The Blinding Sun
Rake shaded his eyes from the sun. The heat was oppressive, baking the cracked earth beneath his worn boots. He was standing on the edge of the Whispering Wastes, a place few dared to tread, especially alone. Rake was a Dragon Master in training, though his current task felt more like a punishment than an honor. His mentor, Old Kael, had sent him here with a cryptic warning: "The shadows grow long, Rake. Find the source before it consumes the light."
The Whispering Wastes
The Whispering Wastes earned their name honestly. As Rake walked, he heard them—faint, dry sounds like old parchment crumbling, or voices too far away to understand. They seemed to follow him, pressing in on his thoughts. He tried to focus on the mission. Old Kael believed a dark influence was corrupting the wild dragons of the region, turning them aggressive and unpredictable. Rake had to find the source of this corruption, which Kael suspected lay deep within the Shadow Peaks.
The Shadow Peaks
Reaching the Shadow Peaks was like stepping into a different world. The heat vanished, replaced by a bone-deep chill. The air smelled of damp stone and something metallic, like old blood. Rake found the first sign of trouble almost immediately: a footprint, huge and deep, belonging to a dragon far larger than any he had trained with. It wasn't just the size that unnerved him; the print seemed to radiate a cold, unnatural energy. This wasn't just a wild dragon; this was something twisted.
The Corrupted Lair
Rake followed the trail deep into the mountain until he found the lair. It was a vast cavern, but unlike the clean, warm nests of healthy dragons, this place felt like a tomb. The air was thick and heavy. He saw the dragon. It was enormous, its scales the color of dried ash, and its eyes burned with a malevolent, unnatural red light. This was the source of the corruption, or at least, its victim. The dragon was clearly in pain, twitching and growling low in its throat.
The Shadow Shard
Rake realized the dragon wasn't the source; it was infected. He remembered Old Kael's lessons: sometimes, dark magic manifests as a physical object. He spotted it—a shard of black, pulsing crystal embedded just beneath the dragon's massive foreleg, near its heart. It was draining the dragon's life force and twisting its mind. Rake knew he couldn't fight the beast, but he might be able to remove the shard. Waiting for a moment when the dragon shifted, Rake darted forward, his heart pounding against his ribs.
Light Returns
With a swift, terrifying movement, Rake yanked the Shadow Shard free. A shriek of pure, dark energy erupted from the crystal, and then it went cold and dull in his hand. The massive dragon roared, but this time, the sound was one of pain, not malice. It stumbled, then slowly, the red light faded from its eyes, replaced by a clear, intelligent gold. The corruption was gone. Rake backed away slowly as the dragon, now free, stretched its wings and soared out of the cavern. Rake watched it fly, a symbol of darkness defeated. He had faced the horror of the Shadow Peaks and brought the light back to a Dragon Master's heart. He knew his journey was far from over, but for now, the sun felt warm and welcoming on his face.