The only Man in a woman's world

As the dragon's massive form loomed over Zenith, his heart pounded in his chest like a drum. Its glowing eyes locked onto him, and a primal fear twisted in his gut. He couldn't move, his body frozen in place as the beast's shadow stretched across him. The ground beneath him trembled, and his legs wobbled like jelly.

"Well, this is a wonderful way to start my day," Zenith muttered to himself, barely able to keep his voice steady. His mind was a whirlwind of panic. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. This is it. This is how it ends.

Saphira, ever the picture of calm, barely glanced at the dragon. Her eyes, however, were focused on Zenith. "You gonna stand there all day, or should I start figuring out how to get us out of here?"

Zenith shot her a panicked look. "I—I'm kind of busy staring at a freaking dragon that wants to eat me!" His voice cracked on the last word, his fear spilling out in an embarrassing yelp.

The dragon, meanwhile, wasn't waiting for Zenith to have a mental breakdown. With a roar that made the very air vibrate, it swung its tail, smashing through the walls and windows like they were made of paper. Glass rained down in a sparkling shower. Zenith barely had time to react before the dragon's colossal claw shot out, wrapping around him with terrifying precision.

He opened his mouth to scream, but all that came out was a strangled gasp as he was hoisted off the ground, dangling helplessly like a ragdoll.

"Zenith!" Erya screamed, her voice cracking.

Zenith looked down at her, his mind in total chaos. "I didn't exactly ask for this! A little help here?" His words came out more as a panicked squeak than anything remotely heroic.

But the dragon wasn't interested in letting him get away. With a mighty beat of its wings, the beast took off, dragging Zenith through the air as if he were a snack caught in its talons. The sheer force of the takeoff sent a shockwave rippling through the building, causing the structure to groan and collapse in parts.

Saphira and Erya watched helplessly as Zenith disappeared into the sky, leaving only a trail of debris and dust behind.

"Well, this is going well," Saphira muttered dryly. "First a dragon, now we have to rescue the most panic-prone human in existence. Perfect day."

A deafening boom suddenly split the air, a shockwave that rattled their bones. Erya instinctively covered her ears, her eyes wide with confusion. "What in the world was that?"

Saphira squinted into the distance, the shockwave sending ripples through the air. And then, she saw it—the half-collapsed building in the distance. It looked like something out of a disaster movie. "We should... probably go check that out," she said, already heading toward the wreckage.

Erya hesitated. "But... the dragon?"

"It's gone, sweetheart," Saphira said, without looking back. "Let's hope Zenith's not lunch by the time we get there."

They made their way through the wreckage, navigating the crumbled remains of the building. The sight before them was like something out of a twisted nightmare—but amidst the rubble, they saw him. Zenith.

But something was wrong.

He wasn't on the ground, crying for help or clutching his ribs. Instead, he was standing, his body surrounded by an eerie, glowing aura. His clothes were unscathed, his hair wild, and his eyes—those eyes—were no longer filled with panic. They were... focused. Like he was staring down a challenge, not a dragon.

"What the hell?" Saphira muttered, her eyes narrowing as she took in the surreal scene. Zenith stood tall, as if he were entirely untouched by the chaos around him. His posture was strange, his hands raised in front of him, like he was holding something invisible.

"Zenith?" Erya asked hesitantly, stepping forward.

Zenith blinked rapidly, looking down at his hands, as if trying to make sense of what had just happened. "Okay, so... that was... something. And now I've got this... whatever this is." He looked up, his face a mixture of confusion and awe. "I'm pretty sure I didn't do that on purpose."

"Do what?" Erya asked, her voice trembling with a mix of awe and concern.

Zenith waved a hand vaguely around himself. "I don't know! I'm glowing, I think, and my hands feel like... like they're about to... I don't know... explode? Why is this happening to me? I was just a normal guy a second ago!"

Saphira crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, well, you're not so 'normal' anymore. You've got dragon-killer energy now. Any idea what that might mean?"

Zenith's face flushed. "You're telling me I've got magic? Like... real magic? Is this even legal?"

Saphira smirked. "I don't think 'legal' applies when you're about to face a dragon."

Erya stepped closer, her eyes wide with wonder. "You—You've got powers? You—Zenith, do you have any idea what this could mean for us?"

Zenith looked between the two women, his expression still a mix of disbelief and mild panic. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around not dying right now, okay? Powers, dragons, glowing... I'm not ready to be the magical chosen one or whatever this is."

But deep inside, beneath the fear and confusion, something began to stir. Zenith felt a power inside him, one that pulsed and throbbed with untapped potential. He wasn't sure how he had it, or why it had manifested now, but one thing was clear: he wasn't the helpless pawn anymore. And for better or worse, that was going to change everything.

"Well," Zenith said, exhaling deeply, "this is going to be one hell of a story."