Chapter 94 I am the Queen of Kings
"What was that? It happened again," Orion whispered, his voice trembling with a raw, jagged uncertainty.
The first time the ground had groaned and the silver light had pulsed through the stones, the man beside him had brushed it off, urging him not to exaggerate or let his senses run wild. But this time, the tremor was deeper a low, rhythmic thrumming that felt less like shifting earth and more like a pounding heartbeat.
"I do not know anything about this," the man replied, his own voice losing its composure.
"But the ground trembles... it shudders whenever this happens."
"Don't you think the King is not a good man?" the man asked suddenly, his eyes darting around to ensure no guards were listening. "He is hiding something, Orion. Something deep beneath our feet."
"How do you know?" Orion asked, his voice low and dangerous.
"The only bad dragons are the Psychic Demons," Orion added quickly, trying to hide his real self.
Suddenly, an uncontrolled chuckle broke the silence. The man wasn't just smiling; he was laughing, a dry, bitter sound that echoed off the cold stone walls.
"That's the lie they have been telling for centuries," the man said, his laughter dying down into a sharp, edge.
"They didn't just hunt the Psychic Demons, Orion. They abandoned them. They cast them out portrayed them as monsters so that no one would ever look close enough to see the truth of what the Kings were doing."
What do you mean?" Orion asked, his voice cracking. "Come clear!"
He waited with a desperate, suffocating intensity. For years, the history of his kind had been a blurred, ambiguous shape in the back of his mind, but now the fog was starting to lift.
"The Psychic Demons were not the ones who destroyed the kingdom of the Golden Dragon alone," the man whispered, his eyes gleaming with a haunted light. "The Gods of Water and Sun were equally involved in that move.
A violent shiver ran through Orion’s body. He had been taught that his kind were the sole bringers of chaos, but this man was painting a picture of a divine conspiracy.
"They were with the Psychic Demons when we headed to attack the Golden Dragon," the man continued.
Orion’s ears rang at the word. "We?" he repeated, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What do you mean, we?"
The man smirked, a jagged, knowing expression that sent a chill down Orion’s spine. Orion grew skeptical; he had seen the records, heard the stories every one of his kind had been hunted to extinction, or so he thought. If the Psychic Demons were all dead, then who was this man standing in the shadows?
"I do not want to scare you," the man said softly, "But I need to tell you... I am one of the Psychic Demons.
Orion was perplexed, his breath hitching. He wasn't alone.
"We need to get him out!" Esperanza’s voice rang through the cold stone corridor, sharp and unyielding. She didn't just ask; she stepped into Ezra's personal space, her eyes flashing with a desperate fire. "You are suffocating him in there. Every second he spends in those chains, a part of his soul withers. Let him out. Now."
She stood her ground, her posture affirmed and rigid. It was clear to everyone in the hall that she was prepared to tear the iron doors down with her bare hands if she had to.
Ezra didn't move. He stood like a statue of salt, his expression shifting from surprise to a weary, cynical amusement. "Are you out of your mind?" he asked, rolling his eyes as he leaned against the damp wall. "If I let that thing out, the first thing he’ll do is tear your throat out. He isn't a man, Esperanza. He’s a storm trapped in skin."
"I am not asking you, Ezra," Esperanza countered, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low hum. "I am telling you. More than that... I am commanding you."
The air in the hallway seemed to freeze. The guards held their breath, their eyes darting.
Ezra’s smirk widened, but it didn't reach his eyes. He stepped closer, closing the gap until their foreheads almost touched. The heat radiating from him was intense the unmistakable aura of the Golden Dragon lineage.
"Do you really think I am going to walk on your command?" Ezra whispered, his voice vibrating with a sudden, dark authority. He looked deep into Esperanza’s eyes, his pupils momentarily narrowing into golden slits.
"I am the Dragon King. I don't take orders from anyone, least of all a girl who thinks she can tame a demon with her pity."
"You may be the King of dragons," Esperanza said, her voice dropping to a smooth, dangerous silk. She stepped even closer, a vibrant, fearless smile lighting up her face. "But I am the Queen of Kings."
The air in the room seemed to bend to her will. For a moment, Ezra’s royal pride crumbled. It wasn't magic, but the sheer force of her spirit that hit him. To the shock of the guards, the "Dragon King" actually lowered his head, his knees hitting the cold stone as he buckled under the weight of her command.
Ezra looked up at her, his blue eyes filled with a mix of frustration and awe. "You have the power of dragons," he whispered. "You can control every element in this world fire, wind, and earth but you do not have the power of a Psychic Demon."
He was trying to warn her, trying to make her understand the danger. "If you let him out, you are inviting chaos. You are going to face trouble you cannot imagine."
But Esperanza didn't flinch. She wasn't scared of the "monster" behind the door. When she had been reviving Orion, she hadn't just healed his wounds; she had seen into his soul. She had felt his pain, his loneliness, and the truth that Wayne had tried to bury.
Her heart was satisfied. She knew exactly who and what Orion was.
"If he wanted to kill me, Ezra, he would have done it while I was healing him," Esperanza said firmly. "He was at his weakest, and I was completely vulnerable. Yet, he chose to let me live."
Ezra blinked, his eyes widening as he searched her face. The hesitation that had been holding him back began to melt away. He saw the absolute certainty in her gaze,