Chapter 28
The one-eyed black dragon had forcefully been awakened from its slumber, its massive body stirring with primal hunger.
With a flap of its ebony wings, it took to the skies, the air currents caressing its scales as it stretched its stiff limbs.
The dragon's lone, piercing eye scanned the horizon, searching for a worthy target to unleash its pent-up fury.
In the distance, the dragon spotted a budding town, its rooftops and spires a tempting prize.
A sinister thought crossed the beast's mind, ‘Why not destroy it? It's been a while since I've indulged in such devastation.’
With a thundering roar, the dragon flapped its wings and ascended high above the unsuspecting settlement.
But as it neared the outskirts of the town, the dragon's attention was diverted by a curious aura emanating from a nearby farm.
Curious, the dragon circled high above the area, its keen senses detecting the presence of a dragon-like essence, but one that was significantly weaker than its own.
Descending close to the ground, the beast's eye narrowed as it laid sight upon a small child bearing features that it detested.
The dragon could sense the blessings of the gods upon some of the individuals, a power that it instinctively detested.
Memories of a past confrontation with the dragon gods surged forth, igniting a rage within the beast's very core.
The child bared features similar to that of the dragon gods it detested. The child, sensing the dragon's presence, cowered in fear, their weak aura flickering like a candle in the wind.
With a deafening roar, the dragon landed, its massive claws tearing up the earth as it approached the startled group who ran like cowards into a hole like the ants they were.
The dragon, overwhelmed by its own bitter recollections, felt that it had wasted its time on this insignificant discovery.
Consumed by its anger, the beast decided to unleash its wrath upon the people before it, seeing them as the embodiment of its past torment.
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The heavy, ominous steps of the one-eyed black dragon echoed ominously from above, growing steadily louder as the massive creature approached the house.
The rhythmic, thunderous thudding of its massive paws against the ground reverberated through the air, signaling its relentless advance.
Everyone huddled tightly in the dark, dank cellar, desperately praying and hoping that the dragon was merely passing overhead.
Rita had shifted the children to the center, while the adults surrounded them protectively, their bodies tense with fear.
The cellar, deep underground and cloaked in impenetrable darkness, only served to amplify the ominous atmosphere.
Draco could hear the rapid, pounding rhythm of his own heartbeat, the sound echoing in his sensitive ears.
Thump! Thump!
It went, beating faster by the second as his blood pressure rose, almost as though his heart was about to burst from his chest.
He could feel the small, trembling hands of his siblings gripping tightly to his clothing, their worries and fear palpable.
It was a miracle that none of the children were crying out loud, their early training seemingly paying off in this dire situation.
Though they did not fully comprehend the true danger they faced, the visible terror in the actions of the adults conveyed the gravity of their predicament.
Draco's mind raced, analyzing the situation and searching for a way out.
'Alright, calm down and think this through,' he told himself.
'First, I haven't done anything to incur the wrath of the one-eyed dragon. Secondly, no one here is likely worth the attention of the black dragon, besides myself or possibly Rize, the only newcomer.' His thoughts continued, weighing the various theories and possibilities, in a desperate attempt to find a solution.
Suddenly, the heavy, thunderous steps of the dragon abruptly ceased, plunging the cellar into an eerie, deafening silence.
The sound of a low, rumbling growl could be heard, and everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
The dragon was right above them, as if it knew they were there.
Anita gripped her hammer tightly, ready to fight, though she knew the futility of such an action against the mighty beast.
She wasn’t delusional to believe that everyone would make it out alive.
But If at least some of her grandchildren could survive, it would be a victory for them.
The oppressive silence stretched on, the pressure and looming fear of death gradually increasing with each passing moment.
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Swoosh!! Smash!! Boom!!
The deafening roar of the one-eyed black dragon reverberated through the air as it smashed its massive claws against the house, reducing it to a pile of rubble.
Dust and debris swirled around, obscuring the scene in a hazy cloud.
Shockwaves rippled through the ground, sending tremors down into the cellar where the family had taken shelter.
The violent tremors shook the very foundations of the underground space, causing dirt and debris to rain down from the ceiling.
Mark, Chise, Rose, and the children immediately succumbed to the powerful shockwaves, blood trickling from their ears and noses as they fell unconscious.
The stronger ones who were adventurers, Rita, Anita, John, Marcus and Rize, struggled to maintain their footing, disoriented and reeling from the onslaught.
Draco managed to stay conscious because he was somewhat durable.
The young dragon-kin found himself in the worst condition.
His head was pounding, the ringing in his ears drowned out the world around him, and he could feel the warm trickle of blood from his nose and ears.
The others, though dazed, were in slightly better shape, their durable bodies better equipped to withstand the onslaught.
Somewhat recovering a little, he quickly noticed his sibling and Clair, unconscious around him.
To his relief, they were still breathing so the worst hadn’t happened.
With a grim determination, Draco set to work, using his two hands and tail to carefully gather his unconscious siblings and Clair, pulling them by the cloth towards the stairs leading out of the cellar.
The children were easier to carry than the unconscious adults, the other conscious adults would carry them out he believed.
Time was of the essence – if the entrance collapsed, they would be trapped, suffocating in the underground space.
"Everyone to the stairs!" Draco yelled, his voice barely audible over the rumbling of the collapsing structure.
He lit the way with a small magic fire, guiding the others towards the only possible escape route.
But fate had other plans.
Boom!!
The black dragon struck the ground once more, sending another shockwave rippling through the earth.
The upper portion of the stairs leading out of the cellar crumbled, dirt cascading down from the collapsed entrance.
Draco and the children at the stairway's mid point narrowly avoided being buried.
The situation grew even more dire as the ceiling in the middle of the cellar collapsed, spewing dirt and rocks down, creating a barrier between the two groups.
John, Anita, Rita, Rize, Marcus, Mark, Chise, and Rose were trapped on the other side.
Draco and the children were now trapped in the small space between the collapsed upper stairs and the fallen ceiling, cut off from the others.
"Draco, can you hear me?" John called out, his voice barely a muffle and laced with worry.
"Yes, Grandpa," Draco replied, trying to keep his tone calm and reassuring.
"Is everyone okay there?" John asked.
"Yes, everyone here is fine. What about your side?" Draco inquired.
"We're okay here too, but Anita, Rita, and Rize got buried in the dirt. We're going to dig them out before we come over. Try to stay calm; we'll do what we can from here," John said, his voice strained with the weight of the situation.
Draco let out a sigh of relief, knowing that his family members were still alive, but the impending dread of their predicament weighed heavily on his heart.
They were trapped, separated, and faced with the daunting task of digging their way out before the cellar collapsed entirely.
That was if the black dragon didn’t do anything else.
“Cough, cough,” Michalis coughed, pulling his attention.
“Shh, breathe,” Draco said, rushing to his side.
“Nii,” Michalis softly called out, but Draco held his hand firmly to reassure him that he was there.
Michalis didn’t stay conscious for long and soon closed his eyes once-more.
‘The space here isn’t very large, and there is little to no airflow. I have to create a path for air to flow. I can’t wait on Grandpa,’ Draco surmised.
There were 8 of them stuck in such a small space; air wasn’t going to last long.
‘Please don’t do any more damage,’ Draco desperately pleaded to the black dragon.
Climbing the part of the stairs that was still intact, Draco tried to formulate a way to dig to the surface without causing it to collapse further.