The dragon’s weakest rider

6

The laughter that had once echoed in the courtyard soon vanished as the ground rumbled and shook for a second time, making the crowd scramble for safety. A few of the candidates who had mocked Eryx stumbled over their feet in panic.

Eryx turned around, staring at the scene before him, his confusion mirroring others.

At the center of the courtyard, the Rite platform split open. An uneven rift ripped through the marble, spreading to the Elder’s altar with a lightning speed.

From the dark, dusty earth, something rose.

It was an egg.

But it resembled a tombstone. Black, wrapped in heavy, rusted chains. Ancient inscriptions were written all over it, glowing blue as it shone brightly under the sunlight.

“The seal!” one of the elders shrieked, his face a look of pure terror. “It wasn’t supposed to wake! Not for another century!”

“Call the guardians!” another yelled, his voice cracking. “Seal it back! Push it down before the seal breaks!”

The elders scrambled towards the egg, surrounding it as their white robes flowed with the terrifying current. They raised their hands, golden light erupting from their palms as they tried to force the earth to close.

But the outcome wasn’t what they expected.

The golden lights struck the egg but were completely swallowed by it. Their eyes widened.

CLANG!

The first chain snapped on its own, falling to the floor. Above, in the skies, the dragons shrieked with an alarm as they broke formation, flying higher and higher, putting distance between themselves and the courtyard.

The nobles who witnessed this were terrified.

“What’s going on?!” one cried.

“Are we going to die?”

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

One by one, the heavy metal chains snapped. Then, no movement.

Until the egg moved. Cracks forming on the shell.

BOOM!

A black gaseous explosion from the egg sent the elders flying a few metres away; some of them landed on their feet, staring at the egg with fear in their eyes.

No one had ever witnessed something like this before.

As the black smoke disseminated, a lizard-looking figure crawled out. It was thin, its ribs visible beneath the charcoal grey skin that looked more like stretched flesh rather than scales.

Its wings were tattered at the edges and full of holes. It looked half-dead, a skeletal thing that seemed to find it difficult to breathe.

The panicked atmosphere in the crowd shifted into that of amusement and curiosity at the little thing.

“What the heck is that? It looks like a deformed lizard!” a boy whispered to his companion.

The skeletal dragon’s gaze swept slowly over the crowd; the guards were slowly approaching it with outdrawn spears. Until it locked eyes with Eryx.

They weren’t as gold or blue as the other dragons. They are a void of endless black, swirling with traces of purple in them as they seemed to stare right inside Eryx’s soul.

“Look, it’s staring at him,” a girl muttered. “Is it trying to bond with him?!”

“Of course, look at them both, they are perfect for each other,” the boy who had stepped on Eryx’s foot sneered. “A trash dragon for a trash rider. The gods really do have a sense of humor after all.”

Eryx didn’t hear them because at that moment, the world around him blurred away to complete emptiness. He felt a deep rush of energy like an iron spear was being driven into his chest.

“ARGHHHHH!”

Eryx yelled out, clutching his chest as he collapsed, his knees hitting the ground with a thud.

The bond invaded his body. It felt like cold and oily shadows were sliding into his veins, attaching themselves to his muscles. Something sharp and ancient locked into his core with a feeling that made his lungs seize as his eyes went bloodshot.

He gasped for air, tears rolling down his eyes, and through his moment of agony, he saw the elders. They weren’t as cold as they were before; they stood frozen to the spot.

Their faces as white as sheets as they watched the binding take place.

“Kill it!” one of the elders yelled, snapping out of it as his hand trembled, reaching for a blade in his robe. “Before the convergence completes, kill the boy!”

Eryx’s lips parted as he tried to speak, to scream, but his voice was gone. The energy was too great for his frail and weak body to endure; he slumped forward, falling headfirst to the ground.

His eyes slowly closed, fluttering open in tiny bits as the image of the dragon’s legs began to blur out. As he drifted into unconsciousness, he felt a chilling deep voice that wasn’t his in his mind.

It was a statement that vibrated and shook his entire core and soul.

YOU’RE MINE!