News of the dragon attack on Markarth spread like wildfire. Everyone in the county soon knew of the charred city. From the dry southern woodlands of the Rift to the frozen shores of the northern holds, many sent recovery groups by carriage to help survivors. Over the course of a week, the city was soon busy with life again. Families were cleaning up the streets and rebuilding their homes while guards were constantly called to aid. For the smallest amount of time, there was no discrimination. The rich and the poor worked side by side to bring their city back to its glorious state.

Markarth was the first city to be attacked, but that didn’t mean it was the last. News of another dragon attack made its way to the city of Whiterun. A soot-covered guard had stumbled his way into the great hall of Dragons Reach. He bore news of a failed prisoner execution up in the town of Helgen.

The moderately-sized community in the Falkreath Hold had been in temporary occupation of the military. The town was close to the border, making it an effective place to host the executions when a patrol would catch people illegally crossing the border. Most captured were war activists or criminals. But all captured were loaded into carriages and taken to Helgen, where they would be read their crimes and then taken to the chopping block.

It was during one of these executions that a roar echoed over the town. Many stopped what they were doing, even the executioner, to look up into the sky where the noise had come from.

"What was that?"

"It's nothing. Carry on."

"Yes, General. Give them their last rites."

Another roar, this time louder, rumbled through the town and a large shadow passed over the execution.

"What in Oblivion is that?"

"Sentries! What do you see?"

"It's in the clouds!"

Everyone screamed as huge black wings spread above. People ran as white-hot fire filled the streets of Helgen. Guards nocked their bows and raised their swords while the beast soared overhead.

"This way! Come on!"

"Keep your eyes on it!"

"How in Oblivion do we kill this thing?"

Residents watching the execution fled back to their homes as those fighting the beast were either burned, eaten, or torn to shreds by dark ebony claws. Cries of pain filled the air as the flames rose higher.

"It's still coming!"

"By the gods! Nothing kills it!"

"Die! For the love of the gods, die!"

With the execution halted and the town in chaos, many of the remaining convicts tried to escape the town but their sprinting bodies eventually lay in fallen, charred, and surrounded in flames. The town of Helgen soon lay in ruin as the wooden buildings burned bright and the stone towers crumbled under the weight of the winged attacker. The few that managed to escape the walls of the burning town fled down the hillside towards the trees. One by one, the dragon snatched them up with its claws, tossing them into the air only to let their bodies come crashing back down.

The only person to survive the Helgen attack was a single guard. His helmet had flown off as he was tossed against a stone wall and fell into a pile of charred bodies. He escaped into the trees and ran all the way to Whiterun, the nearest city.

Whiterun had shut its gate and doubled its number of guards when they received news of the Markarth attack, but the gate was opened for the lone survivor when he told them Helgen was just attacked and he was the only one to survive. The city guard led him up through the city into Dragons Reach to speak with the Jarl. He warned the Jarl and his court of the attack on Helgen and how the dragon was last seen flying into the mountains towards Winterhold.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Soft. The bed was soft and warm. So nice and something she wasn’t used to. Heat enveloped her body as she lay wrapped in thick fur blankets. Nayeon slowly woke from her slumber to find herself tucked into piles of soft blankets and cushiony pillows. She doesn’t remember the last time she had slept on an actual bed, her memories were filled the remnants of cold stone and echoing darkness.

Her vision was blurry when she opened her eyes. The orange light from the flickering candles dimly lit the room, allowing Nayeon to barely make out her surroundings. Straight ahead of her was the most blurry, leading Nayeon to assume that there was an opening ahead of her. To her left stood a tall wardrobe as well as a small table with a candle flickering in the room. A small chair was on her left side as well as another small table.

To clear her blurry vision, Nayeon tried to reach her hand up to rub her eyes. However, there seemed to be someone holding her hand down. Confused, Nayeon blinked a few more times until she could make out a figure slouching in the chair. The person must have fallen asleep when they were watching over her. To make sure she didn’t hurt anyone else.

Out of all the times Nayeon had lost control of her body, her fight with the Archmage had to be the worst. She remembers the sensation of landing on stone and then everything was green. She tried to stop herself, but no matter what she did, nothing worked. Being forced to watch as she tossed the woman around her own room before eventually flinging her through a glass window.

The out of body experience wasn’t foreign, she had been feeling it for the past nine years. He used her like a puppet; somedays she was free to walk through the countryside observing the landscape, others she was stabbing decapitated heads onto sticks. Even in prison, Nayeon could feel the presence of Molag Bal.

