______
Hakan
The world narrowed to a single truth: she had my child.
I drove my power forward without restraint—blue dragon-fire roaring from my core, colliding head-on with her blinding light. The impact tore through the frozen air, heat and frost screaming in protest. I didn't care if the heavens themselves burned.
"Now, I just need to bring back my child," I roared, my voice ripping itself free from my chest. Every heartbeat thundered with fury. "THIS IS WHERE YOU DIE. DO YOUR WORST!"
She stood before me, wrapped in that detestable white radiance, her expression calm—too calm. A sneer curved her lips, sharp and knowing.
"Do you really think you can face me on your own…?" Her voice was falsely gentle, dripping with poison. "Pride always comes before a fall, child."
Then she struck where it hurt most.
"That's how your brother died."
The words slammed into me harder than any blade ever could.
For a split second, the past clawed its way to the surface—blood, fire, loss. My brother's face burned behind my eyes. The Dragon within me howled in agony and rage.
DASH.
I hurled myself forward, power spiraling around me in fire and shadow. But she was ready. Her light exploded outward in a violent counter, swallowing my charge whole.
WHOOSH!
The shockwave tore across the snow-covered ground, carving scars into the earth itself.
---
Steel met steel.
CLANG!
The sound echoed endlessly across the battlefield as our weapons collided again and again. Each strike carried enough force to shatter mountains, yet neither of us yielded. Sparks of light and flame burst between us, painting the frozen air in chaos.
She watched me closely—too closely—then smiled.
"Would you look at that?" she mused, tilting her head. "You no longer have that injury from the Black Arrow?"
My grip tightened.
Merissa's face surfaced in my mind—her trembling hands, her unwavering resolve, the warmth of her power mending what should never have healed.
"You can thank the Cardinal for that," I growled, forcing her back with a heavy swing.
For the first time, genuine interest flickered in her eyes.
"Unlike your brother," she said coolly, "you're not bad."
The comparison tasted like ash. Being better meant nothing. Strength meant nothing.
If I failed here, my child would be lost.
---
DASH!
She came at me again—too fast, movements sharpened by that cursed holy light. Each strike was relentless, precise, unending.
"But that means nothing before my holy power!" she crowed, laughter echoing unnaturally across the battlefield.
I pushed back with everything I had, dragon-fire flaring bright enough to blind—but it wasn't enough. My power splintered against her divine barrier, flames dispersing uselessly into the air.
She wasn't weakening.
I was.
"There's no end to this…" I snarled under my breath, forcing myself to stay upright. "Since she keeps using Lucina's holy power…"
The truth settled heavily in my chest, cold and absolute.
"I have no choice," I muttered. "I have to use that blade."
I let my great sword fall.
CLUNK.
It struck the ground with a weight that felt final. Shadows coiled around me, serpentine and alive, whispering of ruin and sacrifice.
SWISH.
From within my cloak, I drew the weapon I had sworn never to use lightly—a small, black dagger. Its surface drank in the light around it, dull and ominous.
"Get ready, Marissa," I said evenly, lifting it between us. "I'm going to use this to fight you now."
She looked down at it—then laughed.
A sharp, mocking sound.
"Do you really think that little toy changes anything?"
She had no idea.
---
"LET'S SEE…" I murmured, power sinking into my voice like a death sentence. "…IF YOU STILL THINK THAT ONCE YOU'RE DEAD."
She merely waved her hand, holy light surging brighter in response. "Hmph. Bring it on."
I did.
I poured everything into the strike—not fire, not fury, but something darker. Older. The impact was immediate.
SMASH!
Her radiant barrier fractured.
SHATTER!
The blue-white light splintered like glass, fragments dissolving into nothing as her confidence vanished in an instant.
"W–WAIT!" she gasped. "How did he shatter my holy barrier so easily—?! It can't be…!"
CRACK. CRACK.
Before she could recover, I was already there.
FSSSHHH!
The dagger pierced through the remnants of her defense, drawing blood. I slammed into her, pinning her body beneath the crushing weight of my power, the blade biting deeper.
SLASH!
Her breath hitched. Recognition flashed across her face—pure, unfiltered hatred.
"Did you get that dagger from Andrea?!"
I didn't answer.
I watched.
The moment the blade drank her blood, her power faltered. The holy light sputtered, flickering violently as if suffocating.
Understanding dawned in her eyes—and with it, terror.
"It's not just meant to resist your holy power," I said, my voice low and merciless.
"Every time it cuts you… it drains your power too."
The effect was immediate.
Her strength bled away into the blade, her radiant aura thinning, weakening—no longer untouchable.
She was still alive.
Still dangerous.
But for the first time—
She was trapped.
---
"Do you really think that little toy changes anything?"
