Zeff stood among the broken bodies of the men who had attacked him and Eve, His head tilted back toward the night sky, eyes closed. Steam rose from his skin in thin, violent streams, sizzling as it dissolved into the cold air. His breathing was ragged, uneven, as he struggled to steady himself, he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. It had all unfolded too quickly. His body had moved before his mind could catch up.“This isn’t how the giants taught me to fight…” he muttered hoarsely. “What am I doing?”

  He looked down at his arms, the wounds there steamed — and sealed, that sight felt familiar. A memory surfaced unbidden, it was battlefield from long ago, the enemy standing before him, healing in the same unnatural way. Steam rising from torn flesh as if the body refused to obey death.“No…” Zeff whispered. “That’s not possible.” He clenched his fists, that's when he remembered Eve.

  She had escaped during the chaos — bitten through the muzzle, torn free from the cage, and fled. Zeff’s head dropped forward. He clutched his side and began moving, forcing his aching body onward. He followed the tiny tracks she had left in the dirt, slow but determined. Then he saw it, at first it looked like a mountain rising in the darkness, but it wasn’t stone. His eyes focused, massive arrows jutted from a colossal shape lying still beneath the moonlight. The silver glow revealed black and white scales. Eve’s mother.

  Zeff swallowed hard and quickened his pace. “That’s it…” he breathed. “That’s what she was looking for this whole time. Why didn’t I realize it sooner”. He moved as fast as his battered body allowed, dread knotting in his chest. He stumbled into the clearing created by the dragon’s crash. Trees were splintered. The earth was torn open. Dark blood stained soil and bark alike. He didn’t stop to take it in. “Eve!” he shouted. “Damnit, she can’t see this. Eve!”He froze mid-step.

  “Wait… why am I calling her to me when I’m the one who’s here?” He dragged a hand down his face and pushed forward, When he reached the dragon’s massive head, he stopped. There, beneath the quiet glow of the moon, sat Eve.

  Small.

  Alone.

  Staring at her mother’s unmoving face, Zeff bit his lip. He didn’t know what to say. Slowly, he leaned against the dragon’s body and slid down until he was sitting beside her. His eyes never left the small figure in front of him. “I’m sorry, kid…” he said softly. “What do you even say at a time like this?”

  Eve didn’t move.

  Zeff couldn’t begin to guess what thoughts filled her small mind. But he stayed. He refused to look away. The dragon’s final words echoed in his head.

  Promise me you will give her the life I could not.

  Zeff let out a long, hollow breath and leaned his head back against the cold scales. “How the hell am I supposed to do that… when I don’t even know what life I want anymore?” Silence wrapped around them.Exhaustion crept in slowly, heavy and merciless. Zeff’s vision blurred. He blinked, fighting it.

  He had to stay awake.

  He blinked again.

  Eve had moved closer.

  Another blink.

  She pressed herself into his chest, small body trembling. Her breathing was erratic, uneven. Tiny claws grasped the fabric of his shirt, holding on tightly — as if letting go meant losing everything.

  Zeff lifted his weak arm and rested it gently over her. He didn’t have answers. He didn’t have a plan, But he had made a promise. His hand tightened faintly against her small back.

  Then, finally, he let sleep claim him.

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  The next morning Zeff was woken up to gentle licking on his side, he blinked see eve licking a part of the claw mark left by the creature that attacked them the day before, he chuckled " now what are you doing so early too", Eve stopped and leaped on to his lap starring into his eye. Zeff yawned and pet eve " yea yea i see you ,so what no running away " Eve shook her head frantically which surprised him. " so you do understand me don't you " even rolled her eyes and leaped of him and lifted her paw point at her mother. Zeff stood up and saw only bone had remained of the colossal dragon

  " ok that...that's not normal" Eve grabbed his leg with her tail and pulled him forward Zeff almost fell over but followed " slow down ok I'm still wounded you know " as they walked up the front something caught Zeff eye it was long, Something impossibly still. The earth in front of them was split in a jagged circle, dirt and stone forced outward as if something had fallen from the heavens. And at the center of it— A blade. It stood embedded deep within the ground, buried nearly a third of its length as though the world itself had struggled to swallow it. The metal was black and white, twisted together like interwoven scales. Faint lines ran along the flat of the blade, resembling veins — or cracks holding back something alive beneath. Steam curled lazily from its surface, rising into the cold night air. The edge was massive, slightly curved, shaped not like a forged weapon but like a fang torn from something ancient. Near the hilt, a dragon’s head formed the guard — not decorative, but detailed. The eyes were closed, carved with such precision it almost looked as though they might open. The ground around it was cracked from the impact of the blade being imbedded into the earth,

  Zeff swallowed. “…What is that?”

