Gorro Atome's Arc

Chapter 3 of 6

The Dragon King stepped past the twigs and into full view. Eborsiks, lord of earth, smiled down at him. Gorro lifted his sword, but his arms shook. The dragon raised one claw and swept it through the ground beside him. The earth split open in a glowing red gash, lava bubbling up from the torn rock. Gorro stared into the heat. One hit. One hit would end him. He searched his memory for that night, for proof, for anything. Nothing came. Only the shape of the beast and the certainty he would die here. He turned and ran. His boots pounded over stone as Eborsiks laughed behind him, slow and pleased, then began to follow. Branches whipped his face. The dragon's steps shook the trees. Gorro kept his sword tight in his fist and did not look back. Fifteen years of planning, and the answer was simple: he was not ready. He would live, and he would return.