Chapter 17 – Embers Beneath the Stone
The rumble deepened.
Ashen Aras froze as the hall vibrated around him, the elegant stonework beginning to fracture in thin spiderweb lines. Others were noticing it now—students glancing at the floor, shifting their stances uneasily. Murmurs filled the air, but the instructor in the black and gold robes raised a hand, demanding silence.
"Remain calm," he said, though his eyes betrayed unease. "The foundations here are ancient. Occasionally—"
Before he could finish, a sharp crack echoed through the central hall. The emblem of the empire—an eagle grasping a sun—fell from the ceiling and shattered on the floor, its metal frame ringing like a bell.
That was no ordinary tremor.
Ashen's breath hitched. The echo in his mind still lingered: Do not be afraid of the chaos.
He wasn't.
He was terrified of what would come after it.
The ground beneath his feet flared with a thin line of silver fire—just for a second. It wasn't real flame, but something deeper, more primal. No one else reacted. To them, nothing had happened.
Only him.
Why me? Why now?
Then a wordless pressure pressed into his mind—a presence, not quite the dragon, not the monolith. Something older. Watching. Judging.
Suddenly, the tremors stopped. Dead silence followed, the kind that prickled at the edges of sanity.
Then—
BOOM!
A violent burst of force shattered the eastern wall of the training hall.
Stone and dust exploded inward as a figure emerged from the breach—a cloaked being, wrapped in layers of gray fabric, eyes hidden, but aura unmistakable. A Star-tier cultivator. Maybe more.
Guards moved instantly, drawing blades and surrounding the man in a circle, but none dared attack. The pressure he radiated made it clear—violence would be suicide.
Ashen's heart pounded. Chaos energy curled faintly in his chest, trying to reach out toward the being like it recognized something in him. Something... kin.
The man spoke, voice deep and distorted.
"I come with a message. From beyond the Empire's reach."
The instructor stepped forward, wary. "You trespass on imperial ground. Identify yourself."
The cloaked figure ignored the demand, his gaze shifting slightly—locking onto Ashen Aras.
"You've awakened it," he said.
Ashen froze. "What?"
"Not fully. But enough for the old powers to notice."
Gasps echoed. Several students looked at him in confusion, others in fear. Vale was staring at him now, his expression unreadable.
The cloaked man continued, "The Emperor's program is not what it seems. You've been gathered not to serve—but to be watched. Measured. Controlled."
The instructor shouted, "That is treason!"
"No," the man replied, "it's warning."
And with that, the figure raised a hand. Chaos symbols flared for an instant around him—ancient, wild, nearly incomprehensible. Then his entire form dissolved into mist and vanished through the broken wall.
A heartbeat later, guards rushed after him. But Ashen knew they wouldn't catch him.
This wasn't just some rogue intruder.
This was a herald.
---
Hours later, the hall had been cleared. Repairs ordered. Students dismissed.
Ashen didn't speak to anyone on the way back to his quarters. His mind was spiraling.
Why me? Why now? What did he mean? Watched? Controlled?
Back in his room, he sat cross-legged in the dim glow of a cultivation lamp, sweat beading on his brow. The clone technique shimmered faintly again—stronger than before. But he didn't summon it. He focused instead on the dragon egg within.
The soul-bound core throbbed like a heartbeat, and for the first time, he heard the dragon clearly.
Not words.
But an emotion.
Rage.
Rage… and mourning.
Ashen's hands trembled. "What happened to you?"
The egg pulsed in response. Then, slowly, a memory fragment bled into his thoughts. He saw a battlefield of stars. A great dragon—winged, radiant with chaos—being torn apart by fleets of imperial vessels. Betrayed. Sealed. Slaughtered.
Not in ancient times.
Just centuries ago.
The Empire hadn't just conquered the world. They'd hunted the Stellar Chaos Dragons to extinction.
All except one.
The egg in his soul.
---
Ashen opened his eyes, fury and fear mixing in his veins. His entire body felt electrified.
He finally understood.
He hadn't been chosen because of talent.
He was being contained.
The Emperor knew what he carried. The program… the summons… it was all a trap.
Ashen Aras stood slowly, his shadow flickering against the walls like firelight.
They wanted to watch him?
Fine.
But he would be watching back.
And when the time came, he would not be their pawn.
---
As Ashen stared out the window toward the imperial palace in the distance, Vale stepped quietly into the shadows outside his door.
Eyes narrowed. Listening.
Recording.
And sending a silent transmission from a rune hidden in his sleeve.
"Subject Aras… has begun to awaken."
---