Marissa's sneer twisted her face into something grotesque as her holy power began to glow, swelling outward in thick, blinding waves. The light wrapped around her like divine armor—arrogant, absolute.
"LET'S SEE…"
My voice was a low growl pulled straight from the depths of my chest, my eyes dark with fury and iron resolve.
"…IF YOU STILL THINK THAT ONCE YOU'RE DEAD."
She didn't take me seriously. Not for a heartbeat.
"Hmph. BRING IT ON."
I moved.
I drove the small, dark blade forward with everything I had—dragon strength, hatred, desperation, and love all collapsing into a single, brutal strike.
SMASH!
The moment the dagger met her holy barrier, the impossible happened. The sacred light fractured violently, splintering like glass under a hammer.
SHATTER!
"W–WAIT—!"
Her voice cracked, horror tearing through her composure.
"How did he shatter my holy barrier so easily?! It can't be—!"
The air rang with the sound of breaking power.
CRACK. CRACK!
"That's right," I snarled, pressing forward before she could recover.
I locked her down, my full weight bearing into her as the dark blade dug deeper. Her scream tore free—raw, shocked, afraid. Blood stained the snow beneath us.
Her mind raced. I could see it in her eyes as realization clawed its way through the panic.
"DID YOU GET THAT DAGGER FROM ANDREA?!"
I didn't answer.
I only shoved the blade in further, forcing her to face the truth she was desperately trying to outrun.
Her gaze dropped to the weapon—scanning it, dissecting it in her mind. Understanding bloomed, slow and horrifying.
"WHAT DO I…?"
"ITS PURPOSE ISN'T JUST TO RESIST YOUR HOLY POWER," I said, my voice a chilling, merciless rumble.
"EVERY TIME IT CUTS YOU, IT DRAINS YOUR POWER TOO."
Terror flooded her face.
Her radiant aura sputtered violently, thinning, unraveling. Strength bled out of her, stolen by the cursed blade as she weakened beneath me—pinned, trapped.
FSSSHHH!
But then—
Something twisted in her expression.
A smile.
Small. Maniacal. Triumphant.
LUNGE!
Ignoring the wound, ignoring the draining agony, she surged forward with her last reserve of movement. Her hand reached past me—past the pain, past the blade—toward the bundle on the ground.
My child.
He WRIGGLED, a small sound escaping him.
Her eyes went wild.
CHUCKLE.
"YOU FELL FOR IT, YOU FOOL!" she cackled, her voice shrill with ecstatic madness.
"I KNEW YOU'D COME HERE IF I ATTACKED THE BABY!"
Before I could react, she twisted her body violently, using my own momentum against me. With sickening force, she drove the dark, power-draining blade deeper—
—and through me.
SLASH!
Pain exploded through my body.
Blood sprayed instantly, warmth soaking my armor as a brutal, hollow shock tore through my core. The blade drank greedily, draining us both.
I gasped—but I didn't let go.
I held her fast, locking her in place, keeping the blade buried in her even as it pierced me.
"I'M NOT THE FOOL," I spat, blood spilling from my lips as I met her gaze head-on.
"YOU ARE."
We were locked together—two bodies impaled by the same cursed weapon—bound by blood, hatred, and a blade that promised only death.
I knew the truth.
The curse of the dark dagger would claim her first.
I held her there—in a bloody, agonizing embrace.
The dagger was buried deep in her side… and in mine.
Blood flowed freely from both of us, staining the snow black and red, but I felt the difference. I knew it. The blade was already devouring her power, tearing her apart from the inside.
Her maniacal gaze locked onto mine—terror and hatred warring violently across her face.
She had gambled everything on my love for my son.
"CHUCKLE. YOU FELL FOR IT, YOU FOOL!" she screamed again, voice cracking with insanity.
"I KNEW YOU'D COME HERE IF I ATTACKED THE BABY!"
My vision swam, lips slick with crimson as I forced my final words past the pain.
"I'M NOT THE FOOL," I coughed.
"YOU ARE."
With a final, desperate exertion, I twisted my grip and ripped the blade free from her body.
SLASH!
The sound was sickening—final.
Dark power surged violently from her wound, spilling into the air as her strength collapsed entirely. Her body sagged, lifeless weight overtaking it.
"With this…" I whispered, watching her life force drain away into nothing,
"…I end our ill-fated relationship."
THUMP!
Marissa hit the snow, her body rolling once before lying completely still.
Silence followed.
I sucked in a ragged breath, the pain from my own wound roaring through me—but it was distant, dulled by relief.
"She was so persistent," I muttered hoarsely.
Then—
A cry.
"WAAAAH! WAAAAH!"
The sound cut through everything.
