Bankrupting the Alpha: Crowned by the Dragon King
Then, the ground didn't just shake—it surrendered.
The ancient stone of the dais, cracked and overcharged by the First Flame, began to disintegrate beneath us. A roar of shifting earth drowned out the wind as the center of the circle collapsed. We weren't just falling; the earth was swallowing us both, pulling the two anchors of this new power into its dark, cool depths.
Gravity became a suggestion. The air rushed past us, smelling of damp earth and old magic.
"Aella!" Sol’s voice was a jagged tear in the dark.