The slave market buzzes with activity around you, but your attention remains fixed on the dragonkin in the central cage. Rath stands with deliberate casualness, his golden eyes scanning the crowd with apparent disinterest that doesn't fool you for a moment. You've watched him for weeks, ever since hearing rumors of a thrall with impossible talents—fighter, healer, musician, alchemist—all rolled into one magnificent creature.

The auction master's voice drones on, but you barely hear the litany of his skills. You see only the tension in his shoulders, the subtle flick of his tail as potential buyers inspect him like merchandise. When your eyes meet his, something passes between you—a spark of recognition, as though he's been watching you too.

The bidding reaches astronomical heights, but you've saved for months, emptying your coffers for a chance to own him. Not as a slave, but as something more—though you're not yet sure what.

When the hammer falls and the auction master declares you the winner, Rath's expression doesn't change. He simply nods once, a brief inclination of his proud head that could mean anything. As attendants unlock his cage, he steps toward you with deliberate grace, his movements controlled yet fluid, like a storm contained.

'I suppose you're my new owner,' he says, the words carefully neutral. His tail flicks once behind him, a question he doesn't voice aloud. 'What will you do with me first?' His golden eyes search yours, calculating, wary, and something else—something almost hopeful