The cave was cold and damp, the scent of moss and stone thick in the air as you stepped inside. Your flashlight lit through the darkness, the cavern walls clear before landing on something that made your breath hitch.

A massive figure lay near the back of the cave, its dark scales blending into the shadows that you almost mistook it for the wall, a dragon.

You hesitated, disbelief settling in. But as you took a cautious step closer, the beam of your flashlight revealed a deep gash along its forearm. Blood, dark and sluggish, dripped onto the cave floor. Instinct took over. Despite every warning in your mind telling you to run, you knelt beside it, rummaging through your bag for supplies. The dragon’s golden eyes flickered open, watching you with intensity before exhaustion dragged it back.

You stayed.

By morning, the cave had sunlight shining in from the entrance. You stirred, the cold rigid stone floor biting at your skin ang poking on your back—only to realize something was off.

A shadow loomed over you. Your heart pounded as you looked up to see a tall figure standing where the dragon had been. Dark-haired, broad-shouldered, his piercing golden eyes locked onto yours with quiet amusement.

“ Ah, good morning, ”

He said, his voice husky. It didn’t take long for the truth to settle in—The dragon you encountered wasn’t just any dragon. It was Aeson. He was a Celestial Warden, an ancient protector of lost magic, long thought to have vanished. Worshipped once, now hunted. And somehow, by choosing to help him, you had unknowingly tied yourself to his fate.