Olivia

The Steel Dragonwing Palace at night remained as deathly still as ever, devoid of even the faintest whisper of life. Under that overwhelming draconic might, not even the chirping of insects could be heard. Even though the red dragon had long since awakened and no unintended cataclysms fell any longer, his minions still dared not approach this virtually sacred sanctum. "The same hour again." "This should be the sixty-seventh night..." Olivia slowly opened her eyes. Moonlight flooded her blue-gray pupils and bathed her sleek scales, casting countless gleaming points of light across the floor like a scattering of lustrous silver coins. Two months. For any true dragon, such a span was exceedingly fleeting, but to a silver dragon ensnared in the Dragon-Binding Array, that brief stretch of time seemed stretched to infinity, every minute and second a torment. Scorching chains greedily siphoned her life force, piercing her with relentless, throbbing agony that kept restful sleep perpetually out of reach. The silver dragon gently fluttered her wings. With a faint rustle, her polished, mirror-like wing membranes caught the moonlight. Sensing her movement, the heavy chains flared, searing into her flesh once more. She merely gritted her silver teeth, letting slip an almost imperceptible grunt. "Ugh..." Enduring the agonizing pain, Olivia exerted all her strength to turn over. Yet the ordeal was far from over. Straining, the silver dragon forced her head upward. The heavy chains were tightly wrapped around her slender neck, flickering incessantly with the scorching aura of magic. Crackling sparks spat from the metal, sending wisps of white smoke rising from her flesh and searing bloody furrows across her scales. In the end, she gritted her teeth and raised her head, gazing up at the bright moon in the night sky and relishing the rare moonlight. It was a meager solace amidst her misery. She had long grown accustomed to this desolate existence. She was accustomed to the wyverns that occasionally drifted across the sky, accustomed to the indifference and vigilance of the tiefling guards, and accustomed to the stifling heat that choked the palace halls. She had tried to smuggle intelligence to the outside world, sending messages to the wyverns and attempting to communicate with the tiefling guards in hopes of swaying these minions of the Lord of Cinders. Yet every attempt had ended in failure. The red dragon's rule here was terrifyingly absolute. Even trapped in this silent, steel-wrought hell, a faint light of resolve still shone within the silver dragon's blue-gray eyes. She was still quietly waiting. *Anhel...* *One day, he will come to save me. He made me a promise.* Olivia thought silently to herself. In the tale of the "Scales of Promise" her father had once told her, the silver dragon named Dekhterlyov had waited at the cave's mouth for a thousand years—from a young dragon all the way into a great wyrm. In the end, his steadfast devotion moved Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon God. The deity had unleashed his boundless divine power to resurrect the female dragon, finally reuniting Dekhterlyov with his beloved. Defeating the Lord of Cinders was certainly not something that could be achieved overnight. Olivia had already prepared herself to remain trapped here for centuries, or even a millennium. Though that red dragon was extraordinarily powerful, bordering on invincible, she remained firm in her conviction—that mysterious, righteous gold dragon would rescue her from this den of evil. Furthermore, Olivia had sworn an oath never to yield to the Lord of Cinders, even if it meant enduring inhuman torture, even if it led to her death. "It really is boring here..." "If only he could come visit me more often." A foolish, tender smile unconsciously crept across Olivia's face, and the pain racking her body seemed suddenly trivial. She recalled that equally tranquil night when the gold dragon Anhel had risked his life to sneak into the palace. He had offered her his sincere apologies, made his heartfelt vows, and shared moments of tender intimacy during that brief visit. Those earnest, sincere words still echoed endlessly in her mind. *"Olivia, my power is not yet enough to face that red dragon. He is simply too strong. I may... still need more resources."* *"Gold, spell scrolls, and even the aid of other metallic dragons..."* *"Yet no matter what, even if it takes everything, even if I must empty all my hoard, I will rescue you from this place. This is my promise to you."* That sense of security, catching a sliver of hope in the depth of despair—the feeling of grasping that final lifeline, the flutter in her heart moved by his promise—she would never forget it for as long as she lived. Yet deep down, Olivia understood that these supposed "visits" were merely unrealistic fantasies. Where she was imprisoned was the palace of the Lord of Cinders, not some welcoming inn where one could come and go as they pleased. Every intrusion cost the gold dragon immense risk; the moment he was discovered, it would mean certain death. Olivia had always considered herself a rational student of the arcane, believing she was born to unravel the fundamental nature of the world. She had even set aside the pride inherent to true dragons to study under a legendary wizard as her mentor. Never had she imagined that she would live through the dramatic trials of an adventure story or find a romance straight out of a fairy tale. Yet it had all unfolded so naturally, even if the journey was fraught with hardship and pain. "How much longer must I wait here?" "Anhel, don't let me down..." Olivia even pictured in her mind the scene of her future rescue. She was certain it would be the most radiant moment in the world, outshining every memory from her century of life. *We will study magic together, erect a beautiful and warm wizard tower, and rule our own territory and city. By then, the Melvold clan will stand as our steadfast shield.* *We will journey across the multiverse. We will follow in the footsteps of Lord Bahamut, soaring alongside the benevolent celestial creatures through Mount Celestia...* *We will drift through Elysium, befriending avorals and mighty leonals, and let the waters of the River Oceanus purify our souls...* *We will venture through Ysgard, witnessing eternal battlefields and glorious heroes...* *We will wander through Mechanus, studying the most flawless and absolute order...* Countless splendid visions flickered through Olivia's mind like an unbroken series of paintings, a revolving lantern of imagery giving tangible form to the longing in her heart. Even the ceaseless, searing agony of her body could not stop her from sinking into slumber to savor this fleeting moment of peace. She had waited here, wide awake, for months. She was simply too exhausted. The silver dragon slowly closed her eyes. Her slender, graceful draconic form was already battered and scarred, yet a serene smile lingered at the corner of her lips, lost in the sweetness of her wondrous dream. Yet lost in her sweet slumber, Olivia failed to notice— A foul, acrid cloud of black energy drifted above her head, greedily sucking away the light and her dispersing thoughts. ...