The Night Before the End
The moon had hung high, veiled behind streaks of stormclouds.
Torches flickered against the cold stone walls.
And inside the king's war chamber, surrounded by maps drenched in blood and ash—
It was just me and him.
My father.
The King of Airillesta.
And his final gamble.
---
He stared out the window for a long time before speaking.
> "Alein," he said, voice quieter than I'd ever heard,
"I've given orders to the generals… to hold the wall for as long as they can."
> "But… I'm putting everything else in your hands."
I blinked. "What?"
He turned, eyes full of a pain no armor could hide.
> "The Drake," he said.
"That beast isn't like the others. It doesn't just command them. It controls them."
"If it falls, the horde will scatter. Just long enough for hope to breathe again."
> "And you're the only one who can reach it."
---
I opened my mouth, but he raised a hand.
> "I know what I'm asking. It isn't fair. It's cruel."
"But you… you were born with something even I can't understand."
"You take pain and turn it into strength. You take wounds and keep standing."
He stepped forward, placing his hand on my shoulder.
> "You are my son.
You are a prince.
But above all…
You are our last sword."
---
That night, I agreed.
I would fight the Drake.
Alone, if I had to.
---
Now – Beneath the Beast
Fog and flame burned the sky red as I approached.
The Drake loomed above me like a mountain of obsidian.
Wings stretched wide.
Its golden eyes glowing like molten suns.
The monsters cleared from my path, watching as I walked through their corpses.
My legs trembled.
My breath burned.
Blood streamed from my wounds.
And still—
I kept walking.
---
Then, the Drake spoke.
Its voice, like thunder without sound, entered my mind.
> "You are the one."
> "The reckless child. The prince of ash. The sword that drips sorrow."
> "Why do you persist?"
It lowered its head, eyes locking with mine.
> "You've lost nearly everything."
"You bleed. You burn. Your bones scream for rest."
> "So why… do you not yield?"
---
I stared up at it, raising my halberd slowly, my body aching with every twitch.
Then I answered, voice hoarse—
But clear.
> "Because I still have one thing left…"
> "A promise."
---
The Drake's eyes narrowed.
> "A promise…?"
---
> "To someone who cried for me when I chose to fight."
> "To a kingdom that still has people who believe."
> "To a girl lying half-dead because I wasn't strong enough to protect her."
I stepped forward, blade scraping the earth.
> "That's why I won't fall.
Even if my body breaks…
Even if I turn to dust…
I will not let you pass."
---
The Drake was silent.
Then—
A sound rumbled from its chest.
A deep, vibrating growl—
Not of anger.
Of amusement.
> "So be it."
> "Let the sky witness the fall of one more foolish prince."
---
Its wings snapped open—
Casting a shadow over the entire battlefield.
---
And as its claws curled into the soil, ready to lunge—
I raised my halberd with both hands.
> "Come then, beast."
> "Let's see whose fire burns brighter—"
> "Yours…"
> "Or mine."
---
The Battle Begins
The wind split.
The ground cracked.
And I charged.
My halberd roared through the air like thunder, glinting with morning light as it cut through smoke and blood-soaked wind.
The Drake lunged forward like a landslide in motion.
Claws the size of towers dug into the soil, tearing up boulders and flame with every step.
We met—
Steel against scales.
I ducked beneath a tail swipe that could destroy a wall.
Rolled forward.
Brought my halberd up in a vertical slash—metal screaming as it collided with the Drake's foreleg.
The blow sent sparks flying—
But not blood.
Its scales were too thick.
---
The Drake lifted its claw and swung.
I barely blocked it—
But the impact sent me flying back, smashing through shattered stone and landing hard on my side. My ribs cracked. Blood filled my mouth.
> "So fragile…" the Drake growled telepathically.
> "And yet you still stand?"
---
I wiped the blood from my mouth, forced my legs to move.
> "I told you," I muttered through grit teeth.
"I made a promise."
---
Dancing With Death
I rushed again.
I couldn't give it time to fly.
Couldn't let it breathe fire.
Its wings began to lift—
So I leapt off a fallen ogre corpse, using it as a springboard.
Mid-air, I spun—
Halberd in full arc—
And slammed it across the side of its head.
A burst of smoke erupted. The Drake roared in irritation.
Its tail whipped—
I blocked—
But the force was too great.
I went flying again—hit the battlefield ground hard enough to dent the armor on my chest.
Still… I rose.
My vision spun.
My body screamed.
But my feet stood.
---
The Drake charged this time, mouth open.
Its fangs could pierce castle gates.
It was faster than before.
And I couldn't dodge.
---
I dove forward—
The jaws just barely missed me, but its claw came down a second later—
And crashed into my left leg.
CRACK.
I screamed.
The force crushed the bone completely.
My vision nearly went black from the pain.
Blood soaked my greaves.
I dropped to one knee—panting, sweating, almost laughing from the sheer agony.
The Drake lowered its head, eye-to-eye again.
> "Still you breathe…?"
---
I clenched my teeth.
Gripped my halberd—
And with every ounce of pain, rage, grief, and purpose—
I threw it.
---
The halberd flew through the sky like a comet.
Spinning.
Glowing.
And pierced the Drake's right eye.
---
BOOM.
The beast reared back in agony.
It roared—no longer smug, no longer calm—
It screamed, its voice shaking the battlefield for miles.
Green-black blood sprayed like rain as the massive claw flailed, trying to rip the weapon free.
The horde below stopped—frozen in terror.
Knights on the wall gasped.
I… collapsed to one knee.
Breathing hard. One leg ruined. Weaponless.
But I smiled.
> "You're not invincible…" I whispered.
"Bleed for me, beast."
Chapter 12 end....