Kael returned to his dungeon in silence. The echoes of Greyspire's council chamber faded behind him, replaced by the pulse of mana flowing through stone and steel. His sanctuary. His fortress. His true empire.
The twin dragons stirred in their chamber, scales shimmering faintly with fire and frost as they slumbered beneath enchanted wards. The lizard lay curled, tail twitching, spine glowing faintly with suppressed heat. Pyraflame and the Frost Guardian stood vigilant like statues, their gazes flicking to Kael as he stepped into the command floor.
He raised his hand, his voice carrying the weight of command.
"Tasks must continue while I am gone. No stagnation. No weakness."
The research team of elves, dwarves, and humans saluted in unison. Kael pointed to the schematics etched across a crystalline board. The model of the new golem stood there—its chest a hollow lattice designed to breathe mana instead of consuming cores.
"You will refine this until it runs seamlessly. I want the first fully operational prototype before I return from the Mining Capital. Split your focus—half on the refinement, half on maintaining current production. Golems that waste mana will not hold against what's coming."
A ripple of acknowledgment spread through them.
Kael moved deeper, raising his hands to summon. The black mist of necromancy curled, and from it stepped two towering forms—a male ogre with tusks like curved blades, and a broad-shouldered orc with war scars etched across his green skin.
"You two," Kael said, voice sharp as steel, "will gather every ogre and orc within these ranges. Not as raiders, not as beasts, but as my minions. Strength without order is useless. Bind them to my will. Train them, discipline them, and shape them into a vanguard. Fail, and your bones will line these halls."
The ogre and orc both knelt, thumping fists against the floor in brutal acknowledgment.
Kael turned then, stretching out his hand. Mana surged, stone groaned, and the dungeon walls shuddered as if bowing to his will. A hundred new rooms unfurled like veins beneath the earth, carved in a single act of power.
The elves, humans, and dwarves—those gifted with the skills of cultivation and harvest—were moved there immediately. He entrusted them with fertile soil and irrigation streams woven from pure mana, bidding them to sow fruits, wheat, rice, spices, and all manner of edible goods.
"Your task is simple," Kael told them. "Grow. Harvest. Feed. This dungeon will not only be my blade—it will be a living heart. The empire's future will beat here."
But Kael was not reckless. He shifted the structure once more, sealing his true strength behind illusions and false fronts. Eight shallow floors stretched above, filled with roaming beasts and false challenges. A dungeon to outsiders—lethal, intimidating, yet nothing compared to the depths.
Beneath those eight floors, his true dominion sprawled: one thousand, one hundred and two hidden chambers, protected by a single barrier.
No one could enter without the insignia Kael had forged—a sigil of blackened steel and bone, etched with his mana. Only those he trusted would carry it.
Satisfied, Kael let the dungeon rest. His summons and allies were given their orders—train, evolve, grow stronger without pause.
At last, he returned home. His mask dissolved into shadow as he crossed the threshold, his steps quiet. The house was still, Reina's soft breathing echoing faintly down the hall. For the first time since Greyspire's blood-soaked battle, Kael allowed his body to sink into bed.
The weight of war, of schemes, of empires yet to be claimed slipped from his shoulders as sleep claimed him.
Tomorrow, the road to the Mining Capital would begin.
Kael's breath had just begun to steady, the weight of battle and command slipping from his body as the silence of his chambers wrapped around him. His dreams were shallow, fragments of flame, steel, and shadow—until a shift of warmth at his side broke the stillness.
Something soft pressed against him.
His instincts, honed sharper than blades, should have snapped him awake, but instead he found himself slowly stirring, his body heavy with exhaustion. His hand brushed against skin—bare, smooth, warm.
Kael's eyes opened.
Sara.
The girl lay curled against him, her silver hair spilling like moonlight across the sheets. She had slipped into his bed without his notice—a feat that should have been impossible.
His gaze sharpened.My instinct didn't alert me? No… it was suppressed.
With a thought, Kael summoned the interface. Sara's status shimmered before his eyes. Strange fluctuations ran through her bloodline, threads of shadow-touched mana weaving tightly around her core. Something was awakening inside her, something older than she was.
Kael narrowed his eyes. "So… you carry secrets even deeper than I thought."
For a moment, he considered removing her gently, shifting her back to her chambers. But when he pulled the blanket aside, he froze.
She was completely naked.
Before he could act, the door creaked open.
