The crimson-scaled woman, still smirking, pointed to a distant mountain where a massive chasm split the land. Golden lightning crackled around it, and from within, a deep, ominous roar echoed.
"If you wish to prove your lineage, you must survive the Abyss of Annihilation," she declared.
The other dragons laughed. "Even seasoned warriors perish in that abyss. A lost prince? He won't last a day!"
He ignored them. His heart burned with determination—he had lost everything before, and he refused to let this trial defeat him. With a deep breath, he leaped into the abyss.
---
The moment he entered, a violent force crushed down on him. It felt like an entire world was pressing against his body. His golden dragon scales shimmered faintly, but he struggled to move.
Suddenly, monstrous creatures surged from the shadows. Twisted beasts with obsidian fangs and glowing red eyes lunged at him.
"Test me all you want," he growled. "I will carve my own fate!"
Golden flames erupted from his body as he transformed halfway into his dragon form. His claws tore through the creatures, but for every beast he slew, more emerged.
Hours passed. His breath grew ragged. The abyss seemed endless.
Then, a voice echoed in his mind—his father's voice.
"Remember, true power is not in strength alone. It is in understanding the flow of the world."
He closed his eyes, focusing. The abyss was more than a place—it was alive. It was testing him, measuring his worth. Instead of fighting recklessly, he let go of his resistance.
The pressure eased. The creatures hesitated.
Then, the trial shifted.
A vision formed before him. He saw his adoptive parents, their faces twisted in anguish as their kingdom burned. He reached out, but they faded into mist. The screams of his fallen kin filled the abyss, drowning his thoughts in guilt and sorrow.
"You failed us..." whispered a voice, chilling and familiar.
Pain twisted his heart. Doubt crept in. Was he truly worthy? Would he only bring destruction wherever he went?
He clenched his fists. "No. I will not be shackled by the past. I will forge my own path!"
The illusion wavered. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. The abyss was not just testing his strength, but his mind, his willpower. He would not break.
Then, the vision shifted again.
He stood atop a golden throne, surrounded by kneeling figures—dragons, warriors, and kings. Yet, their faces were hollow, empty, their eyes void of life. A cold wind howled through the throne room. He turned, and in the reflection of a shattered mirror, he saw himself—not as he was, but as a tyrant, a being of merciless power, feared by all.
"Is this the path you seek?" the abyss whispered. "Will you rule through fear, as your enemies have? Will you lose yourself to the darkness?"
The weight of the vision crushed him. He had embraced power before. He had let wrath guide his claws, his flames. Could he control it? Or would he become the very thing he despised?
He closed his eyes once more. "Power without purpose is meaningless. I will not be a slave to my rage."
The illusion shattered. The darkness recoiled.
A golden portal appeared before him, its radiance cutting through the abyss.
"You have understood the lesson. The trial is passed."
With a final step, he walked through—emerging not just as a warrior, but as one step closer to reclaiming his lost throne.