Kael Voss's neck ached from staring upward, but he didn't care. His mouth hung open in pure wonder.
Rivers of liquid fire drifted overhead like glowing constellations. Bookshelves taller than imperial palaces stretched endlessly into shadow. Senior students soared between them on wings of flame, boots trailing sparks, or simply riding raw magical power while laughing freely.
Massive tomes the size of doors glided along glowing rails. In the distance, a phoenix made of pure light screeched, its cry transforming into golden musical notes that rained down like shimmering petals.
Kael finally found his voice. It came out as a stunned squeak.
"How… how is any of this hidden underground?"
Old Man Thorne folded his arms, looking annoyingly pleased with himself.
"This isn't just a cave, boy. This is the Grand Crimson Library, constructed two thousand years ago inside a hollowed-out heart-crystal geode the size of a mountain."
"The First Flame Emperor and the Nine Dragon Sovereigns personally carved the walls with living starfire and bound the entire structure with Aetherial Voidstone. It cannot collapse. It cannot burn. It cannot even be discovered unless you already know the path."
Kael spun slowly in a circle, eyes wide with awe.
"So… the academy knows this place exists?"
Thorne snorted.
"Of course they know. Who do you think refreshes the wards every century?"
"Then why haven't they ever mentioned it? Why isn't it in the brochures? 'Study at Shadowfire Academy — free flying included!'"
Thorne gave him a flat, unimpressed look.
"Because the official story claims the lower levels are 'structurally unstable' and could collapse on first-years at any moment."
He rolled his eyes so dramatically that Kael worried they might not return.
"The truth is, they're terrified of what would happen if a thousand hormone-driven teenagers with god-tier flames gained unlimited access to forbidden knowledge. The last time they tried an open policy, someone accidentally summoned a minor void prince in the cafeteria. It took three archmages and one very furious lunch lady to banish it."
Kael barked out a laugh before he could stop himself.
"You're joking."
"Wish I was."
Thorne jerked his chin toward a cluster of floating tables near the center.
"Sit down. And don't touch anything that glows red. I'll return once I locate the volumes on sealed primordial dragons. There are… quite a few."
He shuffled off, muttering about "organized chaos" and "kids these days."
Kael wandered toward the tables, head still tilted back in amazement. He was so distracted by a boy performing barrel rolls on crimson flame wings that he walked straight into someone.
Books exploded across the floor.
"Oh crap, sorry!" Kael dropped to his knees, frantically gathering scrolls and heavy tomes before they could roll into a nearby river of fire.
"I wasn't watching where I was going. I was staring at the ceiling and…"
A soft, warm laugh interrupted him.
"It's okay. I'm the one who wasn't paying attention… again."
Kael looked up.
Fiery red hair with gold streaks, tied in a messy ponytail. Bright emerald eyes. A small, shy smile. Freckles dusted across her nose like cinnamon on cream.
He recognized her instantly.
"Flora…?"
"Hey, Kael," she said, crouching to help. Her movements were quick and practiced as she stacked the books.
"Guess we're making a habit of bumping into each other."
"Yeah," Kael replied, grinning despite himself. "Third time's the charm, right?"
One of the books he picked up had a black leather cover embossed with a coiled dragon. The title was written in ancient runes, but he could read it clearly: *Draconomicon Arcanum – Volume VII*.
He turned it over in his hands.
"You study dragons?"
Flora's cheeks flushed pink, but her smile widened.
"You could say I'm a bit of a dragon nerd. I've read every public volume twice and bribed three librarians for the restricted ones."
Kael's eyebrows shot up.
"Wait. So you actually know about dragons?"
She laughed softly, the sound warm and genuine.
"More than is probably healthy."
Kael glanced around — no sign of Thorne yet. He gestured to the nearest floating bench.
"Can you… tell me? Everything you know? If you have time, that is."
Flora hesitated for a moment, then shrugged.
"I owe you for earlier. Those two idiots would've…"
She shook her head.
"Yeah. I have time."
They sat. The bench hovered two feet above the ground and swayed gently, like a boat on calm water.
Flora tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and began speaking, her voice low but filled with excitement.
"Okay, so in the known realms there are twenty greater dragon bloodlines still active. You have the standard elemental ones — Fire, Ice, Storm, Earth, Light, Shadow. Then the rarer ones: Void, Time, Dream, Blood, and Soul. Each has its own sub-branches."
"For example, Crimson Inferno dragons embody pure destruction, while Phoenix-kin dragons specialize in rebirth and healing. Storm dragons adore riddles and collect floating sky-islands. Void dragons…"
She lowered her voice.
"They say if a void dragon stares at you too long, pieces of your shadow simply… disappear."
Kael leaned forward, completely captivated.
"Then there are the ancient ones," she continued, eyes shining. "The Primordial Nine. They aren't bloodlines — they're individuals. Each one is basically a walking apocalypse. The empire's founding myth claims the First Emperor only succeeded because the Nine were asleep. If even one wakes up angry, entire countries can vanish overnight."
She counted on her fingers.
"There's Aurion the Golden Dawn, father of light dragons."
"Nyxara the Star-Eater, queen of the void."
"Glacira, the Eternal Winter."
"Terravox, who sings earthquakes into existence."
"Tempestus, lord of all storms."
"Hemoria the Blood Moon."
"Somnus, ruler of dreams and nightmares."
"And Oblivion, the dragon that erases names from history itself."
Kael swallowed hard.
"And the ninth?"
Flora's voice dropped to a near whisper.
"The ninth one… the records have been torn from every book. Even the forbidden ones. People only refer to it as 'the Ash-Bringer' or 'the End-Flame.' They say its fire doesn't burn flesh — it burns possibility. Entire futures. When it first roared, three kingdoms were never born."
She leaned closer, her eyes bright with a mix of excitement and fear.
"Some scholars believe the ninth dragon isn't asleep. They think it was sealed inside a human bloodline so it could never fully awaken. A living cage. And if that seal ever breaks…"
Cough! Cough!
A loud, obviously fake cough sounded behind them.
Flora jumped so hard she nearly fell off the bench.
Old Man Thorne stood there, three ancient books tucked under one arm, giving her the most dramatic disapproving-grandfather stare imaginable.
"Young lady, some of us are trying to conduct actual research, not gossip about bedtime monsters."
Flora turned bright red.
"S-sorry, Head Labourer Thorne! I was just… I have to go!"
She quickly gathered her books and flashed Kael a quick, warm smile.
"See you around, Kael. Stay safe."
She darted away, her red ponytail bouncing as she disappeared between the floating shelves.
Thorne dropped into the seat with a grunt and slammed the largest book onto the table. A cloud of dust exploded outward, making Kael cough.
The cover was black dragon-scale leather, the title burned deep with real flame:
**The Ledger of the Nine Primordial Beasts**
Thorne opened it carefully. The pages crackled like dry leaves. He flipped past beautiful illuminated illustrations of dragons — gold, white, violet — each more terrifying than the last.
Then he stopped.
The next page had been torn out. Not neatly cut — violently ripped. Jagged edges remained, as if someone had been in a hurry or furious.
Thorne's finger traced the empty space where the chapter should have been.
"Well, that's inconvenient," he muttered.
Kael leaned closer.
"What's missing?"
The old man's voice grew quiet, almost reverent.
"The chapter that would tell us exactly which of the Nine is sealed inside you, boy."
He looked up, his eyes sharp as broken glass.
"Someone went to a great deal of trouble to ensure no one ever discovers the truth."
He closed the book slowly.
"Someone tore out the only record of the dragon sealed inside the Voss heir… but who?"