Chapter 3: Destiny Has Terrible Timing

Kael stood frozen, staring at the sky as the unmistakable roar of a very large creature echoed through the village.

Please let that be thunder. Please let that be thunder.

A massive shadow swept across the ground.

Not thunder.

Villagers began looking up, squinting against the afternoon sun. A few gasps, a couple of screams, and then full-blown panic as something with wings descended toward them.

Kael slowly turned back to the cloaked figure. “You know… when I said ‘what’s next, a dragon?’ I was joking.”

The figure didn’t answer. Instead, they took a single step forward.

And Kael’s body reacted on its own.

His heart pounded as an unnatural heat spread through his chest, like something locked away inside him was rattling its cage. The village around him blurred, his ears ringing with a strange humming sound that made no sense—like a language he almost understood.

What the hell is happening to me?

Then, just as suddenly as it came, the feeling vanished.

Which would’ve been great… if the giant dragon-like creature hadn’t just landed in the middle of the village.

A Slightly Inconvenient Monster Attack

The beast’s talons crushed the market stall closest to it, sending vegetables and wooden planks flying. Its black scales shimmered under the sunlight, and its yellow eyes gleamed with intelligence. It wasn’t some mindless monster—it knew exactly what it was doing.

People ran screaming in every direction, except for Old Man Relk, who was still fighting his chicken.

"IS NOW REALLY THE TIME?!" Kael shouted at him.

Relk, completely unfazed, shook his fist at the dragon. "I'VE LIVED THROUGH WORSE, BOY! THAT THING CAN WAIT ITS TURN!"

Kael had no words for that.

Instead, he turned his attention back to the cloaked figure, who was still just… standing there. Unbothered. Mysterious. Like this was all completely normal.

Kael pointed at the dragon. "You wouldn’t happen to know why a massive flying lizard just crashed into my village, would you?"

The figure finally spoke. "It has come for you."

Kael blinked. "I’m sorry—what?"

The figure tilted their head. "Your presence has awakened ancient forces. This is merely the beginning."

Kael rubbed his temples. "Oh, fantastic. No, really, I love that. ‘Ancient forces’ sounds like exactly the kind of problem I wanted today."

The dragon let out a deep growl, lowering its head as it sniffed the air. Then, to Kael’s absolute horror, its gaze locked directly onto him.

Kael swallowed. "So… when you say it came for me, you don’t mean, like, emotionally, right? More like ‘came to eat me alive’?"

The cloaked figure did not answer.

Kael sighed. "Yeah. That’s what I thought."

A Brilliant Escape Plan (That Immediately Fails)

Darin, the blacksmith, burst out of his forge, hammer in hand. "KAEL, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"WHY DO YOU THINK I DID SOMETHING?!" Kael yelled back.

"BECAUSE THINGS LIKE THIS ONLY HAPPEN WHEN YOU’RE AROUND!"

Fair point.

Kael had two options:

Run (which sounded like a great idea).

Stay and die a fiery, heroic death.

Before he could act, the dragon lunged.

Time slowed.

The world tilted.

Kael barely had time to register what was happening before a blinding heat erupted from inside him. His vision blurred, and in the next instant—

BOOM.

A shockwave blasted outward, knocking over market stalls, sending debris flying. The dragon reared back, roaring in surprise.

Kael, now lying on his back, stared up at the sky, coughing as the dust settled around him.

Darin’s voice rang out from somewhere nearby. "KAEL, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Kael coughed again, eyes wide. "I… have no idea."

He looked at his hands.

They were glowing.

Well. That was new.

The cloaked figure took a slow step forward. "It has begun."

Kael groaned. "I hate everything about today."

To Be Continued…

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