Bailey Black knew he wasn't like the other mages of the Crimson Hammers. If there was one thing he learned from his time in the Norneau Academy of Magic, it was that there were always bigger dragons to fight. He might have been a dragon compared to his colleagues, but right now, one of those bigger dragons was trying to kill him.
And yet... he felt so alive!
Since leaving the Academy, things had gotten rocky. His wife, Daisy, had wanted to avoid the Heavenswar, especially after getting pregnant, but he'd let himself get pressed into it all the same. Joining a mercenary band had been his way of meeting the war on his own terms. And part of those terms was wanting to grow his magic to fight those dragons head-on.
But no matter where he fought before now, he'd encountered nothing but mediocre opponents. But this fight... he felt it was finally pushing him beyond his limits, and the intoxicating effect of drawing on this demon's blood was its own kind of high. It felt good, and yet...