But watching her own hand stab ice into the very person who was trying to liberate her was gruesome. It had been years since she had lost complete control like that and the feeling wasn’t welcome. Watching as Molag Bal used her body to throw the Archmage around like a rag doll until she was a bloody mess was one of the many things she wishes she could forget. But no, she had a front-row seat.

Slowly her vision became less and less blurry until she could make out who was holding onto her: sharp jawline, dark shoulder length hair, extremely squish-able cheeks.

“Jeongyeon?” Nayeon’s voice was weak from lack of use.

“Jeongyeon?” She called out again, squeezing their intertwined hands.

Nayeon watched the blacksmith groan and shift in her chair from one uncomfortable potion to another. With a sigh, Nayeon sat up and reached her free hand behind her. She grabbed her pillow and swung it at the sleeping woman.

“AAahahH!” Jeongyeon flailed out of her chair onto the stone floor with a thud.

Her head popped up over the edge of the bed and she looked up at Nayeon.

“What the fu- Nayeon?” Jeongyeon scrunched her forehead.

“Uhh… Hi” Jeongyeon stared up at Nayeon from her spot on the floor.

“Oh thank the gods! You’re awake.” She crawled on her knees closer to the bed and grabbed Nayeon’s hand again.

The blacksmith lowered her head onto their intertwined hands, resting her forehead against them. Nayeon’s heart soared at the sight of the shorthaired woman’s antics. She felt Jeongyeon’s grip tighten and tears begin to fall onto her skin.

“Hey,” Nayeon lifted Jeongyeon’s chin to meet her gaze, “don’t cry. I’m fine.”

“I was so worried about you. You’ve been asleep for almost a week.” Tears trailed down Jeongyeon’s cheeks, her little button nose red from crying.

“Well, I’m awake now. Thank you for everything, Jeongyeon. You saved my life.” Nayeon used her thumb to gently wipe away the tears running down from Jeongyeon’s eyes.

Those eyes were the first thing Nayeon saw when she met the blacksmith. Soft brown orbs stared back at her and she, for the first time in a long time, felt warm. She believed she was forever cold. That not even the hottest fire could melt her. That Molag Bal had taken everything human from her. But she was wrong.

Then it hit her.

“You… you called me Nayeon.” She tried to remove her hand from Jeongyeon’s grasp but failed when the blacksmith squeezed her hand tighter.

“Well, that’s your name isn’t it.”

“And… if I say yes?”

“Then you’re Nayeon. The girl who I found wandering along the side of the road. The girl who refused to let me help her because she thought she would hurt me. The girl who I dropped everything for.” Jeongyeon gently brought their hands to her lips and kissed Nayeon’s hand, “The girl I fell in love with.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Mina and Tzuyu sat in the library. The newly graduated bard had insisted she help Mina with any sort of research on dragons. With many more sightings of the giant reptiles, The college mage began to believe that the dragons had really returned. But what made them come back? Why disappear only to come back centuries later?

Throughout the week, Mina and Tzuyu had successfully found three novels mentioning dragons. Dragon Language: Myth no More, a book Tzuyu had requested be sent from the Bards College that she had remembered reading. The novel was written by an old bard who recounts her travels across the country in search of Word Walls and outlines her theories on how dragons communicated.

The Book of the Dragonborn, found buried under a pile of ancient history books, the novel described the term Dragonborn as well as mentioning the prophecy once more. Dragonborns' were mortals gifted the power of dragons. They could absorb a dragon’s power after killing it, which is why most became dragon slayers.

But the most helpful piece of writing the two had found was The Annals of the Dragonguard, 2813. With multiple mentions of a temple and a prophecy, the two quickly flipped through the pages until they found an ink-drawn version of the prophecy. Under the image were two words: Alduin’s wall

With a bit more research into those three books, the two found that name quite a few more times. Alduin. He was a great and powerful dragon that was set on eliminating all humans. However, he was defeated on top of the Throat of The World when three Dragonborn shouted him out of existence.

“What is… shouting?” Mina asked as she read over the passage a few more times.

“Dragon language,” Tzuyu said from across the room. The younger woman was taking a break from reading and sat in a leather chair eating some bread.

“And you know this how?” Mina closed the dusty book and walked over to join Tzuyu.

“Chaeyoung explained how when two dragons would fight, they were actually having a battle of words. They created their ancient magic by speaking. Sound familiar? It should because it is the exact same language that the Graybeards speak.” The young bard said before taking a large bite of her bread.

“When did she tell you this?” Mina felt a little hurt that her new smallest friend had kept this information from her.

“Last night, when the book from the Bards College finally got here. I mentioned to Chaeyoung how we found some more information about dragon language and she explained how dragons don’t actually just spit fire from their mouths, they speak it.”

