From Ember to Flame: A Dragon's Journey
Once upon a time, in a great mountainous kingdom lay a small and scrawny dragon by the name of Ember. Unlike the other dragons in the kingdom, Ember was not large and formidable. Instead of a thick hide, he had soft scales; in place of a mighty fire breath, Ember could only exhale a small flame. Because of this, he was often ridiculed and ignored, leaving him to live a solitary life.
Life was hard for Ember, for every dragon's worth was measured by its strength and fiery breath. His heart ached with the longing to be mighty, to be respected, to be more than just an ember. Each day he would try to roar louder and each night he would try to breathe fire hotter. Despite his trials, he remained the same, a small ember in a world of raging flames.
One gloomy day, a prophecy was set forth by the kingdom's wise old dragon, Pyrrhus. 'A great monster shall be brought upon our kingdom, a beast of darkness and despair that no fire can scorch, no claw can pierce. Only a dragon who commands not the flame of destruction but the spark of creation can defeat the beast and save us all.' The prophecy sent a wave of dread amongst the dragons. They feared this predicted end of their reign, and despite their strength and grandeur, they felt powerless.
In five draws of the moon, as foreseen by Pyrrhus, the beast appeared. Its form was like a nightmare, colossal and born from the dark depths. The dragons, one by one, waged war against the beast using their fire and might, but all to no avail. The beast seemed invincible, sustaining no harm, and the heart of the kingdom grew colder with each defeat.
Ember, against all odds, decided to face the beast. There was nothing but a spark of flame in him, but the prophecy spoke of a spark of creation. He approached the beast, his heart pounding as loudly as the dragons' enormous wings. As Ember stood before the monstrous creature, he had nothing but a glimmer of hope and his tiny flame. He exhaled, breathing not a fire of power or destruction, but a gentle flame borne from a soul longing for acceptance and kinship.
The monster's eyes met the tiny ember, the flame dancing in complete serenity. To the dragons' surprise, the beast recoiled. It stayed away from Ember, not fearing the flame, but somehow mesmerized. Ember repeated his act, each flame revealing his journey, his struggles, his dreams, his disappointments. It wasn't a flame to destroy but to illuminate, to serve not as a weapon but as a revelation of his sincerity.
Something incredible happened then. The beast began to change, its darkness fading, eyes softening, growing smaller and less terrifying with each passing moment. Ember's flame had not harmed the beast but showed its light, echoing the outcasts' tale. The beast, finally burdened no more by its hardened husk of a body, changed into a dragon, much like Ember, once ridiculed and feared by its own kind for being different.
With this transformation, the kingdom rejoiced. Ember wasn't a mere ember anymore; he was the flame - the flame of change. From that day forth, the dragons learned to value the sparks within them rather than the combative fire of destruction. They honored Ember, and he was no longer an outcast but a beacon of hope for the kingdom.
Ember might not have been the mightiest dragon, but he was indeed the bravest. His story inspired the dragons to embrace acceptance and understanding rather than brute strength, forever changing the tides in the kingdom.