Through the eyes of the Lost Drake

The cold winds of the Storm Peaks whipped against the side of Riley’s Blood Elf Hunter, Kaelyra, as she hovered on her flying mount above the snowy expanse. The only sounds were the sharp gusts of wind and the quiet hum of her computer fan—everything else felt distant, muffled, as if the world had narrowed to this one small corner of World of Warcraft.

Her fingers moved across the keys almost without thinking, guiding Kaelyra through the air with precision. There was only one thing on her mind tonight. The Time-Lost Proto-Drake. A mount that had eluded her for weeks, a rare, legendary creature that could only be found in these unforgiving, desolate mountains.

Riley had learned the spawn points by heart. She had memorized the timers, checked the usual locations over and over, hoping for the drake’s shadow to appear in the sky. But the more she hunted it, the more she encountered him: Veloce, the Alliance Hunter, always there when the drake appeared. He’d swoop in at the last second, steal the kill, and take the mount—his mount, now—without so much as a word. He had earned it, sure, but that didn’t make the repeated losses any easier to stomach.

Tonight, she could feel the familiar stir of anticipation. The drake had to be close. The shadow of it would appear, she just had to keep her eyes peeled. Maybe—just maybe—this time would be different. Maybe, tonight, the Time-Lost Proto-Drake would be hers.

Her character’s sharp green eyes scanned the horizon from the high cliff where she waited. Kaelyra’s large, armored boar companion, Varkoth, snorted and pawed at the snow, restless but loyal. She could feel the hours slipping by. As always, patience was the key, but with every passing minute, she felt the pull of frustration in her chest. Veloce was out there somewhere, lurking in the same area, waiting for the same mount.

A quick glance at the clock told her it was getting late. If she didn’t find the drake soon, she’d have to log off for the night.

Suddenly, a shadow passed over her character’s head, too big, too distinct to ignore. Her breath caught in her throat. There it was—the Time-Lost Proto-Drake.

It swooped low, its golden wings catching the light of the moon. Riley’s pulse quickened as her fingers moved instinctively, directing Kaelyra into a dive. She had seen this drake many times before, but never had it felt so close. This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

Kaelyra and Varkoth engaged the drake in combat immediately, the familiar flurry of arrows and commands filling Riley’s mind. The drake roared in defiance, its massive wings flapping violently as Varkoth held its attention, charging in to draw its fire.

The fight was fierce. Riley’s hands moved quickly, shooting arrows, laying traps, and using abilities she knew by heart. She had done this a hundred times before—but tonight, it felt different. She could feel it. The mount was so close she could almost taste it. She would not let Veloce take it from her this time.

Her concentration was razor-sharp, her mind locked into the rhythm of the fight. The drake’s health bar was dropping steadily. Almost there. Just a little longer.

Then, a sudden flash of movement caught her eye. She didn’t need to look at the name—she recognized it instantly. Another figure had appeared. A Human Hunter, riding a sleek black mount, his presence unmistakable even from a distance.

Veloce.

Riley’s heart sank. She had been so close. She hadn’t even seen him arrive.

The message alert pinged, but of course, they couldn’t communicate—Horde and Alliance were enemies, and the in-game chat was blocked between factions. The only thing Riley could do was watch as Veloce swooped down, his own pet—an enormous black cat—leaping into the fray.

She grit her teeth. She had almost won this fight. She had to fight harder now, make sure Veloce didn’t steal it from under her nose again.

But it wasn’t enough.

In a matter of moments, Veloce dealt the final blow. The drake’s health bar dropped to zero, and the creature crumpled to the ground. Riley stared at the screen, the loot window appearing in front of her. She could see it—the mount, the elusive Time-Lost Proto-Drake, but it wasn’t for her. It had already been claimed.

Riley sat back in her chair, her hands hovering over the keyboard as her blood boiled with frustration. Not again. Not this time. She had fought so hard, had been so close to claiming victory, and yet there he was. Veloce had swooped in at the last second—again—and stolen the mount from her.

It wasn’t fair. She had been hunting it for so long. And yet, there was no escaping the reality. Veloce already had the drake, and once again, it had slipped through her fingers.

She didn’t know if it was anger or exhaustion that caused her to close her eyes for a moment. Maybe both. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but what was the point? There was no message to send, no words that could convey the defeat that washed over her. The in-game chat would only show the cold emptiness of two factions unable to communicate, unable to share anything beyond the battle for the mount.

