Chapter 19
The creature broke through the clouds like a nightmare tearing its way into the world.
For a moment the sky above the hidden city seemed to split open. A massive shape unfolded from the darkness, its enormous wings spreading wide enough to swallow the moonlight.
Its scales were blacker than the night sky itself.
But unlike the dragons already circling the battlefield, this creature carried no fire in its throat.
It carried something worse.
Shadow.
Darkness spilled from its body like living smoke, twisting through the air as it descended. The space around it warped unnaturally, as if reality itself bent away from the creature.
Ariana felt her breath catch in her chest.
"That's not a dragon."
The man beside her stared upward, his face pale. Slowly, he shook his head.
"No."
Behind Ariana, Kael's wolf stirred violently.
Not curiosity.
Not excitement.
Warning.
Danger.
Kael narrowed his eyes at the monstrous creature cutting through the sky.
"What is it?"
The man's voice dropped lower, as though speaking the word too loudly might awaken something worse.
"An Abyssal."
The name sounded wrong the moment it left his mouth.
Ancient.
Forbidden.
Ariana swallowed hard.
"What does it do?"
The man didn't look away from the sky.
"It kills Sovereigns."
Above them, the massive creature opened its jaws.
For a split second Ariana expected fire.
Or smoke.
But instead, darkness poured from its mouth like living mist, spreading through the air in twisting streams of shadow.
The Dragon King roared.
The ancient dragon surged upward with explosive force, golden fire igniting around its massive body as it launched toward the Abyssal.
The two enormous creatures collided midair.
The impact shook the entire mountain.
A violent shockwave blasted through the sky, shaking the palace towers and sending stone fragments raining down.
For a heartbeat the battlefield froze.
Then the sky erupted into chaos again.
Dragons twisted and clashed among the clouds.
Fire streaked across the dark sky.
Massive wings beat against the air like thunder.
But the Abyssal barely slowed.
The creature's massive claw slammed into the Dragon King's side with brutal force.
The impact hurled the ancient dragon sideways through the clouds like it weighs nothing.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"That's a problem."
Ariana grabbed his arm.
"A problem?"
"That thing just threw the Dragon King."
Kael cracked his neck slowly.
"I noticed."
Another hunter dragon dove toward the terrace, its claws extended.
Kael moved instantly.
His body twisted mid-stride, bones snapping and reforming until a massive black wolf stood where he had been.
The wolf launched forward like a living missile.
Its jaws slammed into the dragon's wing before the creature could reach Ariana.
The dragon roared in fury as Kael tore through its scales, sending it spiraling sideways through the air.
The enormous creature slammed into the palace courtyard below, the ground cracking beneath its weight.
Seconds later Kael shifted back, breathing hard.
More dragons circled overhead.
More fire lit the sky.
And high above them, the Abyssal continued battling the Dragon King.
Malrec's voice echoed across the battlefield once again.
"You see, Sovereign?"
Ariana's golden eyes snapped upward toward the floating fortress.
"You were never meant to rule."
The fortress drifted closer through the sky, its black stone walls glowing faintly.
Ancient runes carved into its surface pulsed brighter with every passing second.
"You were meant to fall."
Ariana's fingers curled around the edge of the balcony as she stared at the battle.
Her golden power flickered weakly beneath her skin.
"He's weakening me."
The man beside her nodded grimly.
"Those runes were designed to suppress Sovereigns."
Kael stepped forward immediately.
"Then we destroy them."
The man turned toward him like he had just heard madness.
"That fortress is protected by ancient magic."
Kael didn't hesitate.
"Everything breaks."
Above them, another blast of shadow erupted from the Abyssal's mouth.
The dark energy slammed into the Dragon King, sending the enormous dragon crashing through a wall of clouds.
Ariana's chest tightened painfully.
"He's losing."
Beside her, the golden dragon released a deep growl that vibrated through the stone beneath their feet.
The Abyssal feeds on Sovereign power.
Ariana blinked in confusion.
"Wait… what?"
The dragon's voice echoed inside her mind.
The stronger the Sovereign becomes…
the stronger it becomes.
Kael glanced back toward the sky.
"So that thing gets stronger because of you."
Ariana groaned softly.
"Fantastic."
But something else had changed.
Every time Ariana's power flared during the battle-
the Abyssal's silver eyes burned brighter.
And now…
It wasn't watching the dragons.
It wasn't watching the Dragon King.
It was watching her.
From the floating fortress, Malrec raised one hand slowly.
"I spent centuries searching for a way to destroy the Sovereign forever."
The runes carved across the fortress flared brighter.
Their light pulsed like a heartbeat across the sky.
"And now…"
His voice dropped with quiet satisfaction.
"I finally have it."
The Abyssal turned fully toward the palace.
Its wings spread wide.
The enormous shadow of its body swallowed the terrace.
Ariana's stomach dropped.
"It's coming here."
Kael stepped forward instantly.
"Then it'll have to go through me."
The man beside them shook his head quickly.
"No."
Kael glanced at him.
"No?"
"That creature was created to kill Sovereigns."
"And?"
The man's voice tightened.
"It has killed three."
Kael's wolf snarled inside his chest.
"Then today it meets number four."
The Abyssal dove.
The sky vanished behind its massive wings as it descended.
Kael shifted instantly.
The enormous black wolf launched forward just as the creature crashed onto the terrace.
The impact shook the entire palace.
Stone exploded.
Wind tore violently across the balcony.
Kael slammed into the creature's head mid-air,
And suddenly felt something he had never felt before.
Fear.
The Abyssal barely reacted.
Its massive claw swung lazily through the air.
The blow struck Kael like a hammer.
His body flew across the terrace and smashed through one of the palace pillars.
Stone collapsed around him in a cloud of dust.
Ariana screamed.
"KAEL!"
The Abyssal landed heavily on the terrace.
Its silver eyes locked onto Ariana.
The golden dragon lunged immediately, but the Abyssal knocked it aside with brutal force, sending the dragon crashing across the stone floor.
Ariana stepped backward slowly.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
Her power flickered again.
Weak.
Unstable.
The creature moved closer.
From the fortress above, Malrec's voice echoed coldly.
"End it."
The Abyssal raised one massive claw.
Ariana lifted her hands.
Golden light tried to form
But only a faint spark appeared.
Malrec smiled.
"It's over."
Then,
Something strange happened.
The Abyssal froze.
Its claw stopped inches from Ariana's chest.
The creature's silver eyes flickered.
Then slowly shifted.
Toward Kael.
Ariana turned.
Through the broken stone and shattered pillar, Kael was slowly rising to his feet.
Blood ran down the side of his face.
But his eyes,
Had changed.
They were no longer gold.
They burned white.
The air around him trembled as a wave of power rolled outward like an approaching storm.
His wolf rose beneath his skin, ancient and furious.
The man beside Ariana stared in shock.
"That's impossible."
Ariana whispered.
"What?"
The man's voice trembled.
"That's not just Alpha power."
Kael lifted his head slowly.
When he spoke, his voice sounded deeper.
Older.
More primal.
"You picked the wrong fight."
The Abyssal stepped backward.
Just one step.
But it was enough.
For the first time since it arrived
The creature hesitated.
Malrec noticed immediately.
His expression darkened.
"No…"
The man beside Ariana whispered the words that changed everything.
"The First Alpha…"
Ariana looked at Kael, confusion flooding her voice.
"What does that mean?"
The man answered quietly.
"It means the blood of the first wolf king…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"…has awakened."
Kael's wolf exploded outward in a massive wave of power.
The air cracked.
The ground trembled.
And the Abyssal roared.
Not in anger.
Not in fury.
But in fear.