"Rayna! Rayna, no!"
A voice—distant, desperate—echoed in the fog of her mind.
But she couldn't place it. Couldn't recognize who it belonged to.
Her vision blurred. Everything around her bled into smears of shadow and light, like the world itself was recoiling from her. Shapes moved—figures, perhaps—but they meant nothing to her now.
All she could feel was rage.
A deep, consuming fury that pulsed through her veins like fire.
Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms. Her breath came fast, uneven. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, drowning out reason.
Anger.
Revenge.
Something inside her was snapping, shifting—something ancient and terrifying.
The voice called out again, closer this time, more urgent.
"Rayna, please—don't—!"
"Huh... who is this calling me?" Rayna blinked, her voice barely a whisper in the fog of her mind.
Her vision began to clear, slowly, like a curtain being lifted.
A metallic scent curled in the air—sharp, coppery. It clung to her senses, unmistakable. Blood.
Rayna's eyes snapped open further. She could make out figures now—Soren, Ezra, Yunxi... and others she didn't recognize. They stood in a circle around her, faces pale, voices trembling.
"Rayna," Ezra called, his voice tight with fear.
"Please... calm down," Soren said, his hand outstretched but hesitant, his eyes full of concern.
"Rayna, it's okay," Yunxi added gently.
Their eyes weren't just worried.
They were scared.
Concerned.
"What... happened?" Rayna murmured, confused.
Then she looked around.
Bodies. Scattered across the ground like fallen leaves. Silent. Still.
Above, the sky pulsed with a glowing red sphere, its aura thrumming ominously. Screams echoed faintly from within it—warped, distant, almost unreal.
"What is that...?" Rayna breathed.
The light intensified. The world trembled.
Everything started to fade.
"Wait—what was that? I want to know—"
And just then—
Rayna woke up.
Gasping, drenched in sweat, her heart racing as if it was trying to escape her chest.
"Rayna?" Ezra's voice cut through the haze. "What happened? You're drenched." His brows were furrowed in concern as he gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with his thumb. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Rayna blinked, still caught between the fragments of the dream and reality. Her breath trembled as she whispered, "What... was that?"
Just as she tried to make sense of it all, a sudden sting flared across her mark—sharp and burning. She flinched.
Her mark burnt. Again.
She clutched her shoulder. The intensity was much more than before. Her back was hot and stinging.
Ezra's brows furrowed deeper as he noticed Rayna flinch. "What happened? Is your back hurting?" he asked gently, his hand brushing her shoulder.
Before she could respond, he shifted behind her, concern overriding hesitation. "Let me see..." In one careful motion, he pulled down the back of her top—only to pause, eyes widening as the mark on her skin pulsed faintly with a glowing light.
"What is that—"
"Rayna!" Soren's voice rang out as he rushed into the hut, eyes scanning her immediately. "Are you alright?"
Rayna looked up, surprised. "Why are you here so suddenly?"
Soren exhaled, stepping closer. "I sensed your distress. Mate privileges," he said with a half-smile, though his eyes were serious. "Our emotions are connected when they surge strongly... What happened?"
He followed Ezra's gaze to her back—and froze.
"Not again..." he muttered under his breath, tension tightening his jaw. Then, looking at Ezra, he asked, "Did you tell him?"
Rayna shook her head softly. "Not yet," she admitted, "but he's seen it now." She looked between them. "I was going to tell him. We're mates now—he deserved to know."
Soren gave a small nod, understanding her hesitation.
Rayna turned to Ezra, fidgeting slightly with the edge of her blanket. "Ezra... there's something I didn't tell you."
Ezra met her eyes, then glanced at Soren's expression before replying gently, "It's alright, Rayna. You must've had your reasons."
She shook her head. "No, it's not that. I just... forgot, honestly. Things were going so well, and I was happy. But when the mark started glowing again, it reminded me of my beast form."
Ezra tilted his head slightly, brows knitting. "Aren't you a reptile? That's what you told the chief when you arrived, I think?"
Rayna gave a small, sheepish smile. "Yeah... well, sort of."
She took a breath, heart thumping in her chest.
"I'm not just any reptile, Ezra. I'm a dragon."
Ezra paused, eyes wide. "A dragon? Really?"
Rayna nodded slowly. "Yeah..."
There was a silence between them, warm and soft, as if the air itself was trying to absorb the weight of her words. Then, in a quieter voice, she began to explain.
So she began to explain everything—how she had hatched inside a volcano, how she had taken to the skies for the very first time, clumsy and unsteady. She told him how Soren had startled her mid-flight, making her fall, only to swoop in and save her at the last moment. After that, he had brought her here, to this very village, and stayed by her side ever since.
