Chapter 112

***Allen***

The battlefield stank of blood and burning embers. Celeste was gone, consumed by the very power she sought to wield. Her screams still echoed in my ears, but there was no time to mourn, no time to reflect on the enemy who had once been an ally. Because now, something far worse loomed over us. Morgath. A monstrous presence, his form shifting like living shadows, hovered above the battlefield. His wings were massive, blotting out what remained of the sky, and his golden eyes burned with something deeper than fury, something ancient and relentless. "You think you have won something here?" His voice was like gravel scraping against steel, rough and edged with venom. "Fools. Celeste was merely a pawn. My true goal has never changed." I forced myself to stay standing, though every muscle in my body screamed in protest. The battle had drained me. The energy I expended saving Jane, fending off Celeste, and rallying my allies had taken its toll. And Morgath knew it. He could smell my weakness. He descended slowly, his wings folding in as he touched the ruined ground. The very earth beneath him trembled, as if the world itself recoiled from his presence. He lifted his clawed hand, and dark energy swirled around him like a living storm. "Drakora and Earth… both realms are wasted under the rule of weaklings." His gaze flicked to Jane, then back to me. "You are all clinging to a balance that was never meant to exist. I will correct that mistake. I will merge the realms under my reign." "Over my dead body," I growled, tightening my stance. Morgath chuckled darkly. "That is the plan, Dragon King." With a sudden movement, he struck. A shadowy tendril lashed out, faster than I could react. It wrapped around my throat, lifting me off the ground as pain exploded through my body. I clawed at the dark mass, but it was like grasping smoke, intangible, unstoppable. Jane shouted something, but the roar in my ears drowned her out. My vision blurred as Morgath pulled me closer, his smirk growing crueler. "I expected more," he taunted. "You are not fit to rule. You are barely fit to fight." I summoned every ounce of strength I had left and willed my fire to rise. Golden flames erupted from my skin, searing through the tendril, forcing Morgath to release me. I dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. "That’s more like it," he mused, almost amused. "But it won’t be enough." He lunged again. This time, I met him head-on, our powers colliding in an explosion of light and darkness. My flames roared, but his shadows devoured them just as quickly. We struck, again and again, each blow sending shockwaves through the battlefield. But I was losing. I knew it. And worse, he knew it too. Morgath’s power was endless, relentless, like the void itself had taken form. And I was running on borrowed time. The battlefield was chaos, yet my eyes never left Jane. She moved like a force of nature, raw power radiating from every step. Her mark glowed with an intensity I had never seen before, pulsing in rhythm with her strikes. Fire and energy crackled around her, her every movement fluid yet precise. She had always been strong-willed, stubborn even, but this? This was something else. She wasn’t just fighting; she was commanding the battlefield. Jane dodged a blast of dark energy, rolling to the side before sending a wave of golden light toward the enemy. The ground trembled beneath her as her power surged, splitting the air with a deafening roar. Even the dragons fighting beside her seemed momentarily stunned by the display. She had been unlocking her abilities slowly, but now they were fully unleashed. I should have been helping her, but for the first time, I realized, she didn’t need me to. Jane turned, her breath sharp. And the real battle began. Jane suddenly ran forward, her mark glowing brighter than I had ever seen it. "Allen, fall back!" she cried, reaching out as if she could pull me away from the abyss I was walking into. "No!" I snapped. "If I fall back, he will take everything!" Morgath laughed, a deep, hollow sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Ah, the noble sacrifice. How predictable. But tell me, Dragon King, do you truly believe you are the one fated to stop me?" I clenched my fists, ignoring the exhaustion weighing down my limbs. "I don’t care about fate," I snarled. "I only care about protecting those who still have something to fight for." Morgath raised a brow, unimpressed. "And yet, you fight alone." As he spoke, I realized the battlefield around me had fallen still. The dragons, the humans, Blackstone’s forces, all were watching. Watching as Morgath and I clashed, watching as I fought against the inevitable. I couldn’t let them see me fail. I surged forward, my fire burning brighter, my desperation giving me new strength. Morgath smirked and met my charge with his own. The sky split with the force of our impact, the ground cracking beneath our feet. I pushed harder, forcing him back, but only slightly. Then. Pain. Blinding, searing pain. I gasped, my breath leaving me as I looked down. A jagged black spear, made of pure shadow, had pierced through my side. Morgath grinned, twisting it deeper, relishing my agony. "This is where it ends, Allen," he whispered. I collapsed to my knees, darkness creeping into my vision.