Underground Inferno

Moscow, Russia
6 years before the end of The Dragons' War

When I accidentally activated a mine that someone had left in the tunnel that would take us far from Moscow, only Luna's superhuman reaction managed to save me. Had it not been for the speed with which she separated me and protected me with her body, I would not be alive. But just as we were recovering from the explosion, we heard the howling of more dragons in the tunnels around us. We were surrounded, so in a panic attack, we both ran as fast as we could through one of the less noisy tunnels, thinking that maybe there would be fewer dragons out there. Although I would have liked to keep up with Luna, it was I who was slowing her down, there was no way that a simple human could match the physical ability that this girl had, trying to move faster she had to carry me as she ran, trying to lose our pursuers.

But despite our efforts to use the tunnel where we thought there were fewer dragons, sooner or later we ran into a group of dragons. Despite how quickly Luna killed them, it was not enough as more dragons appeared behind us. Although I had the map in my hand, the place had not been explored enough, so I did not know where we were or where the roads we had taken led to. But there came a time when, while I was looking for a way out and Luna was keeping the dragons at bay, I found a door that led to a rather small corridor, enough for two people to pass through, but not for most of the dragons that attacked us. When I returned to tell Luna about our escape route, she was still holding off the dragons, a little tired but all right.

But just as we were about to leave, a huge dragon came out of the shadows, completely black, it was so imposing that when it walked it crushed some of the smaller dragons without caring in the least, and when it was close to us it stopped and I began to speak. He asks Luna why she rebelled against her own species, against her siblings, her parents, her family, and if it had anything to do with me. Both Luna and I were completely frightened because the black dragon spoke Spanish, something completely out of place because the army only spoke English and the locals spoke Russian, only I, who came from America, and Luna, whom I taught to speak, we were the only ones who knew Spanish. For a dragon to speak and know that language was not normal. Luna recovered first and she replied strongly that I was her only family that she ever had and that she was grateful for that because she had received love, something that her species did not know, because she, also a dragon, knows how brutal they can be with their own species and how she was destined to be just food for another dragon. The huge black dragon moved his head back a little and kicked the ground with a foot so hard that it shook the place a little.

But Luna did not show the slightest sign of fear, she backed up her words and wanted to torment the black dragon even more, she continued to speak. She turned to look at me for a moment and went back to the black dragon to tell him that she loved me and that she wanted to start a family with me and that we would travel all over the world completely free of dragons. The great black dragon, now really angry, let out a huge roar and screamed that it was a disgrace for the dragons that she was with the humans and that she would receive a corresponding punishment, the destruction of her core. At the time, I did not understand what they were referring to, but later I understood that this was truly the worst punishment a dragon could face. While the two of them were talking, a dragon came out of a hole in the ground and began to attack me, I managed to defend myself, but I could not get rid of it.

The situation we found ourselves in was terrible, for we were in a tunnel surrounded by dragons, and there was one that was even bigger and more terrifying than the rest, and it was furious when it heard what Luna had told it. I found myself losing a battle to a single dragon and she was trying to keep the rest away from me. It was only a matter of time before they finished us off, because no matter how many Luna killed, those bastards kept coming back. But then the dragon girl decided to use her last trick. Two emerald wings sprouted from her back, which her body had been missing before, and she jumped at me, grabbed my waist, and began to fly through the tunnel. In a majestic display of grace, she managed to maneuver through the dark tunnel full of dragons and obstacles, quickly and safely reaching the small passageway where we could reduce the number of beasts following us.

We had managed to get far enough away from the dragons, so as we continued through the tunnel I decided to ask Luna about the wings she now had. About why she hadn't used her wings before, to which she replied that once the dragons grow wings, they can't hide them anymore, so now she would have to live with those wings on her back forever. She had avoided using them because she wanted to be as human as possible, but now that she had used them, she looked more like a dragon, and she was afraid that if we met more humans, they would hate her. Trying to cheer her up, I told her that that was pretty silly because she was a dragon, that having horns or wings was still a part of her. But nothing that mattered, because if she wanted to be human, she could try to live in harmony with others. For humans did not judge who belonged to this race, but by their actions and how they affected others. In fact, Luna was perhaps one of the most humane people I knew, because after all, like all of us, she had goals and objectives, people she loved, and a family. And also how terrible people had existed that many people called inhuman.

After walking down the corridor for a while, we came back to one of the subway tunnels, Luna rested a bit and I tried to add the new corridor to the map and try to find out where we were now, because it was no exaggeration that I was as lost as when all this started. But the misfortune did not stop, because as if it knew where we were going, the black dragon came out of the darkness again. Luna picked me up with one hand and put me on her back, then she started to run towards the opposite side where the black dragon came out, but when we got a bit further away another pack of medium dragons started to chase us again. During the chase, strange things began to happen, as some of the dragons following us seemed to stumble and fall to avoid getting up again, others tried to jump at Luna, but before they got close, they seemed to faint and fall to the ground, only to be crushed for the stampede.

I informed Luna of what I had seen, but then she became even more nervous than we already were as she informed me that this black dragon was most likely a True Dragon, the top predator of the dragon race. They are superior to normal dragons in everything, even in controlling them, but the most terrifying thing is that they possess powerful abilities and that the black dragon's power is apparently to be able to kill anyone who is in its gaze. She had not finished speaking when one of the medium dragons threw itself at us and managed to bite my thigh, although thanks to my clothes I did not suffer much damage, but on the other hand, the bag containing my map that I had worked so hard on fell. But I had no choice, because of the criticism of our situation, I did not even complain.

But the final moment of our journey came when at the end of the tunnel we ran into a collapsed section, without much thought Luna dismounted and began to attack the dragons while I quickly tried to make a small path through which to pass, trying with all my strength to move every stone I could, my fear was such that I could not even think clearly about what was happening around me, the battery of the night vision goggles had long since died and I could not change them. I could only see the darkness and hear the sounds of the battle behind me. My hands touched everything around me, trying to guess the size of the brooms that would move them. At one point, pushing with all my strength, I moved a small stone from which a ray of light later emerged. The hiding places led to another crossroads, where there was a tunnel that led to the outside, where there was only a white wasteland that reflected the light of the day, on the other side the darkness of the abyss. Without thinking, I jumped down the path of our salvation. Then I turned and called for Luna to follow me so that we could escape from there, for the path was so small that the dragons would undoubtedly not be able to cross it.

What I didn't know was that it was too small even for Luna, because when she tried to cross it, her emerald wings got caught in the way and she couldn't move. She tried to defend herself with her legs and tail to ward off the dragons, but I could hear the bites she received. Suddenly she seemed to accept her fate, she stopped and began to smile. She began to thank me for the time I had taken to care of her and be with her, then she told me that even though it was selfish on her part, she wanted me to take care of the gem she was going to give me. Then she looked at my face for a moment and with her own hand she pierced her chest and pulled something out of her, she screamed loudly in pain until her hand came out of her completely. She didn't move after that and the only thing in her hand was a green gem, her dragon core.

Between tears, I picked up the gem that had been in Luna's body and placed it in a pouch on my chest. But despite my tragedy and the sadness of the moment, I knew that I did not have much time, because Luna's inert body was the only thing that separated me from the dragons, and seeing how she was agitated while being eaten by those beasts that would not stop for her. I looked for the last time at the girl who had accompanied me for that short time and ran away crying. Towards the darkness of the abyss, towards where the dragons lived and where the only way out was to avenge my daughter.