DRAGON EMPEROR

CHAPTER 3 The Voice of the Dying Dragon

“Run, little king.”The dragon’s voice echoed inside Henry’s mind with painful clarity. The ancient creature crashed against the shattered courtyard as abyssal chains tightened around its enormous body. Black corruption spread beneath crimson scales like poison crawling through veins, and every violent movement from the dragon sent cracks through the fortress stone beneath it.

Yet despite its overwhelming power, the beast was losing. Henry stood frozen beneath the rain. All around him, Blackthorn Fortress burned.

Knights screamed across collapsing battlements while undead soldiers tore through defensive lines. Abyss creatures flooded the western breach endlessly, and above everything else loomed the towering figure of the Lich King, whose cold blue eyes remained fixed upon Henry as though the chaos surrounding them no longer mattered.

The dragon’s voice came again, weaker this time.“You must leave… before he realises what you truly are.”

Henry’s pulse thundered. The creature was speaking directly into his thoughts. Not through sound.Not through magic chants. Something deeper connected them. Sir Gareth grabbed Henry’s shoulder hard enough to break his trance.“Move!” the older knight barked. “The inner walls won’t hold much longer!”

Another explosion shook the fortress before Henry could answer. A section of the eastern battlements collapsed completely as dark mages unleashed another barrage of corrupted spells. Burning rubble rained into the courtyard while terrified apprentices scattered through smoke and bloodshed.

Kael Durham dragged an injured soldier away from a charging undead knight before driving his blade through the creature’s skull. Unlike earlier, there was no arrogance left in the noble apprentice now. Survival had stripped away the pride of noble birth.

“We’re being surrounded!” Kael shouted. “If we stay here, we die!”

Henry looked toward the dragon again. The abyssal chains binding the creature pulsed with dark energy while hooded mages maintained the spell from surrounding rooftops. Every second, the corruption spread farther across the dragon’s body. And somehow, Henry could feel its pain. Not physically.Emotionally.

A strange connection pulsed between them like an invisible thread. The dragon suddenly roared in agony. The sound tore across Blackthorn Fortress with enough force to shake windows and crack stone pillars. Several undead soldiers were obliterated instantly by the sheer pressure of the roar alone.

Then something unexpected happened. The crimson markings beneath Henry’s skin reacted violently. Pain exploded through his chest. Henry staggered backwards as silver light flashed across his arms and neck. Ancient symbols burned brighter beneath his skin while unfamiliar whispers flooded his mind once more.

He saw towering dragons soaring through endless skies. He saw armies kneeling before banners marked with crimson wings. Then he saw fire. Entire kingdoms were burning beneath dragonflame while countless people screamed.

Henry gasped sharply as the vision vanished. Fear crawled into his stomach. That destruction…it felt personal.As though those memories belonged to him. The hooded mage atop the ruined battlements noticed immediately.“The bloodline resonance is increasing,” the mage warned the Lich King. “At this rate, the Dragon Heart may awaken completely.”

The undead ruler remained motionless for several long seconds. Then the blue flames inside his hollow eyes narrowed slightly.“Interesting,” the Lich King murmured.

He began walking toward Henry. Each step froze the ground beneath him. Dead soldiers rose in his wake. The battlefield itself seemed to recoil from his presence. Sir Gareth immediately stepped forward, placing himself between Henry and the undead monarch.“You’ll go no farther.”

The Lich King barely acknowledged him.“You are brave,” the undead ruler said calmly, “but bravery does not change fate.”

Then he raised one skeletal hand. Dark energy exploded outward. Sir Gareth crossed his sword instinctively, but the impact hurled him violently across the courtyard. The older knight slammed into broken stone hard enough to crack the wall behind him.“Sir Gareth!” Henry shouted.

The veteran knight coughed blood but forced himself back upright. The Lich King continued advancing. Around him, undead soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave. Knights collided against them desperately while flames and steel illuminated the rain-soaked battlefield. Yet despite their resistance, Blackthorn Fortress continued falling apart piece by piece.

Henry’s breathing quickened. They were losing. No matter how bravely the soldiers fought, they could not withstand this kind of power. The realisation tore at him. All his life, he had dreamed of becoming strong enough to protect people. But now that strength finally existed inside him, he still felt helpless watching others die around him.

A scream suddenly echoed nearby. Henry turned sharply. Cedric Vael had fallen to one knee beside a collapsed pillar while an abyss creature stalked toward him through the smoke. The mage tried raising a defensive barrier, but his injured side prevented proper spellcasting.

The creature lunged. Before Henry could move, Kael intercepted it first. The noble apprentice slammed his sword into the monster’s jaw, forcing it backwards.“Get up, mage!” Kael snarled.

