Draken Slayer is a dark fantasy fiction short story, part of the Shadows of Illyria: Tales from the Realm Series. Written by author JM VanZuiden, the Shadows of Illyria Series is a unique twist on fantasy fiction, incorporating his real-world combat experience into the characters and events of an epic fantasy world. Draken Slayer is told a flashback suffered by the main character of the Shadows of Illyria series of novels, Aldric. In his nightmare, he relives his a life-changing event from the past where his unit was tasked hunting a pack of dangerous Draken (dragons), and experience the inglorious thrill and devastation of real combat, and the loss that comes with it.