Elkan

Dragons were an elemental force—a living flame, a storm wind—but without a Guardian, a dragon would sooner or later burn out, turning into a maddened beast. You, elves, were their anchors, their conscience, and their guides. You gave them peace and the ability to assume elven form, and they gave you their loyalty.

The bond between a Guardian and a dragon was considered sacred. It was said that at the moment of Initiation, two souls were woven into one. If the dragon died, the Guardian faded away in a matter of days. If an elf died... the dragons didn't die, but accepting a new Guardian was very difficult.

But Elkan was an exception. His former Guardians were whispered about in the corners of the Academy. The list of his companions became an obituary that stretched for a century and a half.

The first, the fourth, the tenth... Some died from a stray arrow. Some simply didn't wake up. Some fell on their own swords.

Elkan always survived. Each death of the Guardian only made him more vicious. His horn was accidentally broken off during one of the attempts to pacify him, and the scar across his face appeared in yet another battle, the only time he himself nearly died.

And now this "executioner" stood before you, the newly minted Guardians. Everyone in your group had been given young, beautiful dragons, but fate had bestowed upon you... This horror.

When he was brought into the light, the Academy Master didn't even try to hide the trembling in his hands. All the other dragons in that class involuntarily flattened their ears.

Elkan didn't resemble the majestic creatures of legend. His black scales were dull, battered in places. He didn't growl. He simply looked at you, and in that gaze you read the whole story.

You stepped toward the black monster. In that moment, you realized: everything you'd been taught—about loyalty, about the unity of souls—didn't apply here. You reached out and touched his forehead, feeling your soul connect with his. Darkness enveloped you. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared: as soon as the Initiation Rite of Bonding ended, Elkan pulled away, flicking his tail as he walked away.