If dragons are to light, Darkseekers are to darkness, each one capable of untold destruction if left unchecked. And Mylo hadn’t been checking. With a flash of wind and energy, he slammed into the stone of the entrance to his mountain. It was easy to see the collapsed kobolds at the entrance, and he knelt down to examine one, still alive.

A high-pitched laughter echoed out, and the Kobold’s shadows came alive and pulled them into the darkness of the cave. Even the forest below had been swallowed as the sun drifted lower and lower on the horizon. Long shadows snaked out from him, cloak flaring into a set of dark wings just short of touching the maw of the cave.

“” With a single step forward, his shadow met the lair of his enemy. Claws snaked around and clutched at his body, slowly dragging him toward the entrance. While he could easily break free, he instead allowed them to lead him into the darkness, the final flickers of the golden sun fading behind the horizon.

“” A figure was dragged into his vision, one of the younger newts. Forced to jump up and down in a stiff facsimile of excitement. Mylo dove with a snarl as the figure vanished under his very fingers into shadow. The laughter echoed out as he straightened up.

“” A shining glow enveloped Mylo, and all the shadows snaking around him were banished as he became one without shadow. His hand lifted and formed into a clawed arm as scales grew down its length.

“” Both spells swirled around the dragon, the light illuminating caverns while the darkness shrouded them as quickly as they appeared. But with it, he was able to move his way deeper through the illusory space that hid the creature. “” The shadows parted, and he was finally able to glimpse the creature standing in front of his treasure hoard, empty but for the two of them. The night was still young as the minutes ticked on, and a gleaming gold sword seeped from Mylo’s claw and formed into a weapon of light.

“” Holding the weapon at the ready, Mylo pointed it at the figure, a shadowy smile appearing as their form shifted into a mass of hands, a single eye manifesting in the centre as their laughter echoed out.

“” The figure shrugged twenty arms as their form fell into nothingness, reappearing behind Mylo and blocking the exit. “” A few figures burst out from the shadows, glancing around wildly as they fled something Mylo couldn’t see and vanished back into the darkness.

“” Slowly turning, Mylo watched as the being once more dissolved into nothing, only to appear behind him. A slow breath left him as his wings fell back into a cloak once more.

“” A low growl was the response the Darkseeker received, much to their growing entertainment. Mylo turned once more around, slowly stepping one bare foot to the left and then to the right.

“” Lifting his hands, he brought them together as a rapid flurry of runic symbols appeared around the clasped sword, light shining brighter and brighter as the handsy freak shimmied toward the coins to hide in their overlapping shade.

“” A small hint of nervousness fell in the creature’s voice as they prepared for the attack.

“” Speaking simply, Mylo moved over toward the pile of treasure and slammed the sword into it, each piece glowing with the light of a sun. The cave was briefly filled with intense heat, melting a layer of stone around the corners, and a sharp screech echoed out as the creature found nowhere to hide in the cave, each tunnel filled with an overwhelming light.

“” The creature fled to the forest as the light followed, each tree going up in flames as plants and creatures were swallowed in the light. They leapt and ran and sped but each moment took another hand and limb away, one by one until it was down to only two legs and an eye attached to them.

“” With the last bile of a dying creature, the light swallowed the last of the darkness. Moving to the entrance, Mylo turned his gaze to the sun in the centre of the sky, beaming down its golden rays as the light began to dim and fade.

There was silence in the forest as night creatures scurried to find places to hide, and daylight creatures blinked sleepy eyes toward the midday sun. But he merely closed his eyes and turned to head back into the cave, slowly shrinking down to change from a vaguely humanoid form to that of a tall kobold.

One by one, he stepped through each room and cavern, looking toward the empty beds and half-eaten foods. Clothing, half-stitched, left on a chair. A storybook in front of stools. Small pieces of cloth propped up to create a secret hideout. He knelt at that and reached into the cubby hole to pull out a hand-stitched doll of a dragon with a droopy smile and lopsided eyes.

Pulling up a hand to cover his mouth, Mylo choked back a sudden rush of emotions. His hand crushed a chair that had been holding up the blanket, and he watched as it all fell apart. Rising, he pushed his arm against a wall, the doll still clutched in his hand as a sharp roaring scream echoed out across the world.

And then silence filled the cave.