The Forest That Swallowed Men ***** The forest had no name anymore. Maps refused to hold it. Travelers avoided it. Even animals walked its edges and turned back, as if something inside the trees breathed too deeply, too patiently. Kael moved through it anyway. Fog clung to his cloak, soaking the leather, muting sound. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword—not from fear, but habit. Fear came later. He was tracking a stag. At least, that was what he told himself. The truth was uglier: he was running. From hunger. From soldiers. From a life that had collapsed in fire and steel. The ambush came without warning. A snap of branches. A whistle of steel. Pain exploded in his side. Kael stumbled, crashing into the roots of a dead tree. Blood soaked his tunic, hot and fast. He tried to stand—failed. Figures emerged from the fog. Five of them. Armored. The sigil of the Severed Flame burned into their chest plates. “Dragon-marked,” one of them said softly, almost r

Black Stone********* Kael woke to the smell of smoke. Not the sharp, choking kind that followed fire—but something calmer. Wood. Herbs. A low, steady burn. He opened his eyes slowly. Stone ceiling. Rough-hewn, cracked with age. A single lantern hung from an iron hook, swaying slightly. His body ached, but not the way it should have. No broken bones. No torn muscles. He tried to sit up. “Don’t,” a woman’s voice said. “You’ll tear what hasn’t finished healing.” Kael froze. She stood near the fire, back turned. Cloaked in dark gray, hair tied loosely, streaked with white though her face was not old. She stirred a pot with a wooden spoon, unhurried, as if dangerous men and dragons were not part of her daily concerns. “Where am I?” Kael asked. “My home,” she said. “For now.” He pushed himself upright anyway. Pain flared along his arms and chest. He hissed and looked down. The scales were still there. Not spreading—but not gone either. The woman turned then, eyes sharp and as

What Remains.***They left the village before dawn.No one tried to stop Kael. A few people watched from doorways as he passed. Some nodded. Others wouldn’t meet his eyes. He preferred the second group.The witch walked ahead of him along the narrow road. She didn’t look back.Kael’s body ached in a way that sleep hadn’t touched. Every joint felt tight, every breath heavier than the last. The heat was quieter now, but it hadn’t gone away. It sat deep in his chest, like a coal buried under ash.“You pushed too hard,” the witch said without turning.“I didn’t have a choice.”“You always have a choice,” she replied. “You just don’t always like it.”Kael said nothing.They reached a low ridge overlooking the valley. Smoke still rose from the village behind them. Kael stopped and looked back once, then turned away.“Sit,” the witch said.He did.She knelt and examined his arms, pulling back his sleeves. The scales were clearer now. Not armor. Not yet. Just beneath the skin, dark and uneve

After the Fire Kael woke to silence. Not the calm kind. The empty kind that comes after something has been broken. His throat burned. His head felt too light, like parts of it were missing. He tried to move and pain answered immediately sharp, deep, honest. He groaned and opened his eyes. The sky above him was gray. Ash drifted slowly, settling on scorched earth. The smell of burned metal hung thick in the air. He sat up slowly. The chains were gone. So were the soldiers. Around him lay blackened armor, warped shields, and bodies burned past recognition. The ground was cracked and glassy in places, like stone that had melted and hardened again. Kael stared. “I didn’t mean to…” His voice failed him. He pushed himself to his feet, legs shaking. Every step felt wrong, like his body was heavier than before. Stronger—but heavier. called. No answer. Panic crept in. He followed the trail of destruction until he found her. She lay near the edge of the ravine, alive but barely

The Dragon SpeaksKael walked for hours. The road twisted through hills and forests that seemed to whisper at him with every step. Nothing moved except the wind and the distant cry of a bird. Even that felt like it belonged to another world.He stopped at a clearing near a small river. The water ran clear, reflecting the gray sky above. Kael knelt, cupped his hands, and drank. Cold, clean, unremarkable. And yet… he could feel it filling him in a way food never had. Strength. Focus. Fire held in check, deep in his chest.He looked at his reflection.The scales were spreading. Not large yet, but noticeable. Across his arms, along his collarbone. Dark. Sharp-edged. A reminder that he was no longer just a man.You feel it, don’t you?Kael froze.The voice came—not through the air, but inside his head. Calm. Patient. Almost tired.“Show yourself,” Kael said aloud. His voice sounded strange to him, steady in a way he wasn’t used to.Do you wish to see what you already carry?“I do,” he said