◉◉◉◉◉
Nolan stood before the mouth of a cavern.
The overwhelming energy signature he had traced pulsed from within an aura bordering on Skyfather-level.
Unlike beings such as Hela or Thanos, whose flesh had ascended while their energy fell short, this presence was different.
Shou-Lao's essence itself radiated celestial fire. His body had long since burned away, leaving behind a reservoir of raw power, akin to Surtur merged with the Eternal Flame.
Energy-born Skyfathers often eclipsed physical ones in destructive potential. But their strength was also fragile take away their anchor, their dimension, and they fell. Flesh-born Skyfathers like Odin were rarer: slow to build, but harder to unravel.
Nolan was both. Body and essence united. A step beyond.
Inside, the cavern widened into a chamber. At its center, a great brazier roared like an eternal forge.
Suspended within the fire floated a massive, still-beating heart, each thrum shaking the ground. From it poured the energy Nolan had sensed.
The Dragon's Power inside Nolan stirred violently, straining to return to its source.
"So this is the truth of Shou-Lao," Nolan murmured. "Once flesh, now only fire and essence repurposed by K'un-Lun as the source of the Iron Fist's lineage."
The heart wasn't just a relic. It was alive. And it wanted to return home.
Nolan reached out. His hand stretched toward the blazing organ when Lei-Kung and Yu-Ti stormed into the cavern.
"Stop!" Lei-Kung bellowed.
Nolan ignored him.
Lei-Kung crushed a talisman between his fingers. The brazier erupted, fire surging skyward. A roar split the chamber, like a beast freed from chains.
The heart blazed brighter, dissolving into light and sinking into the stone effigy of a dragon carved into the cavern wall. Cracks spread as scales of jade-green fire emerged beneath.
The effigy moved.
Stone shattered and fell away, revealing the colossal form of Shou-Lao the Undying. His serpentine body unfurled, scales glowing with molten energy, his eyes blazing suns.
"Shou-Lao," Lei-Kung shouted. "Destroy the intruder or I will return you to your prison!"
The dragon's molten eyes fixed on Nolan.
"Your scent… familiar," Shou-Lao rumbled. "We have met before."
"Yes," Nolan said evenly. "When I took what was once yours."
Recognition struck. Rage followed. "You thief! You dared to mock me, to steal my essence, and now you walk into my den?"
The cavern shook with his fury. His jaws opened, unleashing a torrent of dragonfire that filled the world with heat and death.
Nolan exhaled. His breath became a gale of arctic wind, white frost colliding with Shou-Lao's inferno.
Fire and ice clashed, detonating in violent waves that shook the cavern walls and threatened to tear the mountain itself apart.
The Dragon of K'un-Lun had awoken.
And Nolan had come to claim him.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!