“Woah.” Mina leaned back in the chair next to Tzuyu with hung open in awe.

“Yeah, pretty cool right.” Tzuyu broke off a piece of her bread and pushed into Mina’s open mouth causing the mage to laugh and almost choke on the bread. She playfully slapped Tzuyu’s shoulder and the two continued to sit and eat their bread.

“Well,” Mina coughed out, “when Momo wakes up, we can tell her about Alduin’s Wall and everything else we found. She should be waking up any day now. Her neck is almost completely healed thanks to Seulgi, but I’m afraid there will be scars left from the burns. Nayeon did use Daedric magic during their fight.”

“I’m still a bit confused on the whole Im Nayeon ordeal.” Tzuyu leaned back in her chair.

“I’m sure Momo will explain everything once she wakes up.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Soldiers patrolled along the outer wall of the fortress, their leather uniforms covered in fresh snowflakes. The stone structure was built at the bottom of the mountainside and jutted out against the horizon of white, making Fort Kastav stand out, even in the heavy snowfall. It was located along a mountain pass north of Windhelm and south along the main road that travels from Windhelm to Winterhold.

The military base was currently occupied by Imperial militant force, however many of the countries residents don’t agree with the laws the Empire has forced on their country. Those who defy the Imperial legion call themselves Stormcloaks and fight for the freedom of their country. (Oh, did I forget to mention that the country is in the middle of a civil war? Oops, my bad.)

"Helgen... destroyed by a dragon. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

“Yeah, first Markarth now Helgen.”

“For a dragon to attack Helgen… Why? Why there? Is there no safe place?”

A group of imperial soldiers stood along the stone ledge of the fortress. The men had been on duty for hours and were becoming restless and their shifts grew to a close.

"I'd be a lot warmer and a lot happier with a bellyful of mead..."

"My cousin's out fighting dragons, and what do I get? Guard duty."

"Just a few more hours and I can crawl under some furs..."

All was silent as the day wore on. Nothing crossed the barren plain of white. Every once in a while a rabbit could be seen hopping through the snow looking for food, or a flock of small birds would land on a snow-covered tree branch but nothing more. It wasn’t until the sun began to dip under the mountain tops that something caught the soldiers eyes.

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

That dark shape… to the north.”

One of the soldiers drew his sword and carried a lit torch across the undisturbed snow. He had walked all the way to the mountain edge before turning around to call out to the others watching him.

“I guess it was just my imagination.”

“You’re exhausted Tae, get back here and clear your head.”

“Our shifts are almost over anyway.”

The soldier was almost back to the entrance of the fort when a low rumble was heard further up the mountain. Chunks of ice and rock tumbled down the side and crashed into the snow, causing the powder to fly up into the air.

"You hear that?”

“I swear, there's something up there.”

“What’s going on out here?”

All the leather-clad soldiers turned and saluted a man dressed in steel armor. The General had come out of the main structure of the fort after the mountain had rumbled. A permanent frown etched on his face

“Something is going on near the mountain, Sir”

“Who’s that out there right now?”

“Lee Taeyong Sir.”

The soldier outside the fort had stopped pushing through the snow and now faced the mountain again. With his torch raised high, Taeyong squinted through the snowfall trying to see anything suspicious. Another loud rumble echoed down the mountainside and more snow tumbled down. Something dark caught the General’s eye.

“Taeyong! Get back!”

“What?”

“DRAGON!”

Taeyong quickly spun around to face the sky. He raised his torch to try to spot the dragon, but the light disappeared as razor-sharp teeth clamped down on his shoulder. He was thrown up into the air with a single jerk of the beast’s head, screaming as he fell into its open jaws.

 

~ ~ ~

 

The first thing she felt was a cold breeze across her face. Eyes still closed, Momo scrunched her face at the un-welcomed temperature shift. The cool air gently floating in through the room was dramatically different compared to the pocket of heat under the covers. Momo found herself tucked into a cocoon of fur blankets. The warmth working wonders on her sore body.

The first thing she heard was laughter. Filtering in through the window, Dahyun’s familiar cackle could be heard down in the courtyard as she played in the snow with her newest friend, Chaeyoung. The two had been outside for hours wrapped in enchanted robes to keep out the cold. They had built their own walls of snow and engaged in one of the longest snow fights the college residents had seen in a long time. The two were clearly not used to this much snow and were enjoying the experience.

