Chapter Title: Beneath the Surface, Beyond the Blood
The cave's mouth yawned open before them, jagged and shadowy like the throat of an ancient beast. The explorers they were assigned to escort had already begun their cautious descent into the dark, the sound of crunching boots echoing against wet stone. The air grew colder with each step, and the deeper they walked, the heavier the silence became—until it wasn't silent at all.
They could feel it.
Eyes. Glares. The kind that tried to pierce through skin and bone.
It wasn't from the beasts of the cave, but from the other group of students trailing just behind them—young human mages sent to accompany the same expedition. Supposedly, they were here for protection too. But their twisted smiles and sharp glances said otherwise.
"Do you feel that?" Nick muttered under his breath. "They're watching us like we're going to stab someone in the back."
Ethan said nothing. His fists were clenched at his sides, his knuckles white from restraint. He didn't understand it—none of them really did. The hate. The bitterness. The resentment for something they never even chose.
The tension wasn't new. It was just louder here in the shadows.
Long ago, during the Great Blood War, humans and Dragon-Born fought side by side against the dragons that ravaged their lands. United in bloodshed, their bond had seemed eternal—until the war ended, and the First Dragon Lord fell. What followed wasn't peace, but blame. The Dragon-Born, born of dragon and human blood, became the symbol of what humanity feared: power they couldn't control.
To the humans, the Dragon-Born weren't heroes anymore. They were mistakes. A betrayal of their kind. Hybrids born of something monstrous. And so the neutrality between their peoples became a mask. Beneath it, an old fire still burned.
"They really think we chose to be this way," Ethan finally said, voice cold. "Like we could decide what blood we were born with."
"People fear what they can't beat," Nick added. "And Dragon-Born have dragon blood. That alone makes them want to fight."
Up ahead, one of the human mages scoffed loudly and deliberately increased his pace, shoving past Ethan with a smirk. "Watch yourself, hybrid," the boy muttered, just loud enough to be heard. "Wouldn't want you to accidentally burn down this cave like your ancestors burned half the world."
Asher burst out laughing. "Oh wow," he said, slowing his steps. "Did you rehearse that? Because it needs work. The delivery's off. Also—half the world? We're slacking."
The human boy turned, ready to snap back, but his fellow mages pulled him forward, muttering warnings. This wasn't the place.
Still, Asher didn't let up. "Hey Ethan," he added casually, "should I introduce myself as 'Asher, cave-scorcher and part-time hybrid abomination' next time?"
Nick gave him a sideways look. "You're not helping."
"I'm helping my soul cope," Asher replied, hands behind his head. "This place smells like rock and unresolved trauma."
The explorers ahead had no idea what was going on behind them. They were chatting idly, documenting cave markings, totally unaware of the storm brewing just a few paces behind. The human mages kept close, all but clinging to them, clearly trying to overshadow the trio's presence, as if desperate to prove that humanity didn't need Dragon-Born protection.
It wasn't about the mission anymore.
It was about proving supremacy. About reminding the hybrids they didn't belong.
Ethan looked to his side and noticed scorch marks on the cavern wall. Not fresh—old. Maybe from past battles. Maybe from a time when Dragon-Born weren't considered monsters. A time when their fire, wind, and lightning were seen as salvation, not threats.
And yet now, they were being treated like ticking time bombs.
He didn't want to feel angry—but he did.
Nick tried to ignore them, focusing instead on the whispers of the wind, listening for signs of movement ahead. Asher just kept making jokes under his breath, smiling as if the tension didn't touch him. But it did. It touched all of them.
Because deep down, they knew this wasn't the last time humans would try to outshine them.
And it definitely wouldn't be the last time someone tried to remind them that dragon blood came with a curse.
"We're not here to fight," Ethan said firmly, though his voice carried a dangerous current.
"Yet," Nick muttered.
The explorers were already growing uneasy. Their leader, an elderly mage with a scroll case strapped to his back, spoke up. "Please, we're all here for knowledge and safety, not to reignite old flames."
"Tell that to your babysitters," Asher said, jerking a thumb toward the human students. "They look like they want to light the first match."
Still, the trio turned back, keeping formation as they descended deeper into the cave. Ahead, strange carvings began to emerge on the walls—symbols etched in glowing blue runes, long faded but still pulsing faintly with magic. Echoes of something long buried.
"We'll be the ones who uncover this place's secrets," one of the human boys whispered smugly. "Not them."
Ethan paused again, his hand brushing a dragon rune etched into the rock. "You don't understand," he said quietly. "This place doesn't care who you are. Dragon-Born or human. If you walk in without respect, it will bury you all the same."