Serina's POV
The fire doesn't burn.
It should. Golden flames cover my entire body, pouring from Draeven's hand into my chest. But instead of pain, I feel... power.
Raw. Ancient. Terrifying power.
"Don't fight it," Draeven growls. His own body blazes with light. "Let it in. Accept my heart-fire."
The flames push deeper, reaching for my actual heart. That's when the pain starts.
I scream.
It feels like my chest is being ripped apart from the inside. Like something is carving a space next to my heart, making room for something that shouldn't fit.
"I know it hurts," Draeven says through gritted teeth. "I feel it too. The bond goes both ways."
Through my screaming, I see his face twisted in pain. He's suffering with me.
That shouldn't make me feel better. But somehow it does. I'm not alone in this.
The tower shakes again. Pieces of ceiling crash down around us. The fifty mages are either dead or have fled. Only Lord Corwen remains, trapped under fallen stone, screaming threats we ignore.
"Almost there," Draeven says. "Just a little more—"
The fire in my chest suddenly condenses. Becomes solid. Heavy.
A piece of dragon heart-fire now lives inside me.
I gasp as the flames vanish. My whole body trembles. I feel... different. Stronger. Like I could run for miles. Like I could fight an army.
Like I could fly.
"It's done," Draeven says quietly. "The second trial is complete."
I look down at my hands. They glow faintly with golden light. When I concentrate, small flames dance across my fingers. Not the wild, uncontrolled fire from before. This is precise. Powerful.
Mine.
"Now for my sister." Draeven turns to where Aelith's soul hovers, flickering like a dying star. "Serina, this will be harder. You're holding a piece of my heart-fire. But a dragon soul is massive. It might tear you apart."
"Then we'll be torn apart together." I walk toward the silver light. "Aelith? Can you hear me?"
The light pulses. A female voice whispers in my mind. Child... you would risk yourself for me? You don't even know me.
"You're Draeven's sister. That's enough." I reach out with both hands. "Come on. Let's go home."
Home... The word sounds sad. Longing. I haven't had a home in three thousand years.
"Then it's about time you got one."
I grab the light.
Pain explodes through me, ten times worse than accepting the heart-fire. My body wasn't made for this. Wasn't built to hold a dragon's soul alongside my own.
I feel myself breaking. Shattering.
Draeven's hands grip my shoulders from behind. "I've got you. Channel it through our bond. Let me help carry the weight."
His power flows into me. Not taking over—supporting. Like a foundation beneath a crumbling building.
Together, we pull Aelith's soul into my body.
My vision goes white. I hear screaming—mine, Draeven's, Aelith's, all mixing together.
Then suddenly... silence.
I open my eyes.
I'm still standing in the ruined ritual chamber. Still in my own body. But I'm not alone inside it.
Hello, brave child, Aelith's voice whispers in my mind. Thank you for giving me shelter.
"You're... in my head?"
In your soul, technically. Sharing space. Don't worry—I won't interfere with your life. I'm just... resting. Healing. Her presence feels warm. Gentle. When I'm strong enough, we'll find a proper body for me. But until then, is this arrangement acceptable?
"More than acceptable." I smile despite my exhaustion. "Welcome home, Aelith."
Draeven stares at me with an expression I can't read. Wonder? Pride? Fear?
"You did it," he says. "You actually did it. You're holding a Dragon Sovereign's soul."
"We did it," I correct him. "I couldn't have—"
The tower groans. The entire structure tilts dangerously.
"We need to leave," Draeven says. "Now."
He grabs my hand and pulls me toward the stairs. Behind us, Lord Corwen screams.
"You'll pay for this! The Crimson Circle will hunt you! Both of you! You'll never be safe!"
"Good," I call back without stopping. "Let them come. I'm done running."
We race up the stairs as the building collapses around us. Draeven's translucent form flickers—he's running out of time in this world.
"Go," I tell him. "Return to your realm before you fade completely."
"Not without you."
"I'll be fine! The bond is stronger now. You can come back faster, right?"
He hesitates. Then nods. "The second trial being complete means I can manifest for hours instead of minutes. But I still need to recharge between—"
A section of stairs ahead of us collapses.
We're trapped between falling rubble above and destruction below.
"Draeven—"
"Trust me." He wraps his arms around me. "And hold your breath."
"Why would I—"
He jumps backward off the stairs into empty air.
We're falling. Falling through five floors of collapsing tower.
I scream and cling to him.
Golden wings explode from Draeven's back—massive, translucent, beautiful. He can't fully transform, but this is enough.
We glide through the chaos, dodging falling stone and burning beams. The ground rushes up to meet us.
Draeven lands hard, his legs buckling. We roll across the rubble-strewn ground. His wings vanish as his form flickers dangerously.
"I'm... out of time..." he gasps.
"Then go!" I push him away. "I'll find Kai. I'll hide. Just go!"
He reaches up and touches my face. His hand is barely solid now.
"Three days," he says. "I need three days to fully recharge. Can you survive that long?"
"I survived this long, didn't I?"
He almost smiles. "My fierce little flame. Yes, you did."
Then he's gone. Faded back to his realm.
I'm alone in the ruins of the Crimson Tower.
Alone but not powerless. Not anymore.
I stand up, testing my new strength. My body should be exhausted. Instead, I feel energized. The heart-fire pulses in my chest with steady warmth.
The fire will sustain you, Aelith says in my mind. You won't need sleep or food for several days. Draeven made sure you'd survive while he recovers.
"Good." I start walking toward the city. "Because I have things to do."
Such as?
"Finding Kai. Getting somewhere safe. And planning exactly how I'm going to destroy everyone who hurt us."
I like how you think, child.
I smile grimly. "Stick around. You'll like what I do even more."
The sun is rising as I reach the edge of the Undercity. People stare at me—bloody, burned, glowing faintly with golden light. But no one approaches.
Good. They shouldn't. I'm done being the girl everyone could hurt.
I find Mira's shack. Bang on the door.
She opens it, takes one look at me, and her eyes go wide.
"Rina? What happened to you? You look—"
"Different," I finish. "I am different. Is Kai here?"
She steps aside. Kai sits on her bed, pale but alive, clutching a blanket. When he sees me, he leaps up.
"Rina!"
I catch him as he crashes into me, hugging him tight.
"You're okay," I sob into his hair. "You're really okay."
"The dragon saved me." Kai pulls back to look at me. Then his eyes widen. "Rina... your eyes..."
"What about them?"
Mira hands me a cracked mirror.
I stare at my reflection.
My eyes have changed. They're still brown, but now they have flecks of gold in them. Dragon gold.
"The bond marked you," Aelith says in my mind. You're no longer fully human. You're something new. Something the world has never seen.
"What are you?" Mira whispers, awed and frightened.
I look at my reflection. At the gold in my eyes. At the faint glow of fire beneath my skin.
"I'm the girl who was supposed to die in the gutter," I say quietly. "But instead, I made a deal with a dragon."
I turn to face them. "And now I'm going to make everyone who hurt us regret they were ever born."
Kai grins. "Can I help?"
I ruffle his hair. "Maybe when you're older."
Three days, I think. I have three days before Draeven returns. Three days to prepare.
"Mira," I say. "I need information. Everything you know about the noble families. Their secrets. Their weaknesses."
She swallows hard. "Rina, what are you planning?"
I smile, and I know it looks dangerous.
"Revolution."
Outside, thunder rumbles despite the clear sky.
In my mind, Aelith laughs.
And somewhere in another realm, I feel Draeven's approval through our bond.
The girl from the slums is dead.
Something far more dangerous has taken her place.
And the people who created this monster are about to learn what it means to awaken a dragon's flame.