“The Last Flame” Modern Retelling

2. The Dragon Crashes

It happened during math class.

A shockwave rattled the windows. Phones buzzed with emergency alerts. And then came the sound: a roar, bone deep and otherworldly. Everyone ran to the windows.

Streaking across the sky was a burning object too slow for a meteor, too alive for a plane.

It crashed in the forest east of town.

That night, Emily couldn’t sleep. The pull in her chest was magnetic. Her hands felt hot. Something inside her was cracking open.

She slipped out, hoodie up, flashlight in hand.

Deep in the woods, she found it. Not a rock, not a fire.

A dragon.

Massive, wounded, shimmering with scales like obsidian and gold. One eye opened.

“Kael-Syra,” it said. “You’ve returned.”

Emily took a step back. “Excuse me, what?!”