The first thing she smelt was cinnamon. The scent enveloped her room in a wonderfully sweet aroma. One tempting enough for the Archmage to consider opening her eyes. She knew that smell, it was from her favorite pastry she and Seulgi would always ask the kitchen to make whenever they were craving sweets. She could picture the white frosting dripping down the sides of the cinnamon orange dough.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Seulgi. She sat in a leather chair against the sectioning wall, a plate with two sweet rolls in-front of her. The dark haired mage had her head rested again the stone with her own mono-lid eyes closed. The angle made her cheeks bulge out in the cutest way.

The first thing she tasted was sweet frosting, but not from the pastry, from Seulgi’s pouted lips. The sleeping mage had a bit of frosting left on the corner of . However the mono-lid mage didn’t wake from the kiss, instead, she let out a small snore.

“Maybe it’s better this way,” was the first thing Momo said.

Momo sat across from her sleeping companion and dug into the sweet roll. The Archmage felt as though she hadn’t eaten in a week, her stomach was making rumbling noises that could rival an avalanche. She only nudged Seulgi awake once she finished her delicious pastry.

“Good evening sleepy-head.” Momo used her fork to cut into the other mage’s sweet roll.

“Hmmmm.”

“These sweets are delicious.”

“Hmmmm?”

“If you don’t wake up soon… yours will be gone.”

“Hmmmm!”

Seulgi’s head shot off the wall and her eyes were wide. She had moved so fast, the momentum knocked her out of her chair onto the stone floor.

“Momo?”

“The bear wakes”

“Oh! Thank the gods! Momo, I’m so glad you’re alright.” Seulgi leapt to her feet and pulled the Archmage into a powerful hug.

“Yes, yes. But if you keep squishing me like this, I might pass out again.” Seulgi immediately released her grip on the younger but her smile stayed locked in place.

“I was so worried you weren’t going to wake up. Nayeon really did a number on you.” Seulgi held one of Momo’s small hand in her own while her free one reached up to her neck. The skin along was still rough and bruised from the fight.

“That was the worst one. But it’s almost completely healed now, along with those burns.” Momo raised her arms to get a good look at herself.

The restoration spell Seulgi cast had completely healed the wounds. However since Daedric magic inflicted the damage, the wounds left long scars running across her arms towards her neck and spreading across her chest. She still felt sore from her fall into the courtyard, but the pain was not enough to hinder her from moving.

“I know that you just woke up but… the others have been waiting for an explanation… of the fight, and the whole… Im Nayeon thing.”

“Of course, call everyone to the Hall of Elements. I need to address the whole college.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Students and staff filled the circular room up to the brim, there were even people standing in the entryway waiting to hear the news from their Archmage. Dahyun found herself near the front of the room next to Mina and Jihyo. Behind her stood Tzuyu while Chaeyoung sat on top of her friend’s shoulders. Nayeon and Momo stood on the edge of the magical fountain in the middle of the room while Jeongyeon and Seulgi were by their sides.

“Attention! Attention, everyone!” Although she had just woken up, Momo’s powerful voice quieted down the murmurs inside the hall. “I would like to explain what happened on college grounds a week ago.”

For a few moments, the hall filled with murmurs once more but quieted down when Momo raised her hand.

“This,” Momo gestured to Nayeon, “is Im Nayeon. She has been under Daedric possession for the past nine years. But not just any Daedra… no, she had been used by none other than the Daedric Lord of Domination, Molag Bal.”

This time the hall was filled with gasps and many gave Nayeon a sad look.

“What happened last week was an exorcism turned violent. Nayeon has since been freed of the Daedra and, I hope, you all can understand that this Im Nayeon is not the emotionless murder she was portrayed to be. No, this woman is a normal human. Just like you and me… and she deserves every right to a new life. One that is not based on her previous actions. That is why I am giving her the option of attending this college. I want her to be free to do what she wants… not what others force her to do. If anyone has a problem with my decision, come see me in the Archaeneum. You are dismissed.”

Seulgi and Jeongyeon helped the two down from the ledge and the four waited for the crowd to clear. Mina and Dahyun smile at the four before leaving for the Archaeneum. Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, and Jihyo followed the two up the steps as well. Once everyone was inside the library, Nayeon broke into tears.

“Thank you *hick* Momo. I don’t know *hick* what to say.” Nayeon covered her face with her hands and continued crying into Jeongyeon’s side.

“You can say whatever you want, Nayeon.” Momo rubbed slow circles against the older woman’s back.

The nine sat in comfortable silence for a while. No students nor staff came into the library to protest Nayeon’s stay. And those who did come to the library to study simply smiled at the group and happily waved at them. The silence was disturbed by a loud snore drawing everyone’s attention to the sleeping thief that lay across Mina’s lap. The group smiled and laughed at snoring woman. She normally tried to portray herself as a tough and intimidating person but watching her now, the pale thief was everything but tough and intimidating.

