Chapter 23
Darkness covered the sky.
Not clouds.
Not smoke.
Something heavier.
Something alive.
The black energy that burst from Augustus's hand spread across the battlefield like a rising wave. It rolled over the mountains and swallowed the sunlight above the hidden city. The air twisted as the shadow moved, bending the space around it.
Dragons scattered.
Their massive wings beat wildly as they tried to escape the growing darkness.
Flashes of dragon fire lit the sky for a moment.
But the light didn't last.
The shadow consumed it.
Below them, the hidden city fell into chaos.
Warriors shouted across the palace terraces while alarm horns echoed through the mountain halls. Soldiers rushed to strengthen the city's defenses.
On the broken balcony, Ariana felt the change immediately.
The golden power inside her body flickered like a weak flame in a strong wind.
Her breath caught.
A crushing weight pressed against her chest.
Her knees nearly gave out.
Kael grabbed her arm before she could fall.
"Stay with me," he said firmly.
Ariana forced herself to stand.
"I'm trying."
High above them, Augustus floated calmly in the dark sky.
The shadow energy wrapped around him like a living cloak, slowly moving and twisting.
He looked completely relaxed.
As if the destruction around him meant nothing.
"This world," Augustus said slowly, his voice echoing across the mountains, "has forgotten what true power looks like."
The darkness around him thickened.
Dragons flying too close to the shadow suddenly screamed.
Their flames faded.
Then disappeared completely.
Ariana watched in horror as one enormous dragon lost control of its wings and fell from the sky.
"It's draining them," she whispered.
The man standing beside her nodded.
"That power comes from the Abyss."
Kael frowned.
"And?"
The man kept watching the sky.
"The Abyss consumes magic."
Kael's wolf stirred uneasily inside him.
Now the heavy pressure Ariana felt made sense.
Her golden power was fading.
Every second the darkness remained, it drained her strength.
High above the battlefield, Augustus noticed.
His golden eyes gleamed through the shadows.
"You feel it, don't you?"
Ariana lifted her chin stubbornly.
"You're cheating."
Augustus gave a small smile.
"I prefer the word evolving."
The Dragon King roared above the city, cutting through the darkness as flames poured from his jaws.
Golden fire rushed toward Augustus.
But the moment the flames touched the shadow,
they vanished.
Swallowed instantly.
Even the ancient dragon hesitated.
Ariana whispered, "He's stronger than the dragons."
The man beside her nodded.
"That's why the bloodlines joined together to seal him away."
Kael looked up at the sky again.
"Then maybe they should've tried harder."
Augustus slowly lifted his hand again.
The darkness grew thicker.
Several dragons began to lose control of their flight as the shadow drained their power.
One after another, they fell.
The battlefield was falling apart.
Ariana felt panic rise in her chest.
"We can't fight that."
Kael glanced at her.
"Maybe not."
He looked back at Augustus.
"But we're still here."
Ariana almost laughed.
"You're unbelievable."
"I hear that a lot."
Another wave of darkness spread outward.
Cracks formed along the palace walls. Pieces of stone broke off and tumbled down the mountain.
Beside Ariana, the golden dragon growled and spread its wings in front of her.
But even the powerful creature was weakening.
Ariana could feel it through their bond.
Fear.
For the first time, the dragon was afraid.
That frightened her more than anything else.
Then the Dragon King's voice echoed inside her mind.
The Abyss power must be broken.
Ariana swallowed.
"How?"
Only Sovereign light can fight it.
She looked down at her shaking hands.
The golden power under her skin was barely holding on.
"I don't have enough strength," she whispered.
The dragon answered quietly.
Not alone.
Ariana slowly turned.
Kael stood beside her, his white eyes still glowing with the power of the Wolf King.
The air around him shimmered slightly.
And between them,
their bond pulsed.
Strong.
Alive.
Suddenly, Ariana understood.
"Kael."
He looked at her.
"What?"
"I need your help."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You usually do."
She grabbed his hand.
"Not like that."
The moment their hands touched,
power exploded between them.
Golden light surged from Ariana's arm.
White energy burst from Kael's hand.
The two forces collided.
Then merged.
A wave of power burst outward, filling the terrace with bright gold and silver light.
High above them, Augustus noticed immediately.
His smile faded slightly.
"Ah."
His eyes narrowed.
"Now that is interesting."
The Dragon King roared with approval.
The Sovereign and the Wolf King.
Energy rushed through Ariana's body like sunlight breaking through darkness.
Her breathing became uneven as the power filled her veins.
It was stronger.
Much stronger.
The darkness near the palace pulled back slightly where the light touched it.
Kael stared at their joined hands.
"Well."
"That's new."
Ariana lifted her glowing hand toward the sky.
The golden dragon beside her spread its wings again.
Above them, the dragons still fighting in the sky began circling closer.
Drawn to the light.
The Dragon King roared again.
Command them.
Ariana stepped forward.
Her voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Dragons!"
Her golden eyes burned brightly.
"Stand with me!"
For a moment,
nothing happened.
Then one dragon turned.
Then another.
Soon dozens of dragons circled above the palace terrace.
They weren't attacking.
They were waiting.
Listening.
A storm of wings filled the sky above Ariana.
Augustus watched calmly.
Then he sighed.
"I see."
"You believe numbers will save you."
His golden eyes turned cold.
"But you forget something."
Ariana frowned.
"What?"
Augustus raised his hand.
The darkness twisted violently.
Then,
a second wave of Abyss power exploded from his body.
Stronger.
Far stronger than before.
The shockwave struck the dragon army.
Screams filled the sky.
Nearly half the dragons fell instantly as the shadow drained their strength.
The golden light around Ariana flickered.
Kael felt it weaken.
"That's not good."
Augustus smiled again.
"You cannot defeat me."
The darkness surged forward again.
The golden light struggled to hold.
Ariana gritted her teeth.
"I won't let you destroy this world."
Augustus tilted his head slightly.
"You misunderstand."
His voice turned colder.
"I'm not destroying the world."
The Abyss energy spread across the sky like a living storm.
"I'm remaking it."
Darkness swallowed the dragon army.
The palace trembled.
Ariana's power flickered again.
Then suddenly,
the Dragon King roared.
Louder than before.
The sound shook the entire mountain.
Ariana looked up.
"What is he doing?"
The man beside her whispered in shock.
"He's calling them."
"Calling who?"
Far away, the clouds began to move.
Not like a storm.
Like something enormous was approaching.
A shadow moved through the distant sky.
Then—
a dragon burst through the clouds.
Then another.
And another.
Ariana's eyes widened.
"That's impossible."
The Dragon King's voice echoed proudly inside her mind.
Not impossible.
The royal dragons have returned.
The sky filled with wings again.
Hundreds of them.
But these dragons were different.
Their scales shone like ancient gold.
Their eyes burned with royal fire.
And they were flying straight toward the battlefield.
And as they descended toward the battlefield, the Dragon King's voice echoed inside Ariana's mind.
The royal dragons have returned.
And the war has only just begun.