DRAGON EMPEROR

CHAPTER 2 The Heart Beneath the Storm

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. “Impossible,” he whispered. “The Dragon Heart should have vanished centuries ago.”Henry coughed violently as blood spilt across the stone beneath him.“What… are you talking about?”

The mage ignored the question entirely. Instead, he took several steps backwards, his earlier confidence visibly shaken.“That bloodline was exterminated,” the dark mage muttered. “The royal families swore the last vessel died during the Dragon Purge.”

The chains around Henry suddenly trembled. Cracks spread through the black magic binding his arms. The mage noticed immediately. His voice sharpened with panic. “Kill him now!”

The other dark wizards hovering above the battlements reacted instantly. Dark runes ignited across the sky as waves of corrupted mana gathered overhead. Henry felt the temperature drop sharply while shadows twisted unnaturally around the stone walls.

Then the spells descended. Bolts of black lightning crashed toward him from every direction. Henry’s eyes widened. He could not dodge. He could barely breathe. For a brief moment, fear overwhelmed him completely. Not fear of pain. Not fear of death. He feared dying without ever proving that his life had meaning.

All his years of suffering, all his humiliation, all the endless training and ridicule. Would it truly end here? The black lightning struck. But before the spells could touch him, the world exploded with crimson fire. A deafening roar tore across the battlefield.

The very air shook. The dark lightning vanished instantly, consumed by a wall of blazing red flames that erupted around Henry like a living storm. The heat became unbearable. Nearby stone melted within seconds while terrified screams echoed from the attacking mages.

One of them failed to escape in time. The crimson fire swallowed him whole. His body disintegrated before he could even scream. Henry stared in shock as flames spiralled around him without causing harm. They moved like living creatures, circling his body protectively while ancient symbols burned brighter beneath his skin.

The hooded mage stumbled backwards in horror.“No… no, this cannot be happening.”

Another heartbeat thundered inside Henry’s chest. This time, the fortress shook with it. Far beyond the mountains, a roar answered. Every person on the battlefield froze. Knights stopped fighting. Dark mages turned pale.

Even the monsters descending from the abyss portal screeched uneasily. The sound that echoed across the northern peaks did not belong to any ordinary creature. It sounded ancient.DivineFurious.Henry slowly lifted his head.

His silver eyes reflected the crimson flames surrounding him. For the first time in his life, power surged through his body. Real power. The sensation terrified him. The hooded mage raised shaking hands toward the sky. “Retreat!” he shouted desperately. “We must inform the Archbishop immediately!”

Several dark mages attempted to flee toward the abyss portal. They never reached it. A massive shadow burst through the storm clouds above Blackthorn Fortress. The creature descended like a falling mountain. Wings larger than fortress towers spread across the sky while scales darker than obsidian reflected crimson lightning. The sheer pressure of its presence crushed soldiers to their knees. Some apprentices screamed in terror. Others stared upward in complete disbelief.

A dragon.Not a wyvern.Not a drake.A true dragon. The ancient beast crashed onto the fortress walls with enough force to shatter stone beneath its claws. Crimson fire erupted from its jaws as its golden eyes scanned the battlefield.

Then the dragon looked directly at Henry. The world became quiet in that moment. Not truly silent, but distant. As though every sound had been drowned beneath the weight of that creature’s gaze. Henry’s heart pounded violently. The dragon stepped forward slowly, towering above him like a living god.

Every instinct screamed for Henry to run. Yet he could not move. The beast lowered its enormous head until one golden eye stood level with him. Then, to everyone’s horror, the dragon bowed. Shock rippled through the battlefield. Kael Durham, who had been fighting monsters near the western courtyard, stared in complete disbelief.“What… is he?”

Nearby knights instinctively backed away from Henry. Fear spread faster than the fire itself. The hooded mage suddenly laughed. The sound was ragged and unstable.“So it’s true,” he whispered. “The Dragon Throne has found its heir.”

Before Henry could react, the mage thrust both hands forward. Darkness exploded outward. Hundreds of black chains erupted from the shadows and pierced directly toward Henry and the dragon alike. The dragon roared furiously as flames consumed dozens of chains, but more continued appearing endlessly from dark portals surrounding the battlements.

