"Asta, no! Open your eyes! Look at me!"His head lolled slightly with the movement, but his eyes stayed closed. His breathing had already started to even out into the deep, slow rhythm of unconsciousness."Asta!" Her voice was getting higher, more desperate. She shook him again, harder this time. "ASTA! You can't do this! Wake up! ASTA!"Nothing. His face had gone slack, all tension draining away. He looked almost peaceful, if you ignored the bruises and the way his body was twisted awkwardly from the fall."No, no, no, no…" Flora's hands went to his neck, checking for a pulse the way Mira had done with Jabber. Her fingers pressed against his throat, and for a terrible moment she couldn't feel anything and her heart stopped…Then she felt it. Steady. Strong. His pulse beat against her fingertips, calm and even.He wasn't dying. He was just... asleep."Flora?" Mira's voice came from behind her, concerned. "Is he…""He's breathing." Flora said, her voice shaking. She didn't take h

Jabber's fists clenched at his sides. "I felt every hit. Every movement. You made my body move in ways it's not supposed to move.""I know. I'm sorry.""Sorry, it doesn't cover it!" Jabber's voice rose. "Keep going. What else?"The dragon took a shaky breath. "I killed the flame beast. Or nearly killed it,I left it alive but dying." His hands were trembling now. "And then your friend Cassian tried to stop me from finishing it off."Jabber's eyes narrowed. "Cassian? Why would he…""He wanted to bring it back alive. For the academy. For research or artifacts or something." The dragon's voice was getting quieter with each word. "I didn't care. I was angry. At him. At everyone. At the whole world.""What did you do?" The question came out as almost a whisper."I threatened him. Told him to let go of me or I'd take his arm." The dragon's voice cracked. "And when he didn't... I moved to do it. I was going to cripple him, Jabber. I was going to tear his arm off just for touching m

That made Jabber turn around. He spun to face the dragon, confusion written across his features. "What?"The dragon had stood up now. His posture was different,less desperate, more composed. He met Jabber's eyes steadily."Asta. The Emperor's vessel. Your friend." The dragon's expression softened. "He's going to need someone watching out for him. Someone he can trust. The Emperor Dragon's power inside him... it's going to draw attention. Dangerous attention."Jabber's brow furrowed. "Of course I'm going to watch his back. He's my friend."A small smile tugged at the corner of the dragon's mouth,the first genuine expression Jabber had seen from him since this conversation started. "Good. That's... that's good."He looked like he wanted to say more, but settled for just: "Thank you."Jabber stared at him for a long moment. There was something in that request, in the way the dragon had asked it, that felt different from all the manipulation and lies before. Something real.But he w

"Then, a few weeks after my coronation, the elders came to me with accusations. They said Loki had been spreading false messages. Telling other dragons that humans couldn't be trusted, that we should break our alliances, that war was coming. They called it fearmongering. Said he was trying to undermine my authority, create division among our kind."Asta's chest tightened. He could see where this was going."They showed me evidence." The Emperor Dragon continued, his voice barely above a whisper now. "Messages Loki had supposedly sent. Conversations he'd supposedly had. It all looked real. Convincing."A single tear rolled down the dragon's massive face, leaving a gleaming trail on his scales."And I believed them. I believed the elders over my friend. My brother." His voice cracked. "They told me I had to banish him. Said if I showed favoritism, if I let him stay despite the evidence, it would make me look weak. Would undermine everything I was trying to build."The dragon's whole

Asta tried to sit up properly. His body had other ideas.Pain exploded through his ribs the moment he moved. Sharp, stabbing, like someone had stuck a knife between each bone. A whine escaped his throat before he could stop it,high-pitched and embarrassing."Whoa, whoa!" Old man Kael was already moving, pushing himself out of his chair with surprising speed for someone his age. "Easy there, Asta."The old man's hands came to Asta's shoulders, steadying him. His grip was gentle but firm, supporting Asta's weight as he helped him sit up properly against the headboard."That's it. Slow movements. You really outdid yourself this time, kid."Asta bit back another groan as his back finally made contact with the wall behind the bed. Everything hurts. His ribs especially, but also his shoulders, his legs, his arms,pretty much everything that could hurt did hurt."Thanks." He managed through gritted teeth.He took a moment to just breathe, letting the pain settle into something manageable.