“Momo!”

Everyone turned again watched a frantic and slightly snow covered Solji burst into the Archaeneum. The fiery-haired mage waved a letter in her hand as she quickly crossed the room towards the group of women.

“An urgent letter has been sent from Fort Kastav. They are under attack by a dragon and are requesting aid.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“No.”

“Why not!”

“No, you’re not going.”

“But Dahyun gets to go!”

“Both you and Tzuyu are staying here and that’s final.”

“Momo, that’s so unfair and you know it.”

“You’ll just get in the way.”

“No, we won’t! Tzuyu is a fantastic shot with a bow and I could help anyone who’s injured. Please Momo, let us come with you guys!”

“…No.”

“This is bull.” Chaeyoung crossed her arms and leaned against the stone wall of the ramp.

The Archmage was quick to jump into action when Solji came running into the library. Momo had told Mina and Seulgi to get ready for the trip leaving everyone else sitting awestruck in their seats. But Dahyun, not being one to be left out, was quick to protest. She claimed that they needed an extra pair of hands, but everyone knew she just wanted to make sure Mina was safe.

Momo allowed the small the small thief to go with them but then quickly left the library before anyone else could volunteer. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu both followed the Archmage down the spiral staircase trying to convince the mage to let them come as well. But now both bards found themselves watching the back of the carriage as it pulled the group out of the city.

“Chaeyoung,” Tzuyu leaned down towards her small friend.

“Yeah, Tzu?” Chaeyoung grumbled out.

“We’re going anyway… aren’t we.”

Chaeyoung turned to face her tall companion and winked. Tzuyu smirked and looked back at the carriage as it pulled out of view. Both women quickly ran back across the bridge and into the Hall of Attainment. Chaeyoung grabbed the enchanted robes the college provided for them while Tzuyu pulled her bow and quiver full of arrows onto her back.

“Let's go kill a dragon.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“This is far enough, thank you.” Momo, Seulgi, Mina, and Dahyun all jumped out of the back of the carriage when a faint glow was visible in the distance. Momo didn’t want anyone else in danger so she quickly thanked the driver and sent him back to the city.

The surrounding mountain was eerily quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the crunch of the snow beneath their feet as they neared Fort Kastav. When the group had finally made it where the fortress was supposed to be, there were instead met with the burning remains of the structure.

The snow glowed orange as it reflected the brilliant flames rising up from the charred horse stables. The stone walls that were still standing had been covered in scorch marks, some of the embers still glistening in the darkness of the night. Charred soldiers littered the snow, the smoking bodies staining it pink.

One of the stone towers lay toppled in the snow. Large sections had been broken off as if a giant creature had landed on the tower, but the sudden weight caused the whole thing to collapse. A terrifying shape lay on top of the other tower. Dark black scales could be seen in the light of the flames. An ebony dragon lay asleep on top of the final tower, claiming the fortress as its own.

As the women slowly moved in on the wreckage, a hand reached out and grabbed onto Mina’s ankle. The mage barely held in a shriek of surprise and she was pulled to a stop. Eyes wide, the whole group turned to Mina to see her with one hand over and the other one pointing down towards her feet. One of the soldiers on the ground was barely conscious as he rolled over in the snow.

“Get back, it’s still here somewhere.” The man on the ground croaked out before falling face first in the snow, dead.

Mina knelt down and gave the others a terrified look as she pried his burned fingers off her leg. With a foreboding message from the dead soldier, the group continued towards the dragon and its fortress.

“So… what’s the plan?” Dahyun whispered as they observed the sleeping beast.

“We should spread out, find a safe place to hide when it wakes up, then attack all at once.” Momo thought out loud.

Mina and Dahyun quietly crept inside the destroyed walls and stationed themselves north of the dragon. A pile of fallen rubble protected them from a direct attack while two wide openings were on each side to provide a quick escape. Seulgi climbed over the fallen rubble until she stood in-between two large blocks of stone. She faced the dragon from the south and waited for Momo’s command to start the attack. Momo stared down the beast from the fallen tower to the west.

Seulgi, Mina and Dahyun watched Momo for further instructions. The Archmage took a deep breath and nodded at the women before engulfing her hands in electricity. Mina and Seulgi’s hands glowed light blue as they readied their ice magic. Dahyun silently knocked an arrow in her bow and drew back the string, aiming at the neck of the dragon.

All four women released an onslaught of attacks at the sleeping beast, waking it up with a deafening roar. It stood on its giant hind legs and spread its dark wings. The wingspan covered almost half the fort and the beast narrowed its eyes at Seulgi. With a few simple flaps of its giant wings, the dragon took to the sky and created a draft that caused the four women to stumble back.

