The night was thick with the kind of silence that only came before the end of something. The moon hung high in the sky, but the clouds rolled in fast, swallowing its pale light. A cold wind whipped through the broken streets, carrying the scent of decay and forgotten things.
Jim walked ahead, his steps deliberate, his eyes set on the horizon. His mind was a swirl of twisted thoughts, all centered around one thing — his father. His claws scraped the pavement with every step, his tail flicking behind him in an erratic dance. He was so close now, so close to the answers that had been eluding him for years.
Beside him, Cassie was a shadow. She walked with the same unsettling calm that she always did, her expression unreadable. Her eyes, however, were fixated on Jim, as if waiting for him to snap at any moment. She could see it in his movements, in the erratic way his hand twitched at his side, the flicker of madness that danced in his gaze. But she didn't mind. It excited her. Jim's pain, his fury, his obsession — they all resonated with her. They were the same.
The ruins loomed ahead, rising from the earth like a corpse that refused to stay buried. Buildings crumbled into dust, the remnants of a once-thriving city now nothing more than a hollow shell. The air smelled of rust and rot, and the ground beneath them cracked with every step they took.
"This is it, then," Cassie said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The heart of the forsaken."
Jim didn't respond at first. His gaze was fixed ahead, and his jaw tightened. He could feel it — the energy in the air, the way the earth seemed to pulse with an ancient power. This place was tainted, cursed, and yet it called to him. It promised the answers he so desperately sought.
He stopped at the edge of what used to be a grand building, now nothing more than a pile of rubble. A cold breeze swept through the ruins, carrying the faintest sound — like whispers, or perhaps the echo of something long dead. Jim's body tensed, his claws digging into the stone beneath his feet. The madness inside him bubbled, restless and hungry.
"I'm here," Jim murmured, his voice low and jagged. "And I will find you, father."
Cassie stepped closer, her presence as constant as the air he breathed. She leaned in slightly, her lips brushing against his ear as she spoke in a tone of sweet assurance. "You'll find him, Jim. And when you do... we'll make him pay for leaving you."
Her words were both a comfort and a warning, but Jim didn't need her to remind him. The rage he felt was already boiling over, a fire that had been smoldering inside him for years. The urge to destroy, to rip everything apart, to make his father suffer — it was all he could think about.
As they pushed deeper into the ruins, the atmosphere grew heavier. The shadows seemed to stretch longer, and every creak of the old stone sent a shiver down Jim's spine. There was something else here, something that wasn't just the decay of time. It was the presence of something powerful, something ancient.
"We're not alone," Jim muttered, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He could feel it — the weight of eyes watching them from the darkness.
Cassie's eyes narrowed, her grip on her sword tightening. "We never are, Jim."
A low growl echoed from the depths of the ruin, followed by a deafening silence. The ground shook beneath their feet as something massive stirred in the darkness. Jim's heart raced, but his grin only widened. This was what he lived for — the thrill of the fight, the rush of power as he tore through anything in his path.
A massive figure emerged from the shadows — a dragon. Its scales were black, like obsidian, and its eyes gleamed with an eerie red glow. It was ancient, powerful, and it roared as it stepped into the moonlight, its massive wings unfurling with a sound like thunder.
Jim didn't hesitate. Without a word, he lunged forward, his body shifting into his dragonblooded form. His claws lengthened, and his scales shimmered under the pale moonlight. He let out a roar of his own, the sound vibrating in the very air around him as he met the dragon head-on.
Cassie followed close behind, her sword gleaming as she swung it in a wide arc. She was a blur of movement, slicing through the air with deadly precision as she joined the fray.
The dragon was fast, but Jim was faster. His claws tore through its scales as if they were paper, his tail whipping through the air and smashing into the beast's ribs. The dragon roared in pain, but Jim didn't give it a moment to recover. He was relentless, his strikes coming faster and harder, his laughter echoing through the ruins like the voice of madness itself.
"You're nothing," Jim taunted, his voice dripping with malice. "Just another monster to crush."
The dragon retaliated, swinging its massive tail and catching Jim across the chest. The force of the blow sent him crashing into the stone wall, but Jim only grinned wider. His blood boiled, but the pain felt good. It reminded him that he was alive, that he was powerful.
He got to his feet quickly, his eyes wild with excitement. His dragonblood surged, and he could feel the power coursing through him, pushing him beyond his limits. He charged again, his claws slashing at the dragon's throat, tearing into its flesh.
The creature let out one final, defiant roar, but it was no use. With a violent twist of his claws, Jim ripped its head from its body, sending it crashing to the ground in a heap of blood and gore.
Breathing heavily, Jim stood over the fallen dragon, his chest rising and falling with the force of his breaths. His heart was pounding, his body trembling with the thrill of victory. But beneath that, something darker was rising. A hunger. A need. He could feel it pulling at him, urging him forward.
"Where are you?" Jim whispered to the night, his voice low and filled with madness. "Where is he?"
As if in response, a voice echoed through the ruins, low and cold. It sent a chill down Jim's spine, but he didn't flinch. No, this was it. The moment he had been waiting for.
"He's closer than you think," the voice said, sending a wave of unease through Jim's body. "But so are the things that will stop you."
Jim's eyes narrowed, his grin widening even further. "Let them try," he whispered, his voice a low growl.
Cassie stepped beside him, her eyes glowing with the same dangerous light as his. "Let them all try."
And so, with the dragon's blood still dripping from his claws, Jim continued his search. The ruins were only the beginning. His father was waiting, and nothing — no creature, no obstacle — would stand in his way.
End of Chapter 5