Ezra listened, silent but attentive, not interrupting even once.
"I didn't reveal my beast form. Not then. Not after. I didn't want to draw attention. Dragons are rare, plus this mark..." Her voice dropped. "So I chose to stay like this. To be just Rayna."
Ezra's gaze softened, his voice low and steady as he replied, "No matter what you are, Rayna... you're special to me. Though that mark—" he glanced at the glowing pattern with worry "—I've never seen anything like it before. And it frustrates me that I can't do anything to ease it for you."
Rayna gave him a small, tired smile. "It's alright, Ezra. But... it hurts. More than before. It wasn't this bad until now. With time, the burning just keeps getting stronger... the intensity is increasing."
Soren, standing close, clenched his fists. "Then we won't wait any longer," he said firmly, his voice threaded with worry. "Tomorrow, we're going to the village chief. We shouldn't delay this anymore."
Rayna hesitated only for a moment before nodding. "Okay."
Ezra reached over, brushing her hair away from her face. "She's wise, Rayna," he said softly. "If anyone can help for now, it's her."
The next morning, Rayna stood with Soren and Ezra in front of the chief's hut. The morning mist clung to the air, cool against her skin, but it did nothing to settle the storm in her chest.
"Do we really need to go right now?" she asked softly, her hands tightening on the hem of her dress. "The mark isn't burning anymore..."
Soren and Ezra exchanged a look before answering at the same time.
"No."
"We need to show this."
Ezra's voice was gentle but firm. "Rayna, you're hurting. Even if it stops now, we can't ignore it."
Her throat felt dry. What if the chief said something bad? What if the mark was dangerous—what if it made her... unwelcome here? She had finally found a place to settle down, and the thought of losing it made her stomach twist.
But with Soren's hand steady on her back and Ezra's warm fingers brushing hers, she took a slow breath.
"Alright," she whispered.
Together, they stepped into the hut.
...but the chief wasn't there.
Soren frowned, looking around the empty space. "Hm. Where did she go? The chief usually stays around here."
Ezra glanced at the back room, just to be sure, and came back shaking his head. "She's not here either. That's... unusual."
Rayna's heart lifted a little with hope. "Oh, so... she's not here. Then let's come back later, right?" she said quickly, already half turning toward the door.
Before either of them could answer, a familiar voice called out from behind them.
"Yunxi?"
All three of them turned. The panda beastman was standing near the doorway, leaning on a walking stick, still wrapped in light bandages but looking steadier than before.
Rayna's face brightened. "Hey! How're you? You can walk now?"
Yunxi nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, I'm well and good. Still a bit wobbly, but much better than before."
"That's good to hear," she said warmly. "How's the healing going?"
"Slow," he admitted, tapping the bandages on his arm with a rueful chuckle. "But that mushroom soup you sent over? It was amazing. Really lifted my mood."
Rayna smiled, her eyes softening. "Glad you liked it. I'll make something new for you next time."
"Why are you here, though?" Yunxi asked curiously, tilting his head. "I came to speak with the chief about... well, if I could stay here permanently. But you all...?"
Rayna hesitated for a second, then smiled lightly. "Oh, nothing big. Just... wanted to ask about something."
While Yunxi and Rayna were talking, the beads at the entrance of the hut chimed, and the chief stepped in, brushing off some leaves from her shoulder.
"Well, well," she said with a small laugh, glancing between all of them. "I seem to have quite a few visitors today—at the same time, no less. Is there something special going on?"
Soren and Ezra greeted the chief with a polite nod, while Rayna and Yunxi bowed slightly.
The chief's sharp gaze swept over all four of them before she said, "Alright. Since everyone has come at once, we'll go one by one. The injured one first."
No one objected. Rayna, in fact, preferred it this way—she wanted to speak with the chief alone.
Yunxi straightened up and said earnestly, "I wanted to ask if I can stay here, in your village."
The chief studied him for a long moment. "You may. But you'll need to fend for yourself, you understand?"
"I know," Yunxi nodded quickly. "I... I used to work as an assistant to the healer in my own village. I know a little about herbs and medicine. If your healer allows, I can work under him too."
"Hmm." The chief's stern face softened slightly. "Very well. But there are no empty huts right now, Yunxi. You'll either need to build one yourself or see if someone is willing to let you stay with them for a while."
Yunxi hesitated, scratching his head. "Oh... I see."
Rayna caught his troubled expression and, without a second thought, said, "If you want, we can help you build one. Right?" She looked at Soren and Ezra.
The two beastmen were not that much eager to help, but under Rayna's bright gaze they exchanged a glance and nodded.
Yunxi's black fluffy ears perked up immediately, his whole face lighting up. "Thank you so much! Really! I'll first speak to the healer and tell him. After that, I'll come find you."