“It’s huge!” Dahyun yelled out and continued firing arrows at the beast circle around them.

“Its also bleeding! Keep your eyes on it don’t let it out of your sight.” Momo called out as she climbed over the fallen tower into the snow outside the fortress. She ran along the outer-wall keeping her eyes glued on the dragon. When it dropped lower in the sky to prepare to attack, Momo launched a barrage of lightning bolts. The beast cried out, stopped its descent, and rose back into the dark sky.

The dragon flew to the other side of the fortress and came to a stop right above Dahyun and Mina. The beast didn’t seem to know they were under it because its giant amber eyes were staring straight at Seulgi.

“YOL TOOR SHUL!” A blast of bright flames erupted from the mouth of the dragon right at the mage.

Seulgi had been quick enough to cast a ward, but the edges of the magical shield quickly cracked under the force of the powerful magic. She dove to the side and hid behind a pile of rubble as the ward shattered and the flames surrounded where she just stood.

Mina’s eyes glowed blue as she launched a spinning ball of ice and wind up at the dragon’s underside while Dahyun released arrow after arrow. Caught off guard from the attack, the dragon flailed for a moment before flying off once more. Dahyun quickly jumped over a pile of stone and ran across the fortress to find Seulgi. She found the mage leaning against the pile of rubble she hid behind and breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?” Dahyun knelt down and quickly scanned her for injuries. 

“I’m fine, just… shocked.” Seulgi managed to say in-between breaths. A loud roar was heard overhead.

“Okay, stay here.” Dahyun readied her bow again and kept her eyes on the sky as she left the mage to recover.

Momo had circled around the edge of the wall and began scaling up the side of the tower. The view from the top allowed her to see the entire ground level of the fortress as well as a clear view of the dragon circling above. Something seemed to have caught the dragon’s eye and it dove down towards the snow.

"Dahyun! Watch out!"

Dahyun was crossing the clearing back to Mina when a powerful gust of wind knocked her off her feet. She flew through the air and crashed into a mound of snow. The dragon had spread its giant wings and drifted to a stop in the air. When the beast landed the ground shook, knocking Dahyun back down into the snow.

She quickly flipped around to see two giant smoking nostrils in front of her. The dragon drew back its scaly lips to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth the size of Dahyun’s arm. The small thief was frozen with fear and couldn’t move. All she could do was stare at the opening jaws of the beast in front of her.

Right as the Dragon extended its long neck towards Dahyun, a spear of ice embedded itself deep into the dragon's throat. Mina stood a few meters away and was screaming as she threw ice spear after ice spear at the beast about to eat her girlfriend. The dragon reared on its hind legs as more ice buried itself under the black scales. Then a bolt of electricity struck it in the back of the head causing another loud screech of pain. Dahyun, now recovered, quickly knocked an arrow on her bow and aimed right where the dragons head met its neck and released. The arrow hit its mark, slicing into the soft undefended skin.

A loud screech of pain echoed throughout the mountainside and the dragon fell limp and crumpled in the snow. Maroon blood poured out from its neck and mouth. Its bright amber eyes staring blankly in the distance as the rise and fall of its torso stopped. The Mountainside was quiet once more. 

“I can’t believe it... we just killed a dragon.” Dahyun fell back into the pile of snow and let out an airy laugh.

Mina circled around the giant dead dragon and fell into the snow next to Dahyun.

“Never scare me like that again.” Mina pulled her into a tight hug, burying her face in the crook of Dahyun’s neck.

“I don’t know, I forget how hot you get when you’re mad.” Dahyun pecked a kiss on Mina’s forehead.

“Don’t joke with me right now Kim Dahyun.” Mina squeezed her tighter. Dahyun smiled into her girlfriend and pulled her closer.

Meanwhile, Momo had jumped down from the tower into the snow below and rushed to find Seulgi. The last she had seen of her was when the fight first began. She found the mage with her eyes closed and leaning against a pile of rubble.

“Seulgi?” Momo worriedly asked the slouching woman. When she got no response, she took Seulgi’s head into her hands. “Talk to me Seul.”

“I’m awake… just resting my eyes.” Seulgi’s voice was quiet.

“What happened?”

“Fire Breath. I put up a ward, but it took a lot out of me to defend against that powerful of magic.” Seulgi opened her eyes to see a worried Momo looking down at her.

“Well, we killed it… do you want to see?” Seulgi nodded her head and Momo helped lift her up.

Momo supported the mage with an arm around her waist and the two made their way to the fallen dragon. The four surrounded the corpse in silence and took in the sight. The huge mass of ebony colored scales lay lifeless in the snow. The dragon’s mouth was stuck in the open position, displaying the giant fangs for the women to gawk at. Momo ran her hand along one of the scales. The piece of skin was bigger than her hand and harder than iron.

