I’ve always wanted to see a world free of fear.

But, perhaps, all of it is merely a dream.

Dream.

Every humanoid, including dragons, has a dream they want to achieve. A wishful thought that is a rather heavy and difficult to reach. No matter how much they struggled to climb nor how stubborn they strive forward, there will never be an assurance to attain it. Sometimes, when someone failed, the dream is inherited to someone else to carry on.

Such burden was the one borne by a female dragon whose scales blazed like a living amber, Sarvati.

For the sake of those dreams, she joined The Dragon Empire. A place that was a complete opposite compared to the origin of the one owning that dream. As its name implied, this empire was a place where the dragons lived.

Though, dragons might not be their actual name. Humans called these lizards dracconids. They were still dragons, or at least descendants of those mighty creatures. Scales, fangs, long claws, and mighty reptilian features were still a major part of their flesh.

Other than those, they have pretty much changed. Despite being four times bigger than human and most humanoid creatures, they were far smaller compared to their gigantic ancestors. They stood on two legs and had arms functioned like the arms of most sentient being.

However, like most dracconid, Sarvati herself preferred to call this race as dragons. There was a hint of pride in that name.

On that bright day, Sarvati was climbing down the giant circular stairs of Seal Prison. She never imagined there was such a place in The Dragon Empire. Surrounded by giant circular cliff formation, the center of this place was dug so deep into the ground. The staircase was carved along the sides of the hole.

But they were not the only ones decorating the gigantic hole’s walls.

There were many tunnels present along the path of the stairs. The ones that were so deep, perhaps only The Celestials knows where it all end. Sarvati couldn’t cast aside how uneasy her feeling was in this place. Each tunnel emanated an eerie aura like they were hiding something evil inside.

Everytime Sarvati passed the entrance of those tunnels, she felt a heavy burden. Her strength was sapped away by unknown power. Perhaps, it was caused by the rune seals spread across the walls of each tunnel.

However, not all dragon seemed to be affected by such thing. She was not the only one who climbed down the stairs. Another dragon, which didn’t show slightest of change in strength due to the seals, was there.

Tall and slender, yet muscular. His blood red scales glistened under the light of day. A pair of giant bat-like wings folded on his back. He donned a plate mail with colors similar to his scales.

Kaisser Brahmm Vaardict was the name of that dragon. He is the leader of an aerial squadron named Crimson Meteor. One of The Dragon Emperor’s most trusted general.

After the battle against Rahnuc, it was his kindness that brought Sarvati to this empire. General Kaisser accepted Sarvati’s true nature without the slightest of reservation. Lately, he even trusted Sarvati as his right hand and lieutenant. An unimaginable honor for such alienated creature like Sarvati. An appreciation that she would never have attained had she stayed in her previous place.

However, it was beyond the female dragon’s comprehension regarding how to respond to those things. The recognitions and acceptance she received had forced Sarvati to admit that her path was right. She was getting closer to realize the dream that she carried.

“Soon,” General Kaisser sighed as they reached the bottom of the hole. Only one big cave awaited, right across the lowest stair.

The eerie feeling had disappeared at the level, but Sarvati couldn’t relax. An immense pressure held her breath. It was as clear as the brightest crystal that someone, or something, so powerful was being kept inside the cave.

The General didn’t budge by the pressure. He strode like he always did. Such pressure seemed powerless before his gallant confidence. Yet, though faint, Sarvati caught a glimpse of emotion from his eyes. Something that she never saw before. But she couldn’t fathom what was the meaning of that expression.

The pressure worsened as Sarvati stepped into the cave. The ancient seal runes, spread across the walls of the cave, fed on her strength. Each step felt several times harder that before. Before long, keeping up with General Kaisser was a near impossible feat.

A quick thought crossed her mind, perhaps it was the plate armor donned by her leader that blocked the effects of the runes. However, such thing sounded ridiculous and farfetched even for Sarvati’s imagination. The runes might not had their effects on General Kaisser, but they definitely took a toll on Sarvati’s mind.

The proof of such damage was almost real when they reached the end of the cave. It was bigger than the rest of tunnel and circularly shaped. Right at the center, a huge blue crystal floated. Two big chains sprouted from the crystal and hung on the walls of the cave.

For a moment, Sarvati was completely convinced that everything she saw was just mere illusion due to her fatigue. The pressure radiated from the crystal was so immense. The glowing thing might be just how her mind decided to perceive it.

“Vayyu,” General Kaisser growled.

The name mentioned was enough to startle Sarvati, and how the crystal shook a little had erased her rather imaginative thoughts. She heard the name of that cursed dragon before. She also knew that they went to this strange place to look for that dragon. But she never knew the dragon’s true shape was a huge crystal.

“Wissn!” This time, Sarvati’s superior barked. “Get back here, you misbegotten fool!” he continued as his mighty armed launched a stab with his right claws right at the heart of the crystal.

The female dragon was not sure which was more surprising. Words used by the general, or the fact that the crystal trembled wildly causing the whole cave to shook. It was not long until Sarvati realized the crystal was not the true form of the dragon they were looking for, but a mere cage.

A blue scaled dragon landed on his knees as the crystals were shattered into glistening pieces. The flightless dragon shook his head as if trying to regain his sight.

It was strange. Other than the runes, Sarvati didn’t felt the overwhelming pressure anymore. Other than the glowing seal tattoo covering his whole body, there was nothing out of the ordinary. With a rather thin muscle, chains on his wrists, and pants made of elephant deer leather, he looked rather normal for a prisoner.

Where had the immense power filling the cave gone to? Was this really the notorious Fate Sealing Dragon?