POV: Kaelion
The sealed dragon exploded into freedom with a roar that shook the entire cave.
I watched in horror as silver fire erupted from its breaking chains, wild and uncontrolled. This wasn't like my careful, contained power. This was raw fury that had been trapped for centuries, now unleashed all at once.
"SERINA!" I roared, but she couldn't hear me over the chaos.
The dragon—massive, covered in silver scales, half-mad from imprisonment—thrashed violently. Its tail smashed through stone. Its wings knocked guards flying. And its eyes... its eyes were fixed on Finn with predatory hunger.
No.
I shifted instantly, my full dragon form erupting in the confined space. Black scales met silver as I slammed into the freed dragon, driving it away from the terrified children.
We crashed through the cave wall, tumbling into the forest outside. The other dragon snapped at me, still not fully aware, operating on pure instinct and rage.
"WAKE UP!" I snarled in the dragon tongue. "You're free! Control yourself!"
The silver dragon blinked, confusion clearing the madness from its eyes. It pulled back, shaking its massive head.
"Kaelion?" it rasped. "You're... alive?"
I knew that voice. "Silvaris? By the ancient fires, how are you here? I thought they killed you centuries ago!"
"Sealed. Like you. They've been draining us both." Silvaris looked back at the cave where guards and rebels were still fighting. "The girl freed me. The Dragon-Keeper."
My heart clenched. Serina. I'd left her in there with Isadora and dozens of guards.
I shifted back to human form and ran back inside, Silvaris following in a smaller shape.
The scene was carnage. Drace and his rebels were fighting desperately. Mira was using healing magic as a weapon, turning guards' own blood against them. And in the center of it all was Serina.
She stood between Finn and Isadora, her hands glowing with unstable silver light. She was trying to use her power, but it kept flickering out, half-formed and useless.
"Pathetic," Isadora laughed, dodging another weak blast. "Is this really the mighty Dragon-Keeper? You can't even hold a simple spell!"
I started toward them, but Silvaris grabbed my arm. "Wait. Watch."
"She's going to die—"
"She's going to awaken. Look at her mark."
I focused on the dragon bond mark on Serina's chest. It was glowing brighter than ever before, pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat. And something else was happening—the seal on her power was cracking, responding to her desperate need.
Isadora raised her hand, red magic forming into a lethal blade. "Time to die, little Keeper."
"NO!" Serina screamed.
And her power exploded.
Not the weak sparks she'd been managing. Not the uncontrolled burst from earlier. This was pure, concentrated dragon flame—silver-white fire that lit up the entire cave like a miniature sun.
Isadora's attack disintegrated before it reached her. The red-robed sorceress flew backward, slamming into the wall hard enough to crack stone.
Every guard in the cave stopped fighting, staring at Serina in terror.
She stood there, wreathed in silver flames, eyes glowing like molten starlight. The power radiating from her made even me take a step back.
"Get. Out." Her voice echoed with something ancient and terrible. "All of you. NOW."
The guards ran. Actually turned and fled, trampling each other in their panic. Even Isadora scrambled up and teleported away without another word.
The moment they were gone, Serina collapsed.
I caught her before she hit the ground. The flames around her had already died, leaving her pale and shaking.
"Did I... did I hurt anyone?" she gasped.
"No." I checked her over quickly. Exhausted, but alive. "You saved everyone."
"I can't feel my legs."
"That's normal. You just channeled more power than your body can handle." I looked at the cracked seal still visible on her chest through the bond. "But we have a serious problem."
Silvaris approached in human form—an elderly man with silver hair and kind eyes. "You've awakened her too early, Kaelion. The seal is breaking unevenly. If it continues like this..."
"She'll burn herself out from the inside," I finished grimly. "I know."
Serina's eyes widened. "What? I'm going to die?"
"Not if I can help it." I stood, carrying her to a quieter corner while the rebels secured the cave. Finn and Azura followed anxiously.
Once she was settled, I knelt beside her. "We need to talk. About your power, about what just happened, and about who you really are."
"I'm nobody," Serina said tiredly. "Just a thief from the slums."
"You just manifested dragon flame. Pure dragon flame." I grabbed her hand, making her look at me. "That's impossible unless you're directly blessed by dragon bonding. Not just descended from Keepers—actually blessed. Which means somewhere in your bloodline, one of your ancestors didn't just bond with a dragon. They shared lifeforce with one. Became something more than human."
She blinked. "I don't understand."
"Neither do I. Yet." I stood and started pacing. "Who were your parents? Where did they come from?"
"My mother died when I was six. She never talked about her family—said it was safer if I didn't know. My father..." Serina's face went hard. "I never knew him. Mom said he was a mage from the Citadel who abandoned us when he found out she was pregnant."