Low rumbling noises from above made her jerk her hand away and face the mountain. They watched rocks and snow slide down the sides of the cliff. Something huge shot out of the clouds.

“No way.”

The four watched another dragon glide down from the sky. The great beast landed on the very same tower the previous dragon had been sleeping on, however, this golden scaled dragon was almost twice the size. its eyes were a bright sapphire and had two twisting horns extending out of its enormous head. The slits of its eyes narrowed as it watched the women below.

“FO KRAH DIIN!” The golden dragon spread its wings as a beam of ice blasted out of its mouth.

“Run!”

Everyone dove out of the way as the beam of smashed into the snow. It began moving through the snow trailing after Mina and Dahyun as the two ran for cover. Everything the ice magic came in contact with became encompassed in ice crystals. A path of solid ice followed them until the dragon closed its mouth.

When Mina and Dahyun turned around they found themselves trapped in-between stone and dragon ice. The two quickly cast fireballs against the ice but had they no effect on the dragon’s magic. The two were stuck inside leaving Momo and Seulgi to fight the beast alone.

“Momo! We’re stuck!” Dahyun called out to the Archmage hoping that she had some way of freeing them.

“Just hold on I’ll get you-“ Momo’s voice is drowned out by dragon’s deep roar.

“FEN NI FILOK” The dragon seemed to be cursing at Momo and Seulgi as the two ran in different directions.

The giant golden beast chose to pursue Momo and used the hooks on the end of its wings to climb down from the tower and chase after the Archmage. The dragon seemed to have been watching the previous fight because it refused to take flight, knowing the mages would attack its exposed underside if it did.

Momo ran through the snow sending bolts of electricity randomly behind her to keep a gap between her and the beast.

“FO KRAH DIIN!” She heard a sharp intake of breath behind her and dove behind a pile of stone. A beam of ice shot past her and a wall further ahead became covered in ice.

She quickly rose from the snow and ran towards one of the holes smashed into the wall. As she jumped through the gap a strong gust of wind threw her further into the snow. She skidded to a halt in the previously undisturbed blanket of white and turned to face her attacker. The dragon was quick to climb over the stone wall and smashed its way through the snow.

She ended up face to face with the golden dragon. It’s sapphire eyes staring down at her. The beast let out a powerful exhale and a cold stream of air shot out of its nostrils, wildly blowing the Archmage’s hair around. Extending its neck, the dragon bit down on Momo’s leg with its powerful teeth and lifted her up into the air.

"AaaHHAH!"

Seulgi had turned to see the dragon climbing over the wall and turned to chase after it. When she had leapt through the gap in the wall, she was horrified to see Momo, screaming and dangling from its jaws. She launched ice at the dragon but the magic shattered against its golden scales.

“Use fire magic!” Momo cried out as she swayed in its mouth. The dragon turned to face the other mage and growled at her. Seulgi engulfed her hands in fire and blasted a stream of fire at its body, careful not to hit Momo.

The dragon let out a painful snort and narrowed its eyes at Seulgi. It swung its head and let go of Momo’s leg. The Archmage flew through the air towards some nearby trees and smashed into the snowy trunk. She fell unconscious into the powder below and was buried under the snow falling off the branches.

"No!"

Seulgi watched in horror as Momo disappeared into the darkness but she had to act fast because the dragon began stomping its way over to her.

“BOLOG AAZ, MAL LIR!” The dragon sneered at her.

Seulgi stumbled backwards and fell off the pile of stone. She landed on the solid ground with a thud and her breath was knocked out of her. She lay gasping for air as the ground shook under the weight of the dragon. Right as the dragon’s golden head tower over her, an arrow lodged itself one of its sapphire eyes. The beast let out a screech of pain as it recoiled backwards.

Seulgi felt someone pulling her away from the wall and she turned her head to see Chaeyoung dragging her through the snow to safety.

Another roar bellowed around the mountain as the dragon took to the sky. Four more arrows could be seen sticking out of the dragon’s face. The beast ascended higher and higher then took off into the darkness of the night.

When she could breathe properly again, Seulgi sat up to see Tzuyu climbing over the wall with a bow in her hands. Her brows furrowed in worry as she searched the fortress for the others.

“Over here Tzuyu!” Chaeyoung called out to her taller friend.

Chaeyoung had pulled Seulgi to a pile of rubble near the middle of the fortress and now stood at the dead body of the first dragon. She ran her hand along the giant scales and stared in awe at the great beast.

