The next morning, the Silver City was alive with the sound of trumpets. Kaelen, dressed in black-and-gold battle armor, stood atop his celestial chariot. Beside him sat Lia, her face veiled, her presence a silent shadow that kept the Hero's pain at bay.
"To the Iron-Reach!" the generals shouted.
As the fleet of silver ships tore through the atmosphere, Kaelen looked down at his hands. They felt powerful, humming with the stolen energy Lia had funneled into him. He didn't feel like a hero anymore. He felt like a predator.
"Remember, Kaelen," Lia whispered in his ear as the reddish moon loomed large in their view. "The boy in the mines is a virus. If he lives, the world burns. Do not hesitate. Let the sword drink."
Kaelen gripped the hilt. The violet eye in the center of the crossguard flickered, as if it were blinking in anticipation.
On the surface of Moon 9, Zane looked up at the silver streaks in the sky. He felt the collar around his neck grow hot. The dragon beside him hissed, its indigo eyes locked onto the coming 'Light'.
"He's here," Zane growled, his voice a mix of human rage and draconic power. "The Golden Prince is coming to put us back in chains. Let's show him what the abyss looks like