The dungeon core's chamber pulsed with eerie light, brighter and faster with every passing second. Its glow stretched over the crystalline walls, shadows dancing across the stone.
Kael froze when a monotone voice echoed in his mind:
[Dungeon Core Notification: The egg is entering its final stage of hatching.]
The orb-like egg sat cradled in the chamber's center, larger than any man, its cracked surface radiating waves of raw mana that made the very air vibrate. The little girl clutched Kael's sleeve, her eyes wide with both fear and excitement.
"Come," Kael said gently, leading her closer. His voice carried a steadiness he didn't entirely feel. "If this creature is to be born into my domain, then you should be the first it sees. You… and I."
The girl nodded, though her small hands trembled.
The egg pulsed once more, the cracks widening with a thunderous snap. A roar, muffled at first, reverberated inside like a drumbeat against the dungeon walls.
At the same time, in the heart of Greyspire, the atmosphere was thick with venom.
Arlen stood before the prince, kneeling low as he relayed the grim reports. "The border village is gone. The sacrifice failed. And… the treaty beast has been slain. Worse—its corpse is missing. My men swear something, or someone, has taken it."
The prince's fist crashed against the armrest of his throne, splintering the wood. His face, already drawn with frustration, twisted into barely contained rage.
"Missing?!" he bellowed. "First, rumors in the capital about my ties to bandits spread like wildfire. Then the nobles whisper treason against my name. And now, the creature that secured my father's borders is dead, its body stolen as if by vultures?!"
Arlen lowered his head further, though his mind raced. This is no longer coincidence. Someone is orchestrating all of this… someone who wants the empire itself to fracture.
The prince dragged a hand through his hair, his eyes bloodshot. "If my brothers or sisters seize on this—if they claim I have lost the trust of both people and beast—my succession crumbles. I will not allow it."
He leaned forward, voice sharp as a blade. "Find them, Arlen. Whoever is behind this—find them and make an example so brutal that every noble and every whisperer remembers what it means to stand against me."
Arlen bowed, though unease gnawed at him. But what if the enemy we face is beyond even what we can control?
Back inside the dungeon, the egg exploded with a surge of light and sound, fragments scattering across the chamber floor like shards of glass. A deafening roar shook the walls, so loud the girl instinctively covered her ears.
From within emerged a creature unlike anything Kael had ever seen.
It rose on two colossal legs, its body covered in jagged scales that shimmered with molten veins of fiery red. Spikes ran down its spine like serrated blades, each one radiating primal power. Its eyes glowed a deep, abyssal crimson, locking onto Kael and the girl with terrifying intelligence.
A mutated lizard, but no ordinary one—its very presence pressed down like a mountain of mana. Titan-class. A living calamity.
The girl's summoner aura flared unconsciously, threads of light connecting her trembling form to the newborn beast. To Kael's astonishment, the monster lowered its massive head—not in hostility, but in recognition.
The chamber trembled under its weight, its roar echoing like the birth cry of a god of flame and fury.
Kael stood rooted, the girl clutching his hand as the impossible became reality.
Another weapon, another burden. A titan born into my dungeon.
And outside, the empire continued to unravel.
The chamber was dim, lit only by a handful of lanterns whose flames swayed in the stale air. Around a polished obsidian table sat two of the empire's most dangerous women—princesses not of armies, but of daggers in the dark and whispers in the court.
The younger sister leaned back, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "The rumors spread faster than even I expected. Our dear brother is stumbling, and now this… the treaty beast gone. The nobles whisper of weakness. The military questions his alliances. He is cracking."
Her elder sister smirked, folding her hands together. "Then we strike the iron while it is hot. Greyspire is shaken by disaster; its people seek stability. If we go there under the pretense of offering aid, we can turn their loyalty. A campaign in the prince's own stronghold will bleed him without us lifting a sword."
"Not bleed," the younger corrected with a sharp smile. "Strangle."
They exchanged a knowing look, the plot weaving tighter. Soon, Greyspire would no longer be the prince's fortress—it would be their stage.
Kael knelt beside the little girl, the newborn titan-lizard crouched nearby, its molten eyes fixed entirely on her. The beast, for all its terrible size and presence, acted more like a protective sibling than a predator, lowering its spiked head toward her with an almost gentle rumble.
"Listen carefully," Kael said, his tone steady but softer than usual. "What I will teach you is called a binding technique. It links your soul with this creature's essence. If you succeed, he will never harm you—and you will share strength, trust, and loyalty."
The girl nodded, wiping the tears still lingering on her cheeks. Her small hands glowed faintly as Kael guided her, teaching her the ancient words of command, weaving mana into form.
The lizard exhaled a low growl, the air vibrating with heat as if it awaited her voice alone.
She spoke the final phrase—her childish voice cracking, but firm. A thread of light leapt from her chest, wrapping around the titan-lizard's core. For a moment, the dungeon itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then the bond sealed.
The lizard let out a thunderous but warm roar, lowering itself fully to the ground and nudging the girl's shoulder with its colossal snout. She laughed for the first time since Kael had met her, hugging its scales without fear.
To Kael's eyes, it was like watching a younger brother pledge himself to an older sister. The girl's summoner aura flared once more, no longer uncertain—it resonated with clarity, a Titan-class summoner's first bond.
Kael stepped forward, holding a large piece of scorched flesh—the tail segment of the fire lizard he had slain in the cave. He tossed it before the titan, and the beast devoured it in one snap, molten energy coursing brighter across its scales.
"You will need space to grow," Kael murmured, his eyes narrowing with foresight. "And when you grow… the world itself will tremble."
He extended his hand to the dungeon core.
Stone groaned. Floors shifted. In the deepest parts of the labyrinth, beneath even the dwarves' halls, a vast chamber unfolded—half molten rivers and fire-lit caverns, half stone platforms reinforced to hold colossal weight.
The titan lizard's domain.
Pyraflame appeared, its ember wings stretching wide as it circled the newborn with a protective cry. Kael nodded. "Watch over him. He will be your kin, your equal."
The little girl beamed as Kael touched her forehead gently. "From now on, you hold privileges. You can visit him whenever you wish, directly. Treat this gift with care."
Her eyes shone, reflecting the crimson light of her new companion. "Thank you… big brother."
Kael's lips twitched into the faintest of smiles, though his thoughts were far heavier.
Another seed planted. Another weight on my shoulders. And one more step closer to the downfall of those who betrayed me.