I pulled the book from the shelf and carried it to a quieter corner of the library. An oak chair sat alone at the far end, almost as though it had been untouched for years.Settling into it, I opened the book and flipped through its worn pages before beginning to read.---Almathae, daughter of Malamsi, was born with rare dragon magic. She became a revered priestess of Eldorado, sworn to protect her people from the tyranny of the evil King Vorthar.He sought to use her power, but she refused to yield.She would never bow to evil.Almathae foresaw her own death. She understood the cost of what had to be done, yet she did not falter. She wanted to end him and ensure that he was gone for good.But she could not destroy him.Her power was only enough to seal him.In the end, she made a choice.She sacrificed everything, including her power and her life, to bind Vorthar beneath the earth and end his reign.Yet the prophecy remains.She will return.And when she does, Vorthar will seek her

HAZEL’S POVI stood by the window as the day slowly bled into evening, lost in thought over everything I had read in the book. I had hidden it carefully under my wardrobe, away from the prying eyes of my maids.My thoughts drifted back to Almathae. I could not help but wonder what she wanted from me. Why had she reached out to me?One question kept tugging at me. The man in the book who had been dragged underground and sealed by Almathae before her passing had to be Vorthar. The book also said that she would be reborn, and that Vorthar would seek her out to free himself.I could not help but wonder if she had truly been reborn, and why I felt so deeply connected to everything at the same time.A sharp pain began to build in my head, making me wince. I knew I could not be Almathae. I was human, born to human parents, taken from them and brought to Eldorado.Almathae had already appeared in my visions twice. But why?Her last words echoed in my mind, stinging more than anything else.“I

DRAVON'S POVI stood there frozen at the sight of Hazel in front of me.Her hands and neck were covered in dark green scales, and her eyes were no longer the normal blue I used to know.They were crimson.“Hazel…” I called, but she did not answer. Instead, she turned away from me.“What happened to you? Please tell me everything that happened,” I said, hoping she would trust me for once.But then she did not even turn to look at me.I walked up to her, embracing her from behind. She froze under my touch as her hot tears fell on my skin.“Why… why did you do that, despite all we have been through together, Dravon?” she asked with slow sobs as she turned to face my chest. My heart stopped.“I did not do it. Please, more than anything, I want you to believe me. Hazel, I did not,” I replied.“Stop lying to me, Dravon,” she said as more of her tears soaked my chest.My heart clenched, and at that moment everything within me broke. She did not believe me.“Hazel, I did not kiss her. She onl

Just then, a knock sounded.“My lady, we have been sent to get you ready for today’s training,” a maid’s voice called from outside.“Come in,” I ordered harshly.I did not mean to sound that harsh, but what the maids had just said hurt my feelings. More than anything, I could not bear the thought of another woman’s eyes on Dravon.A young maid stepped in, and at the sight of her, my vision blurred.My head suddenly throbbed.A sharp ringing filled my ears.Something felt like it was pushing its way out of me.Suddenly, I began to see everything about the girl.Without meaning to, my mouth began to speak.“You are not from here, young damsel. You lost your father on the day of your birth. You were sold by your own mother to the slave quarters because she could not care for you, and later brought to the royal palace at the age of fourteen.You have lived here your whole life and spent your youth working endlessly.You must know this, young damsel. Your mother passed away this morning. S

DRAVON’S POVI gasped at the sight of Hazel’s elongated nails. Sylthara stood at the side with a smirk on her face.My men gathered around, surprised at the turn of events. They were afraid to whisper gossip in my presence—a gesture I knew they would not fail to carry out behind closed doors.“Today’s training has come to an end. You are dismissed—”Hazel bolted past me like lightning, running past the border and heading in a direction I doubted she knew.“Hazel!” She didn’t stop. She didn’t turn. She didn’t even look back. She just kept going.My heart clenched. Somehow, I could feel the pain in her heart. I felt it all—her pain, her fear, and the confusion slowly taking over.“You didn’t tell me your wife was something else, Dravon,” Sylthara said jestingly. “Certainly not human.”Ignoring her, I scanned my men. My gaze moved from Xavier to Kael, Manfti, Karl, Daen, and the rest. They all looked confused. They had known Hazel was human, and they were just as shocked as I was.“Toda