The sky split open.
A shadow fell across the snow, enormous and mechanical, wings of obsidian metal unfolding like blades.
Owain's breath turned to ice.
He crushed Kanah harder against his chest, shifting his stance, body curling around her like a shield.
Gerrin's staff burned silver.
Yllas's wings arched in a defensive flare.
Helion's claws slid out with a click of bone.
And the thing descending from the clouds—
was older than kingdoms.
Older than the Beast King.
Older than the First Queen.
A creation of the First King.
A war sentinel.
Its armor glowed with ancient runes.
Its eyes burned like two crimson suns.
Steam hissed from its joints as it landed on the snow with a thundering crash.
"TARGET CONFIRMED."
The sentinel's voice rumbled like collapsing mountains.
"HEIR OF THE FIRST KING.
SECURE.
EXTRACT.
DELIVER."
Owain snarled at it, fangs bared.
He lowered Kanah gently to the snow—only long enough to shift fully.
Bones cracked.
Muscles tore and reformed.
Fur erupted.
In three heartbeats—
Owain became a massive wolf again.
He planted himself between Kanah and the sentinel.
He growled one word:
"No."
The Sentinel Moves First
The sentinel's wings retracted with a sharp metallic shriek.
It raised an arm—
shaped like a massive blade—
and pointed it at Owain.
A beam of red light scanned across his body, from head to paw.
"THREAT LEVEL: HIGH.
STATUS: TERMINATE."
Owain lunged before the beam finished.
His claws collided with the sentinel's chest—
sparks flying.
Metal denting slightly.
But not enough.
The sentinel swatted him aside like a wolf pup.
Owain slammed into a frozen boulder, cracking it in half.
"Owain!" Yllas shouted.
Owain crawled up instantly, shaking off bone-cracking pain.
He snarled, more furious than wounded.
He launched again—
this time going for the sentinel's knee joints.
Gerrin yelled, "Owain! They're built to absorb brute force—"
Owain slammed his teeth into the sentinel's leg—
The sentinel lifted its foot—
And stomped on him.
Hard.
The sound cracked like thunder.
Owain yelped—a sound that tore something inside Kanah's chest even though she lay unconscious.
Yllas reacted first.
Yllas Unleashes Ancient Fire
"Get OFF him!" Yllas roared.
His wings snapped wide.
His markings flared gold.
Fire churned in his throat.
"Owain—MOVE!" Gerrin yelled.
Owain rolled clear just as—
FWOOOM—
A torrent of golden-white dragonfire crashed into the sentinel.
This was NOT normal fire.
It was ancestral fire, the kind dragons were forbidden from using except in war.
The snow vaporized.
The ground melted.
The air screamed.
But the sentinel—
absorbed every drop.
Its armor glowed hotter.
Its runes flared brighter.
"MAGIC ABSORPTION: ENGAGED."
"POWER LEVEL: INCREASED."
Yllas's eyes widened.
"…No. No no no—"
The sentinel turned its glowing eyes on him.
"NEW TARGET ACQUIRED."
It fired.
A beam of red energy sliced through the air.
Yllas dove—barely.
The beam clipped his wing.
He screamed and spun out, crashing into the snow with a violent roll.
Gerrin sprinted toward him.
"Yllas! Your wing—"
"Don't touch it!" Yllas hissed, clutching the burned membrane.
"It heals faster on its own—help Owain!"
Owain was already up again, limping but alive, snarling with murder in his eyes.
"Owain, don't—!" Helion shouted.
Too late.
Owain lunged a third time.
Helion Joins the Fight
Helion exhaled sharply.
"Gods damn it," he muttered,
"he's going to get himself killed."
Then he lifted both hands—
and the golden curse-mark on his chest ignited like wildfire.
Gerrin's face paled.
"No! Helion—stop! The curse will tear your heart apart—"
Helion grinned, fangs flashing.
"Let it try."
Golden light burst from him as he sprinted toward the sentinel.
He moved so fast he blurred—
faster than arrows
faster than wind
faster than reason.
He slashed his claws across the sentinel's arm—
the only attack so far to slice through metal.
Sparks erupted.
Runes flickered.
The sentinel staggered.
Owain seized the moment, lunging for its throat.
Yllas, one wing dragging, shot a burst of flame at its sensors.
Gerrin cast binding runes to restrict movement.
For a moment—
just a moment—
they overwhelmed it.
The sentinel dropped to one knee.
Its systems buzzed.
Its light dimmed.
Owain roared in victory—
Until the sentinel spoke.
"SYSTEM RESTORE.
INITIATING PROTOCOL 7."
Gerrin froze.
"Protocol what—?"
Helion's pupils shrank.
"Oh gods. RUN."
The Sentinel Evolves
The sentinel's armor split open—
plates shifting
runes rearranging
power building.
It reassembled itself into something deadlier.
Its wing-blades expanded.
Its armor thickened.
Its voice deepened.
"ADAPTIVE COMBAT MODE: ACTIVE."
Owain braced for attack.
The sentinel disappeared.
Literally vanished.
Owain blinked—
And the sentinel reappeared behind him.
It struck Owain across the spine.
He flew forward, hitting the snow and sliding across the ground.
"Owain!" Yllas shouted, trying to rise, his damaged wing dragging.
Gerrin slammed a rune into the snow.
"BIND—!"
The sentinel stepped through the magic as if it were smoke.
Helion leapt on its back, claws digging deep.
"Come on, you oversized relic—BREAK!"
The sentinel responded by generating an electric pulse.
