The black chains tightened around Henry’s body hard enough to crack stone beneath his knees. Agony surged through his chest as the hooded mage extended a trembling hand toward him. Strange runes burned beneath Henry’s skin now, glowing through torn fabric like molten silver trapped inside his veins. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It felt as though something ancient and enormous had awakened inside him and was struggling violently against invisible restraints.Above Blackthorn Fortress, the storm twisted unnaturally. Lightning spiralled around the massive abyss portal hanging over the fortress while burning debris rained from the sky. Soldiers screamed below as monsters descended upon the courtyard. The sound of steel clashing against claws echoed across the mountainside, but Henry barely heard any of it anymore.That heartbeat inside him grew louder. One pulse.Then another. Each beat shook his entire body. The hooded mage stared at Henry with widening horror. “I

The mountain beneath Blackthorn Fortress exploded. Stone erupted upward as a deafening roar tore through the battlefield, powerful enough to shake the heavens themselves. Cracks spread violently across the fortress courtyard while terrified soldiers lost their footing. Even the undead hordes staggered as something colossal awakened deep below the mountain.Henry dropped to one knee. Agony ripped through every nerve in his body. The crimson flames surrounding him spiralled out of control now, twisting through the storm like living creatures. Silver markings had spread fully across his arms and neck, glowing brighter with every heartbeat. The power inside him no longer felt like simple magic.It felt alive. And it was growing stronger by the second. The rain evaporated before touching his skin. Nearby soldiers stared at him with expressions of horror and awe. Moments ago, Henry had been another frightened apprentice struggling to survive the massacre.Now the very air trembled around hi

The abyss demons attacked the moment the Dragon God finished speaking. Black spears tore through the rain toward Varethion’s exposed head while dark mages unleashed corrupted spells from the ruined battlements above. The battlefield erupted back into chaos instantly, as though the brief revelation about betrayal had shattered whatever fragile restraint existed between the ancient powers gathered beneath Blackthorn Fortress.Varethion’s golden eyes narrowed. The Dragon God did not dodge. One enormous claw rose from the crater beneath the fortress and swept across the battlefield with terrifying force. The resulting shockwave obliterated incoming spells instantly while several demons were crushed beneath falling debris.The mountain itself groaned beneath the creature’s movement. Ancient divine chains tightened around Varethion’s body, glowing with blinding silver light as sacred runes flared across every restraint embedded into the Dragon God’s scales.For the first time, pain crossed

"Run from destiny."The voice did not echo across the battlefield. It did not emerge from the sky, the abyss, or the imprisoned Dragon God. The words came from inside Henry's mind. Yet they carried a weight so ancient that they seemed older than the mountain itself. For a brief moment, everything else faded into the background.The roaring battle.The screams of dying soldiers.The clash between undead armies and abyssal demons. All of it became distant. Henry stood frozen as those three words reverberated through his thoughts. Run from destiny. The voice sounded disturbingly familiar. Not merely because it resembled his own. It felt like listening to an older version of himself. A version burdened by centuries of pain, regret, and loss.The Dragon Heart pulsed violently inside his chest. Pain exploded behind his eyes. Suddenly, the battlefield vanished. Henry found himself standing somewhere else entirely. An endless plain stretched before him beneath a crimson sky. The air smelled of a

The roar struck before anyone could react. It did not come from the battlefield. It did not emerge from the abyss portals. Nor did it originate from anywhere within the known world. The sound arrived from somewhere far beyond reality itself. Mountains cracked. Ancient fortifications were shattered.The heavens trembled as invisible waves of force spread across the horizon. Every dragon present felt it immediately. The corrupted dragon screamed in agony. Varethion's enormous body stiffened against his divine chains. Even the Dragon Heart within Henry's chest reacted violently. Pain exploded through his entire body. He dropped to one knee. Blood trickled from his nose.The First God immediately stepped forward. Golden light surrounded Henry, easing the pressure slightly. Yet the pain remained. Because the roar was not attacking his body.It was attacking his bloodline. Something ancient had recognised the Dragon Heart. And it was answering.The battlefield remained frozen in shock. Thous