Climbing back toward the surface hours later, Tom looked at his soot-stained hands. The world above thought they were alone in the universe. They were wrong. The dragons weren't gone; they were just waiting for a generation brave enough to look down.
The transition from the sterile, fluorescent lights of the station to the neon-soaked depths of the Hidden World was always a shock. Gravity seemed to shift. Giant crystals, pulsing with internal rhythm, lined the tunnel walls like the ribs of a titan. Suddenly, a screech echoed through the cavern. "Company," Tom muttered, tightening his grip.
The dragon nudged him, a spark of electricity dancing between its horns. They weren't supposed to be out here. The scientists at ICARUS—including Tom’s own mother—saw the deep fissures as nothing more than geological anomalies. They didn't know that an entire ecosystem of ancient legends breathed just a few miles beneath their boots. Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021) subtitles
As they maneuvered through the crystalline spires, Tom saw it—a cluster of dragon eggs precariously balanced near a collapsing ledge, destabilized by the station’s latest drill cycle. "We have to move them, Thunder! Now!"
With a practiced leap, Tom vaulted onto Thunder’s back. They dove. Climbing back toward the surface hours later, Tom
The year is 2126. High above the modern research station at ICARUS, the sky crackled with a dry, unnatural heat. Deep below the earth’s crust, in the sprawling fissure known as the "Hidden World," a new era of riders was beginning.
Thunder roared, a sound like a localized sonic boom. He didn't fire a plasma blast; instead, he executed a barrel roll, narrowly missing a gout of flame. Tom leaned into the turn, his heart hammering against his ribs. This was the burden of the Nine Realms: being the bridge between a world of cold technology and a world of ancient fire. The dragons weren't gone; they were just waiting
Tom Kullersen adjusted his flight goggles, the leather straps worn from months of secret excursions. Beside him, , a sleek, bioluminescent Night Light, gave a low purr that vibrated through the metal floor of the docking bay. "Ready for a dive, big guy?" Tom whispered.