Chapter 5

Inside the dark dragon lair, Androw decided to take a torch to light their way. However, they were both startled by the presence of Dreamfyre, who was resting near the entrance of the pit. Dreamfyre didn't pay them much attention, as she recognized both Androw and Aerea.

Aerea couldn't help but laugh at Androw for being frightened by Dreamfyre. It was Jay, now in Androw's body, who was seeing a dragon up close for the first time. This was quite different from watching Rhaena fly on a dragon from a distance.

With an embarrassed smile, Androw slowly approached Dreamfyre, taking one step at a time, while Aerea circled around the dragon. She remarked, "Androw, I've always wanted a dragon. But now I want one even bigger than my mother's dragon. So big that she won't be able to stop me from leaving."

Androw shook his head, recalling what had happened to her when she tried to tame Black Dread. He could only hope that nothing like that would occur, especially since he was with her.

Suddenly, Aerea started walking deeper into the cave without waiting for Androw, causing him to panic at the thought of losing her in the darkness. He hurriedly reached for her torch, grabbed her hand, and stopped her in her tracks. Annoyed, he asked, "What are you doing, Aerea?"

Aerea couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "Are you scared, Androw?"

With genuine concern, Androw replied, "Of course, I am! What if we get lost in this cave? What would you do?"

Trying to break free from Androw's grip, Aerea responded, "I won't. Come on, let me go."

Androw now regretted following a young girl into the depths of the cave. He sighed and said, "I'll let you go, but you have to hold my hand. Do you agree?" Aerea reluctantly agreed, saying, "Okay, okay." With a deep breath, Androw continued further into the cave, realizing that he had to be here one way or another.

As they reached a point where two paths diverged, Androw decided to go right, but Aerea insisted on going left. They both stood their ground, making Aerea quite stubborn. In the end, Androw hoisted her up onto his shoulder and proceeded in the right direction. Unbeknownst to them, this decision would lead them to Cannibal's lair instead of heading to Black Dread and Vhagar's lairs. It was a twist of fate that would change Aerea's destiny in the future.

Androw continued to walk forward as Aerea screamed and beat on his shoulder, desperately wanting to be put down. For some reason, Androw felt a strange urge to turn back, but he resisted it and continued walking ahead. Suddenly, he stepped on something unusual and lowered his torch closer to the ground, only to discover bones. As he did so, a pair of huge, luminous green eyes drew near.

Androw felt a strong presence and heavy breathing as he slowly raised his head. Aerea, sensing the dragon's presence, fell silent. The green eyes belonged to the third-largest dragon, incredibly ancient and only diminished in size due to a lack of food compared to the mighty Balerion.