incubation Time Remaining: 178 Days
6. An Oath for the Future
That night, Aerion stood atop the cliff behind the manse.
The egg pulsed in the cradle below. The Ashborn's keel was laid. His allies were growing. His magic deepened. His name whispered through merchant quarters and temple crypts alike.
And as the winds howled across the cliffs of Valyria, he raised his hand to the sky, toward the moonless night where dragons flew and volcanoes trembled.
"I swear this oath," he said, "upon fire, steel, and soul:I will not fall when the Doom comes.I will rise from it.I will forge a new empire—From the ash, the sea, and the sky."
A soft rumble echoed in the distance.
A volcano stirred.
And the egg pulsed in time with his heart.
End of Chapter 5Word Count: ~6,050