unexpected
As more guests continued to arrive—many of whom I had never seen nor even heard of—the hall grew louder with intrigue and speculation.
"Wingmaiden?" Gobber bellowed out, his voice tinged with confusion.
My gaze sharpened as a tall, regal woman stepped forward, draped in flowing robes of silver and sea-blue.
"I am Atali," she said, her voice strong yet elegant. "Leader of the Wingmaidens. And today, I present a gift forged from tradition and devotion—armor crafted from the scales of Razorwhips."
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. Razorwhips… I'd heard the name, but I had never seen one.
Then something moved behind her.
My eyes narrowed as a small creature peeked out—a baby dragon, shimmering in the light with razor-thin wings folded tightly against its sleek frame. It stepped forward shyly, glancing at the crowd.
"This is a baby Razorwhip," Atali explained, her voice softening. "For generations uncounted, we Wingmaidens have raised them until they're ready to return to the skies. It is our sacred duty."
Before I could respond, a voice tugged at my attention.
"Daddy!" Moon piped up beside me, wide-eyed and nearly bouncing in place. "It looks so cute! Can I get one?"
I sighed gently, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Moon… that's not my call to make," I said with a smile. "You'll have to ask Lady Atali later."
Moon pouted slightly but nodded, eyes still glued to the baby dragon.
I turned back to Atali and gave a nod of gratitude, offering a warm smile. She returned it with grace, then stepped back to her seat.
"Defenders of the Wing!" Gobber called next.
A poised woman with blonde hair and confident eyes stepped forward. She carried herself like someone born to lead.
"I am Mala," she announced. "Leader of the Defenders of the Wing. Our offering is one of our island's rarest treasures—Eruptodon ore, found only deep within the molten caverns beneath our sacred mountain. It is heat-resistant, dense, and imbued with the strength of the earth itself."
Not bad, I thought. It might make excellent armor or perhaps a core for something more... experimental.
I gave her a respectful nod.
Then Gobber called again, his voice louder, wary. "Dragon Hunters."
Tension rippled through the hall.
Two figures stepped forward—lean, dangerous, and far too confident.
"I am Viggo Grimborn," the shorter one said smoothly, "and this is my brother, Ryker." He gestured to the burly man beside him. "For this occasion, we've brought a prize as well—one equal to Alvin's. A dragon."
They stepped aside as two of their men wheeled in a sleek, white dragon inside a gronckle iron cage.
"We call her the Light Fury," Viggo said, a predatory smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "We found her on an uncharted island while seeking treasures for this gathering. Imagine our surprise when we discovered this rare beauty."
The Light Fury stood perfectly still inside the cage, her bright blue eyes scanning the hall. Her gaze wasn't wild or frightened—it was intelligent. Calculating.
Then I noticed something else.
Toothless was staring at her, his pupils wide and unblinking. Mesmerized.
I followed his gaze and studied her more closely. She wasn't like the other dragons. There was something different in her stare, something... knowing.
"Release her," I commanded, my tone sharp but calm.
Viggo raised an eyebrow, but nodded. The guards hesitated, then slowly unlatched the cage. The Light Fury stepped out with fluid grace. She didn't snarl or attack—she simply looked around cautiously, her muscles tense but not aggressive.
"Toothless," I said, without breaking eye contact with the dragon, "show her around."
He looked at me, then back at her, and with a low chirp, padded forward.
They began to speak—dragon tongue, filled with clicks, growls, and soft warbles. I could understand it, of course, but I chose to tune it out. This was their moment, not mine.
As the two dragons left the hall together, tails brushing, I turned back to Viggo and Ryker. I nodded once. They returned it with feigned civility, masking whatever thoughts were brewing behind their eyes.
The hall remained quiet, awed by the silent display of power and trust.
I leaned back slightly in my seat, Moon curled beside me, Merida's hand resting gently on mine.
The Northern Alliance
"The Northern Alliance!" Gobber bellowed, his voice hoarse from the countless names he'd already called.
The name sent a ripple through the hall. I saw shoulders tense, eyes narrow. Even my father's expression hardened. I sat up straighter in my seat, all playfulness gone.
From the entrance, a towering figure approached. His aura was heavy—not chaotic, but... dangerous. Not like a beast, but a man used to taming them.
"I am Drago Bludvist," he growled. "And I bring no gift. Only a proposition."
The hall erupted into whispers. Tension bloomed like a firestorm. I raised a hand.
Silence.
"Speak," I commanded.
Drago smirked. "I intend to conquer the world—with dragons. And with your power, your beasts, and your command over them, it is possible. So I offer you a place in my vision."
