POV Narrator

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As the sound echoed through the air, the dark glade below us slowly transformed, bathed in an ethereal light as the melody touched it. Standing in the clearing, the warriors of Asgard gazed intently, with Odin at the forefront, his staff firmly in hand. Lady Sif was poised to advance, ready to strike at the monstrous creature that lurked in the center of the clearing, its domain shrouded in darkness as deep as night. The beast, with wings like shadowed canopies and a tail coiled around a stone, seemed to brood. As the song began to wane, the creature's wings drooped, and its piercing red eyes snapped open, locking onto the assembly of gods. A sinister grin crept across its face, a silent challenge to the gathered might of Asgard.

"Warriors of Asgard, of the realm of gods," the beast rumbled, turning fully to face the Asgardians, who hesitated, unsure whether to rush in and slay the creature. "Who are you?" asked Odin, his voice calm but commanding.

The beast's smile widened. "The others call me Nyra, Goddess of the Night," she declared. As she stood, she towered over the gods, her presence imposing and vast. "And you are Odin, king of a land so grand. You forge and rule over the nine realms, tending to the needs of the sick and the strong."

Her smile faded, replaced by a fiery intensity in her eyes. "Yet you forget the hidden world!" she hissed, her voice laden with an ancient wrath.

Odin frowned and exchanged a glance with Lady Sif. "The hidden world?" he questioned, confusion tinging his voice.

In an instant, Nyra's eyes were inches from his face, her furious breath blowing back his white hair. "The birthplace of dragons, you old fool," she snarled. With a flick of her wing, Odin was sent tumbling head over heels, landing heavily on the ground.

The warriors around him surged forward, but they met the same fate, each one effortlessly swatted away. "The dragons are dying because you favor the lands of humanoids!" Nyra's voice echoed with ancient rage. "You have neglected the very essence of our realms, letting the heart of the hidden world wither!"

Her gaze then snapped down to Odin's armored chest, and he grunted in pain. A young boy, resembling Nyra's own human form if she chose to take it, emerged from the forest.

"Father!," the boy called out in despair. Nyra looked up, her slitted pupils widening as she met the young boy's eyes. Her claws ceased to press into Odin's chest.

"Who are you, child?" she asked softly, her voice losing its earlier menace.

"Let my father go, you monster," the boy snapped. Nyra narrowed her eyes. "A monster?" she echoed, pressing her claws deeper into Odin's chest before abruptly releasing him. His blood dripped onto the ground as she stepped toward the boy, unaware of the black-haired figure watching from the shadows.

"Yes, that's what your kind calls mine: monsters. As if we are not living beings who want to survive, to thrive, to love." She scoffed, lifting the boy's chin with a claw. "But hear this, Thor Odinson: one day, dragons may be the ones who rule. Let's see what the gods become then."

She smiled, releasing him and stepping back to her rock. With a final glance at the disarrayed army, she declared, "This is the way." Her black wings spread wide, and she shot into the air, disappearing into the night. On the ground below, a symbol of a black dragon was burned into the earth.

The Night Fury had come.