Chapter 15: The Dragon Fortress

“So… this is where Raakaa lives?” Zayn whispered, staring upward into the ashen sky where the fortress loomed. Ravaa stood still beside him, eyes unreadable. “Yes. But this is not a place he lives... it is a place he owns. And fears.” The others gathered silently, their eyes tracing the titanic structure above them—a palace seemingly carved in the image of a sleeping dragon. But as they ascended the winding staircase—its steps ancient, wide, and cracked—the illusion shattered. The ground breathed. The walls throbbed. A deep, heartbeat-like pulse echoed through the stone. Kael stopped. “Guys… This isn’t a building.” The realization hit them like ash in the wind. “It’s not shaped like a dragon…” Lilu whispered, eyes wide with childlike fear. “It is the dragon.” And it was true. A living, colossal dragon, thousands of feet long, lay chained and enchanted, transformed into a fortress. Its wings—crushed. Its bones—welded into towers. Its heartbeat—weak but real. “This… thing is alive?” Riven muttered. “Barely,” said Ravaa. “It’s bound. Chained by ritual fire and blood. Raakaa made it a throne, a warning. To all.” The Lake of Lava Hours later, they reached the top. Before them spread a lake of lava, hissing and steaming, surrounding a jagged obsidian palace that sat at the heart like a wound. A cracked stone bridge stretched above the lava, but the gate was guarded. Not by giants. Not by monsters. But by something far worse— shapes without shape, creatures without faces, slithering in and out of existence. Shadows that blinked in and out of time, like living scars. Kael grunted, stepping back. “What the hell are those?” “No one knows,” Ravaa said grimly. “They are the Forgotten. Not demons. Not spirits. But fragments… of those who entered Raakaa’s palace and failed.” Nyra’s grip on her blade tightened. “We shouldn’t be here.” Suddenly—Ravaa vanished. “What the—?!” Zayn spun around. “He’s gone again! Every damn time things get weird—he’s gone!” “Where did he go?” Lilu asked nervously. “I don’t know,” said Riven. “But that can’t be good.” The group ducked low behind a cluster of scorched shrubs, the leaves swarming with burning fireflies that singed the skin at a mere brush. The air smelled of molten copper and sulfur. “We can’t stay here,” Zayn hissed. “We have to move. Before those… things notice us.” They crept forward, inching toward a pit near the edge of the lake. Crawling under the old runes carved in stone, they made their way to the edge of the lava, where the heat was unbearable. “How do we get across?” Nyra asked. “I don’t see a way…” Lilu murmured. “Unless we can fly.” Suddenly, the ground shook. Kael—who had stood slightly ahead —let out a roar of pain as a shadow-creature lunged from nowhere, grabbing him with long, bleeding hands. “KAAEL!!” Lilu shrieked. The creature lifted Kael high into the air, its grip like blades tearing flesh. Kael screamed as blood poured from his sides, “Shoot it! Now!!” Riven didn't hesitate—she pulled out her flame bomb, flicked the trigger, and hurled it directly into the creature’s eye. BOOM! A burst of flame exploded, incinerating part of the creature’s face. Kael dropped, slamming hard into the ground. Bloodied. Unmoving. Zayn and Nyra rushed in, dragging him to cover while Lilu pressed her glowing hands to his chest, channeling a strange warmth. “I got you. I got you,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. The group, injured but alive, made it across the final ledge and slipped into the obsidian palace. Inside the Palace It was dark. Not the absence of light—but the presence of something else. The palace breathed. Echoed. Screamed. Not loud—but constant. A thousand whispers, stretching into eternity. Zayn looked around, gun raised. “What is this place?” “The core of the Second Realm,” Nyra replied. “And it knows we’re here.” A silence fell over them. Far above—in the twisting towers of the dragon's skull—Raakaa stirred.