The Dragon Temple of Valyria
Elaena breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Laenor trying to open his eyes. His eyelids twitched before finally parting, revealing to the world his blue eyes… Elaena blinked, but the sight did not change.
Laenor's eyes had changed color. They had once been a deep, stormy blue—like lightning in the heart of a storm. Now, they were the color of the ocean, blue with flecks of green woven within, and there was a depth to them that she could feel as they gazed back at her… like an unending sea.
Before she could speak, the sound of thunder exploded through the temple. Elaena's hands flew to her ears instantly—it was deafening. The tall, wide windows of the temple shattered violently under the force of the sound, and for a brief moment, even Elaena felt the shockwave ripple through her body.
Her gaze shot toward the broken windows and into the sky beyond. There, she saw inky black clouds stretching for leagues upon leagues, as far as her eyes could see. By the looks of it, all of Valyria—perhaps even lands beyond—lay beneath that storm. The clouds were so dense that not a single ray of light pierced through them, as if day itself had been swallowed, leaving only night behind.
Elaena pressed her hands harder against her ears as thunder followed thunder, each strike louder than the last. Yet there was a rhythm to it—a terrible symphony, like the drums of war she had once heard. And in that ear-shattering chorus, there was something else—a sense of welcome. And Elaena knew exactly who they were welcoming.
When she turned back to Laenor, she found him staring upward in exhilaration, something bordering on madness flickering across his expression as lightning itself seemed to dance within his eyes.
Elaena suddenly felt something wet against her palms. Pulling her hands away, she saw blood—her ears were bleeding.
A realization struck her. Her body was no longer normal—not since Lady Light's blessing. She was stronger, faster, more resilient than any ordinary Valyrian and Dragonlord—Lady Light herself had said so. And yet, despite that, her ears were bleeding, so what fate might have fallen to those who are not blessed as she?
Slowly, she turned her head toward the priests and sorcerers behind her—and what she saw made her eyes widen in horror.
They lay sprawled upon the ground in a spreading pool of blood, their own lifeblood leaking from their ears, noses, and mouths. Most of them appeared lifeless… save for one, whose body still twitched faintly as fresh blood trickled from his nose.
Elaena turned back to Laenor immediately and grabbed him, shaking him hard.
"You're killing them—you're killing the priests of your own gods! Stop this, Laenor—STOP THE STORM!"
She could not even hear her own voice. Her ears rang incessantly, blood flowing like a thin stream down her neck.
Laenor's blue-green eyes turned toward her, and Elaena flinched under that gaze. There was something vast behind it—something endless, something destructive.
Still, she forced herself to hold his gaze, pouring her plea into that silent connection between them. And slowly… it worked. Awareness returned to his eyes, confusion replacing the storm that had consumed him.
She said nothing—only pointed behind her.
Laenor leaned back slightly, looking past her. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he pushed himself to his feet. The movement came instinctively, his body acting before his mind fully caught up—just as Elaena herself had experienced after her own transformation.
He stretched, rolling his shoulders, tilting his neck from side to side, even walking and jumping lightly—like a warrior warming up before battle, as Elaena had seen her brother do countless times.
Once finished, his attention returned to the bleeding priests. Elaena, meanwhile, glanced outside the temple. The thunder had ceased, yet all she could hear was the faint ringing in her ears.
As she slowly wiped the blood from her ears, Laenor seemed to reach a decision. He raised his hand, and water formed out of nothingness.
Elaena was not surprised—she had seen him perform such feats before. But this time, there was a difference. The water—if it could even be called that—was golden, translucent yet radiant.
When Laenor gathered enough, he split it into two portions—one large, one small. The larger mass flowed toward the fallen priests, while a smaller glob drifted toward Elaena.
She turned toward him, a question forming on her lips—only for the golden liquid to slip into her mouth before she could react. She did not choke, nor could she spit it out. It dissolved instantly, absorbed directly into her body—not swallowed, but absorbed. She could feel it.
"What was that?" The question escaped her before she could stop herself.
But as her own voice reached her ears, her eyes widened in realization—she could hear again. The ringing was gone.
She rose to her feet, suddenly filled with energy, as though the exhaustion and blood loss from moments ago had never occurred. Only the stains of blood upon her clothes remained as proof of what she had endured.
