Epic fantasy book cover illustration. A vast open sky at dusk, dramatic and expansive. In the center, the dark silhouette of a massive dragon flying forward, wings fully outstretched. On its back rides a single rider, a young woman with long blond hair streaming behind her in the wind, wearing fitted fantasy armor. The rider and dragon are rendered mostly as silhouettes, with only subtle rim light outlining their forms. From the tail of the dragon backward, both dragon and rider begin to disintegrate into ash. The solid silhouette fractures into drifting embers, gray ash, and fine particulate dust, carried away by the wind. The transformation is gradual and poetic, not violent; a visual metaphor of loss, erosion, and inevitability. The ash trails behind them, dissolving into the sky. The scene is quiet and monumental, emphasizing motion forward while the past disintegrates. No visible ground, no cities, no enemies—only sky, light, and ash. The mood is somber, tragic, and awe-inspiring. Painterly realism, cinematic lighting, restrained color palette, designed as a professional fantasy novel cover.