The hooded mage’s voice rose with desperation.“If the Dragon Bloodline truly lives, then you must die before the prophecy awakens!”

The chains struck Henry before the dragon could shield him. Pain exploded through his body. This time, however, something changed. Instead of weakening him, the dark magic ignited the power sleeping within his blood.

Ancient memories flooded his mind instantly. Henry staggered backwards as visions consumed him. He saw dragons soaring across endless skies. He saw armies kneeling before a throne of gold and flame. He saw a man clad in black armour standing atop a mountain of corpses while dragons circled overhead.

Then Henry saw the man’s face. His own face.“No…” Henry whispered. The visions vanished violently. The hooded mage noticed Henry’s reaction immediately.“You saw him, didn’t you?” the mage asked darkly. “The First Dragon Emperor.”

The dragon suddenly roared again, this time with unmistakable rage. The ancient beast lunged forward and tore through the dark chains with terrifying force. Several mages died instantly beneath its claws while fortress walls collapsed under the pressure of the battle.

Henry struggled to remain conscious. His entire body burned. The power inside him felt unstable, wild beyond control. Crimson energy continued leaking from his skin while silver markings spread slowly across his arms and neck. He could feel people staring at him. Not with mockery anymore.With fear. That realisation hurt more than he expected.

All his life, Henry had wanted strength so people would acknowledge him. Yet the moment he gained real power, everyone looked at him like a monster. A sudden scream snapped him back to reality.Kael.Henry turned sharply.

A massive abyss creature had cornered Kael near the shattered courtyard below. The young noble fought desperately, but exhaustion slowed his movements. Black claws slammed against his sword hard enough to send him crashing into broken stone.

The monster opened its jaws. Kael could not escape in time. Without thinking, Henry moved. Crimson fire exploded beneath his feet as he launched across the battlefield with impossible speed. The world blurred around him. One moment, he stood atop the battlements. Next, he appeared directly between Kael and the abyss creature.

Even Henry did not understand how he moved so fast. The monster lunged immediately. Instinct took over. Henry raised one hand. Crimson flames erupted outward. The abyss creature vanished inside a storm of dragon fire so intense that nothing remained except ashes drifting through the rain. The battlefield fell silent again.

Kael stared at Henry in shock from the ground. Henry slowly lowered his hand while smoke rose from his fingertips. He had killed monsters before during training exercises. But never like this.Never effortlessly. Fear crept into his chest. What exactly was he becoming?

A horn blast echoed across the fortress. Then another. Sir Gareth emerged from the smoke-covered courtyard, blood staining his armour while wounded soldiers followed behind him.“We’re losing the eastern wall!” one knight shouted. The portal keeps spawning more creatures!”

Sir Gareth’s gaze landed on Henry. For a brief moment, the older knight froze after seeing the silver markings spreading across Henry’s body. Yet unlike the others, Gareth did not step backwards. Instead, he approached slowly.“What happened to you, boy?”

Henry opened his mouth, but no answer came.Because he genuinely did not know.Suddenly, the dragon above them roared again.This time, its attention shifted toward the abyss portal overhead.The creature’s golden eyes narrowed with hatred.Then a new presence emerged from the darkness beyond the portal.A massive skeletal hand reached through first.

Then another. The temperature across the battlefield dropped instantly. Dark mist spilt from the portal as an enormous armoured figure slowly began emerging from the abyss itself. Dead soldiers throughout the fortress started moving. Henry’s blood turned cold as corpses rose across the battlefield with glowing blue eyes. One wounded knight screamed as his fallen comrades grabbed him from beneath the rubble. “The dead…” Kael whispered in horror. “They’re alive.”

The hooded mage laughed weakly despite his injuries.“You are already too late,” he said. “The Harbinger has arrived.” The skeletal figure stepped fully through the portal at last. Black armour covered its massive body while blue fire burned inside its hollow eyes. An ancient crown rested upon its skull, and the sword hanging at its side radiated death so powerful that nearby soldiers collapsed merely standing near it.

Sir Gareth’s face turned pale.“That’s impossible…” Henry looked toward him sharply. The older knight’s voice trembled for the first time.“The Lich King.”