The sanctuary opened before us like a wound carved into the bones of the earth—vast, luminous, breathing heat. Veins of molten gold ran across the cavern walls, pulsing like arteries beneath stone, casting the halls in a sullen, amber glow. Somewhere above, the roof disappeared into shadow, and the steady beat of massive wings echoed like thunder trapped in a cathedral. Every nerve in my body sparked, half terrified, half reverent.
I didn't speak. Couldn't. The weight of ancient power pressed down on my shoulders as if the air itself remembered every sacrifice my bloodline had made—and every sin it still intended to collect.
Damon kept slightly ahead of me, gaze tracking every flicker in the dark. Beneath his calm I could feel how tense he truly was, how close his wolf lingered beneath his skin. Even he—Alpha Tyrant, breaker of packs—was cautious in this place.
Kael led us deeper, boots striking molten stone without hesitation. "The elders are waiting." His tone was clipped, unreadable, though the faintest flick of his eyes toward me carried something like curiosity… or calculation.
We stepped into a circular antechamber and everything changed.
Three dragons were already waiting.
Not illusions. Not carvings. Living creatures—scaled and massive, coiled around towering obsidian pillars. Their eyes were nothing like mortal eyes. They burned.
The first—scales like onyx dipped in gold—watched me in silence, wise and measured, the kind of gaze that saw past flesh and into blood and memory.
The second was smaller, scarred across the brow, amber scales chipped in places. His tail lashed once, striking the stone hard enough to crack it. Brash. Ready to fight before a question had even been asked.
The last reclined in the shadows, emerald scales shimmering faintly. A slow smile curled across its reptilian mouth—not welcoming, exactly. Cunning. Amused.
My throat tightened.
Moonblood, the wise one spoke, though his jaw never moved. The voice thundered through my skull. You stand in a place your kind hasn't entered in five centuries.
I forced my chin higher. "And yet it still answers my blood."
The scarred one snorted, smoke wheeling from his nostrils. Blood that nearly doomed us once already.
Heat sparked down my arms. Silver glyphs flickered, reacting to their proximity—and the insult. Damon caught the change instantly, his hand brushing my lower back; not restraining, grounding.
"Careful," he murmured. "They test more than your fire."
Kael folded his arms in the corner, watching with thinly veiled interest. The bastard was enjoying this.
The emerald dragon tilted its head. Let us see if the flame you carry is power… or plague.
Energy surged through the chamber. The air thickened. My brand throbbed.
I exhaled slowly and extended both palms. Silver light pulsed outward in a soft wave—controlled—not the destructive lance I'd unleashed before. It drifted over the dragons like a moonlit tide…and they reacted.
The wise one bowed its massive head.
The scarred one snarled—but lowered his gaze a heartbeat later.
Only the emerald dragon remained still… eyes narrowing. Interesting, it said. You carry the First Fire… but you also carry choice. That is what makes you dangerous.
Kael stepped forward just enough to speak. "The Moonblood Reborn seeks alliance—but an alliance must be earned."
"Then I'll earn it," I said. "Tell me what you need. Or test me again."
Damon's jaw clenched, and for a moment his voice was nothing but a whisper between his teeth. "You don't need to keep proving yourself."
"Yes," I murmured back, never looking away from the dragons, "I do."
The wise dragon lowered its head again. Very well.
Flames flared in a ring around the hall as a glowing sigil—ancient and brutal—spiraled across the floor.
Control it, the dragon said. Shape it… or burn in it.
Heat slammed into me, stealing the breath from my lungs. I took one step forward and let the silver fire ignite beneath my skin. The sigil rose like a wall of flame before me. For a blink, I saw the First Dragon behind it, wings unfurling in memory, rage glowing behind its eyes.
But I didn't step back.
I pulled.
Every burn, every fear, every memory of chains and betrayal—I drew it inward and bent it violently into a single command. The wall of fire contracted with a scream of heat, folding around my aura and tightening until it spun into a glowing sphere at my palm.
I sealed it with a flick of my fingers. Pure. Controlled.
The hall went silent.
The sphere collapsed into silver dust.
The scarred dragon's growl sounded almost like approval. The emerald one let out a low, dangerous laugh. And the wise elder inclined his head.
You bear the fire with restraint. That is rare.
You have our allegiance—so long as you walk the path of balance.
Stray… and we will burn you before the First Dragon ever reaches you.
"Fair enough," I said quietly.
Damon's hand slipped around my waist just enough for me to feel the tremor he tried to hide. His lips brushed my ear only briefly—quiet enough the others wouldn't hear.
"I've never been more proud of anything… or more terrified of what you're becoming."
I didn't trust my voice, so I simply leaned back into him for half a heartbeat. And that tiny moment—burning, fragile, real—was enough.
The dragons withdrew into shadow. Kael approached, expression unreadable.
"You exceeded expectations… Moonblood." A faint smirk curled against his mouth. "But do not mistake our allegiance for obedience. The Hollow Order moves even now. Their next assault will not be a test." His gaze flicked to the vaulted ceiling, where the molten veins had begun to flicker like warning beacons. "They come with hunger. And with a weapon even dragons fear."
A chill slid in beneath my skin.
Night had fallen by the time Damon and I stepped outside the inner chamber. The sky above the sanctuary had darkened into a bruised purple, and across the horizon—a single streak of black flame tore through the clouds like a scar.
I didn't need Damon to tell me what it was.
The First Dragon was stirring.
And somewhere between here and whatever destiny waited in its wake, I would be forced to choose: become the weapon the world feared… or the flame that saved it.
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