Riley didn’t even feel the usual rush of competition anymore. Just the dull ache of knowing Veloce would always be there—always faster, always more prepared. She had seen it before. He already had the mount. He didn’t need it again. But there he was, coming in at the last moment to claim it for himself.

She flew her mount back to the ridge, her mind already drifting away from the game, her fingers still guiding Kaelyra through the icy expanse of the Storm Peaks. There would be no victory tonight. She wasn’t even sure there would be a victory tomorrow.

She didn’t know how many more nights she could do this, chasing the same shadow, watching the same player take it from her. Was it worth it anymore? Did she even care about the mount, or had the hunt become the thing that kept her coming back?

One more time. She had to keep trying. She had to.

And so she would.

With the Time-Lost Proto-Drake still just out of reach, Riley couldn’t stop herself from taking to the skies again. If she wanted it—if she really wanted it—she’d have to keep looking. Even if it meant enduring the endless rivalry, the silent battles, and the cold knowledge that Veloce would always be there, just ahead of her.

Maybe one day, the drake would be hers. But for tonight, it wasn’t. And as always, she would have to be content with the chase.

The city lights flickered like stars as Riley stepped out of the bustling terminal, her heart still racing from the excitement of the long flight. She’d never been to this city before—Chicago, the gaming convention she’d been eagerly anticipating for months. It was everything she’d hoped for: the chance to meet her fellow gamers, check out new releases, and of course, compete in the World of Warcraft tournament.

But there was one thing Riley hadn’t expected: Veloce.

She’d never expected to actually meet him. Not in a million years. She’d spent the last few months hunting alongside—or, rather, against—Veloce, the enigmatic Alliance Hunter, in the virtual world. The rivalry had become part of the game, but it had never occurred to her that he could be real.

But when she arrived at the event, she saw his name on the participant list. At first, she’d assumed it was a coincidence. A common enough name, right? But as she stood in line at the registration booth, a figure caught her eye.

Veloce was standing near the stage, chatting with a group of players. He was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a dark hoodie and jeans, his light brown hair messy in a way that somehow seemed to suit him perfectly. It was him—Veloce, the Human Hunter. But there was something different about seeing him in real life. Something real that made her heart skip a beat.

No way.

Riley’s breath hitched, her pulse quickening. She felt strangely out of place in the midst of all the excitement, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. That face—those sharp features, the faint smile on his lips as he spoke with someone nearby—it was all too familiar, yet so completely different. He was even more handsome than she could have imagined.

She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the rush of heat creeping into her cheeks. Of all the things that could have happened at this convention, she hadn’t imagined this: Veloce, the player who had been a constant thorn in her side for weeks, standing mere feet away from her in real life. It felt surreal, like a dream.

The glow of the convention hall lights felt like a distant memory. It was impossible for Riley to focus on anything but the fluttering in her chest. She stood in the bustling lobby of the hotel, eyes darting over the crowd of excited gamers, the buzz of voices all blending together in a cacophony. She hadn’t expected to run into Veloce. Not here. Not at this event.

Her fingers itched to reach for her phone, to text her friends and let them know what was happening, but it felt like the whole world had slowed down to a crawl the moment she’d seen him. He was real. He was standing there, not on the other side of a screen, not in the quiet of her headphones during a raid, but right in front of her, in the flesh.

She had expected to come here to compete, to play, to have fun—but Veloce? He wasn’t part of the plan. And yet there he was.

A voice cut through the hum of the crowd—his voice.

“Kaelyra?”

Riley froze, her breath catching in her throat. She knew that voice. The smooth, confident timbre. It had taunted her in the game. It had made her heart race countless times, like a challenge issued and answered. But now? Now it was real. It was him.

Slowly, she turned, her pulse quickening.

He stood there, casually leaning against a pillar, arms folded, his brown hair messy in a way that somehow made him look even more effortlessly attractive. He was taller than she’d imagined, with broad shoulders and a lean frame that seemed perfectly suited to the charisma he exuded. He was wearing a dark hoodie and jeans, but even in simple clothes, there was something magnetic about him.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. He was staring at her, his hazel eyes narrowing slightly, as if confirming that she was indeed the woman behind the Blood Elf Hunter who had tormented him in the game. She blinked, trying to find her voice, but for a split second, she couldn’t seem to get words past her lips.

“I—I didn’t expect to meet you like this,” she managed finally, her voice a little breathless.

