เข้าสู่ระบบNyxar POVAnother knock rattled the chamber door. Harder this time. Far less patient.“Lyra? Nyxar?” Ekreth called them. The dragon sounded calm. Too calm. Which somehow made Nyxar trust the situation even less.For a long moment neither he nor Lyra moved. Her forehead still rested against his. His hand still cupped her cheek. The distance between them was measured in breaths. The kiss that almost happened lingered in the air like a living thing.Waiting.Neither seemed willing to be the first to step away. Then reality finally won. Barely. Lyra released a slow breath and leaned back first. Her silver eyes remained fixed on his. Something vulnerable still lingered there. Something she rarely allowed anyone to see. Something Nyxar suspected she’d regret showing once the night ended.His chest tightened. Because he already knew he would remember it forever.Another knock.“Should I assume you’re both alive?” Ekreth called.Lyra actually snorted. The sound startled both of them. Then a
Nyxar POVSomething was wrong. Nyxar woke instantly. No lingering haze of sleep. No confusion. His eyes opened to a chamber drenched in silver moonlight.The fortress slept around him. Yet his wolf was already awake. Alert, restless and uneasy. A pulse ran through him. Sharp and violent.The bond. Something was happening with Lyra.Lyra!He sat upright immediately. The feeling hit again. Fear. Pure, raw fear. His heart lurched. Not because fear itself was unusual. Because it belonged to her.Lyra wasn’t afraid. Never. She faced monsters, armies, gods and prophecy with the same stubborn determination. She carried impossible burdens without complaint. Fear was not something he associated with her.Yet now it flooded through the bond. Cold, terrible and desperate.Then the scream came. It ripped through the fortress. Nyxar was already moving before it ended. Bare feet struck stone.The door burst open, when he pushed them. Moonlit corridors blurred around him.He heard doors opening, whe
Vaeleth POV“Run.”The command hit her like thunder. The water exploded upward. The silver sky shattered. Something moved beyond the cracks in reality. Something vast. And not friendly.Vaeleth caught a glimpse of claws larger than mountains. Molten fire bled through the darkness beyond the dream. An eye opened somewhere outside existence itself - watching.She was horrified. Truly horrified. And then the stranger moved. Instantly. Placing himself between her and the thing trying to force its way through.The gesture was so natural neither of them seemed to understand it at first. As if his body had chosen before his mind could. As if protecting her was an instinct. Not a decision.The realization struck them both. His head turned slightly. Golden eyes finding hers again. His calm mask cracked. Vaeleth saw surprise in his eyes. The same surprise she felt. Something impossible had just happened.The thing beyond the shattered sky roared again. Reality shook. The stranger barely seemed
Vaeleth POVSleep should have come easily. For the first time in weeks, she wasn’t sleeping on frozen ground.For the first time in her life, there were walls around her. Real walls. No storms. No crumbling wards. No volcano threatening to split the mountain apart. No whispers rising from beneath the earth.She should have slept. Instead, she lay awake staring at the carved ceiling above her bed. The chamber was beautiful.Golden lanterns glowed softly in crystal alcoves. Ancient runes drifted across the stone like liquid silver. Through the tall arched windows, moonlight poured across the floor.Everything felt wrong. Not dangerous. Just unfamiliar. Yet safe. The realization made her uncomfortable. Safe was something she’d never learned how to be.Eventually exhaustion won. Her eyes closed. And the moment they did the world vanished.Vaeleth stood barefoot in shallow, silver water. It stretched endlessly in every direction. A perfect mirror reflecting a sky full of unfamiliar stars.
Ekreth POVThe fortress was quieter at night. Ancient dragons breathed beneath these mountains. Rivers of fire moved through the stone below. Magic older than all kingdoms hummed inside every wall.But compared to the chaos of the last weeks, it felt almost peaceful. Almost.Ekreth stood alone on one of the highest balconies, staring across the endless sea of peaks.Moonlight silvered the mountains. Far below, the fortress glowed with warm amber light. For the first time in centuries, he wasn’t underground. Wasn’t imprisoned. Wasn’t alone. And somehow the feeling was stranger than captivity.A familiar voice drifted from behind him.“You always did choose the highest balcony.”Ekreth smiled before he even turned. “Because you always chose the lowest.”Maeraxa stepped from the shadows carrying two crystal goblets and an old bottle.“Someone had to remain sensible.”He laughed. Actually laughed. The sound startled both of them. Gods. How long had it been? Five hundred years? Six? More?
“He’s awake.”Three simple words.Yet Lyra felt them settle into the room like a death sentence.Vaeleth stood frozen beside the table. Her silver eyes had gone distant again. Listening. As if some invisible thread had suddenly pulled taut.Ekreth was already beside her. Lyra hadn’t even seen him move. One moment he had been across the table. The next he was at his daughter’s side.The sight struck something unexpected inside her. She remembered the dragon she had first met beneath the castle. Ancient. Dangerous. Unreachable. And now? Now she saw a father. A man trying desperately to make up for centuries he could never reclaim.“Vaeleth.” Ekreth’s voice was quiet. Careful. “What do you mean?”The girl blinked slowly. Then focused on him again.“I don’t know.” Frustration flashed across her face. “He was sleeping.” The room remained deathly still. “Now he isn’t.”Maeraxa exchanged a glance with several dragons positioned along the hall’s edge. None of them looked reassured. That worri
The next morning, the mist seemed to thin slightly, revealing jagged peaks looming in the distance. The sight of the Shadow Order’s fortress sent a chill through the group - a dark, menacing structure carved into the mountainside, its spires reaching for the sky like claws.Lyra tightened her grip on
The following morning dawned with a lingering haze over the castle, the pale sunlight casting an eerie glow over the halls. The council chamber buzzed with quiet conversation as Lyra and Kane entered, their presence silencing the room. This was not a formal council meeting but an impromptu gathering
The next day dawned crisp and clear, the air humming with anticipation as the castle prepared for the rally in the capital square. The entire kingdom seemed to be stirring with renewed energy, as if the very land itself was preparing for the battle to come.Lyra stood in front of a gilded mirror in h
The chamber seemed to pulse with the oppressive darkness radiating from the Shadow Stone. Its energy slithered through the air like sentient smoke, wrapping around each combatant, seeking weaknesses to exploit. Shadows grew into towering forms with fiery red eyes and clawed hands that raked the ston