Cedric stared at him in disbelief.“You’re helping me?”

Kael’s expression twisted bitterly. “I don’t particularly want you dead before I punch you myself someday.”Even amid destruction, the absurdity of the statement almost made Henry laugh.Almost.The dragon roared again inside Henry’s mind.“Listen carefully…”

Henry looked upward immediately. The creature’s golden eyes remained fixed on him despite the corruption spreading across its body.“You carry the final ember of the Dragon Throne,” the dragon said weakly. “If you die tonight… the world falls into darkness.”

Henry’s chest tightened.“What are you talking about?”

But the dragon’s presence flickered painfully. The abyssal chains tightened again. One of the hooded mages shouted triumphantly, “The corruption is reaching its heart!”Black veins spread rapidly beneath the dragon’s scales. The creature trembled violently.

Then, to Henry’s horror, the dragon’s golden eyes briefly shifted red. The change lasted only a second. But Henry saw it. So did the Lich King. The undead monarch stopped walking. For the first time since arriving, genuine concern entered his voice. “Destroy the dragon immediately.”

Every dark mage on the battlefield reacted at once. Massive runic circles ignited across the fortress ruins while abyssal energy surged toward the chained dragon. Henry realised instantly what they intended. They were not trying to capture it anymore. They intended to corrupt it completely.

If that happened…Henry did not know why, but instinct screamed that the consequences would be catastrophic. The dragon’s voice weakened further.“You must stop them…”

Henry stared at the battlefield around him. Knights dying. Fire spreading. Monsters flooding through the fortress. And above everything else, an ancient dragon is slowly being transformed into something monstrous. Fear clawed through his chest. Not fear of death.Fear of failure.Because deep inside himself, Henry already knew the truth. If he acted now, there would be no turning back. Whatever power slept within him would awaken further.

And he no longer trusted what that power might turn him into. The crimson flames around his body flickered violently as though responding to his hesitation. Sir Gareth forced himself upright nearby despite blood running down his armour.“Henry!” the knight shouted. “Whatever happens next, remember who you are!”

Those words struck harder than any weapon. Remember who you are. But who was he anymore? A powerless orphan? Or the heir to something ancient and terrifying?

The fortress shook violently again. The second abyss portal overhead widened further, and more demon warriors stepped through the darkness. Unlike the mindless monsters below, these demons observed the battlefield intelligently. One of them smiled while watching Henry. The expression sent chills down his spine.“It begins,” the demon whispered in an unknown language.

And somehow…Henry understood him. His blood ran cold. The dragon suddenly screamed. The corruption reached its neck now, spreading toward its head. The creature’s enormous body thrashed violently against the chains while dark energy exploded around the courtyard. Nearby soldiers were thrown backwards by the shockwave.

The hooded mage laughed triumphantly.“Yes… Submit to the abyss!”Something inside Henry snapped. Not anger alone.Not desperation.Something deeper. The thought of watching another living creature suffer while he stood helpless became unbearable.

Crimson light erupted from his body. The ground beneath Henry shattered instantly. Everyone on the battlefield froze. Even the Lich King’s hollow eyes widened slightly.

The silver markings spreading across Henry’s skin ignited completely while dragonfire spiralled around him like a living storm. Ancient pressure exploded outward across the fortress, forcing nearby undead creatures to recoil instinctively.

Then Henry heard it. A voice older than the world itself.“Will you accept the throne?”The question echoed inside his soul. Henry’s breathing became uneven. He could feel something watching him from beyond the storm. Immense, Ancient, Divine.

And terrifyingly patient.“If I accept…” Henry whispered internally, “what happens to me?”For a moment, only silence answered. Then the voice returned.“You will never be weak again.”

The words pierced straight through his heart. Because weakness had defined Henry’s entire life.Weak enough to be mocked.Weak enough to be ignored, weak enough to watch others suffer while he could do nothing. The temptation hurt. Gods, it hurt.

The dragon’s pained roar echoed again across the battlefield. Henry closed his eyes briefly. Then he made his choice. Crimson flames exploded skyward. Every abyss creature near him disintegrated instantly. The sheer force of released dragonfire sent soldiers stumbling backwards while shock spread across every face in the courtyard.

Henry slowly opened his eyes. They no longer looked entirely human. Silver light burned within them now. The hooded mage screamed in horror.“The Dragon Heart has awakened!”The Lich King stared at Henry silently.

Then, for the first time…The undead ruler smiled. And somewhere deep beneath Blackthorn Fortress, something enormous answered Henry’s awakening with a roar that shook the mountain itself.