Aren's hand stopped in the air. The glowing screen floated inches from his fingers, waiting. The word proceed? did not blink or fade. It stayed there like it had all the time in the world.
Commander Lyra Voss did not lower her weapon. The soldiers behind her spread out, forming a wide arc. Their boots crushed broken stone as they moved. Each of them carried weapons covered in glowing lines. Aren did not know much about suppression weapons, but he knew enough.
Those weapons were made to kill dragons.
Kael felt it too. His grip on Aren tightened. His breathing grew heavy, uneven. His eyes flickered between normal and gold, like something inside him was fighting to come out.
"Aren," Kael said quietly. "Do not touch it."
Aren swallowed. "If I do not, they will kill you."
Lyra took one slow step forward. "Step away from him, Aren Valen," she said. "You are not the primary target."
Aren looked at her. "Then why bring so many weapons."
Lyra's expression did not change. "Because dragons never come alone."
The air felt tighter. Even breathing became hard. The ruins around them creaked as if they were under pressure.
Kael laughed softly. "She is lying," he said. "They always lie."
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "You remember too much already."
That sentence made Aren's stomach drop.
Kael's voice shook. "You know what I am."
"We always knew," Lyra replied. "Your kind never truly disappears."
Aren stared at her. "You knew dragons were alive."
"Yes," Lyra said. "And we made sure the world never found out."
The screen in front of Aren pulsed once.
[Dragon Suppression Authority Identified]
Aren's fingers curled slightly. "Then why pretend they are extinct."
Lyra did not hesitate. "Because fear is easier to control when people believe the threat is gone."
Kael let out a sharp breath. "You hunted us."
Lyra nodded. "We contained you. There is a difference."
Kael's body shook. The ground beneath him cracked again, deeper this time. A low sound echoed from somewhere below, like something breathing.
Aren looked at the screen again.
[Emergency Override Available]
His heart pounded. He did not want to choose. He did not want to be responsible for what came next. But doing nothing was also a choice.
Lyra raised her hand slightly. The soldiers stopped moving.
"You have ten seconds," she said. "After that, we neutralize the dragon."
Kael looked at Aren. His face was pale, but his eyes were burning.
"I trusted you," Kael said. "Even when they laughed at you. Even when you were useless."
Those words hurt more than Aren expected.
"I did not ask for this," Aren said.
"Neither did I," Kael replied. "But they will kill me anyway."
The screen pulsed again, brighter.
[Partial Unseal Limit: 30 percent]
Aren clenched his teeth. "If I do this, I might not be able to stop it."
Kael smiled bitterly. "Then maybe that is better."
Lyra's voice cut through them. "Five seconds."
The soldiers adjusted their stance. Weapons glowed brighter.
Aren reached forward.
He touched the screen.
The world reacted instantly.
Heat exploded outward. The ruins shook violently. Several soldiers stumbled back. Cracks raced across the ground like broken glass.
Kael screamed.
Golden light poured out of him. His body lifted off the ground, pulled upward by an unseen force. Symbols burned into the air around him, spinning fast.
Lyra shouted, "Containment formation."
The soldiers slammed their weapons into the ground. A barrier of blue light rose, enclosing the area.
Aren was thrown backward. He hit the ground hard, his head ringing.
The screen appeared again, now filled with warnings.
[Partial Unseal Active][Synchronization Unstable]
Kael's scream changed. It became deeper, layered, like more than one voice speaking at once.
Wings formed behind him, not fully solid, but made of fire and light. Scales spread across his skin, dark and glowing.
The barrier cracked.
Lyra's eyes widened for the first time. "Thirty percent," she whispered. "Already."
Kael opened his eyes.
They were no longer human.
He looked down at his hands, now clawed and burning. He laughed, a sound filled with pain and anger.
"I remember now," Kael said. "I remember the sky falling. I remember chains made of light. I remember you."
He looked directly at Lyra.
"You were there," he said.
Lyra did not deny it. "And I will finish what I started."
She raised her weapon.
Before she could fire, Kael moved.
He vanished.
The next second, he appeared in front of the barrier. He slammed his claw into it. The barrier shattered like glass.
Soldiers were thrown back. Some hit the ruins hard and did not get up.
Aren struggled to his feet. His ears rang. His vision blurred.
"Kael," Aren shouted. "Stop."
Kael turned toward him. For a moment, the fire dimmed.
"I cannot," Kael said. "Not anymore."
Lyra wiped blood from her mouth and stood up. Her armor was cracked, but her eyes were sharp.
"All units," she said calmly. "Release seal breaker."
A massive device unfolded behind her, floating into the air. It hummed loudly, pulling mana from the surroundings.
The screen in front of Aren flashed violently.
[Warning][Dragon Core Targeted]
Aren felt pain tear through his chest. He dropped to one knee.
Kael roared.
The sound shook the sky.
Clouds began to swirl above the ruins. The air darkened.
Lyra shouted something Aren could not hear. The device fired.
A beam of white light shot toward Kael.
Aren did not think.
He ran forward.
The screen reacted instantly.
[Emergency Link Engaged]
The beam hit.
Kael screamed again, louder than before. Aren felt the pain too. It ripped through his body like fire in his veins.
They were connected.
Aren collapsed beside Kael. His vision went white.
Voices echoed in his head. Many voices. Old voices.
"Dragon Tamer," one said."You have returned," another whispered."The bond is formed."
The screen appeared one last time, clearer than ever.
[Hidden Condition Met][Dragon King Lineage Detected][Authority Transfer Pending]
Aren's breath caught.
Lyra stared at the screen, her face losing all color.
"No," she whispered. "That is impossible."
The device behind her shattered.
The sky split open.
And something ancient began to descend.