The sky was a dim, unchanging grey. Towering spires and weathered stone walls cast jagged shadows on the ground, their gloom mirrored by the enormous black dragon sprawled upon the ground.
Crimson patterns shimred across its massive form, pulsating like veins of molten fire. They twisted and curled, resembling ancient runes, their glow intensifying with each breath the creature took.
"A magical being, shaped by the raw craftsmanship of nature?" Ian murmured, his gaze drawn to the intricate markings on the dragon's body.
He strained to study them further, but before he could glean anything more, a forceful gust from the witch's direction slamd him against the cold stone wall. Vines erupted from the cracks, binding him tightly.
"A witch's roar?"
Professor Morgan's expression was one of utter displeasure. Despite her small stature, the dragon cowered in her presence, the sound of rattling chains betraying its fear. Thick tal bindings clung to its neck, the marks of punishnt visible on its dark scales, a consequence of its earlier defiance.
"Of course not," Ian quickly backtracked, forcing a smile. "I ant to say that it is a demonstration of the esteed teacher's commanding presence!"
Morgan's gaze narrowed, her smile icy. Ian could almost hear the proverbial clock ticking, he needed to act quickly if he wished to escape whatever punishnt the formidable witch had in store.
"I brought candy!" Ian exclaid, fumbling desperately as he pulled free his coin pouch. With a determined shake, he sent an avalanche of colorful sweets tumbling to the ground.
The festive stash he had pilfered from the Great Hall's Christmas feast was no longer his. Thanks to his quick thinking, or sheer desperation, it now belonged to the imposing Morgan.
Despite her sharp disdain for Ian's tendency to hoard snacks, the witch did not refuse them. Predictably, the mont the candies scattered across the stone floor, Morgan's cold deanor softened ever so slightly. With a dismissive wave of her hand, the vines slithered back into the cracks, freeing Ian.
"Is this your new pet, Professor?" Ian rubbed his sore arm and glanced at the dragon, hoping to steer the conversation in a safer direction.
Morgan snorted in disdain. "Hardly. Consider it the so-called compensation from your executioner friend."
"A gift?" Ian's brow furrowed.
"What use do I have for such a sluggish guard?" Morgan twisted her fingers lazily, and the chains constricting the dragon's neck slackened. The beast remained motionless, its massive form trembling.
"Are you going to kill it?" Ian ventured, recalling the delectable dragon at hotpot from a distant mory. The creature's eyes, larger than any human's, glead with panic.
"Please, wizard! I am but a dragon soul! There is no flesh for you to feast upon!"
Ian jolted. The voice rumbled, not from the dragon's mouth, but from the nostrils, a reverberation of compressed air forming coherent speech.
"It can talk?" Ian blinked, stunned. "Well, there goes the nu option."
Morgan's sneer deepened. "Your era's knowledge of history is woefully lacking."
She flicked her wrist and a faint ripple of magic distorting the air. "Creatures of such caliber possess intelligence far surpassing many wizards. They once ruled the skies. If goblins can learn human tongues, why not dragons?"
Ian nodded, though he remained unsettled. The idea of a dragon conversing so effortlessly unsettled him.
"We are a higher life form," The dragon declared, its voice thick with disdain. "Do not insult with comparisons to those foul goblins. We reigned over the wizarding world for centuries."
"The Age of Dragons," Ian murmured, recalling the cryptic ssage left behind by Ravenclaw within the catacombs of Hogwarts. Yet even with the evidence before him, the thought of Dragons ruling the earth felt exaggerated, or perhaps that was simply the bias of history's victors.
"That's right! We were the masters of the earth and sky!" The Dragon, upon hearing its own declaration, grew visibly excited. Its booming voice echoed through the chamber, causing Morgan to frown and tighten the enchanted chains, their magical gleam pulsing faintly.
"Roar..."
The dragon's pained cry rumbled low, though it no longer dared to unleash its voice at full volu. Ian observed the scene, realization dawning on him as to how he'd heard the dragon's roar earlier despite the distance.
"In your era, were there Dark Kings and White Kings who wielded word-bound magic? Was there a World Tree?" Ian's curiosity was piqued. Transitioning from Hogwarts to Cassel House for his dual studies in spellcraft and magical combat had broadened his perspectives, but encountering a soul from the age of Dragons was a rare opportunity.
He longed to uncover the history of this ancient creature, so unlike the dragons he had encountered in modern tis.
"What are you talking about?" The dragon's enormous eyes glead with confusion. While it understood each word Ian spoke, the aning behind them seed utterly foreign.
"Alright, I suppose not," Ian finally sighed in relief. It appeared his world remained one of pure magic, untouched by the unsettling concepts he had briefly entertained.
"Regardless, we once ruled this entire world, leaving behind countless descendants. In that era, no humans road the land, nor any other insignificant creatures like you."
The dragon's voice carried a firm pride, as though asserting its undeniable dominance over the past.
Ian blinked, montarily taken aback. Then, a sudden realization struck him.
"I see! I get it now! You were dinosaurs!" His excitent surged, connecting the fragnted pieces of information. It seed like the most logical explanation for the so-called Age of Dragons.
"?????"
The Dragon's confusion only deepened.
It shifted its gaze toward Morgan, silently pleading for clarification.
"You're half right," Morgan sighed softly, her tone laced with reluctant amusent. "From what I understand, the Age of Dragons it speaks of may indeed trace back to what you call the age of dinosaurs. No one truly knows how they first ca into existence, but they were undoubtedly among the earliest high-level magical creatures."
It was evident Morgan possessed knowledge far surpassing that of the dragon's lingering soul.
"Yes, exactly!" The dragon, despite its evident lack of understanding, puffed itself up in agreent, attempting to maintain the illusion of wisdom.
"You actually know about dinosaurs?" Ian was astonished. After all, the concept of dinosaurs had only been formally introduced in the Muggle world during the 19th century. It seed impossible for Morgan to possess such knowledge.
"Just because I exist as a soul doesn't an I stopped learning," Morgan replied, her exasperation apparent. She rolled her eyes before continuing, "The dinosaurs you speak of were indeed known in our era, to a certain extent. They served as both prey and, on rare occasions, companions to the ancient Dragons."
That knowledge, she explained, had been passed down by her ntors.
(To Be Continued…)
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