A faint breeze blew through endless fields of green, the sky darkened with an explosion of crimson blight.
Drops of frigid shadow poured from the thick sea of clouds to consume the world below.
Golden eyes narrowed at the sight, maw curled into a faint scowl.
The grass beneath his feet lost their color; withering away as the darkened liquid graced the earth at last.
Robes of holy white and gold complemented his silver scales and golden horns, contrasting the black plates of his chest and neck.
Each drop against his scales sizzled away, the foul drizzle of corruption eaten away.
"Isaiah?"
The draconic sage's form flinched at the sound of his name, head turning to meet the forlorn gaze of a human man.
The gaze of a young accomplished scholar, his hopeful future tainted and torn away by the horrors of what all now faced.
"...Why did you come?"
The young man recoiled at the intensity of his voice, eyes momentarily falling to the sea of lifeless grass below. Breathing shakily, his head rose to meet his unflinching gaze once more.
"You can't do this by yourself." He whispered, the tome in his hand shaking madly.
The dragonman's eyes closed, a low chuckle rumbling from his chest. "How noble. To return here, alone, while the rest of your kind flee?"
He hardened his gaze, golden eyes shimmering as they opened.
"When she enters this plane of existence, are you aware of what will happen to you?"
The human nodded, golden locks stained black by the torrent of dark rain.
"That is why I came. I know even one such as you will not last long against such power."
His golden eyes narrowed, and he scoffed.
"The most courageous of men appear to be the most reckless, but nonetheless, I admire your bravery, human. Bravery at underestimating me."
The young human paused at his words, his sapphire eyes rising to the red night above them.
"Such arrogant selflessness… Why is it that you must stand against this alone? The Imperial Army has more than enough soldiers to..."
The man's words trailed off, head turning to him as a golden claw rose to the center of his chest. Jerking his divine garb aside, a shimmering scar in the shape of a star lay branded onto his bare scales.
"Because I am the only one who can."
"Are the ancient relics and divine weapons given to man of no use?"
"No god would grant its subjects such fearsome power, lest the power of its creations surpass its own."
Falling silent, his draconic gaze rose to meet the crimson sky once more, narrowing as the clouds parted to make way for a gateway of white.
"And so, the dark song bends all temporal."
The sapphire-eyed human's head lifted to the sky, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"So… This is how the world ends."
As the ringing of bells filled his ears, a winged woman descended from the portal; face frozen like a statue.
And as the Goddess descended upon the world, so too did her children.