A mage from the Citadel. Dragon-blessed blood. Sealed power meant to hide.
The pieces were clicking together, forming a picture that made my blood run cold.
"Serina," I said carefully. "What was your mother's full name?"
"Elara. Elara Ashvale."
The world stopped.
Ashvale. Ashvale.
That was the name of Lyra's sister. The one who'd escaped the massacre. The one I'd assumed died decades ago.
Which meant Serina wasn't just descended from Dragon-Keepers.
She was Lyra's niece. Direct bloodline. The last living heir to the most powerful Keeper family that ever existed.
And if her father was who I suspected...
"Saints help us," I whispered.
"What? What is it?" Serina struggled to sit up.
I couldn't tell her. Not yet. Not until I was sure. But if I was right, then everything changed.
Serina wasn't just some random girl who'd freed me. She was the key to everything. The weapon Aldric feared most. And the one person who could either save this world or burn it to ashes.
"We start training today," I said abruptly. "Right now."
"I can barely stand—"
"Then I'll teach you standing exercises." I pulled her to her feet, ignoring her protests. "Your power is awakening whether you're ready or not. We need to teach you control before it kills you or everyone around you."
Mira appeared, looking worried. "Kaelion, she needs rest—"
"She needs to survive." I looked at Serina's exhausted face. "Two weeks until Aldric's ritual. Two weeks to prepare. We can't waste a single moment."
For the next week, I pushed Serina harder than I'd ever pushed anyone.
Dawn to dusk, I made her practice. Summoning fire. Controlling it. Extinguishing it. Over and over until her hands bled and her voice went hoarse from screaming in frustration.
She failed constantly. Got angry. Cried. Wanted to quit.
Good. Anger was useful. Anger could be channeled.
"Again," I ordered as her latest attempt fizzled into nothing.
"I CAN'T!" she shouted. "I've tried a hundred times! It's not working!"
"Because you're not trying hard enough!"
"I'm exhausted! I'm bleeding! What more do you want from me?"
"EVERYTHING!" I roared back. "Aldric wants you dead! Isadora wants you dead! They will show you no mercy, no rest, no second chances! So get up and TRY AGAIN!"
She glared at me with pure hatred. "You're a monster."
"Yes. And monsters survive." I stepped closer. "You want to protect your brother? Then be stronger. You want to save those dragons? Then be better. You want to stop Aldric? Then STOP BEING WEAK!"
Something snapped in her eyes.
Fire exploded from her hands—but not the weak orange mage-fire she'd been managing. This was dragon flame. Silver-white. Pure. Powerful.
And completely out of control.
The blast shot past me, barely missing Finn who'd been watching nearby.
"FINN!" Serina screamed.
I moved on instinct, wrapping the boy in protective shadows and smothering Serina's fire with my own power. The flames died, leaving scorch marks across the training ground.
Serina dropped to her knees, sobbing. "I almost killed him. I almost—"
I knelt beside her, studying her trembling hands. The flames she'd summoned... that signature was unmistakable.
Pure dragon flame. Not diluted by human magic. Not weakened by generations of bloodline mixing.
She'd channeled power that should be impossible for any human to access.
"Who were your parents?" I demanded, more urgently this time. "Think, Serina. Did your mother ever mention anything about your father? Anything at all?"
"Just that he was a mage. That he left before I was born." She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes. "Why does it matter?"
It mattered because dragon flame like that only appeared in three circumstances: direct dragon blessing, bonding with a dragon king, or...
Or being born with dragon blood already in your veins.
Not blessed by dragons. Not descended from those who bonded.
Actually part dragon.
Which meant her father wasn't just a mage.
"We need to break your seal," I said abruptly. "Completely. Right now."
Silvaris, who'd been watching our training, stepped forward. "Kaelion, that's insane. She's not ready—"
"She'll never be ready at this rate. The seal is breaking unevenly, making her power unstable and dangerous. If we don't remove it properly, it'll kill her within days."
Serina's face went white. "Days?"
"Maybe less." I met her eyes. "I can break the seal. Unlock your full power all at once. But I won't lie to you—the process might kill you. The pain will be worse than anything you've experienced. And if you survive, you'll be changed forever."
"Changed how?"
I hesitated. "I don't know. It depends on what's really locked inside you."
She was silent for a long moment. Then: "If I don't do this, I die anyway?"
"Yes."
"And if I do it, there's a chance I survive?"
"A small one."
She laughed—a broken, slightly hysterical sound. "Some choice." She looked at Finn, who'd run over and was hugging her tightly. Then at Azura, chirping worriedly. Then at all the refugees depending on her.
"Do it," she said quietly. "Break the seal."
