"Behold," he declared, his voice rolling like thunder across the trembling land. "The Black Dragon of the Abyss—once chained by the gods themselves, now freed by me! This… is the true might that mocks fate!"
The dragon roared again, its cry splitting the skies, and Julian felt his skull on verge of exploding. His expression remained calm but his chest weighed with fear so heavy it felt like chains around his lungs. The sheer pressure of the dragon's aura pressed on his bones, yet his eyes never left the Patriarch.
Then, the Patriarch's voice boomed again, echoing through out the quaking land.
"Julian."
Julian's eyes widened, the single word making him freeze in place as effectively as the previous paralysis.
Julian.
It had been ages since he had heard that name—his true name—spoken aloud in this world. For the first time since he had seized Rael's body, someone had pierced through the mask her wore and called to the man he truly was.
His lips parted, but no words came.
