Farid ran as fast as he could down the street, his sneakers hitting the pavement hard, with a dragon chasing him. The city, usually noisy with cars and people, was strangely quiet, as if everything was standing still to watch him run for his life.
The streetlights flashed on and off, casting weird, twisty shadows like snakes. Farid's breath came in short gasps, his legs burning, but he kept running. He didn't dare look back. The dragon's presence felt heavy, a deep fear pushing him to keep going.
He ran into a narrow alley, hoping to hide himself in the maze of streets. The tall buildings around him were covered in graffiti and smelled like trash. He pressed his back against a brick wall, heart racing, waiting for the dragon to pass by.
There was silence for a second, then a loud thud shook the ground as the dragon landed at the entrance of the alley where he was hiding, its claws scraping the ground.
"You cannot hide yourself," the dragon's deep voice growled, low and menacing, causing Farid to shake. "You are mine now."
Farid's mind was racing. This can not be happening, dragons did not exist. But the heat from the beast's scales and the way its eyes glowed in the dark told him it was not a dream.
He crawled backwards, knocking over some crates, and the dragon launched after him, its jaws snapping very close to his face. His heart raced as he dodged to the side and took off running down the alley as fast as he could.
As Farid emerged onto the main street, the world glitched like a broken video game. The dragon disappeared for a moment and the city looked normal again. Honking cars passed by, people walking, and shop signs glowed in the dark.
Then, suddenly, the dragon was back, its massive body soaring across the sky. Farid froze for a moment. Was this the curse? Was reality twisting around him?
He barely had time to think. The dragon's tail swung by, crashing into a parked car and sending it flying across the street. Farid swiftly took cover behind a dumpster, heart racing, mind blank, looking for a way out.
He wasn't a hero, he wasn't supposed to face this. He was just a kid who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Why me?" he screamed, his voice trembling. "What do you want?"
The dragon paused, tilting its head as if thinking about what Farid said. "You made a deal with me," it growled loudly. "Your life is mine now. But I can be merciful. Serve me, and I might let you live."
"Serve you?" Farid's voice cracked. "I don't even know what you are!"
The dragon narrowed its eyes, and for a moment, Farid thought he saw something that looked like a smile.
"I'm the one who always takes what is mine," the dragon said. "And you, Farid, belong to me. The curse is not something that is chosen. It is your destiny."
Before Farid could even say anything, a bright light flashed at the end of the road. The dragon growled and pulled back as someone stepped out of the shadows. Farid squinted his eyes, trying to see who it was, but the light made the face blurry.
The figure raised a hand and sent forth a blast of energy towards the dragon, which knocked it into the air. The dragon flapped its wings, and the powerful wind from the wings sent Farid tumbling to the ground.
"Run, boy!" the stranger shouted, their voice rough and commanding. "This is not your fight yet!"
Farid didn't wait long to be told twice. He jumped up and ran, his mind spinning with fear and confusion. Who was that person? And what did they say?
He kept running until he got to his apartment building. Gasping for air and struggling with his keys. The sound of the dragon's roar had faded away, but its presence still haunted him.
He locked the door behind him and slid to the floor, resting against the wall. His mom was at work, and the apartment was empty, but Farid did not feel safe by any means.
The next morning, he woke up with the sound of his phone ringing, showing Ansel's name.
Farid hesitated before answering, his throat dry. "Hey," he grumbled.
"Hey, you sound exhausted," Ansel said. "You okay? You didn't show up at the arcade last night."
Farid's thoughts raced. Should he mention the dragon or the stranger? He went with a partial truth. "Yeah, just… had a weird night. Slept too long."
Ansel wasn't convinced. "Weird how? You've been acting strange since the accident. Spill it."
Farid exhaled and told Ansel about the chase, skipping the part about the voice and curse. Even so, Ansel got excited. "A dragon? Seriously? That's like something from a fantasy book! We need to figure out what's going on. Meet me at the library after school."
Farid agreed, though he wasn't sure how the library could help. Dragons weren't exactly in books. But Ansel's enthusiasm was contagious, and Farid needed answers, any answers.
The school day felt endless, with Farid's thoughts stuck on the dragon's words: "You are bound to me".
What did it mean? And who was the stranger that saved him? Farid was exhausted by the time the final bell rang.
Ansel was already seated at the library with a stack of books on mythology and legends. "Check this out," he said, pushing a book toward Farid.
The book was opened to a picture of a dragon with shiny black scales and evil, glowing eyes.
The caption read: "The Shadow Drake, a creature tied to old curses, said to bind itself to a human soul."
Farid's blood ran cold. "That's the dragon that chased me."
Ansel's eyes grew wide. "No way. It says the Shadow Drake is linked to a curse called the Pact of Eternity. Basically, Someone makes a deal with it, and it takes their life unless they meet its demands. Sound familiar?"
Farid swallowed hard. "I didn't make a deal. I just said yes when it asked to take my place."
Ansel leaned back and let out a low whistle. "Dude, that sounds like a bargain to me. You might have accidentally sold your soul to a dragon."
Farid felt nervous, he wanted to explain that it was all a mistake, and that it wasn't supposed to happen, but everything began to make sense now. The strange voice, the disaster at the school, and the dragon were all linked.
But he did not understand why he was involved. He wasn't special, he was just a regular kid who got hit by a car.
Suddenly, the library lights began to flicker, and the air around them felt cold. Farid's eyes widened. He recognised that feeling, the dragon was near.
He quickly grabbed Ansel by the wrist. "We need to leave right now," he whispered.
But it was already too late. The windows shattered, and the dragon's loud roar echoed through the room. Students screamed and ducked beneath desks as the enormous beast stood outside. Its eyes locked onto Farid. And then, a voice spoke to him in his head again:
"You can't run from your fate."