I turned immediately, stumbling toward it, my vision blurring as I reached the small bundled shape on the ground. I gathered him into my arms, his warmth grounding me.
"My child…" I murmured, clutching him close. My hands trembled as relief finally cracked through the agony. I held him gently, protectively.
It was time to go.
It was time to return to the person who needed us most.
"It's time for us to return to Lucina," I said softly, a faint smile touching my bloodied lips.
The dagger remained clenched in my hand, slick with blood. The gem embedded in its hilt began to glow faintly blue.
"I just need to activate the Holy Relic and…"
I pushed my remaining energy into the relic, knowing—knowing—it was the only way to get us back to safety.
Back to Lucina.
Before the wounds claimed me.
With a final, sickening SLASH!, I tore the dark blade free.
The resistance vanished instantly. Marissa's body went slack, all strength and malice draining away at once. She collapsed onto the frozen ground, rolling limply across the snow.
THUMP. ROLL.
Silence followed—heavy and absolute.
"She was so persistent," I muttered, forcing out a ragged breath. My chest rose and fell painfully as relief finally broke through the haze of battle.
PHEW.
Then—
A cry.
"WAAAAH! WAAAAH!"
The sound pierced the stillness like a lifeline.
I turned, legs unsteady, vision swimming as I stumbled toward the small, bundled figure lying in the snow. I dropped to one knee and gathered him into my arms, pulling him close to my chest.
"My child…" I whispered.
His warmth grounded me. I squeezed him gently, protectively, my hands trembling as a soft smile touched my bloodstained lips.
I had him.
"It's time for us to return to Lucina," I said quietly, the decision anchoring my fading strength.
My gaze dropped to the dark dagger still clenched in my hand. The red gem embedded in its hilt pulsed faintly, glowing weakly through the blood smeared across its surface.
"I just need to activate the Holy Relic and…"
A memory surfaced unbidden.
Andrea's calm, serious voice echoed in my mind.
"You can use the gem embedded in this dagger to teleport."
"Once you've successfully reclaimed the Holy Power from Marissa, press this gem to return to the Tayar Kingdom."
Then—her warning.
"But please be careful."
"It will lose its power if it's damaged or breaks during battle."
"In the worst-case scenario… it won't activate."
My breath hitched.
Slowly, dread crawling up my spine, I looked down at the gem.
It was still there.
But a thin, unmistakable crack ran through its surface.
"…!"
"The gem is still intact," I told myself, my voice tight—too tight. I needed to believe it.
But the fracture was undeniable.
I shifted my grip on my son, holding him securely against my chest. My jaw clenched.
"I might be able to use it to teleport at least one of us," I murmured.
A quiet prayer slipped past my lips, raw and desperate.
"I pray my child makes it safely back."
Gathering what little strength I had left, I pushed my remaining energy into the relic.
The gem flared.
A violent blue light exploded outward.
FLA—SH!
The air screamed as space twisted around us. I had to force it—had to—because staying here meant death for us both.
"Now…" I gasped, pain ripping through my body, "…I just need to transform into a dragon…"
My power surged reflexively, ancient energy responding to my will.
RISE!
---
The fractured Holy Relic resisted me, its glow unstable, flickering erratically as I poured everything into the teleportation. My prayer echoed in my chest—I had already accepted the possibility.
That my child might return safely.
Even if I didn't.
"Now… I just need to transform into a dragon…" I muttered again, hoping—praying—that my true form's raw power would stabilize the corrupted jump.
But the wounds were too deep.
The draining dagger had carved through more than flesh. My strength bled away with every heartbeat.
"UGH…!"
Agony crashed over me, sudden and overwhelming. The transformation faltered mid-rise, power collapsing in on itself.
My legs gave out.
SLUMP.
I fell forward, barely managing to keep my arm around my child as consciousness slipped through my fingers. Darkness pressed in from all sides.
My thoughts scattered—but one remained.
Lucina.
"I have to…" I whispered faintly, my voice barely sound, "…hurry back to Lucina…"
My blood-soaked hand trembled violently as the blue light swallowed us.
Then—
My awareness shattered.
A dark shadow of consciousness SWISHED away from me, and I was falling—spiraling endlessly through a cold, formless void.
---
Meanwhile, far away, within the Royal Chamber of the Tayar Kingdom, the familiar faces of my inner circle stood gathered in tense silence.
They surrounded the Teleportation Circle.
Waiting.
Suddenly—
The intricate pattern carved into the floor ignited.
The circle erupted, lines and runes blazing to life as intense, swirling purple and pink light surged upward, filling the chamber with unstable energy.
The spell had activated.
They were there.
I was coming home.
---
_______
Lucina
My heart had been tearing itself apart as I stood by the Teleportation Circle in the Royal Chamber.