  Eve slipped past him and approached the blade without hesitation. She circled it slowly, small claws crunching against loose earth. There was no fear in her movements. Only familiarity. Zeff frowned and stepped forward carefully. Every instinct in him screamed caution. He hesitated before reaching out, His fingers brushed the hilt, the world changed. A crushing presence flooded through him — vast, ancient, sovereign. It wasn’t heat alone. It wasn’t just power. It was dominance. Like standing before a dragon that ruled the sky and knowing, without being told, that you were smaller.

  Zeff staggered back. “Whoa— what the hell…” His heart pounded violently. His wounded body trembled under the weight of it. Eve walked up to the blade and leaned her small body against the flat of the metal. She rubbed her cheek against it softly, almost affectionately.

  Zeff’s breath caught, “This isn’t just a sword…” he whispered. He looked down at Eve.“…It’s her. Its her isn't kid” Eve lowered her head and nodded before walking up to him slowly. His jaw tightened. Slowly, he crouched to meet her eyes.

  “Can I?” he asked quietly.

  Eve stared at him for a long moment. Then looked back at the sword, the small dragon ran back to the blade and placed her head on it, after a brief moment she ran back to Zeff, Then she hopped lightly onto his back, climbed to his shoulder, and gave a small, firm nod.

  Zeff exhaled. “Alright.” He stepped forward again. This time, when his hand wrapped around the hilt, the presence was still there — immense and overwhelming — but he didn’t recoil, He felt the weight of her. The dragon who had trusted him. The dragon who had demanded a promise. The dragon who had died believing in him. “This time…” Zeff muttered through gritted teeth, “I won’t falter.” He planted his feet and pulled. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the earth cracked. With a violent surge, the blade tore free from the ground, dirt exploding outward in a shockwave that bent the trees surrounding the clearing. A low roar echoed from the steel itself — not loud, but deep, vibrating through bone and air alike. Zeff swung the blade upward and rested its massive weight across his shoulder. The moment it settled, a ring of pressure burst outward from him, flattening grass and sending loose stones skittering across the clearing. Steam came of from his body as he rested the blade on his shoulder but as it rose it from a faint silhouette of a dragon, Zeff stood there for a moment feeling the weight behind the blade. Above, the clouds parted slightly, as if something in the sky had acknowledged the weapon’s awakening. Zeff stood there, shoulder bearing the weight of a sovereign dragon, and for the first time since her death—The blade felt at rest.

  " Right...I think i know what we doing today" Zeff Said with a smile as he turned, Eve perked up and listened " first of all I need change of clothes then we need a place stay then money lots of it I hate traveling broke. " Eve shrugged not knowing thing he was mentioning though as they walked he saw a small apple tree, which made Eve jump of him and run towards it. this suprised Zeff so he followed and grabbed her an apple " i didn't know dragon like apples " Eve looked at him with a smug expression which made Zeff chuckle her grabbed one for himself then kicked the tree so more apples fall out. the sat by the apple tree eating them as they looked out to the horizon of their new adventure

  And just like that… Zeff’s journey truly begins.

  Up until now, he’s been reacting — fighting, surviving, questioning. But this chapter marks a shift. The promise he made is no longer just words.

  He now carries the will of a sovereign dragon on his shoulder.

  This isn’t just about power.It’s about responsibility.About redemption.About whether a broken hero can build something new instead of destroying what’s left.

  From here on out, the path forward isn’t random.

  It’s chosen.

  Thank you for reading and supporting the story so far. Things start moving in a new direction from here.

  – TD