Chapter 27
The massive eye blinked slowly.
Golden light filled the chamber as the enormous dragon rose from beneath the throne.
Stone cracked and fell away from its body as it lifted its head higher. Dust floated through the glowing air, sparkling in the soft golden glow spreading across the room.
Kael took two slow steps back.
"Okay," he muttered under his breath.
"That is definitely not a statue."
The creature continued rising until its huge body filled the opening beneath the throne. Its massive claws gripped the stone platform as if it had been sleeping there for centuries.
Its scales were unlike any dragon Ariana had ever seen before.
They weren't gold.
They weren't red.
They were a deep ancient bronze, like metal that had existed for thousands of years. Thin silver lines ran between the scales like quiet lightning trapped beneath the surface.
Two long horns curved back from its head like a crown.
And its eyes…
They looked ancient.
Wise.
Older than the mountain itself.
The dragon slowly lifted its head and looked down at Ariana.
For a long moment, the entire chamber was silent.
Even the golden lines on the floor seemed to dim slightly, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Then the dragon lowered its massive head.
In respect.
Kael blinked in disbelief.
"Wait."
He looked at Ariana.
"Did that dragon just bow to you?"
Ariana didn't answer.
Because she felt it too.
The same warm pull she had felt from the throne earlier.
But stronger now.
Much stronger.
It felt like something inside her chest had suddenly awakened.
The dragon's deep voice echoed inside her mind.
At last.
The voice was powerful, but calm. Ancient, yet strangely gentle.
Ariana swallowed.
"You were waiting for me."
For the Sovereign.
Kael crossed his arms and glanced between Ariana and the dragon.
"Alright."
His voice carried his usual calm sarcasm.
"So you two know each other?"
The dragon slowly turned one glowing eye toward him.
Storm Wolf.
Kael straightened slightly.
"Yeah?"
You stand beside the Fifth Blood.
Kael shrugged casually.
"That's the plan."
The dragon watched him for a moment longer before turning its attention back to Ariana.
I am Vormerion.
The name echoed through the chamber like distant thunder rolling through the mountains.
The first guardian of the Sovereign bloodline.
Ariana felt her heart beat faster.
"You've been here this whole time?"
The dragon's enormous wings shifted slightly.
Dust drifted from the ceiling as he moved.
Sleeping. Waiting.
Kael looked around the chamber again.
The dragon statues.
The glowing carvings.
The ancient throne.
"That's a pretty long nap," he said.
The dragon ignored him.
The throne awakened me when you returned.
Ariana slowly looked back at the throne behind her.
"So this place…"
Her voice softened.
"It really belonged to the Sovereigns."
Yes.
The dragon slowly stretched one wing, the bronze scales reflecting the golden light across the chamber walls.
Long ago, before the Dragon King ruled the skies, the Sovereign ruled the balance of the world.
Ariana frowned slightly.
"Balance?"
The dragon lifted his head slightly higher.
Your power was never meant to destroy the bloodlines.
It was meant to protect them.
The moment he said those words, Ariana felt something shift inside her mind.
Images flashed across her vision.
Dragons flying across endless skies.
Wolves running through forests under a silver moon.
Witches standing beside ancient mountains.
Different creatures.
Different bloodlines.
All standing together.
Not as enemies.
But as allies.
The vision disappeared as quickly as it came.
Ariana blinked and steadied herself.
"What was that?"
Memories.
The dragon's voice echoed calmly.
Fragments of the past.
The dragon continued speaking.
The power inside you is the power of restoration.
Ariana tilted her head slightly.
"What does that mean?"
The dragon's glowing eyes softened.
You can heal.
You can protect.
And you can command dragons.
Ariana felt her chest tighten.
Her mind instantly returned to the battle happening above the mountain.
"The dragons… fighting outside."
Yes.
Her voice grew quieter.
"And the ones who died?"
The dragon studied her carefully.
Then he spoke slowly.
Royal dragons who serve the Sovereign…
can rise again through your power.
Kael raised his eyebrows.
"Well."
"That's useful."
But the dragon's voice grew more serious.
But resurrection carries a cost.
Ariana's stomach tightened.
"What kind of cost?"
Your strength.
Your life energy.
The dragon lowered his massive head slightly.
If you attempt to raise too many dragons…
the Sovereign will fall with them.
Kael nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
"That sounds dangerous."
The mountain suddenly trembled.
A low rumble rolled through the stone beneath their feet.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
A distant roar echoed through the tunnels.
Ariana looked up toward the ceiling.
The battle was still happening.
"They're still fighting."
Her voice sounded small in the enormous chamber.
Kael cracked his knuckles.
"Then we should go back."
But the dragon slowly shook his massive head.
Not yet.
Ariana frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The dragon's eyes glowed brighter.
Your power has only just awakened.
He lowered his head slightly toward her.
If you return now…
you will die.
The words echoed heavily through the chamber.
Ariana took a slow breath.
Her hands trembled slightly, but she clenched them into fists.
"So what do I do?"
The dragon's voice rumbled like distant thunder.
You learn.
Kael sighed dramatically.
"I was hoping the answer was punching something."
The dragon ignored him again.
The Sovereign must learn to control her power before she returns to war.
Ariana glanced toward the tunnel behind them.
The sounds of battle still echoed faintly through the mountain.
Roars.
Explosions.
The distant cry of dragons.
"How long will that take?" she asked.
The dragon's voice rumbled softly.
Not long.
Then his glowing eyes slowly turned toward the dark tunnel leading back toward the battlefield.
His expression changed.
The calm ancient dragon suddenly looked… alert.
Because your enemy is already coming.
Kael frowned.
"That can't be good."
The dragon spoke again.
The Abyss has felt the Sovereign awaken.
Silence filled the chamber.
The golden lights flickered softly across the walls.
Even the dragon statues seemed to watch them now.
Then far above the mountain—
a monstrous roar tore through the sky.
The sound echoed through the stone like the scream of something ancient and furious.
The Abyss Titan.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Well."
He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders.
"Looks like our breathing time is over."
The dragon's voice rumbled again.
No.
Both Ariana and Kael looked up at him.
The ancient dragon's eyes burned with quiet power.
Now your training begins.
And somewhere above the mountain,
the war continued.