The tunnel shook as the house collapsed above them.Dust fell from the ceiling.Aiden carried the newborn against his chest while supporting his wounded daughter with his free arm.“Keep moving,” he said.She looked back at the sealed iron door.“Jackson is still there.”“He told us to go.”“He needs us.”“The baby needs you.”Those words forced her forward.The tunnel stretched beneath the property and ended near the forest. Jackson had stocked it with weapons, food, medicine, and two vehicles hidden behind a stone wall.He had prepared for everything.Everything except losing her.Aiden helped his daughter into the first vehicle. Her clothes were soaked with blood.“You’re hurt worse than you said.”“I’ll survive.”“That isn’t an answer.”She reached for Carl.“Give him to me.”Aiden placed the baby in her arms.The moment she held him, her breathing steadied.Carl opened his eyes and stared at her.“He knows me,” she whispered.“He’s a newborn.”“He knows.”Aiden started the vehicle

Far from the burned mountain, a man entered a chamber beneath the earth.Seven torches burned along the black stone walls.Their flames were red.At the center of the chamber stood a circular table carved with symbols older than any known civilization.Six figures were already seated.The seventh chair remained empty.The man bowed.“The attack failed.”No one reacted.The silence frightened him more than anger would have.A woman seated beneath the largest torch slowly lifted her head.Her face was hidden behind a silver mask.“Jackson Young survived?”“Yes.”“The human woman?”“Dead.”“And the child?”The messenger hesitated.That single pause changed the air inside the chamber.“He survived,” the man admitted.One of the council members struck the table.The red flames rose.“How?”“We underestimated the mother. She separated from the child and drew our hunters away.”“A human deceived them?”“They believed the infant remained with her.”The masked woman leaned back.“What did the c

Carl stared at Master Aiden.“It was never meant to save you.”The words echoed inside his head.He looked down at the black stone resting against his chest.“Then what was it meant to do?”Master Aiden remained silent.Carl’s patience disappeared.“Answer me.”“It suppresses something.”“What?”“The blood you inherited from your father.”Carl almost laughed.“My blood?”“Jackson called it Dragon Blood.”The name sounded absurd.Carl had faced experimental weapons, secret organizations, and men who believed themselves untouchable.But dragons belonged in myths.“You expect me to believe this necklace controls dragon blood inside my body?”“I expect you to remember what happened whenever it was removed.”“Stories from my childhood aren’t proof.”Aiden’s expression hardened.“I watched you lift me from the floor with one hand when you were six.”“And I’m supposed to accept that?”“No. You should question it.”Master Aiden stepped closer.“But you should also understand that removing the

Carl’s fist stopped inches from Master Aiden’s face.The old man did not move.For one second, Carl’s golden eyes stared at him without recognition.Then his hand began trembling.“Carl,” Aiden said calmly. “You know me.”A growl rose from Carl’s throat.Heat rolled across the yard.The wooden post beside Aiden burst into flames.Sophia held her injured wrist but stepped closer.“Carl, listen to him.”His gaze shifted toward her.The hunger returned.Carl’s body turned before his mind could resist.He moved toward Sophia.She forced herself to remain still.“You promised you would come back to me.”His steps slowed.“You said you would tell me what happened here.”Carl’s expression twisted as though two people were fighting behind his eyes.Sophia continued.“You know who I am.”His lips parted.No sound came out.“Say my name.”The golden glow flickered.“Sophia.”His voice was rough, but it was his.She smiled.“That’s right.”Carl looked at the hand still raised near Aiden’s face.H

Carl did not sleep that night.He remained at the table while Sophia and Anna rested in the next room. Master Aiden brought an old wooden box from beneath the floorboards.Inside were maps, photographs, and documents collected over decades.“What is all this?” Carl asked.“Everything I found after Jackson disappeared.”Aiden spread an ancient map across the table.Several symbols had been marked in red.Carl recognized one of them.The circle surrounded by seven flames.“The Council.”“That is what Jackson called them.”Aiden placed a photograph beside the map. It showed a ruined temple uncovered beneath a modern city. Carvings of winged creatures covered its walls.The discovery had never appeared in any public record.“Governments sealed the site within two days,” Aiden said.“Why?”“Because the people who ordered it were not human.”Carl examined another photograph.The same symbol appeared on the uniform of an ancient king.A third image showed it engraved beneath the foundation of