He grinned, that teasing smile of his curling at the corners of his mouth. “Funny, I didn’t expect to meet you in real life either, but here we are. Kaelyra in the flesh. Not what I imagined.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

For weeks, she had fought against him, the Human Hunter who had stolen the Time-Lost Proto-Drake from her time and again. She knew his playstyle, his patterns, the sound of his voice in the chaos of the battlefield. But now, here he was, so much more than just pixels and stats.

“I—well, I never thought I’d meet Veloce either,” she said, trying to steady her breath. “But I guess you’re just as... handsome as I imagined.”

He chuckled at that, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “I could say the same for you,” he said, pushing off from the pillar and taking a step closer. His presence was magnetic, and it made her pulse stutter in her chest. “It’s strange, isn’t it? To meet someone you’ve been battling with for so long, and yet… here you are.”

Riley swallowed, unsure of what to say next. Everything she had expected about this weekend had been about games, tournaments, and maybe meeting a few friends. But nothing could have prepared her for this—for the way her body responded to his presence, to the warmth of his smile, the way his gaze seemed to linger on her a little longer than necessary.

“Maybe it’s fate,” she said softly, not quite sure if she was joking or serious. She met his eyes, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

He took another step forward, now close enough that she could smell the faint scent of cologne on his shirt, a mix of wood and spice that made her head spin.

“Fate, huh?” He raised an eyebrow, a playful gleam in his eyes. “Well, if we’re going with that theory, maybe we should see where it leads. We’re already here.”

There was a softness to his words that caught her off guard. He wasn’t Veloce, the ruthless competitor anymore. He was just... a guy standing in front of her, offering her something she hadn’t expected—a chance to leave the game behind for a while and see what existed between them in the real world. And for some reason, she didn’t hesitate.

“I don’t know about fate,” she said, her voice a little shaky, “but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about what comes next.”

He smiled, his eyes softening. “Good. Because I was hoping you’d say that.”

And with that, the next few hours felt like a blur. They spent the evening wandering the city, talking about everything and nothing at all. The convention was just a backdrop to the way they clicked, like two puzzle pieces finally fitting together. She learned that his real name was Ethan, and that he’d been playing World of Warcraft longer than she had. He spoke about his love for gaming, but also about his life outside of it—his job, his family, the things that mattered when the screens were off. She listened, fascinated by the man behind the character.

They found a quiet bar near the hotel, the conversation flowing effortlessly as they shared drinks. Time seemed to move differently when they were together—slower, more intentional. Every glance, every laugh, every moment between them felt like it carried weight. And with every passing second, Riley found herself more and more captivated by him—not just Veloce, the competitor, but Ethan, the person who was so effortlessly charming and kind.

“I didn’t expect this,” she admitted softly, stirring her drink absentmindedly. “I’ve always known you as Veloce, the one who always showed up right when I was about to win, the one who stole the drake from me time and time again. But I didn’t think you’d be...” She trailed off, searching for the right words.

“Human?” he offered, a soft laugh in his voice.

She smiled, grateful for the way he lightened the moment. “I guess. But more than that. You’re different. In a good way.”

His eyes softened, a slight, almost shy smile curving on his lips. “I’ve been thinking the same thing about you.”

And for the first time since meeting him, Riley realized just how easy it was to be with him. How natural it felt to be in his presence, to talk to him without the walls they’d built in the game. He wasn’t the fierce rival anymore. He wasn’t a Hunter at all. He was just Ethan. A guy who made her laugh, who made her feel something she hadn’t expected.

Later that evening, as they walked back to the hotel, there was a quiet kind of understanding between them. The city’s bright lights seemed to pale in comparison to the connection that had already sparked between them. Ethan’s hand brushed against hers as they entered the lobby, and her heart raced.

“I don’t want this night to end,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ethan smiled, the playful glint returning to his eyes. “Then it doesn’t have to.”

When they reached the elevator, the moment between them shifted. It was no longer about the game or the rivalry—it was about them. Their eyes met, and without thinking, without any words spoken, he leaned in slowly, his breath warm against her skin. Riley’s pulse thundered in her ears as she met him halfway, their lips finally meeting in a kiss that was soft, tentative at first, but quickly deepened with urgency.

The kiss was everything she hadn’t expected—and everything she had wanted.

When they pulled apart, breathless and still lingering close, Ethan spoke in a low, almost teasing tone. “You know, Kaelyra, I think we both deserve a reward for that hunt.”

Riley laughed, her heart fluttering. “I’m starting to think I’ve already found my prize.”

With a smile, he took her hand, guiding her toward the elevator doors. And as they stepped inside together, she realized that maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something far more exciting than any victory in the game ever could have been.

The End