The world around me is swallowed in darkness, except for the thin lines of light seeping through the small cracked window grille, casting terrifying shadows in the filthy, damp, and moldy warehouse where Aika and I are imprisoned. The stench of rust and the tang of blood thicken the air, mingling with rage that feels alive, coiling around us like a living creature. Every breath I draw feels like inhaling shards of glass.
Pain that slices through the soul.
"Bastards! She doesn't know anything!" For the first time, I hear Aika curse.
The leader's attention shifts from my direction back to Aika. That cruel-faced man grips Aika's cheek. His long-nailed thumb presses hard against her lips. "You've got guts, you whore!" he curses.
Aika's pained gasp cuts through my thoughts. Sharp as a blade. I turn just in time to see the leader's fist slam into her temple. The brutal blow echoes in the narrow room. Her body slackens, nearly collapsing, but still hangs by the ropes that chafe her wrists. I watch her wrestle against the encroaching darkness that seems to be closing in on her sight.
Seeing thick blood trickle from the corner of Aika's mouth, a fresh red trail on pale skin, ignites a fury inside me fiercer than any fire.
The chains binding me rattle as if sensing all that rage. Tensing with every beat of my pulse.
"Aika!" I howl, pulling with all my strength, feeling the cold metal slicing into flesh.
Her blurred gaze finds me, and even in pain, there's an undying spark in her eyes. She clenches her jaw, kicks, and her foot hits the leader's groin. Aika groans in a stifled cry while stumbling in place. From her face, I can see she's half-delirious. Her eyes shift to me, full of hope, pleading.
"Sharva… you have to escape. Go… while you still can," she whispers, her voice nearly breaking, each word trembling to hold onto the last thread of consciousness.
My chest tightens, fury and despair tangling in my lungs. How could she think I'd leave her alone here? I pull my arms, the chains slicing my skin, but the pain is nothing compared to the desire to rip these monsters apart.
They lower Aika from her suspension. Seat her on a chair and grip her chin. "Tell us where Himemori is?! Then we'll let you go!"
"Let Sharva go first…" Aika tries to negotiate though her voice is weak.
"You're not in a position to negotiate!" The man chokes Aika's neck.
"Let her go!" I scream, keep struggling.
"Where is Tsukishiro Himemori?!" the Leader barks.
"I won't tell you, because you're not freeing us either!" Aika suddenly spits in the leader's face.
Aika's defiance only fuels their rage further. One of them slaps her, making her lose balance, her fragile body falling off the chair and collapsing onto the dirty concrete floor.
Unconscious.
The leader sneers, stepping forward with a gleaming knife. "You think you can fight us all?" he mocks, his voice full of scorn. "You're bound, powerless. There's nowhere to run! Don't make this worse. Tell us where that woman is?!"
At that moment, something inside me snaps. The thread of patience I've stretched too long finally breaks. My heartbeat slows, and a dark ancient energy crawls through my veins. Their faces change—from cocky to horrified—as I lift my head, I know these eyes have turned blood-red, wild and blazing. Reflecting the power of the creature hidden within me.
The change isn't just visible; it fills the air, dense and suffocating like a sudden storm.
I rise from my knees, breaking the chains on my wrists and ankles with ease. The snapped metal crashes onto the floor with a resounding clatter. Then, silence—everyone realizes something has shifted.
"I warned you," I growl, my voice low and menacing. "Don't touch Aika!"
A hot, furious breath hisses from my lips, flooding the room with seething danger. "Say goodbye to this world," I hissed.
The men back away, panic blooming in their eyes. One of them points a gun, hands trembling. "D-don't move, or I'll shoot!"
But the leader, full of overconfidence, lunges forward with his knife raised. I shift my body effortlessly, causing him to lose balance, stumbling into his own doom.
"I'LL KILL YOU AND THAT WHORE!" the leader roars.
In that instant, the darkness inside me bursts without restraint, transforming my body. Cold scales shimmer green-blue, crawling over my skin like impenetrable steel armor. Wings tear through my human skin, bursting from my back and shredding my shirt, unfolding wide, casting a monstrous shadow across the walls. My hands and feet elongate into claws, sharp and merciless.
My power nearly peaks when the dragon horn pierces the flesh of my head, spiraling to rise as the symbol of dragon dominion—a crown fit for a Prince.
My form remains human, but the dragon has awakened, lethal strength surging through my veins. I still try to hold back the full transformation. I don't want to lose control of my own body.
Right now, my focus is on one thing: revenge.
I leap, claws slashing with deadly precision, bones snapping beneath every strike as if they were brittle wood. Every movement is calculated, bones breaking, screams echoing, their pain feels real.
Satisfying!
"Isn't this what you wanted?" I taunt, my voice hoarse, thin smoke curling from my mouth each time I open it. "Then why is it so noisy now?"
One by one, I slash through them; claws sink in, blood flows freely, I paint the floor with a dark crimson hue.
"You forced me…" I murmur, each word heavy with choices I never wanted. I kneel beside their bodies, letting their eyes see the creature that now holds their lives. "Regret your choices… in the depths of hell!"
I rise, surveying the powerless human remnants who dared to hurt her. My clothes are in tatters, splattered with blood, remnants of transformation still clinging. My rage eases as I approach Aika; kneeling by her side. Gently, I lay her down, pulling her away from the blood sea, to a cleaner spot.
I carefully tilt her body, covering her with a discarded jacket, then I close my eyes, whispering a spell, calling back the chains in my heart to lock this power once again. They bound my heart, forcing this power into submission. My scales recede, wings curl and vanish back into my body—I become Sharva again. My dragon power is hidden, controlled.
Though my dragon blood heals me quickly, I know I have to look like I nearly died. Without hesitation, I slam myself into the wall. Without dragon strength, bruises bloom on my skin. I strike my own face with my fist. Creating pain to match what I just endured. I must look like I barely survived.
I see a phone lying nearby. I hit the emergency dial, my broken voice trickling into the line. I hang up, then toss the phone aside. I wrap plastic cable ties around my wrists, tightening until they tear my skin. In the corner, a long black plastic sheet awaits. I slide my head into it, hiding blood and wounds, pretending to be unconscious beside her, just another victim awaiting disposal.
In silence, I lie sideways, my breaths shallow. I strain my ears, listening for the faint whine of sirens.
Aika must never know. She must never find out that Sharva—the man she relies on—is not human, but the last prince of the dragon clan, an ancient being of deadly power behind a mortal guise.