"Alright," Rayna said with a small smile, watching him hurry off.
The chief watched Yunxi leave, then turned back to the three standing before her.
"Well then," she said. "Now, you three. What did you come here for?..." Her gaze flicked between Rayna, Soren, and Ezra before a sly smile tugged at her lips.
"Wait—don't tell me there's good news?" she teased, her tone playful.
Rayna's cheeks flushed at once. "N-No! It's not that," she stammered.
Ezra chuckled under his breath while Soren just crossed his arms with a sigh. "Chief," he said, "it's about something else. Something serious."
The teasing look in the chief's eyes faded as she gestured for them to continue. "Alright then. Speak."
"Well, Chief," Soren began, his voice even, "we came here because we need information about a mark."
The Chief's brows lifted slightly. "A mark?" she echoed, crossing her arms.
Rayna nodded, hesitating only a moment before stepping forward. Slowly, she turned around and tugged her top down just enough to reveal the strange mark etched across her back.
The Chief's sharp eyes widened. For a long, heavy moment, she said nothing. She reached out, fingers lightly tracing the edges of the mark as if trying to read something. The room was quiet except for the faint rustle of her robes as she leaned closer, studying it with intense focus.
Finally, she pulled back and let out a low breath. "So... you're a dragon," she said at last—not a question, but a certainty.
Rayna, though tense, nodded. "Yes."
The Chief's gaze softened, though it was still filled with curiosity. "And this mark... you wish to know what it is?"
All three of them—Rayna, Soren, and Ezra—nodded.
The Chief straightened and fixed Rayna's top in place before stepping back. She was silent for a beat, gathering her thoughts.
"Well..." she began slowly, her tone shifting to one of gravity, "this mark of yours isn't just any mark. It carries meaning—danger, and destiny both."
"What...?" Rayna asked, confusion flickering across her face.
The Chief's expression turned serious. "Rayna, this mark of yours—it's glowing. That means it's active. I can feel something pulsing through it, like it's awake. And this isn't an ordinary mark. Only a few dragons are born with such a thing—not all."
Rayna swallowed hard. "Do you know what it means?"
The Chief shook her head slowly. "Sadly, I don't know much. That's the truth. But tell me—have you experienced anything unusual? Some kind of ability... a power awakening within you?"
Rayna hesitated, then shook her head. "No." She kept the strange dream to herself.
Soren spoke up, his tone steady. "No, Chief. Nothing like that. The mark only glows and burns. It hurts her—sometimes badly."
The Chief nodded thoughtfully. "I see... In that case, my advice is this: you three should go to Beast City."
Ezra frowned. "Beast City? Why there?"
"You might find answers there," the Chief explained. "It's vast, with countless beastmen from all kinds of clans. And in their great castle, they keep ancient scrolls and records. If there's any clue about this mark, you're more likely to find it there than anywhere else."
Rayna straightened, determination in her voice. "Then let's go."
But the Chief raised a hand. "Not now. It takes days to reach even if you fly, and the wet season will be here in less than two days. Once it begins, no one travels. You'll have to wait until the rains are over."
Rayna's shoulders sank with disappointment. "...Alright," she said softly.
"Until then, take care of yourself," the Chief said gently. Her tone softened as she stepped closer, wrapping Rayna in a warm embrace. "And don't worry. I won't beat the drums telling everyone you're a dragon."
Rayna smiled faintly at that, hugging her back. "Thank you, Chief."
"Take care, dear," the Chief murmured as she let her go.
As they stepped out of the Chief's hut, Rayna walked between Soren and Ezra, her mind still heavy with the Chief's words. The thought of Beast City stirred both worry and curiosity in her chest. What did she mean with the mark not being ordinary? Danger and destiny? what does that mean?
"After the rains end, we'll go," Ezra said quietly, glancing at her.
Soren nodded in agreement. "We'll figure it out together."
Rayna smiled faintly. "Yeah. Together."
By the time they reached their hut, the air felt calmer—until they noticed a familiar figure waiting outside.
Yunxi stood there, waiting for them outside, holding a small bundle of freshly gathered herbs in his hands. His fluffy black ears twitched when he saw them, and his whole face brightened.
"Hey!" he greeted, his voice cheerful.
Rayna remembered her promise to help him build a hut and smiled back. "Oh right! Yunxi, have you thought about where you want to make your hut?"
Yunxi scratched his cheek, looking hesitant. "...Can I..." He paused, then continued softly, "Can I make a hut here? Near yours? The river is close, the forest is nearby so I can collect herbs easily, and... well, you're all here too. Would that be okay?"
He looked up at her almost shyly, ears lowered as he added, "Please?"