"Brother—"
Reina stepped inside. Her sleepy eyes blinked once, then widened as they landed on the sight: Kael propped up against the headboard, Sara draped naked across his chest like some forbidden lover.
For a heartbeat, the world stood still.
Then Reina's lips curved into a mischievous smile. Her brows lifted knowingly as if she'd caught some scandalous act, and she leaned against the doorway.
"Brother… really? In your own bed?" she teased, her tone dripping with mockery far beyond her sixteen years.
Kael's jaw tightened. "It isn't what you think."
Reina giggled softly, covering her mouth with delicate fingers, but her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Of course. I'll leave you to… whatever you weren't doing."
She turned and slipped out, her laughter echoing faintly down the hall.
Kael pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly.Is she really sixteen? That look was far too calculating…
Before he could settle the matter, a soft sound pulled his attention back.
Sara's eyelids fluttered open, revealing silver eyes glowing faintly with mana. She looked at him, lips parting.
"The Abyss Dragon…" she whispered, her voice carrying an echo that did not belong to her alone. "It owes me a favor."
Kael's expression hardened.
At that very moment, deep within his chest, the Abyss Dragon's core flared violently. It pulsed like a second heartbeat, heat radiating through him as if the words had unlocked something ancient.
The room trembled faintly.
Kael's eyes locked on Sara.
What are you really, girl? And why does the Abyss itself stir at your voice?
The Abyss Dragon's core pulsed again, louder this time, like a heart beating inside his chest. Kael steadied his breath, eyes narrowing as he looked down at Sara—no, not Sara.
"You," Kael said, voice low but edged with command. "Who are you… and what favor are you speaking of?"
The faint glow in her silver eyes deepened, and when she spoke again, it was not with the timid voice of a girl but with an ageless resonance that filled the chamber.
"I am not her. I am what remains of the Phoenix who once stood as the Abyss Dragon's equal. Long ago, I saved his life in the eternal war between flame and void. For that, he promised me one thing: that when my cycle of reincarnation ended, he would marry me, binding our fates together."
Kael stiffened. "Marriage? That's the favor you speak of?"
The entity within Sara's body gave a faint, sorrowful laugh. "Yes. But I never returned with a body of my own. Instead, my soul was drawn into the cycle, and generations passed. Sara… is the last descendant who can harness my flame. I slumbered within her bloodline, waiting for this moment."
The glow around her intensified, and for the briefest instant Kael saw wings of blazing gold unfurl behind her silhouette, feathers of fire scattering across the chamber before fading back into nothing.
"But the Abyss Dragon… I feel his silence. His voice is gone. His essence was struck down in the distant echoes of battle. He never came for me…"
Her tone softened, carrying a weight of grief that pressed against Kael's chest.
Kael clenched his fists. The Abyss Dragon had not been slain by his hand, but its core now rested in him. He carried the remnants of its will, its power, its promise.
And with that came the guilt.
He looked at the girl lying before him, the immortal flame hidden in her veins. She had inherited not just power but an ancient vow.
"Then…" Kael said slowly, his voice steady despite the storm inside him. "If that is the favor, then I'll take responsibility. I will marry you."
The Phoenix's voice trembled as though stunned. "You… will?"
"Yes." Kael's eyes hardened with resolve. "The Abyss Dragon is gone, but its promise remains. If you have inherited the Phoenix's will, then I will honor that vow in its stead. It is… the least I can do."
The golden light faded from her eyes. Her lashes fluttered, and Sara's mortal consciousness slowly resurfaced.
When she awoke, her first awareness was the heat on her cheeks—the burning humiliation of finding herself naked in his bed. She yelped softly and scrambled for the blanket, her pale skin flushed crimson.
Kael, however, had already schooled his expression into calm composure. He stood from the bed, pulling his cloak around his shoulders with deliberate precision.
"Compose yourself," he said, his tone firm but not unkind. "From now on, you'll be coming with me. Our next destination is the Mining Capital of the Empire."
Sara looked up at him in shock, still clutching the blanket to her chest. "W-Why… why me?"
Kael's gaze lingered on her, unreadable. For just a moment, he thought he could see the faint shimmer of fiery wings behind her again.
"Because," he said quietly, "you're no longer just Sara. And there are things ahead that will require both your power… and your presence."
Her lips parted, words caught between embarrassment and awe. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, cheeks still aflame, but in her eyes burned a spark that was no longer only hers—it was the Phoenix's legacy, reborn in her blood.
And Kael knew this was just the beginning.