Chapter 80 Chapter 80
Chapter 80 Chapter 80
Twilight's POV
“Take her!” he yelled.
“Twilight Draven,” he said. “You’re to come with us.”
“Send her to Redemption Camp.”
“Welcome to Redemption,”
“Good day, outcasts of Aretia, you all are here for the betterment of the kingdom. As the camp implies Redemption. You all will spend a solid amount of time here to prove to us that you are worth living amongst the people of Aretia. General Isla will be overseeing this camp and over certain degenerates.”
“Good morning. I’ll keep my thing brief, I’m general Isla as many of you know and the few that don’t. I’ll be in charge of this camp. As you know you’re either here because you don’t have a dragon, you’re a late bloomer, you’re a different species or you’re dangerous.”
“I see you’re growing wings and having way too much fun in here, just a subtle reminder that you should be careful and always, I mean always watch your back.”
"Twilight," she breathed, her voice thick with emotion. "You are not disposable. You are… everything."
Her eyes, usually so guarded, were open and vulnerable, reflecting the raw truth in mine. The air crackled between us, charged with unspoken feelings, with the weight of my confession, with the terrifying secret we now shared. Her gaze dropped to my lips, and then, slowly, she leaned in.
Her kiss was soft at first, tentative, a question. I answered with an urgency that surprised even myself, parting my lips, deepening the kiss.
It was a kiss born of fear, of desperation, of a forbidden longing that had simmered between us for too long. Her hands moved from my face, tangling in my hair, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us. My hands found her waist, gripping her tunic, holding on as if she was the only stable thing in my collapsing world.
It wasn't just physical. It was a release, a confession, a prayer. Every unspoken word, every stolen glance, every moment of yearning, poured into that kiss. It was fierce and tender, desperate and loving, all at once.
As our lips met, a sudden, blinding warmth erupted in my chest, spreading like wildfire through my veins. It wasn't painful, but intensely powerful, a surge of pure energy that made my vision swim. A low hum vibrated deep within me, echoing through Isla, a shared resonance.
Then, a searing heat bloomed on my left wrist. I gasped, pulling slightly away, our eyes wide, still locked on each other. On my skin, a symbol was forming, glowing with a soft, golden light before settling into a permanent, intricate design. It looked like two intertwining dragons, or perhaps a dragon's wing wrapped around a human heart.
Isla's breath hitched. She pulled her hand from my hair, looking at her own left wrist. There, mirroring mine perfectly, was the exact same sigil. It pulsed faintly, warm against her skin.
The mate bond.
My body twitched, my head ached, I turned from side to side. Everything looked strange. I tried to open my eyes but everywhere hurt.
“You're not what you think you are, you're more and the less you know, the more you're safe.”
“Isla, I know you're stronger than you think, you're beautiful you're smart, you're my mate. So I need you to fight whatever it is and come back to me. I'll be good, I'll be better because I love you.”
“No, you're presence draws them, you hold a power far and near seek.” she said.
“What are you doing here? Here to arrest me again, claim the price and be the hero?”
“It's a shame we might never meet again but it had been fun working with you Aria Noviti.”
“Today's test is different from the one you've faced before, you'll be on your own on this part, only the one with a pure soul would take a fragment of the Lost. It has three pieces. Remember, it will find you.”
“You're not what you think you are, you're more and the less you know, the more you're safe.”
“The Morgana we knew would never be a Tower Spirit.”
The sun coming inside the room nearly blinded my eyes, but the breeze on my skin told me it was a different time.
I tried to turn but my body felt glued to my bed, like something wanted me to see more.
"You were moments away from having your bond declared a fabrication, and your life forfeit, girl! Do you have any idea the implications of your absence?”
"The bond between human and dragon is ancient, Your Majesty,"
"It is not a performance to be timed, nor a whim to be commanded by a human crown. Ryaknorg and I were not 'delayed.' We were simply… preparing. Preparing for what comes next.”
Silence!" the King roared, rising from his throne. "These are baseless accusations! Slander!"
"Are they?"
"Or are they the whispers you've tried so hard to silence? The whispers that say Dragon's Day is not a celebration of freedom, but a carefully orchestrated selection process? A way to strengthen your military, to control the dragons, by forcing bonds that were never meant to be?”
“Twilight,
The ritual is not what it seems. It's not to mend the pact. It's to extract a dragon's soul. The Altar of Krutah, fueled by a willing human sacrifice, can draw the essence from a dragon, binding its power to the Crown forever. Ryaknorg will be drained, his spirit imprisoned. You are the bait. James engineered this. I am merely following orders. I regret this. May the gods forgive me.”
“The war that is coming is one that the world has never experienced before.”
“You are the great one.”
“Go!”
I shot my eyes open finally.
Sweat rolled down from my head.
What were all those? Had I been in redemption camp? My eyes searched everywhere.
Was this a vision? I looked at my hand it was clean, no sigil or nothing.
A paper came into my room from nowhere in particular all it read was;
“It begins now.”
What begins now?
Before I could process all my thoughts I heard a banging on my door.
“Open up, orders from the king!” The voice shouted.
I looked at my small calendar. It was June 18, my 18th birthday.