Shadows of the Eternal Flame

The city of Eryndor was a living, breathing beast. Its streets pulsed with life, a chaotic symphony of honking cars, chattering crowds, and the occasional wail of a siren. Neon lights bathed the sidewalks in a kaleidoscope of colors, casting long shadows that danced like restless spirits. To most, it was just another Friday night. But to Kaela Rivers, it was another reminder of how out of place she felt.

Perched on the fire escape outside her foster family’s apartment, Kaela leaned against the railing, her breath visible in the crisp night air. Below, the city sprawled endlessly, a labyrinth of steel and glass that seemed to stretch into infinity. She hated it here.

Not the city itself—Eryndor had a strange, magnetic energy that she couldn’t quite explain—but the constant feeling of being an outsider. Six foster homes in ten years had taught her one thing: she didn’t belong anywhere.

“Kaela!” a voice called from inside the apartment. “Dinner’s ready!”

She sighed, pushing off the railing. “Coming, Mrs. Hargrove,” she muttered, though she doubted anyone could hear her.

As she turned to climb back through the window, a flash of light caught her eye. It wasn’t the usual glare of headlights or the flicker of a broken streetlamp. This was something else—something alive. It danced in the alley below, a flickering ember that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.

Kaela froze, her heart pounding. She told herself it was nothing, just her imagination playing tricks on her again. But then the ember grew, swirling into a fiery spiral that twisted and writhed like a living thing.

Before she could react, the fire exploded outward, engulfing the alley in a blaze of golden light. Kaela stumbled back, her hands flying up to shield her face. But the heat didn’t burn her. Instead, it felt... familiar. Like a memory she couldn’t quite grasp.

“What the—”

A shadow moved within the flames, tall and humanoid but unmistakably not human. Its eyes glowed like molten gold, and its voice echoed in her mind, deep and resonant.

“Aelara,” it said, the name reverberating through her very soul. “You have returned.”

Kaela’s breath hitched. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The creature stepped forward, its form shifting and shimmering like smoke. “The war is not over. The Eternal Flame has chosen you. You must remember.”

Before she could respond, a hand clamped down on her shoulder, yanking her back. She spun around to see Jace, her best friend since middle school, his usual easygoing grin replaced by a look of sheer panic.

“We need to go. Now.”

“Jace, what’s going on? What is that thing?”

“No time to explain,” he said, his voice tight. “Just trust me.”

And then, before her eyes, Jace’s form began to change. His skin shimmered with iridescent scales, his eyes glowing like twin suns. Wings burst from his back, massive and leathery, and in an instant, he was no longer the boy she’d known—he was a dragon.

Kaela’s mind reeled. “What the hell, Jace?!”

“Get on,” he growled, his voice deeper, more guttural. “Unless you want to become a crispy snack for that fire wraith.”

She didn’t have time to argue. The creature in the alley let out a deafening roar, and the flames surged toward them. Without thinking, Kaela climbed onto Jace’s back, her hands gripping the ridges of his scales.

As they soared into the night sky, the city lights blurring beneath them, Kaela couldn’t shake the feeling that her life—her world—was about to change forever.