In an unknown land beneath a gloomy sky, the heavy clouds churned like bruises smeared across the heavens. Lightning occasionally flickered behind them—silent, for now—casting momentary silhouettes of twisted trees and jagged hills below.
High above this brooding landscape, a shadow cut through the sky.
A massive black dragon flew with powerful, unrelenting beats of its wings. Its scales shimmered with an obsidian sheen, absorbing the faint light rather than reflecting it, and every movement of its sinewy body seemed both elegant and terrifying. Wind rushed around it in chaotic gusts, scattering clouds and trailing mist in its wake.
Seated on its back was a young man—his black hair whipping wildly behind him, his long coat fluttering with the fierce wind. His face was chiseled and calm, the sort of calm that didn't come from peace, but from focus sharpened over fire. His eyes, dark and penetrating, scanned the ground with quiet intensity.
