"He's still breathing."The words hung frozen in the damp air of the subterranean cavern, held in place by the glowing azure light projected from the dragon core.Kaelen’s head snapped up from Soren’s chest so fast her wet hair whipped across her face. Her breath hitched, her swollen, tear-stained eyes locking onto the flickering imperial runes floating against the dark stone wall."Soren..." she choked out, her voice barely a thread of sound. She scrambled out of his arms, her boots slipping on the wet gravel as she stumbled toward the wall, her trembling hands reaching out to touch the floating light. "That is... that is Jaren's imperial frequency. That is his signature.""It is an automated beacon," Lyra said, stepping up beside her, her golden eyes scanning the glowing coordinates with cold, surgical precision. "His communication sphere had a vital-status tether built directly into the imperial network. The core in Soren's pocket is intercepting the signal because they were fused

"I told you... he brought the sun."The executioner’s blade never touched Jaren’s skin. A blinding, white-hot lance of dragon fire tore straight through the thick stone ceiling of the holding vault, vaporizing four stories of solid masonry in less than a second.Superheated rock exploded outward in a roaring shockwave. The shadow captain and his guards were blasted across the obsidian floor, their armor melting into slag before their bodies even hit the walls.Down through the gaping, smoking crater in the ceiling came Red. The massive red dragon hit the vault floor with a force that shook the entire foundation of the capital, his claws shattering the executioner's altar into a thousand pieces."Jaren!" Soren's voice cut through the burning dust like thunder.Soren vaulted off Red's neck before the dragon had even fully landed. Translucent white flames surged around his hands, burning with such intense heat that the anti-magic iron spikes binding Jaren to the stone melted into liquid

The words dripped from Empress Valerie’s bloody lips like poison, echoing into the pitch-black catacombs beneath the shattered capital.The shadow-draped figure bowed low, his dark robes pooling on the cold stone. "It will be done, Your Majesty. But the seal on the Abyssal Vault requires a sacrifice of royal blood. The Sleeping King will not stir for anything less."Valerie didn't hesitate. She grabbed the edge of a jagged obsidian shard lying near her broken throne and drove it straight into the palm of her hand. Crimson blood welled up instantly, dark and heavy with corrupted royal magic. She pressed her bleeding palm directly onto the black dragon emblem sealing the scroll."Take it," she rasped, her eyes burning with a manic, unholy light. "Feed him every drop he needs. I want my son to watch everything he fought for turn to ash."High above the subterranean ruins, warm morning light washed over the marble plaza of the Sun Altar. The air was crisp, carrying the sweet smell of melt

"Then die first, little prince."The dark words had barely cleared the titan’s throat when a subterranean shockwave hit the plaza, throwing everyone off their feet.The sky didn't just turn dark, it bled. Crimson lightning danced across the churning column of black smoke, illuminating the jagged, terrifying outline of a beast that made Red look like a hatchling."Soren, no!" Kaelen screamed, scrambling across the slick, ash-covered stone as Soren charged the edge of the chasm alone.White starfire exploded from Soren’s blade as he leaped straight into the abyss, driving his weapon directly into one of the massive shadow tendrils dragging Red down into the pit. The impact echoed like a cannon shot, burning back the darkness for a split second and severing the creature's grip.Red let out a frantic, guttural roar, scrambling back onto the solid edge of the marble plaza, his massive wings fanning away the suffocating dark ash."Get him up!" Varek bellowed, his voice hoarse from inhaled s