Another wave of murmuring began. I raised my hand again, and silence obeyed.
I stood.
"I do not want war," I said, voice cold as the northern winds. "And I will not help you wage one."
"I'm not giving you a choice!" Drago shouted, raising his spear and twirling it violently. His armored dragons growled behind him, their eyes flaring.
Before he could give a command, I let go.
I released my full Dragon Presence—a force of will older than the mountains, deeper than the sea.
"Stop." My voice thundered through the stone hall like a storm.
The dragons froze in place.
"Kneel."
A pause—then the sound of scales scraping against stone as the armored dragons bowed one by one. The hall fell into another silence.
Drago's expression shattered. I vanished and reappeared in front of him, my fist already moving.
CRACK.
His body flew like a ragdoll, crashing through the grand doors and tumbling into the village square beyond.
The hall erupted into gasps. I strode after him, the others trailing behind me, unsure whether to follow or pray.
Outside, Drago had already risen, battered but defiant. He raised his spear high and roared into the sea.
I frowned. What now—?
The ocean churned violently. The waves parted—and something immense, something ancient, rose from the depths.
My breath caught.
A dragon, titanic in size, surfaced. Larger than anything I'd ever seen—an ice-breathing leviathan.
The Bewilderbeast.
It let out a haunting roar and unleashed a stream of frost that turned the bay into a frozen glacier in seconds.
Drago laughed, thinking I was afraid.
I wasn't.
I was furious.
So furious my body couldn't contain it.
I doubled over, bones cracking, muscles tearing as I began to shift. Scales erupted from my skin, my jaw lengthened into a snout. My limbs grew, my roar deepened.
When it was done, I stood—nearly three-quarters the size of the Bewilderbeast. Ancient power pulsed through my veins.
Drago's laughter died.
I leapt forward, my fist slamming into the dragon's skull with enough force to send a shockwave across the water. Ice cracked. Waves surged. The Bewilderbeast howled.
But it didn't retreat.
Even after another devastating blow, it fought on.
Something was wrong.
I paused and spoke in dragon tongue.
"Why do you keep fighting?"
The Bewilderbeast hesitated. "Father says I must. I must become king of dragons. I must help him conquer the world."
"But is that what you want?" I asked.
It was silent.
"I—I don't know… if I disobey, he'll punish me. I must fight."
"No. You don't. You're stronger than him. Stronger than fear. Why listen to a man who would chain you like a weapon?"
"He raised me… he's my father…"
"No. He's not. A real father doesn't use their child like a tool."
The Bewilderbeast was quiet for a long moment. Then it lowered its massive head and said, "I will return to the sea. We will speak again."
I nodded, breathing heavily. The beast vanished beneath the water, leaving silence behind.
My body shrank as I returned to human form, every bone aching. But before I could rest—
A scream.
I sprinted back to the hall. My heart dropped.
Drago was inside.
And he had Merida.
One arm wrapped around her throat, the other holding a blood-stained spear.
A villager whispered, "We—we were all watching your fight… he snuck back in."
Drago's face twisted with madness. "Tell your dragons to obey me," he shouted. "Or she dies!"
I raised my hand, veins bulging, and signaled the armored dragons.
They stepped forward.
"Come here!" Drago barked at me.
"Release her," I said, voice cold as death.
"Like hell! I'll drop her at the cliffs—maybe you'll get to her before the rocks do."
I clenched my fists. "You're pushing your luck—"
But before I could finish, Merida acted.
With a cry, she twisted and gouged at Drago's eyes with her fingers.
He screamed in pain. She broke free.
Time slowed.
His hand whipped back—and hurled the spear.
I reached out, mouth open, but I was too slow.
The weapon struck her.
Right through the back, just above the waist.
She fell.
I stared at her.
Everything went quiet. The world blurred.
"W-why again…" I whispered, stumbling forward, each step heavier than the last.
Drago laughed—laughed.
I looked at him. Then back at Merida. Her body was still.
The hall watched in frozen silence.
And then the fire hit me.
Rage.
Hot, blinding, pure. It wasn't anger. It was grief set aflame. It was every loss I'd suffered, every wound I'd buried.
I clutched my chest, falling to one knee. My breath came in growls.
Pain wracked my body, not from wounds—but from the storm inside.
And then… my mind snapped.
My eyes went blank. My heart roared louder than any beast.
Tears fell.
And I screamed.
ERROR
ERROR
BERSERK HAS BEEN AUTOMATICALLY ACTIVATED