KA-THOOM!
The shockwave blasted Helion off its back—
sending him crashing into a tree with a sickening thud.
He didn't get up.
"HELION!" Gerrin ran toward him.
But the sentinel moved to intercept.
Its blade lifted—
aimed at Gerrin's throat.
Owain staggered to his feet, roaring.
"NO!"
He sprinted—
but he wouldn't reach Gerrin in time.
The blade fell.
And then—
A blast of white light exploded from the snow.
Kanah Awakens
"Owain—!"
Her voice—
small
raw
terrified—
but alive.
Owain's heart nearly collapsed with relief.
Kanah pushed herself up on trembling arms.
Her skin glowed faintly white.
Her rune pulsed like a heartbeat.
The sentinel immediately redirected toward her.
"VESSEL LOCATION: CONFIRMED."
"RETRIEVE."
"NO!" Owain howled, sprinting back toward her.
Yllas limped forward, dragging his wing through the snow.
Gerrin threw himself between Kanah and the sentinel, staff raised.
Kanah blinked rapidly, vision blurry.
"What… happened…?"
Owain reached her first.
He fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around her, pressing her to his chest.
"You woke up," he whispered, voice breaking.
"Gods—Kanah—you woke up—"
She weakly grabbed his shirt.
"Owain… don't let it take me."
He shook his head fiercely.
"I won't. Not ever."
But the sentinel stepped forward.
Gerrin raised his staff.
"Don't let it touch her—whatever happens—"
Kanah looked over Owain's shoulder—and froze.
The sentinel pointed at her chest.
Right at the white rune.
"THIRD BLOODLINE: ACTIVATED."
"RETRIEVE FOR ASCENSION."
Kanah's face drained of color.
"Owain…
what does it want?"
Owain hugged her tighter.
"It wants you."
"Why—"
Gerrin answered, voice barely steady.
"Because the First King used sentinels to escort his chosen heir to his throne."
Kanah stared at him in horror.
"You mean—
it thinks I'm supposed to replace him?"
"No," Gerrin said quietly.
"It thinks you already have."
The Sentinel Attacks
The sentinel raised its blade.
A beam of pure red light ignited along the edge.
It aimed for Kanah.
Owain snarled and lifted her into his arms.
"YLLAS!" he roared.
Yllas forced his injured body forward, wings flaring.
He inhaled—
and unleashed a torrent of ancient flame like molten gold.
The beam collided with the fire—
and the shockwave exploded across the valley, blinding white.
Owain shielded Kanah with his entire body.
Yllas screamed as the backlash hit him.
Gerrin cast shield after shield, runes cracking under the power.
Helion struggled upright on shaking limbs.
Kanah clutched Owain's neck, sobbing—
"Owain—please—don't die—"
He pressed his forehead to hers.
"I won't."
And then—
The sentinel moved again.
Fast as lightning.
It appeared behind Yllas.
Raised its blade.
And—
stabbed him through the back.
The blade pierced through his chest, jutting out the front, glowing red-hot.
Yllas gasped, eyes wide.
"YLLAS!" Kanah screamed.
Owain's roar shook the mountains.
Gerrin's pulse stuttered.
Helion went silent.
Blood dripped onto the snow—
gold and red, dragon-bright.
Yllas gritted his teeth, eyes burning with fury and pain.
He turned his head toward Kanah—
and smiled weakly.
"Little flame…"
Kanah sobbed violently.
"No—NO—Yllas—DON'T—"
He coughed, fire and blood dripping from his lips.
"Don't cry."
The sentinel twisted the blade.
Yllas screamed.
Owain lunged, but the sentinel kicked him back.
Kanah reached toward Yllas—
the white rune glowing wildly.
Her voice tore from her throat—
"STOP!"
White light erupted.
The sentinel froze.
Yllas' eyes widened—
the blade still piercing him—
but he could breathe.
Kanah trembled violently, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Don't hurt him.
Don't hurt any of them."
Owain stared at her—
horrified
awed
terrified.
Gerrin whispered:
"She's… controlling it."
Helion's voice was hoarse.
"No.
She's overriding the First King's programming."
Owain took a slow step toward her.
"Kanah…
you're hurting yourself."
Kanah clenched her jaw.
"Then let me hurt."
White light blazed across her skin.
The sentinel shuddered.
Kanah's voice grew louder—
"RELEASE HIM."
The sentinel's eyes flickered.
"COMMAND… OVERRIDE…"
"LET. HIM. GO!"
White power surged again—
And the sentinel obeyed.
It pulled the blade from Yllas' chest—
slowly
reluctantly
but obeying nonetheless.
Yllas collapsed to his knees.
Owain caught him before he fell fully.
"Stay with me—Yllas—stay—stay—"
Yllas coughed, gripping Owain's arm.
"Don't—let her… do that again…"
But Kanah was already collapsing.
The white rune dimmed.
Her legs buckled.
Owain lunged to catch her.
"Kanah!"
She fell into his arms, unconscious again.
The sentinel rebooted.
Red light flared.
"OVERRIDE FAILURE.
VESSEL REQUIRED.
COMMENCE CAPTURE."
Owain dropped Yllas gently and rose to his full height, Kanah in his arms.
His voice was low.
Deadly.
Final.
"You aren't touching her."
The sentinel took a step.
Owain stepped back.
Yllas, coughing blood, dragged himself upright.
Gerrin raised his staff one last time.
Helion positioned himself at Owain's side.
Owain snarled:
"Come and die."
And the chapter ends.