Chapter 17
The sky had become a battlefield.
Dragons circled through the clouds like living storms, their massive wings beating against the wind as bursts of fire flashed between them. The air thundered with roars and the violent rush of wings slicing through the sky.
Below, parts of the palace terraces burned where dragonfire had struck the ancient stone. Smoke drifted upward into the darkening clouds, turning the mountain air thick and heavy.
But everything changed the moment the fortress appeared.
At first it looked like a shadow inside the storm.
Then the clouds tore apart.
The massive structure drifted silently above the army of dragons, as if the sky itself had opened to let it pass. Its black walls were carved with ancient runes that pulsed with a dull crimson glow, like a slow and steady heartbeat.
The fortress did not roar like the dragons.
It did not burn with fire.
It simply hovered there, silent, cold, and enormous.
And suddenly, the dragons hesitated.
The Dragon King slowly lifted his enormous head.
Even from the palace terrace, Ariana could feel the ancient dragon's unease ripple through the sky.
Beside her, the golden dragon released a low, uneasy growl that vibrated through the marble floor.
Ariana felt a chill slide down her spine.
"That thing…" she whispered.
Her voice sounded small against the thunder of the battlefield.
Kael followed her gaze upward, his golden eyes narrowing as he studied the floating structure.
"…is not a dragon."
"No."
The man in black and gold stood rigid beside them, his gaze locked on the fortress as if he were staring at something he had hoped never to see again.
"I was hoping we were wrong."
Kael glanced toward him.
"Wrong about what?"
But the man didn't answer.
Because the figure standing on the edge of the fortress had moved.
The stranger stepped forward slowly.
Tall.
Wrapped in a long black cloak that moved strangely in the wind, as if the air itself refused to touch him.
Even from this distance, Ariana could see his eyes.
Cold silver.
And the moment his gaze landed on her,
the golden power in her veins recoiled.
Her breath caught sharply in her throat.
"He can feel me."
Kael's expression hardened instantly.
"Good."
Ariana grabbed his arm before he could step forward.
"No, Kael."
His eyes flickered toward her.
"What?"
"That man…"
Her fingers tightened slightly around his sleeve.
"He's not afraid of me."
For the first time since the battle began, Kael hesitated.
The Dragon King's voice echoed inside Ariana's mind again.
Deep.
Ancient.
And suddenly darker.
Of course he is not.
Ariana's chest tightened.
"Why?"
The dragon's answer came like a shadow falling across her thoughts.
Because he has killed Sovereigns before.
The words slid through her like ice.
"What?"
The man in black and gold stepped forward quickly, his expression tense.
"He shouldn't be alive."
Kael turned sharply toward him.
"You know him?"
The man nodded slowly.
"Yes."
His voice had lost its calm.
"That is Lord Malrec."
Ariana looked back toward the fortress.
The man standing there raised one hand slowly.
Around him, the dragons guarding the fortress shifted at once.
Not like wild creatures.
Like soldiers awaiting orders.
"Who is he?" Kael asked quietly.
The answer came just as quietly.
"The last Sovereign Slayer."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Even the dragons circling high above the city seemed to pause.
Kael's wolf stirred uneasily beneath his skin.
"That's not a real title."
"Oh, it's very real," the man said grimly.
"Three hundred years ago, Malrec led the war that destroyed the last Sovereign."
Ariana's heart skipped.
"You mean… the one before me?"
"Yes."
The man's gaze never left the fortress.
"And he's the reason the throne has been empty ever since."
Kael's voice lowered.
"So he's here to kill her."
"Yes."
The wind swept across the terrace harder now, tugging at Ariana's hair and clothes.
High above them, Malrec slowly raised his other hand.
The runes carved across the fortress walls began glowing brighter.
The moment they did,
Ariana felt it.
The golden power inside her veins twisted painfully.
Like invisible chains tightening around her chest.
She grabbed the edge of the balcony to steady herself.
"Something's wrong."
Kael noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
"That magic…"
She inhaled sharply.
"It's pulling at my power."
The Dragon King growled deep in the sky.
He forged those runes using Sovereign blood.
Kael's eyes flashed.
"You mean he can control her power?"
No.
The dragon's voice rumbled like distant thunder.
But he can weaken it.
Malrec's voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
It carried through the storm like a whisper that somehow reached every creature in the sky.
"Sovereign."
Ariana froze.
His silver gaze locked directly onto her.
"I have waited centuries for this moment."
Kael stepped forward protectively.
"You'll wait a little longer."
Malrec didn't even glance at him.
His attention remained entirely on Ariana.
"The throne should have remained empty."
Ariana forced herself to stand straighter despite the pressure crushing against her chest.
"That isn't your decision to make."
Malrec smiled faintly.
"I already did."
With a single motion,
the runes across the fortress erupted with light.
The sky exploded.
A massive pulse of dark energy crashed down toward the palace like a falling storm.
The Dragon King roared across the sky.
Brace!
The golden dragon spread its wings instantly.
Kael grabbed Ariana just as the shockwave slammed into the terrace.
Stone cracked.
Walls shattered.
The entire mountain trembled beneath their feet.
Ariana felt the golden power inside her flicker violently.
For the first time since her awakening,
her light dimmed.
Kael saw it immediately.
"What did he do?"
The man beside them answered quietly.
"He's suppressing the Sovereign."
High above them, Malrec lowered his hand slowly.
His smile widened slightly.
"Interesting."
The dragons surrounding the fortress roared in approval.
Ariana's breathing became uneven.
"I can't…"
Kael gripped her shoulders firmly.
"Stay with me."
Malrec spoke again.
"You see?"
"Even reborn, the Sovereign remains weak."
Kael's voice dropped into something dangerous.
"You talk too much."
Malrec tilted his head slightly.
"And you speak like someone who still believes this ends well."
The fortress began descending slowly through the clouds.
Closer.
Closer to the palace.
Ariana's heart pounded.
"He's coming here."
"Yes," the man in black and gold said quietly.
"Because the Sovereign Slayer always finishes his work personally."
Kael's wolf surged beneath his skin.
"Good."
The man turned sharply toward him.
"You cannot fight him."
Kael's golden eyes burned with quiet fury.
"Watch me."
Above them, Malrec stepped off the edge of the fortress.
And began walking through the air itself.
The runes surrounding him glowed like dark stars.
Each step carried him closer to the palace.
Closer to Ariana.
Closer to the throne he had destroyed once before.
Ariana forced herself to stand despite the pressure crushing her power.
"What does he want from me?"
The man beside her answered softly.
"Proof."
"Proof of what?"
"That you're the real Sovereign."
Malrec stopped in the air just above the terrace.
His silver eyes gleamed with quiet amusement.
Then he spoke a single sentence that turned Ariana's blood cold.
"If you truly are the Sovereign…"
He slowly raised his hand.
"…then command your dragons to kill me."
The sky went completely silent.
Every dragon turned toward Ariana.
Waiting.
Even the Dragon King.
Kael looked at her carefully.
"Can you do it?"
Ariana stared at the man floating above the city.
Her heart pounded violently.
The golden light within her strained against the pressure.
But Malrec's runes were still draining it.
"I don't know."
Malrec smiled.
"I thought so."
He lifted his hand again.
And this time,
every hunter dragon in the sky dove toward the palace at once.