The Vault fell silent, save for the slow, rhythmic pulse of the egg beneath my palm. The warmth of it bled into my skin, filling my veins with something ancient, something powerful. The entity that had tested me-whatever it was-had faded into the ether, leaving only its final words lingering in the air.
"You may yet be its heir."
The weight of those words pressed against my chest, heavier than any blade or chain.
I lifted the egg, cradling it carefully in my hands. It was warm, thrumming with life, its deep crimson shell marbled with veins of gold. Not fossilized, not dead-this was a true dragon's egg, untouched by the Doom, waiting in slumber for centuries.
Mine.
A deep breath steadied me. There was no turning back now.
The chamber still pulsed with latent power, the Valyrian runes along the walls dimming as if they had spent what little remained of their strength. Whatever enchantments had preserved this place had begun to fade. Dust trickled from the ceiling, and the walls groaned, shifting as if the Vault itself knew its purpose had been fulfilled.
Time to leave.
I turned toward the passageway leading back to the surface, moving swiftly but carefully. The air had grown heavier, charged with something unsteady. Every step echoed, the sound stretching unnaturally through the tunnels, as if something unseen still watched from the dark.
I gritted my teeth and pressed on.
The Ashen Shore
The ruins of Valyria stretched out before me as I emerged from the Vault. The sky above had darkened, the thick, sulfuric clouds swirling with unseen tempests. The sea lapped hungrily at the shore, black and sluggish, as if it sought to drag the land itself beneath its depths.
Otherys stood at the edge of the surf, his sword drawn, scanning the ruins with wary eyes. When he spotted me, relief flickered across his face-then, just as quickly, it was replaced with something colder.
His gaze fell to the egg in my arms.
"You found something," he said, voice unreadable.
"Something that should have been lost forever," I replied.
He studied me for a long moment, then shook his head. "I don't like this. This place is cursed, and so is anything that comes from it."
"Curses do not concern me," I said, brushing past him. "Only what is mine."
The ship was still anchored in the bay, though the crew watched warily from the deck. They had not set foot on the cursed shore-not even when the ruins trembled and the skies darkened. Superstition held them back, and perhaps they were wise for it.
I strode toward the longboat, Otherys following reluctantly behind. As we pushed off from the shore, I felt the weight of the island behind me, the ruins standing silent in the mist, watching as I left.
A piece of Valyria now lay in my hands.
But I had taken more than just an egg.
I had taken something's notice.
Whispers on the Wind
Night fell swiftly as our ship cut through the dark waters, leaving Valyria behind. The air grew colder, the scent of sulfur fading, but I could not shake the feeling that something lingered.
The egg had not cooled. If anything, it had grown warmer.
And in the depths of my mind, where the whispers of the Vault had once spoken, I felt a presence.
Faint. Watching.
Waiting.
I ran my fingers across the shell, feeling the pulse beneath.
What had I woken?
And what would it demand of me?
-----
The sea stretched endlessly before us, dark and restless beneath the pale light of the moon. The volcanic haze that clung to Valyria had long since faded behind us, but the weight of that cursed land had not. It sat heavy in my chest, a silent presence that refused to be left behind.
The egg had not cooled.
If anything, it burned hotter with each passing hour.
I sat alone in my cabin, the dragon egg resting on the table before me, its deep crimson shell pulsing with a slow, rhythmic glow. I traced my fingers along its marbled surface, feeling the warmth radiating from within. It was not an illusion, nor a trick of the mind-something inside was stirring.
A dragon yet unborn.
I had taken this egg from the Vault of Embers, but had it truly been abandoned? Had it been waiting for me, or had I stolen it from something that still lurked beneath Valyria's ruins?
I exhaled sharply, leaning back in my chair. Doubt was a weakness I could not afford. This egg was mine now. Whatever its origins, whatever forces had preserved it for centuries, that no longer mattered.
What mattered was what came next.
A sharp knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts.
"Enter," I called.
The door creaked open, and Otherys stepped inside, his expression grim. He hesitated for a moment, eyes flickering toward the egg before meeting mine.
"The crew is restless," he said. "They whisper of curses. Of doom following us across the sea."
"Let them whisper," I said.
His lips pressed into a thin line. "They fear you, Rhaegis. And perhaps they should."
I studied him, watching the way his fingers lingered near the hilt of his sword. Otherys was no coward, but he was no fool either. He had seen what I had seen. He had felt the unnatural weight of the Vault, the lingering presence in the air, the way the ruins seemed to breathe even in death.
I could not blame him for his unease.
Still, I would not bend to it.
"This egg is more than just a relic," I said. "It is proof that Valyria is not truly dead. That its fire still burns."
Otherys exhaled, shaking his head. "And fire consumes all who play with it."
"Then let it consume me," I said. "If I am weak, I will burn. If I am strong, I will rise."
Silence stretched between us.
Finally, he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "The crew will not turn on you. Not yet. But they are watching. Waiting to see if this curse will take you."
"Let them watch," I said. "They will see soon enough."
Otherys hesitated for a moment longer, then gave a short nod before stepping out, leaving me alone with the egg once more.
The ship rocked gently beneath me, the waves whispering against the hull. I reached out, resting my palm against the egg's surface.
A sharp jolt shot through my fingers.
I gasped, yanking my hand back.
The glow within the egg had intensified, the veins of gold pulsing like molten fire. A low vibration hummed through the wood beneath me, rattling the table, the air suddenly thick with unseen pressure.
And then, for the first time, I heard it.
A sound-not from the room, not from the sea, but from within my mind.
A heartbeat.
Slow. Steady. Growing stronger.
And with it, a voice-faint, distant, but unmistakably real.
"Fire... blood..."
The breath caught in my throat. My heart pounded.
The egg was waking.
And with it, something inside me stirred as well.
----------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for reading. Sorry it was a little late I had a family emergency.