Zephyrax Shadowscale pressed his palms against the stone floor and called the power up from deep inside. The binding sigil glowed beneath his hands. He'd spent months perfecting the pattern, learning how to trap draconic force within arcane structure. This time felt different. The magic rose steady and hot, coiling through his chest like molten gold. The apparatus before him pulsed with light. He'd built the construct from black stone and obsidian shards, forming tendrils that cradled a sphere at its center. Azure light flickered inside the sphere as the draconic power flowed into it. The binding held. Zephyrax tightened his will around the magic, forcing it to obey. For three heartbeats, the power stayed contained. Then it pushed back. Heat exploded through his body. The draconic force tore free from the sigil and ripped through his chest. His armor blackened and split down the front. The magic erupted outward in a wave that slammed into the tower walls around him. Ancient stone cracked. Red fungi growing on the walls burst into flame. The power kept surging, wild and furious, refusing to be chained. When the fire cleared, Zephyrax lay on his back staring at the ceiling. His right hand wouldn't move. Through the broken roof above him, he saw something new. An oak tree stood where empty ground had been moments before. Its trunk was massive and twisted. Branches reached upward like arms. The draconic power had burned itself into the world as something alive. He'd gotten closer than ever before, but the magic had answered with twice the violence. Next time, he'd need a stronger cage.