“Where’d it go?” Dahyun’s said from the top of a pile of stone. She reached her hand down into a hole and pulled Mina out of where the dragon had trapped them. “Where’s Momo?”

Both climbed down to meet the other three near the dead dragon.

“She was thrown into the woods, let’s go find her.” Seulgi stood with the help of Chaeyoung.

The four began to walk towards a gap in the wall but stopped when they realized Tzuyu wasn’t with them.

“What are you doing Tzu?” Chaeyoung asked with an arm wrapped around Seulgi holding her up.

No response.

“Tzuyu?”

Nothing. The four watched the tall bard drop her bow, shrug off her arrows, and slowly walk towards the dragon that lay in the snow.

“Ko dinok you tinvaak. Aan dovah soul wah ofan.” Tzuyu muttered out as she raised her hand.

She pressed her palm against the ebony scales and light began to spread out in-between each scale. The entire body glowed a dim yellow and orange flakes began to rise up into the night sky. Rays of bright magic burst out of the dragon and circled around Tzuyu surrounding her in light. Scales evaporated into the sky and soon only the dragon's skeleton remained, laying in the same position it died in.

All the mages could see was the ball of pulsing light drop to the ground as Tzuyu fell to her knees. The glowing magic became too bright for the others to watch and they were forced to look away as it got bigger and bigger. They heard a scream as the magic worked its way into Tzuyu, the energy flowing through her veins. The ball of glowing energy suddenly stopped spinning and shrunk smaller and smaller until it disappeared with a final flash of light. All the dragon's energy had been absorbed into Tzuyu's body. The others uncovered their eyes to see Tzuyu kneeling on the ground with a blank look on her face.

Chaeyoung was quick to run over to her best friend and see if she was okay. The two faced each other on their knees, Chaeyoung with wide worried eyes and Tzuyu with glassy ones.

“Come on Tzu… come back to me.” Chaeyoung raised Tzuyu’s head in her hands trying to get the younger to focus on her.

“DOVAHKIIN.” the mountain above them shook with such a force that sections of snow fell loose.

“What was that!” Dahyun looked up at the mountain in fear.

“That was the Greybeards.” Chaeyoung now held Tzuyu against her, the taller was still glassy-eyed and unmoving.

“What? I thought you said they don’t speak?” Dahyun was confused by the whole situation.

“They don’t… so I don’t know what’s going on.” Chaeyoung looked up at the women.

“I do.” A limping Momo staggered into view of the others with her hand pressed against her ribs. Dry blood trailed from and one of her ears and her lower leg was surrounded in a veil of blue transparent magic. She continued limping over to the two in kneeling in the snow and looked into Tzuyu’s eyes.

“Tzuyu is a Dragonborn… the Last Dragonborn." everyone gasped and watched Tzuyu come back to reality in Chaeyoung's arms.

The Dragonborn was released by Chaeyoung and stood to face the others. From first glance, she looked the same, but then some new features began to stand out. If possible, she had become taller and her body was more toned then before. Bicep and tricep muscles bulged slightly in her robes and her shoulders had become broader. Her once dark hair had lightened to a warm chestnut color and her brown eyes now glowed gold while her pupils resembled those of a reptile.

She gazed down at her own hands and felt the rougher skin. Tzuyu looked up at the women taking in her new appearance. Not knowing what to say or do, she let out an airy laugh and a small smile. Their eyes widened and Chaeyoung pointed at her teeth. She ran her tongue along the inside of feeling the sharp and elongated canines.

"What just happened?" Tzuyu asked, her voice slightly deeper than before.

"You absorbed the dragon's soul," Momo smiled up at the Last Dragonborn, "You now have the power of a dragon."

"Does that mean she can fly and breath fire?" Dahyun excitedly asked the Archmage.

"Flying? no, but breathing fire... probably."

"Hold on... let me try something." Tzuyu faced away from the group and towards one of the walls.

"YOL!" The Dragonborn's eyes flashed a deep red and a sphere of pulsing fire formed in front of Tzuyu then flew towards the snowy wall. The stone glowed a pale orange as the heat of the magical fire burned the wall.

"Did you see that!" Tzuyu jumped up and down then turned to face the others smiling, showing off her sharp canines.

"You really are the Dragonborn." Mina looked at Tzuyu and the burnt wall in awe.

"Hell yeah! My best friend is a dragon!" Chaeyoung ran forward and leapt into Tzuyu's arms. The Dragonborn easily caught her with her new strength and held her small friend in the air.

"You know what this means... don't you." Momo's serious voice wiped the smiles off everyone's faces.

"It's time for the Fight of the Species... Dragons verse Humans.”