She came from Hao Xuan's shadow as it continuously expanded until it was not a reflection of him anymore.

The shadow grew larger, extending beyond the boundaries of Hao Xuan's own perception. They grew until there was no more room to grow and then it took shape. From within the darkness came a mangled claw, grasping at the very fabric of reality.

And then came another claw, wrenching open a passage between this world and another.

The shadows began to recede towards the center before rising upwards to create an archaic shape that had not been seen since ages long past. The bubble of reality surrounding the shadow popped like a balloon, allowing her to break free and descend on this mortal plane.

Entire districts collapsed under her weight as the shadow began to solidify into something more material. And then she reared her sinister head for the first time, in all her unholy majesty.

And as she did so, the entire planet trembled beneath her feet, such was the might of a named dragon, even if it was but a mere 'shadow' of its former self.

Two empty wings on the side and four limbs below to support the main body, that was the sign of a true dragon. (Reference image in discord and authors notes)

Hao Xuan never knew this but creatures belonging to Nidhora's realm of existence could not be so easily called upon. They had to break through the natural laws of that world, which became apparent to him only now.

Invisible chains made of different colored lights materialized out this air, attaching themselves around her body in a bid to keep her contained, to keep her from coming through all the way.

And if there was an actual world spirit in this world that could control these laws at will, then maybe it could have been effective but not as things stood. It was akin to breaking into an empty house. The locked doors and windows could only do so much before they were overpowered, just like the laws that were trying to hold her down.

She pushed forward, shattering the laws that tried to shackle her.

The very space creaked around her expanding form, bending to her might.

"Hrrrrrrhrrrrrrrr"

A deep throaty howl sounded from within her wretched jaws as she made the final push and climbed out of the shadow.

The shadow began to shrink until it once again resembled Hao Xuan. From start to finish it had only taken close to 40 seconds before she became whole. And when she did, Hao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Everything around him within five hundred meters had turned to rubble, nothing was left standing other than him and of course, Nidhora herself.

She took a moment to get her bearings in this strange new world before her voice rang inside Hao Xuan's head.

'The Abyss Walker is not here. Why have you called me to this shattered plane?'

Hao Xuan fell to his knees as the pressure of impending doom receded to the back of his mind. It was replaced by an overwhelming amount of blood and fury.

Everything that had happened in the last few hours, everything that he had pushed down by telling himself 'Not now' suddenly took center stage. His emotions were a mess, his body a wreck and his mind teetering on the verge of collapse from the exhausting events that had brought him back to this place.

So much going on, so many different things to remember, so much to do...and so little time.

'I will be...staying here for the time being. At least for a year. And until I leave, you will protect me while I train.'

Hao Xuan slowly raised his head to reveal a pair of amaranthine eyes, darker than ever before.

"Cleanse this world for me. Kill everything that walks, crawls, or even breathes," the tone of his voice getting louder with every passing word, "Leave nothing standing within this filthy city, rip and tear until there is only us and then burn what is left to cinders. Kill...EVERYTHING!"

A deep rumble sounded within Nidhora's scaled body that hovered over Hao Xuan, sheltering him from the snowstorm. When she raised her head up high Hao Xuan couldn't even see it because of the storm.

But her voice came through clearly.

'Finally, you resemble someone worthy of my power.'

When her voice stopped Hao Xuan looked up and saw a light coming from within the storm. The temperature started rising all around him and all the ice and snow melted and turned to vapor within seconds.

The air became heavy, making it harder for him to breathe but it was much more so for all the other beings still nearby. For them the air had become like jelly, making it next to impossible to run away.

Hao Xuan felt his own spilled blood dry and turn into blackened smudges without hurting him. And he finally realized what was coming.

"Dragon Breath!"

It was like she was waiting for him to utter the words because as soon as he did a new sun was born in the night sky.

Hao Xuan balled up, covering his head and pulling in all extremities to minimize exposure as much as possible. And even with two arms covering his face he was still able to see streaks of yellow light pierce through his flesh and bone.

His entire skeleton became invisible. Hao Xuan could see under his skin, through everything that made him...'him'.

That was just before the world turned white.

There was no sound, no grandiose explosion to symbolize the end. He had wanted everything to vanish and Nidhora, a dragon of antiquity had made it happen.

The world did not deserve his mercy, and it got none that day.

***

Authors Notes:

All images are posted in the Official Discord.

Link: https://discord.gg/AHdSBFQ

___

Reference Image Link: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/3c/9f/4e3c9fd484a62aa81b95705297b7b0fa.jpg

Shortened Image Link (case sensitive) : https://urlzs.com/p5bSx

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