Chapter 330 – Ashes of Victory
The battlefield was silent, save for the crackling of dying fires and the distant thrum of thousands of retreating feet. Where once an army of one hundred thousand orcs stood, there remained only carnage—bodies burned to ash, the stench of blood and smoke so thick it hung in the air like a suffocating fog.
And at the heart of it all lay Kael.
The dragon, once towering and terrible, sprawled across the broken ground, his wings limp and torn, his body riddled with wounds. His scales, usually black and gleaming, were dulled by blood, soot, and deep gashes that oozed sluggishly. His chest rose and fell shallowly, each breath rattling as if the weight of the world pressed down upon him.
His head lay turned to the side, golden eyes dulled but faintly glowing, their light flickering like a dying star.
The Council Breaks Free
The chaos bonds that had shackled the council finally dissolved, snapping one by one like brittle chains. Rogan stumbled forward first, falling to his knees in the dirt beside Kael's massive form. His hand pressed to the dragon's scorched scales, trembling.
"Damn you, Kael…" Rogan's voice cracked, raw and broken. "Damn you for doing this alone…" His massive shoulders shook, and for once the unshakable warrior bowed his head in grief.
Lyria was next, sprinting so fast her legs nearly buckled beneath her. She pressed both hands to Kael's jaw, the warmth of his blood soaking into her palms. "Kael, please," she begged, tears streaming freely down her face. "Please, don't leave me. Don't leave us." Her voice cracked into a sob as she leaned against him, her forehead pressing to the scarred scales of his snout.
Azhara collapsed to her knees on the other side, her healer's robes already stained with her own blood from earlier in the battle. She pressed glowing hands against the wounds, frantic mana flooding into his body. "I won't let you go," she hissed through gritted teeth. Her tears fell hot and fast, her voice trembling with anger. "Don't you dare do this, Kael. Not after everything. Not after what you made me believe in."
Selina, Fenrik, Varik, even Zerathis—all surrounded him, each in their own way struck by the weight of what they were witnessing.
Selina's tears came quietly, her healer's instincts screaming at her that no spell, no balm could truly mend wounds like these. Fenrik's fists were clenched so tightly blood dripped from his palms, his stoic face twisted with grief he couldn't voice. Varik shook his head in silent disbelief, muttering prayers to gods he didn't believe in.
And Zerathis… the daemon knelt, eyes narrowed, expression carved in stone. His hand pressed briefly to the dragon's side. "You've earned my loyalty a hundred times over," he murmured, his deep voice low, almost reverent. "Don't you dare die before I've repaid it."
Inside the Darkness
But Kael heard none of it.
For him, the world had already gone black.
He drifted in an endless void, weightless, the noise of battle gone, the pain of his wounds dulled to nothing. Only silence. Only emptiness.
And then the voice returned.
"So you see it now, don't you?" The voice slithered through the darkness, velvet and terrible. "What power truly means. What it takes to win. You tasted it, little dragon—you tasted a sliver of what you could be."
Kael tried to speak, but his voice was swallowed by the void. Still, his thoughts burned, sharp and jagged. You said a sliver. That wasn't just me out there—that was you.
The voice laughed, deep and rolling like thunder. "And yet, who claimed the victory? Who tore the Overlord's head from his shoulders? You did. My power, your will. Together."
Kael's chest tightened. Images flickered before his eyes, visions that didn't feel like his own—lands consumed by green fire, cities crumbling beneath monstrous shadows, oceans boiling, skies splitting. And above it all, a towering figure of flame and darkness, crowned in scales, wings blotting out the heavens.
"If you had faltered, that vision would have been your world's fate," the voice whispered. "The Overlord was only the beginning. He would have drowned this forest, then marched on every kingdom, every people. Do you see now why you need me?"
Kael clenched his fists in the void, his rage and defiance flaring. I don't need you. I need to be stronger.
"And I am the key to that strength," the voice answered smoothly. "Unlock the chains. Free me from this dungeon cage, and I will give you not slivers, but the whole. Your true form, Kael. Your birthright. The world will kneel—or it will burn. It is your choice."
The void pulsed with heat, suffocating, oppressive. Kael staggered, fighting against the weight of it. And yet… beneath the fear, beneath the temptation, one thought burned brighter than all the rest:
My people.
The World Returns
"Kael!" Lyria's cry pierced the void like an arrow.
The darkness cracked, light bleeding through. The suffocating heat faltered, replaced by the cool touch of hands pressed desperately against him.
He inhaled sharply, coughing blood, his body spasming as the world came back in a rush. His eyes cracked open, golden light flickering weakly within them.
The council erupted. Relief, sobs, and laughter tangled in the air as they crowded closer. Lyria clutched his head in her hands, pressing her forehead to his, whispering over and over. "You're here. You're here. You didn't leave me."
Azhara collapsed beside her, her healing light dimming as her own strength gave way. "You idiot," she sobbed, voice breaking. "You absolute, reckless, beautiful idiot."
Rogan roared his relief, pounding his fist against the dirt. Fenrik exhaled a breath he'd held far too long. Even Zerathis's lips quirked, though his eyes still burned with unease at what he'd witnessed.
Kael's chest rose and fell shallowly, every breath labored, but he managed a faint, broken smile. "Still… here," he rasped, his voice barely audible, but enough to silence the storm around him.
The Whisper
As exhaustion threatened to drag him under once more, Kael felt it—that whisper, softer now, curling around his fading thoughts.
"Rest, little dragon. You've won this day. But tomorrow… tomorrow, we speak again."
And Kael's world went dark, his body surrendering to the weight of exhaustion, leaving his council gathered close, their tears mixing with the blood-soaked earth as they vowed to protect him until he woke.