"Serina, you don't have to—" Finn started.
"Yes, I do." She kissed his forehead. "I love you. Remember that, okay? No matter what happens."
I led her to the deepest part of the cave, to a chamber Silvaris had prepared with protective wards. If this went wrong, the explosion would be contained here.
"Lie down," I instructed.
She did, trying not to show her terror. But I felt it through our bond—fear so deep it made my chest ache.
"I won't let you die," I promised. "Not if I can help it."
"You barely know me. Why do you care?"
Because you remind me of her. Because you freed me when you didn't have to. Because in one week, you've become more important to me than I want to admit.
But I didn't say any of that.
"Because you're mine," I said simply. "The bond makes you mine to protect. And I don't fail twice."
I placed my hands on her chest over the seal and began channeling power. Dragon fire, ancient magic, all focused on the suppression spell that had hidden her true nature for years.
The seal resisted. Whoever had placed it had been powerful and thorough.
I pushed harder. The seal cracked. Serina screamed.
"Don't fight it," I urged. "Let it break. Let the power out."
Her back arched. Silver light poured from her chest, so bright I had to shield my eyes.
The seal shattered completely.
And what emerged from beneath it made my breath catch.
Power. Massive, ancient power that felt older than me. Older than the Dragon Wars. Power that tasted like moonlight and starfire and something else I couldn't name.
Serina's eyes opened, glowing pure silver.
"Kaelion," she whispered in a voice that wasn't quite her own. "You need to see this."
She held up her hand, and flames danced across her palm. Not just dragon fire.
Three types of fire. Dragon silver, mage orange, and something else—a color that shouldn't exist, that hurt to look at directly.
"What is that?" Silvaris gasped.
"Void flame," I whispered. "The forbidden fire. The power that existed before dragons, before magic, before everything."
I looked at Serina's transformed face and finally understood.
She wasn't just descended from Dragon-Keepers.
She wasn't just blessed by dragons.
She was something that shouldn't exist. Something the ancient texts only mentioned in warnings.
She was a Void-Touched. A being born at the intersection of dragon, human, and primordial chaos magic.
The last one had nearly destroyed the world.
And Serina was staring at her hands in horror, watching three impossible fires dance together.
"What am I?" she whispered.
Before I could answer, the void flame pulsed.
And somewhere far away—in the Golden Citadel, in Aldric's throne room—every seal fragment simultaneously activated.
Through our bond, I felt Aldric's triumph.
He'd been waiting for this. For her power to fully awaken so he could track it.
"He knows where we are," I said urgently. "He knows what you are. And he's coming."
The void flame in Serina's hand suddenly blazed brighter, showing us a vision:
Aldric standing in a ritual circle with all six seal fragments arranged around him. But he wasn't trying to re-seal me.
He was trying to open a portal.
To summon something from the void itself.
Something that would consume Serina's power and use it as fuel to unmake reality.
The vision shifted, showing us the future if we failed:
The world burning. Dragons screaming. Humans dying. Everything dissolving into primordial chaos.
And at the center, feeding on destruction, was a creature made of void flame and madness.
The vision ended.
Serina looked at me with terrified silver eyes.
"We have to stop him," she said. "Not in two weeks. Now. Tonight. Because if he completes that ritual..."
She didn't need to finish.
If Aldric completed the ritual, everyone—dragon and human alike—would cease to exist.
We had hours, not days.
And Serina had just gained power she couldn't control that might destroy her from the inside.
I made a decision that would either save us or doom us all.
"Then we attack the Citadel tonight," I said. "All of us. We end this now."
Silvaris stared at me like I'd gone mad. "That's suicide—"
"So is waiting. Serina can't contain that void power for long. It'll kill her or explode within hours. Our only chance is to use it before it destroys her."
I looked at the girl who'd accidentally freed me, who'd become so much more than I'd expected.
"Can you fight?" I asked.
She stood on shaking legs, void flame still dancing around her hands. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
"No."
"Then I'll fight." She smiled grimly. "Let's go burn down an empire."
I should have said no. Should have found another way. Should have protected her.
But time had run out.
So I gathered our forces—rebels, freed dragons, the desperate and the damned—and prepared for war.
Tonight, we would storm the Golden Citadel.
Tonight, Serina would face Aldric with power she couldn't control.
Tonight, the world would either be saved or end completely.
And deep in my chest, where our bond pulsed with shared life, I felt a truth I'd been denying:
I cared about her. Truly cared. Not because she reminded me of Lyra. Not because of duty or the bond.
But because she was Serina—brave and reckless and impossibly kind—and I would burn the world down before I let Aldric take her from me.
We flew toward the Citadel under cover of darkness.
And I prayed to ancient fires that we weren't already too late.