Chapter 121 The Sudden Assault

Chapter 121 The Sudden Assault
The tiny dragon in Lyla’s lap had just drifted off to sleep, its small body rising and falling with its first breaths in the world, when suddenly the night wind shifted. It didn't blow harder, but it turned cold. An unnatural cold. A chill that pierced to the very marrow of the bone, making the campfire in the center of the circle flicker as if it were about to go out.
Lyla lifted her head. Her blue-gold eyes narrowed. In her chest, the Blazing Tides pulsed—not with calm, but with a warning.
"Lysander..." she whispered.
Lysander was already on his feet. His golden fire ignited around his body, his gaze piercing the darkness of the night. "I feel it. They’re coming."
From the distance, from behind the mountains, a black mist began to emerge. It wasn't an ordinary mist—it moved fast, too fast, carrying with it strange sounds like wailing and shrieking. And within that mist, hundreds of red dots glowed. Eyes. Shadow eyes.
"PROTECT THE EGGS!" Kronos roared, his still-wounded body instantly expanding into its true form. The black dragon stood at the front line, black fire surging in his throat.
But the mist didn't attack directly. It swirled above the valley like a predator circling its prey, savoring the fear that began to spread.
"They’re waiting for something," Lysander muttered, his golden fire forming a protective ring around the egg nursery. "But what?"
Lyla didn't have time to think. The mist suddenly descended—not as a physical strike, but as a thick shroud that enveloped the entire valley. The wounded dragons began to cough, their eyes stinging, their breath hitching. The mist was toxic.
"GET THEM TO HIGH GROUND!" Lyla commanded Elara and the other young dragons. "TAKE THE EGGS! NOW!"
Chaos erupted.
Elara ran, clutching two eggs at once, and flew toward the cliffs above. Other dragons followed, panicked but trying to remain orderly. The tiny dragon in Lyla’s lap woke up, crying—a small sound nearly drowned out by the roar, but enough to break Lyla’s heart.
"I’ll protect him," Lysander said, reaching for the baby gently. "You fight them off."
Lyla nodded and turned. The Blazing Tides exploded from her body, sweeping away the mist around her, giving the others room to breathe. But the mist kept coming, bottomless.
"KRONOS! YOUR BLACK FIRE!" Lyla shouted.
Kronos breathed his black flames into the fog. The fire burned, but it wasn't enough. Every time one section vanished, two new ones appeared. Like a many-headed hydra.
"THIS MAKES NO SENSE!" Kronos yelled in frustration. "THEY WERE NEVER THIS STRONG!"
From within the mist, voices began to emerge. They weren't the usual shadow whispers they were used to—these were voices that were older, deeper, and more authoritative.
"We were never weak, Black Dragon. We were only waiting."
Lyla froze. That voice... it was similar to the one she had heard at Linda’s altar. But older. Far older.
"We waited for the right moment. When you were off guard. When you were most vulnerable."
The mist began to solidify, forming massive silhouettes around the valley. These weren't ordinary shadows. True Shadow Dragons. Five. Ten. Twenty. They surrounded them from all directions, their red eyes glowing like falling stars.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Lyla screamed, her Blazing Tides glowing as brightly as possible. "IT'S US YOU WANT! WITHOUT US, YOU'RE NOTHING!"
Laughter from all directions answered her. A cold, haunting laughter.
"We don't want to defeat you, Princess of Light. We want to take what is ours."
Lyla frowned. "Yours? What—"
From within the mist, a black tendril lashed out, shooting past Lysander’s defenses, past Kronos’s black fire, and straight toward...
The newborn baby dragon.
Lyla didn't think. Her body moved faster than her conscious mind. The Blazing Tides exploded with full force, forming a shield in front of Lysander and the baby. The black tendril slammed into the shield, hissed, then retreated.
But that wasn't the only attack.
Other tendrils snatched at the eggs that were still left behind. Two eggs were sucked into the mist before anyone could react. The screams of the dragons who witnessed it shattered the silence.
"NO!" Elara screamed, flying in pursuit, but the mist had already vanished along with the eggs.
Lyla fell to her knees, gasping for air. That shield had drained nearly all her energy. Beside her, Lysander was still standing, but his face was pale—not from injury, but from a mix of rage and fear.
"Lysander..." Lyla whispered. "They took two eggs. Why? What do they want?"
Lysander shook his head. "I don't know. But this isn't the end. They’ll be back."
From within the receding mist, the voice spoke again—this time softer, more satisfied.
"We won't take everything today. But we will return. And next time, we will take more than just eggs."
The mist vanished, leaving the valley in ruins. Two eggs were gone. Dozens of others were safe, but the trauma had taken root. Some dragons wept; others stood in stony silence.
Lyla stood up, her body trembling. In her hand, the Blazing Tides still flickered, but no longer bright. Just embers, dying out.
"We have to find out," she whispered. "We have to know what they want. Before they come back."
Lysander approached, the tiny dragon still asleep in his arms—somehow, the little creature hadn't woken up during the attack. Perhaps because it was protected, or perhaps because it was simply too exhausted after the struggle of birth.
"We will find out," Lysander promised. "But for now, let's evacuate the remaining eggs to a safer place. And let's heal the wounded."
Lyla nodded, though her chest felt tight. This battle wasn't about victory or defeat. It was about something bigger. Something they didn't yet understand.
And as long as they didn't understand, they would remain in danger.
In the distance, behind the mountains, the black mist moved swiftly away from Atheria. Inside it, two eggs shimmered in the dark—one brick-red, one emerald green. The red eyes surrounding them stared at the eggs with satisfaction.
"Two is enough," the old voice whispered. "Two to begin. And the rest... will follow."