Chapter 17
The sky had turned into a battlefield.
Dragons circled through the clouds like living storms, their massive wings cutting through the air as bursts of fire clashed between them. The sound of roars and rushing wind echoed across the mountains. Below, parts of the palace terraces burned where dragonfire had struck the ancient stone, and smoke drifted upward, thickening the air.
Everything changed the moment the fortress appeared. At first, it looked like nothing more than a shadow inside the storm. Then the clouds tore apart, and the massive structure drifted into view 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, steady like a heartbeat.
The fortress made no sound. It did not roar or burn with fire. It simply hovered there, silent and immense. And suddenly, the dragons hesitated.
The Dragon King slowly lifted his massive head. Even from the terrace, Ariana could feel the shift in the air. The golden dragon beside her let out a low, uneasy growl that vibrated through the marble beneath their feet.
Ariana felt a chill run down her spine. "That thing…" she whispered.
Kael followed her gaze, his golden eyes narrowing. "…is not a dragon."
"No," the man in black and gold said quietly. He stood rigid, his eyes locked on the fortress as if he were looking at something he had hoped never to see again. "I was hoping we were wrong."
Kael glanced at him. "Wrong about what?" But the man didn't answer.
Because the figure standing at the edge of the fortress had moved. The stranger stepped forward slowly, tall and 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.
The moment his gaze landed on her, the golden power inside her recoiled.
Her breath caught sharply. "He can feel me." Kael's expression hardened instantly. "Good." Ariana grabbed his arm. "No, Kael." He looked at her. "What?"
"That man…" Her grip tightened slightly. "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, deeper and darker than before. "Of course he is not." Ariana's chest tightened. "Why?"
"Because he has killed Sovereigns before."
The words hit her like ice. "What?"
The man in black and gold stepped forward quickly, his expression tense. "He shouldn't be alive."
Kael turned sharply. "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, and the dragons guarding the fortress shifted at once not like wild creatures, but like soldiers waiting for orders. "Who is he?" Kael asked.
The answer came quietly. "The last Sovereign Slayer." For a moment, no one spoke. Even the dragons circling high above seemed to pause.
Kael's wolf stirred uneasily. "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." His gaze never left the fortress. "And he's the reason the throne has been empty ever since." Kael's voice dropped. "So he's here to kill her."
"Yes."
The wind swept harder across the terrace, tugging at Ariana's hair and clothes. High above, Malrec raised his other hand. The runes carved into the fortress walls began to glow brighter.
The moment they did, Ariana felt it.
The power inside her twisted painfully, as if something invisible had tightened around her chest. She gripped the edge of the balcony to steady herself.
"Something's wrong."
Kael turned to her immediately. "What is it?"
"That magic…" She inhaled sharply. "It's pulling at my power."
The Dragon King growled 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 spread across the battlefield, quiet but somehow reaching 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. "You'll wait a little longer."
Malrec didn't even look at him. His attention stayed on Ariana. "The throne should have remained empty."
Ariana forced herself to stand straighter despite the pressure crushing 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 wave of dark energy crashed down toward the palace like a storm. The Dragon King roared across the sky."Brace!"
The golden dragon spread its wings instantly. Kael pulled Ariana back just as the shockwave struck the terrace.
Stone cracked. Walls shattered. The mountain trembled beneath their feet.
Ariana felt the 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, Malrec lowered his hand slowly. His smile deepened slightly.
"Interesting."
The dragons around the fortress roared in response.Ariana's breathing became uneven. "I can't…" Kael gripped her shoulders. "Stay with me."
Malrec spoke again. "You see? Even reborn, the Sovereign remains weak."
Kael's voice turned cold. "You talk too much."
Malrec tilted his head. "And you speak like someone who still believes this ends well."The fortress began descending through the clouds, moving 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. "Good."
The man turned sharply toward him. "You cannot fight him." Kael's 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 around him glowed like dark stars as he moved 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 above the terrace. His silver eyes gleamed with quiet amusement. "If you truly are the Sovereign…" He raised his hand slowly.
"…then command your dragons to kill me."
The sky went silent.Every dragon turned toward Ariana. Waiting. Even the Dragon King.
Kael looked at her. "Can you do it?"
Ariana stared at the man floating above the city. Her heart pounded as the golden power inside her struggled against the pressure holding it back.
"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.