Chapter 119

***Allen***

The clone dragon’s eyes locked onto me and Jane. Its pupils, once glowing with the eerie light of mindless obedience, flickered. Then, without warning, it blinked. Slowly. Like it was... waking up. "What...what is it doing?" Kael muttered, shifting uneasily.

Jane took a cautious step forward, his voice calm but commanding. "It's resetting."

The dragon blinked once, twice, then lowered its head slightly as if recognizing something, someone. Me.

A tremor passed through my body. The war had just ended, the battlefield transformed into something new, almost beautiful in its silence. The remnants of destruction had vanished in an instant when my power surged. But now, standing here, faced with a creature that was once our enemy, I felt the weight of the next decision pressing down on us.

I took a step forward, not even realizing I was holding my breath. "Jane... it's resetting," I whispered.

Jane nodded beside me, her eyes never leaving the dragon. "Yeah. It's like... it's seeing for the first time."

The massive creature stood still, unmoving, its massive wings tucked in close. Its gaze wandered from Jane to me and back again. Then, it tilted its head slightly, as if trying to understand something deep in its mind.

We didn’t move. No one did. The battlefield had fallen quiet.

Tharos muttered behind me, "It’s not attacking. That’s... unexpected."

Kael grunted. "Or it’s just biding time."

But I didn’t think so. Something about the dragon’s stance, its eyes... it wasn’t hostile. It was confusing.

Then the dragon slowly turned and took flight, without a roar, without a sound, just lifting into the sky and disappearing into the clouds.

I blinked. "Okay, that just happened."

Jane let out a deep breath. "We need to go back. To Drakora."

I turned to her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said. "We can’t keep standing in the ruins of what used to be."

One of the reporters asked, "Will you be leaving for Drakora?"

Jane paused. "Yes. Our place now is Drakora. The time has come to rebuild what was broken."

Another voice asked, "But what about unity? What about the people here who look up to you?"

"Unity doesn’t mean we stay," I said, stepping forward. "It means we build bridges. Between our world and yours."

Just then, out of the blue, someone broke through the crowd. She ran straight into Kael’s arms, throwing her arms around his neck.

"You idiot," she sobbed. "You could’ve died."

Kael looked shocked but didn’t push her away. In fact... he hugged her back.

I blinked. Kael? And someone? Since when? Even Jane’s expression showed confusion. The way she furrowed her brows and then glanced at me told me she hadn’t expected it either.

Then, in front of everyone, she kissed him and continued kissing him.

"WHAT?!" Tharos said, his jaw dropping.

Even I blinked in surprise. I looked over at Jane. She was watching them with wide eyes.

"Since when?!" I asked.

Jane shook her head, dazed. "I... have no idea."

Lyra chuckled. "That was unexpected."

When they finally broke apart, Kael rubbed the back of his neck, looking somewhere between embarrassed and pleased. "Uh...surprise?" he mumbled.

Kael grinned, turning toward me. "Yeah, I think I should’ve told you sooner, but things were kind of crazy."

I crossed my arms, my voice teasing. "You think?"

Laughter spread among our group, a rare moment of lightness after everything we had endured. But that moment didn’t last long.

With that, we prepared to leave. Kael refused to part with Emily, insisting she come with us. She didn't protest; she just smiled at him and nodded, ready to step into a new world.

Thalos raised an eyebrow. "Are we bringing civilians to Drakora now?"

"Apparently," Kael said, holding Emily tighter. "She’s not staying behind."

As we stepped through the portal, the world blurred around us, and then, suddenly, we were there.

Drakora.

Dragons filled the skies as we arrived. The second we stepped out of the vessel, the dragons, hundreds of them, bowed.

They didn’t question.

They didn’t hesitate.

They bowed.

"The true king returns," one of the dragons announced in a deep, booming voice.

The dragons roared in unison, shaking the very sky with their voices. My breath hitched. This wasn’t just a welcome; it was a coronation. They had already decided.

One by one, they acknowledged me, their loyalty unquestionable.

Thalos stepped beside me. "They’ve been waiting. They knew Jake wasn’t the one. You are."

Jane looked at me, her voice low. "It’s time."

The coronation wasn’t even planned. It just... happened.

A ceremonial crown of obsidian and gold was brought forward. The elders spoke ancient words I barely understood.

Then, without hesitation, they crowned me right there. No delay. It was as if they had been waiting for this moment all along, and now, with Jake gone, there was nothing stopping them from placing the rightful ruler on the throne.

And then I stood, King of Drakora.

As I looked out over the gathering, my heart raced. Not because of the crown, but because of the girl standing to my left.

That night, I pulled her aside, away from the noise, the lights, and the expectations.

We walked beneath a sky filled with stars, along a crystal river that shimmered like it remembered the magic of Earth.

"Jane," I said, stopping. "I don’t know how to say what I’m feeling. I’ve wanted to say so much, but... I don’t want to ruin anything."

She turned to me, her expression unreadable.

"It’s okay, Allen," she said softly.

"No, it’s not. I’m king now. There’s all this responsibility, and still... the only thing I care about is..."

She kissed me.

No warning. No hesitation.

Her lips were soft and warm and familiar, and yet my brain went blank.

I didn’t move.

My heart slammed in my chest like a war drum.

What just happened?

She pulled back slightly, staring up at me with a small smile. "I’ve been wanting to do that for a while."

My breath caught. My palms were sweaty. My entire body was stuck between joy and pure panic.

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even move.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah... yeah, just... trying to remember how to breathe."

She laughed.

And I knew, in that moment, nothing was going to be the same again.