Laenor had healed her, and she realized that the golden liquid—which had tasted like the sweetest thing in the world—had completely restored her. And in the midst of doing so, it had healed others as well. Not all the priests or sorcerers had their mouths open, so the liquid of life—Elaena had decided to call the golden fluid—had flowed through other orifices, such as their nostrils and ears. Soon, all the priests and sorcerers were on their feet, looking energetic and well-rested.
They looked around in confusion and fear, wiping blood from their bodies and clothes. Once they were done, their gazes turned toward Laenor and Elaena, torn between kneeling and accusing. But one look at the bluish-green flames—and Elaena did not miss that Laenor's eyes mirrored that same color—made their choice for them. They knelt.
"There is no need. I am neither a god nor the Emperor of Valyria for you all to kneel before me. If anyone should kneel, it should be me—to apologize to you all for the harm I caused. In my… power-drunk state, I rendered you deaf and nearly took your lives. If you can find it in your hearts, I ask your forgiveness for the damage I have done."
Laenor's voice was like a song one could hear every day without growing tired of it. His fluency in High Valyrian was something both her parents and she had been baffled at before—he always spoke with a grace that even the Drakonars could not match. And now, it seemed he had developed an accent, one Elaena found herself drawn to; every word he spoke felt melodic, almost enchanting.
And yet, the man in question stood there, bowing his head low before priests he had nearly killed without lifting a hand.
Truly, Elaena had never seen a man with as much honor as Laenor—not in Valyria, at least. Nor had she seen a man so honored by the heavens, too.
The Honored One, her mind supplied.
The title fit—perfectly—for one so blessed as Laenor Velaryon. Elaena smiled. With each passing moment, she liked the name more and more and resolved that she would spread it for him as widely as she could. To her, it sounded far better than Lord of the Sea.
"…will you do about them?"
Elaena's attention snapped back to the ongoing conversation between the priests and Laenor.
"I will take care of it. Not much damage has been done," Laenor said, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again moments later. "I was right—the thunder was not as powerful across all of Valyria as it was around me. However, those closest to the temple are indeed in the same condition you were in. But I believe I have a way to resolve this efficiently and quickly."
Laenor spoke with confidence—and a hint of excitement. The priests nodded, though confusion still lingered in their eyes.
Without another word, Laenor turned and made his way outside, pulling Elaena along by the hand, just as he had when they first entered the temple.
Soon, they were outside, the sky above them filled with dark clouds that served as their roof. Laenor turned toward her and said, "I do not know how much power Lady Light has granted you, so I cannot say if you can become as powerful as I am right now. But knowing how powerful Lady Light herself is, I believe you have the potential. So watch closely—engrave every detail of what is about to happen into your mind. Set a goal for yourself, and reach for it with everything you have if you wish to stand by my side."
He gave her a handsome smile after that small speech. Elaena quickly turned her head away as warmth rushed to her cheeks. What was wrong with him, suddenly becoming more attractive like this? Not to mention, he had just openly admitted that he wanted her by his side.
She turned back toward him just as Laenor stepped forward, placing himself before her and the priests, leaving them with nothing but the sight of his back. Elaena did as she had been told, focusing on every movement he made and even the smallest changes in their surroundings.
She would achieve this power—one way or another. She would stand beside him, no matter how much it demanded of her.
Laenor raised both his hands, spreading them wide as though he sought to embrace the very world itself. Before the surge of power burst forth from him, Elaena could not see it with her eyes—but she could feel it. The sheer magnitude of the force he commanded pressed against her senses, vast and immeasurable. It was heavy… endless… like the ocean itself.
The black clouds above seemed to darken even further—if such a thing were possible—before something began to fall.
A single drop landed on her cheek.
She felt it instantly—the same sensation she had experienced when Laenor had healed her. Her eyes widened as she looked up, just as more drops began to fall. Their number grew, their pace quickening, until a heavy rain poured from the heavens.
But unlike the rare rains that visited Valyria once in decades, this was no ordinary water.
This was the liquid of life.
Golden, radiant, and warm, it fell in endless streams from the sky. Elaena watched in awe as the rain intensified, soaking everything in its reach. And then she realized—it was not confined to their surroundings, nor even to a few leagues beyond.
It was everywhere.
As far as her eyes could see, the golden rain fell across all of Valyria… and perhaps even beyond.
The liquid seemed to breathe life into everything it touched, and Elaena stood there, drenched in it—humbled, overwhelmed.
Is this… the power of a god?
The thought rose unbidden in her mind, even though she already knew the answer.
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