Chapter 22
The world seemed to shrink.
Augustus stepped fully through the tear in the sky, and the mountains beneath the hidden city trembled as if the earth itself recognized him.
The tear behind him slowly sealed.
The sky closed.
And suddenly the battlefield felt far smaller.
For a moment, everything became silent.
No wind.
No fire.
No wings beating in the sky.
The First Sovereign floated above the mountains, enormous and radiant with terrifying power. His body slowly began to shrink as he descended, the colossal form compressing into something closer to human.
But the power did not fade.
If anything, it became heavier.
More concentrated.
Golden light poured from his eyes like molten fire.
Ancient markings glowed faintly across his skin, symbols so old they seemed older than the mountains themselves.
The air around him bent under the weight of his presence.
The dragons reacted first.
The massive creatures scattered through the clouds, wings beating frantically as instinct overpowered pride.
Even the Dragon King backed away.
Not in fear.
But in recognition.
Ariana felt the reaction instantly.
The power inside her veins surged violently, like two storms crashing together inside her chest.
She gasped and grabbed the edge of the broken balcony.
Pain shot through her body as the golden energy in her blood flared uncontrollably.
Kael caught her arm before she could fall.
"Hey."
Her golden eyes flickered wildly.
"I can feel him."
Kael looked up toward the sky where Augustus floated.
"Yeah," he muttered.
"Me too."
But what Kael felt was different.
The wolf inside him was pacing violently beneath his skin.
Not afraid.
Angry.
Predatory.
Augustus descended slowly, landing on the air itself as if gravity had simply chosen not to apply to him.
For several long seconds, he said nothing.
He simply looked around.
At the jagged mountains.
At the dragons circling the sky.
At the burning city below.
His expression was calm.
Curious.
Almost amused.
"So much time," he said slowly.
"And yet nothing has changed."
His voice carried effortlessly across the battlefield.
It did not need to be loud.
Every dragon heard it.
Every warrior in the city froze.
Even the fires burning across the palace terraces seemed to dim.
Malrec lowered his head slightly.
Augustus' gaze moved to him first.
"You."
Malrec stepped forward to the edge of the floating fortress.
"I kept my promise."
Augustus tilted his head slightly, studying him.
"Yes."
"You did."
His voice held neither gratitude nor praise.
Simply acknowledgment.
Then the ancient Sovereign's eyes drifted toward the palace terrace.
Toward Ariana.
The moment their gazes met,
the golden power inside her veins exploded.
Ariana staggered.
The force of it nearly knocked her to her knees.
Kael caught her before she collapsed.
"What's happening?"
She struggled to breathe.
Every heartbeat felt like lightning ripping through her chest.
"He's… pulling my power."
A faint smile touched Augustus' lips.
"Yes."
His voice was soft.
Almost warm.
"But that power was never yours to begin with."
Kael's wolf snarled inside him.
The sound almost escaped his throat.
"Back off."
Augustus finally noticed him.
His glowing eyes narrowed slightly.
"Interesting."
The air around Kael rippled as the wolf king's power surged outward.
"The blood of the First Alpha still exists."
Kael didn't flinch.
"Surprise."
Augustus studied him more carefully now.
"That bloodline was meant to stand beside the Sovereign."
Kael shrugged slightly.
"Still does."
Augustus' gaze returned to Ariana.
"And yet…"
He frowned.
"…something is wrong."
The ancient ruler floated closer.
Every dragon in the sky instinctively moved aside as he passed.
Even the Dragon King lowered his massive head slightly.
Ariana noticed immediately.
"You're bowing to him."
The Dragon King's deep voice echoed inside her mind.
He was our first master.
Augustus stopped in the air above the palace.
For several long seconds, he studied Ariana in silence.
His golden eyes burned intensely.
Then his brow furrowed.
"You are incomplete."
Ariana forced herself to stand straight despite the pressure crushing her chest.
"What does that mean?"
Augustus lifted one hand.
The golden energy surrounding Ariana flared violently.
Pain shot through her veins.
She gasped.
"Stop!"
Kael stepped forward instantly.
The Wolf King's power surged outward.
The air between them crackled with invisible force.
Augustus paused.
Then looked amused.
"You would challenge me."
Kael's voice remained quiet.
But unshaken.
"Yes."
Augustus watched him carefully.
Then a slow smile appeared.
"You remind me of the first wolf king."
Kael's eyes burned white.
"Good."
"Because he didn't like you either."
For the first time,
Augustus laughed.
The sound rolled across the mountains like distant thunder.
"That is true."
Then his expression hardened.
"But he lost."
Augustus lifted his hand again.
Kael was thrown across the terrace with brutal force.
The invisible impact struck him like a collapsing mountain.
He crashed into the shattered palace wall, stone exploding around him.
Ariana screamed.
"KAEL!"
But Augustus didn't even look at him.
His attention remained fixed on Ariana.
"You see?"
"This is why the throne belongs to me."
Ariana forced herself upright despite the pressure crushing her body.
Blood slid from the corner of her mouth.
"You ruled once."
Her voice shook, but she did not back down.
"Didn't work out."
Augustus' eyes flashed.
"The world needed order."
"You wanted control."
Augustus did not deny it.
"Yes."
His voice became colder.
"And I will have it again."
The dragons above the battlefield shifted uneasily.
Some began circling closer to Augustus.
Not attacking.
Obeying.
Ariana noticed.
"You're controlling them."
Augustus shrugged slightly.
"They remember their master."
The Dragon King growled.
A deep rumble shook the sky.
I remember the war.
Augustus looked up at him.
"And you remember how it ended."
The ancient dragon hesitated.
The tension in the air thickened.
Ariana wiped blood from her lip.
"You're not the only Sovereign here."
Augustus looked back at her.
"No."
"You are merely the replacement."
The words struck harder than she expected.
Replacement.
Like she was nothing more than a temporary mistake.
Her golden eyes flared brighter.
"Then why are you afraid of me?"
Augustus' smile disappeared.
"I am not afraid."
"Then kill me."
The battlefield went silent.
Even the wind stopped.
Behind her, Kael slowly pushed himself back to his feet.
His wolf stirred again.
The Dragon King's voice rumbled inside Ariana's mind.
Careful.
But Ariana didn't step back.
"If you're the true Sovereign," she said,
"then you shouldn't need my power."
Augustus studied her quietly.
Then nodded once.
"You are correct."
He raised his hand.
The sky darkened again.
Dragons scattered through the clouds.
But this time,
the power gathering in his palm was different.
Not gold.
Black.
Ariana felt the energy instantly.
Her blood turned cold.
"What is that?"
The man beside her whispered in horror.
"That…"
"…is the power Augustus stole from the Abyss."
Augustus' eyes burned brighter.
"Yes."
His voice rolled across the mountains.
"I am not just the First Sovereign."
The dark energy in his hand expanded, swallowing the light around it.
"I am the last one."
Then he unleashed the power.
And the entire sky above the city collapsed into darkness.