Orin took a sample from the waters of the Shimmering Valley and returned with King Harold to the palace. Back in the grand halls of Evok Castle, Adara's birthday celebration was at its peak. Queen Victoria sat beside her, trying to ease the clear tension written across her daughter's face. In only moments, the formal coronation ceremony would begin, marking Adara as the rightful princess of the realm.
But murmurs filled the room. The nobles whispered, concerned and confused by King Harold's sudden disappearance. Their unease only heightened the pressure weighing on Adara's heart.
She rose abruptly from her seat at the coronation platform. Victoria caught her hand gently. "Where are you going, Adara?" she asked.
But Adara pulled her hand away sharply and descended the steps, tears brimming in her eyes. Her steps echoed through the corridor as she fled. Inwardly, she questioned the coldness she constantly felt from her father. What was missing in her? What did she lack that made her invisible to him? She had done everything to earn his affection, his approval. And yet, nothing ever seemed enough.
Outside, guards patrolled the grounds in steady rhythm—until the earth-shattering roar of a dragon split the sky. The drums fell silent. Nobles froze mid-conversation, staring at one another in disbelief.
"Was that real?" someone whispered.
A shadow swept across the castle as thick, black smoke began to swirl in. It blanketed the corridors in choking darkness. Panic erupted. The celebration turned to chaos. No one could see anything beyond the smoke, and fear spread like wildfire.
Victoria stood and called out through the darkness. "Adara! Adara!"
Daniel, the Queen's loyal knight, appeared at her side. "My Queen?"
"I can't find her! She ran off before the roar—please, help me!"
"Your Majesty, if there's danger, I must ensure your safety first—"
"No!" Victoria's voice broke. "Adara is the one in danger. Go! Find her, Daniel. Find her no matter the cost!"
Daniel quickly rallied a handful of knights and began searching through the fog-choked halls, calling out Adara's name. But no answer came. The music had long stopped. The food lay scattered. The decorations had been overturned. The once-bright ballroom had become a scene of tragedy.
From afar, King Harold and Orin approached the castle on horseback. The sight that met them stopped them cold. Black smoke poured from the palace, rising like a dark omen. Yet the rest of the kingdom remained peaceful and clear.
"What is this madness?" Harold gasped.
"We must hurry," Orin urged. "But I do not believe the Queen is the target. It's Adara. She's in far greater danger."
They charged forward, galloping through the gates and into the storm of smoke. Inside, the air was thick and suffocating. Flames were nowhere to be seen, but the smell of burning hung in the air. The only sound was the haunting roar of the dragon echoing through the halls.
Harold gripped his sword, eyes scanning the blackness. "Victoria! Adara!" he shouted, but the fog devoured every voice.
Guests stumbled in the dark, nobles fled, and chaos reigned. The coronation was ruined. The alliance—perhaps the kingdom itself—was on the verge of collapse.
In one corridor, Orin stumbled upon Queen Victoria slumped against a wall, struggling for breath. He dropped to his knees beside her.
"My Queen! Are you hurt?"
She barely whispered, "Orin... please... find Adara."
Then she fainted.
With trembling hands, Orin lifted her and carried her to her chambers. He laid her gently upon her bed, eyes filled with worry. Her breathing steadied, but she remained unconscious.
King Harold rushed in shortly after. "Where is she? Is she alright?"
"She'll be fine," Orin replied. "She collapsed from the smoke, but she's stable."
Harold took his wife's hand, pressing it to his cheek. "I was so afraid... I searched everywhere."
Then he looked at Orin. "And Adara? Any sign of her?"
Orin shook his head and left immediately. He searched the halls, passing unconscious guards and shaken nobles. No trace of Adara. There was only one place left to check—her room.
Racing there, he encountered Daniel.
"Did you find her?" Orin asked.
Daniel shook his head grimly. "We searched every corridor. Even her chambers—she wasn't there."
But as they reached Adara's room again, the door stood ajar.
They entered cautiously.
Adara lay on the bed, breathing softly, unharmed. Relief washed over Orin's face. But something else caught his eye: a scroll beside her hand, sealed with the mark of a dragon.
Daniel looked at Orin, confused and concerned.
"Leave me alone with her," Orin said quietly.
Daniel obeyed and stepped out.
Orin approached the scroll slowly, his fingers brushing over the dragon seal. He stared at it in silence, dread crawling up his spine.
A message from the last dragon prince had arrived.
That night, in Kyle's quiet cottage near the Shimmering Valley, the fire crackled softly under the pale light of the moon. Kyle sat beside it, his staff in hand, staring at the stars while Bilos lay silently at his feet. An odd ache pulled at his chest—a sense of dread, as though something dark loomed just beyond the hills, threatening the peace he fought to preserve for his daughter.
No news from the castle had reached this distant corner of Evok. Rumors never wandered this far.
Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the silence.
Kyle sprang to his feet, grabbing his staff as Bilos barked and bolted toward the cottage. They found Luna tossing and turning in her bed, caught in the throes of a nightmare. Her face glistened with sweat, her limbs flailing wildly, and her breath shallow and panicked.
He knelt beside her, gently shaking her shoulders."Luna... Luna, wake up, sweetheart. It's just a dream."
But it didn't feel like a dream. It felt like a memory—or a warning.
She jolted awake, eyes wide with terror. Without a word, she threw her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. He held her tightly, whispering soothing words. When she finally spoke, her voice trembled:
"It was a black monster, Father... I wasn't here with you or with Bilos or Zoey... I was somewhere else, and it kept calling out to me... it said, Give me back what is mine... return my power..."
Kyle's heart sank. He knew. He knew exactly what she had seen.
"Take a deep breath, my dear," he said gently. "It's probably just a dream from too much training. You need rest."
But she shook her head, her voice barely a whisper."I was glowing... my hair was longer. I wasn't in our home. It was... stone. Cold. And he was there, coming closer. I couldn't run fast enough..."
Kyle swallowed the lump in his throat. That wasn't a dream. It was a sign. A vision. Her hidden power was awakening too early—and the dragon heir was reaching out.
Still, he smiled to her.
"Then maybe I should sleep next to you tonight. If that monster comes back, I'll chase him away with this mighty stick of mine!" he said with a wink, holding up his staff.
Luna giggled through her tears and snuggled into his side. Within moments, her breathing slowed, and she drifted into sleep, clutching his sleeve.
Kyle lay awake, watching the shadows flicker across the ceiling. He gently brushed a silver strand of her hair from her forehead, and whispered in silence to the stars:
Protect her. Please... protect my Luna.