With a final nod, we all mounted our Dragons and got out of the Hidden Kingdom with the army, heading straight to the Crimson Fortress.
When I was a boy, I used to dream I could fly…
Yeah, I knew how weird that sounded, but it wasn’t a run-of-the-mill fantasy, where I saw myself soaring through the sky like Superman or somehow magically “floating” in the clouds.
It was real, more real than anything I had ever experienced.
I could actually feel the breeze on my skin, swirling around my body as I glided through the air above a multihued paradise, Caelisium, my true home. The smell of wet grass along vast green mountains became alive with the remnants of the midnight rain, and the grand lake reflected the blue sky like a sparkling mirror… just as it did today.
Every detail was vibrant and fresh. Warm sun rays bathed me, reminding me of the weekends spent with my parents at the beach before Dad died. I could even see the mist of clouds swaying with the flap of my vast wings while a hoard of Dragons flanked me—my brothers and sisters.
It always felt like I was a Dragon… because, in that moment, I was.
Now I knew everything I saw back then was real. I was connected to each and every one of them, seeing Caelisium through my Dragon Eye.
If only I had known then, what I knew now…
Getting here, returning home had been a difficult journey, but I wouldn’t change a single moment that brought me here. Not a single moment after that either, because it all made me the man that I needed to be to accomplish this. And I was finally ready.
“Brax! Can you see it?”
My attention shifted to Evanna while she flew right beside me. The simple presence of my name on her lips asserted my place here. “Yes, we are almost there.”
With her nod and a determined smile, our gazes returned to the horizon. The Hollow, also known as the Crimson Fortress, rose ominously ahead of us, and my destiny finally began to unfold.
“It’s time. Are you with me?” I asked Tharion and the rest of my Dragon family, who glided invisible along the clouds.
“Always, my king,” they all answered in unison, the exchange of energy flowing through our connection freely, and strengthening our vow.
The weight of our cause had settled onto my shoulders not long ago, but it was a load I was honored to carry.
“Please don’t kill him,” I sent to Tharion, without needing to specify who it was as my hands caressed his neck.
“Azazel must be stopped,” he cautioned. “The threat he poses is far greater than you can imagine. He isn’t himself, Filius. He hasn’t been for far too long.”
“Then stop him from hurting others,” I urged. “Do whatever you need to incapacitate him, Sator. But please, don’t end his life…”
Silence met my plea, but I had to trust that Tharion would do what he knew was best. I couldn’t protect everyone, and I had accepted that.
With a steadying breath, Evie and I exchanged a final glance as the layered mountains that enclosed the Hollow became larger, and I stood on Tharion’s back, focusing on the army flying below us. It was time to end this war once and for all.
“Let’s do this!” I called to her and turned around, running along Tharion’s spine, and jumping off him the next second.
The frantic breeze swirled around my outstretched arms, lifting my cloak behind me. Its cool, and smooth caress reached every inch of my skin as I glided towards Venom—feeling just like it once did in my dreams.
I rolled to a crouch on his back, seeing Midnight, Athina, Xayne, Knight, and Ayssy reduce their speed, joining Tharion in their new formation and head straight for the first ring of foothills before us. Blazing fire shot straight towards the mountains, and as their breaths combined, massive rocks and earth alike began to melt.
Running along Venom’s back, I joined Skylar on his neck—he had dared betray me by choosing her as his soulmate. I couldn’t blame him though; Larie was as unique and badass as he was.
Our gazes searched the low-flying fleet below us that carried the land riders and warriors. Aaron, Charlotte, Willow, Nikau, and Louis rode Daghae, Ardor, Draco, Nuri, and Torrent respectively, accompanied by Vyper who gently landed with the others to let our army and horses onto the land.
Led by Harrison and the land riders, our army began to assemble, preparing for their turn in battle just as Venom lifted Skylar and me in the air, taking me closer to the ward.
Rising high above anyone else, Venom hovered in front of the swaying wall of energy that extended from the ground, disappearing into the clouds. The ward was erected between the first and second mountain fence, so in order for Tharion and the others to melt the second layer, I needed to get rid of it, which would immediately alert Raithian that something was happening outside.
It reminded me that aside from everything Raithian could do, he somehow managed to enclose his fortress with almost nuclear level magic and maintained it day and night.
This was going to be tricky, but in order for our plan to work, I needed to move quickly, and in turn, the team below me needed to melt both foothills just as fast. The second Raithian sent Azazel on us, our army needed to be well on their way to the lava moat.
My Dragon Eye ignited and I checked on Azazel first, finding him asleep in the cave, nothing coming through his gaze.
Here goes nothing.
Focusing on the magical fence, I closed my eyes and opened myself to its power, sensing the energy that created it. Immediately recognizing it, my eyes opened again, and I extended my arms, sending a surge of golden magic towards it. One intention took over my being while the energy expended against the ward, blanketing it inch by inch. Disable it.
Specks of gold soon began to mix with the green, both swirling in a dance of wills. As my power overcame it, the mystical fence shuttered, causing gasps to erupt from those below me. Just like they had with Raithian’s fire blast, my scales surged over my skin, absorbing it.
The swaying ward began to disintegrate before my eyes, its energy becoming mine and charging me with power until it was fully gone. Every cell in my being pricked with its potency, electrifying me with supercharged magic.
Holy shit.
Skylar and I exchanged a glance while Tharion and the other Dragons rushed forwards, attacking the second foothill. My gaze shot across the sky, immediately connecting with Evie’s and she grinned at me, her expression saying she never doubted me for a minute.
Something pulled at my consciousness when our warriors advanced below, and my surroundings abruptly changed, the darkened throne room in the Hollow’s tower replacing it all.
“How dare you take down my ward?!” the Warlock raged, both shocked to his core and infuriated by my deed. The staff appeared in his grasp.
I meant to reply, but long and ragged welts stretched along his upper body, stealing my attention. That was me. I’d done that to him, and although the wounds weren’t fully healed, they had considerably scarred. Black burns perfectly drew the vines of our rejected vow along his forearms, reminding me of a tattoo. The sight of him like that was jarring, but it finally reflected the true monster he was on the inside.
“Answer me!” he ordered, an almost maddening look in his eyes.
“I came for you. To stop you from destroying another world like you did ours. And to take my throne.”
His teeth gritted as he walked closer, fury simmering just below his marred skin.