Every breath felt too shallow. Every second stretched unbearably long. My entire body trembled—not from weakness, but from fear so intense it felt alive inside me. Fear for my son. Fear for him.
Andrea stood close, tense and alert. The priests murmured low prayers under their breath. The Shifter watched the circle with sharp, wary eyes. All of them were waiting—but I was enduring.
Then—
The circle erupted.
Runes ignited as purple and pink light spiraled violently upward, twisting and screaming through the chamber.
GLOOOOW!
My breath caught.
"He's coming back," I whispered. "They're coming back."
The light surged chaotically, unstable—far too violent for a proper teleportation. My heart pounded as the spell reached its peak.
And then—
A small form appeared.
My baby landed gently within the circle, wrapped safely, the magic lowering him as if even the spell itself knew to be careful.
But he was alone.
"WAAAAH! WAAAAH!"
The sound shattered me.
"My baby…!" I gasped, emotion crashing through my chest as my legs moved on instinct.
I stepped forward—
"WAIT, LUCINA!"
Andrea's hand snapped around my arm, holding me back. His face was pale, frantic, his grip tight with protective instinct.
"Please," he said urgently. "We need to make sure this isn't a Shifter in disguise."
I forced myself to stop.
Forced myself to breathe.
"You're right," I said, nodding stiffly even as tears blurred my vision. NOD.
I understood the danger. I truly did.
But all I could hear was my son crying.
The priest moved quickly, kneeling beside the circle. He carefully examined the baby, checking for signs of deception.
RUMMAGE.
He lifted an ornate locket, its surface glowing faintly as it verified bloodline and identity.
RAISE.
"This is definitely your child," he announced firmly. "And His Majesty's rightful heir."
My son sniffled softly, his tiny face reflected in the glowing locket.
"SNIFFLE… SNIFFLE…"
That was all it took.
I broke free and rushed forward, dropping to my knees as I gathered him into my arms. I held him close, rocking him gently, pressing him against my chest.
GENTLY.
"My baby…" I whispered.
Tears finally spilled, tracing warm paths down my cheeks. The world around me dissolved into light and warmth, into flowers and gold and relief so powerful it hurt.
"I carried you for so many months," I murmured softly, my voice trembling.
"And now… I can finally see you."
In my arms, he slowly stopped crying. His small fingers curled, his breathing steadied.
Then he looked up at me.
And smiled.
SMILE.
It was perfect.
For a single, fragile moment, nothing else existed.
---
The moment passed too quickly.
The chamber was quiet—too quiet.
I still held my son, the warmth of him real and precious in my arms. I rocked him gently, whispering soft sounds meant only for him.
"My baby…" I murmured again.
The Queen Mother stepped closer, her expression filled with sorrow. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I couldn't protect you until now."
SQUEEZE.
I nodded faintly—but my eyes were already searching the room.
The Teleportation Circle was dark.
Empty.
"If the child is here…" the Shifter said quietly, tension sharp in his voice, "…then where is His Majesty?"
The words struck like a blade.
Andrea knelt by the circle, lifting the dark dagger from the floor. Blood still stained its hilt. The gem embedded within it glinted weakly under the chamber lights.
RAISE.
"Could something have happened in Kashudak?" the Shifter asked, unease creeping into his tone.
Andrea studied the weapon closely. His expression hardened.
"There's a crack in the gem," he said grimly. "That could be why only the child appeared."
My world tilted.
"Is His Majesty okay?" I asked, the words barely audible.
Andrea didn't answer immediately. He traced the fracture with his thumb, then looked up at me slowly.
"For the gem to be damaged," he said carefully, "the battle must have been quite intense."
The pause that followed was unbearable.
"That means…" he continued, voice heavy, "…he could be severely injured."
The Shifter tried to reassure me, his voice strained.
"It's unlikely he would be defeated by a mere Shifter. Let's wait a little longer…"
"No."
The word left me sharp and absolute.
I held my son tighter, instinctively, fiercely.
"NO," I repeated. "I don't want to sit here hoping for the best."
I looked at them all—Andrea, the priests, the Shifter—my resolve crystallizing into iron.
"I'd rather go and look for him myself."
"That's too dangerous, Lucina," Andrea said urgently as he stood. "You don't know the horrors of that place."
"It would be better if we went instead, my Lady," the Shifter insisted.
I didn't listen.
I couldn't.
GRAB.
I reached down and closed my hand around the dagger lying on the floor. The blood on its hilt was still warm.
My grip tightened.
"Where is he?" I demanded, turning the blade in my hand, searching for anything—a sign, a pull, a trace of the man who had sacrificed everything for us.
I would find him.
No matter the cost.