Chapter 176 Home

Chapter 176 Home
Serafina

The glass shattered.

The heartbeat I had heard inside the tiny glass case fell silent.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Blink appeared at my side after General Sallow and Lieutenant Dread crumbled into ash.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Vaelric's heart," I answered. "I remembered what Althea told me. Dangerous times lay ahead of you. You will find the throne occupied by another who is cursed to live. Yet his weakness can be found... inside his sister."

Earlier, as the glass case rolled across the marble floor, I caught sight of its contents.

A tiny body.

In an instant, I remembered Florian's horrifying revelation during the drinking game at Castle Valcor—that he was the caretaker of Elyndra's true body, and that inside it beat Vaelric's old, dying heart.

Then I understood.

I knew what I had to do.

Suddenly, a deafening scream tore through the throne room.

Vaelric staggered backward, clutching his chest as blackish-green light burst from beneath his robes.

"No..." he gasped.

The Black Crown trembled. Cracks raced across its surface.

Outside, thousands of weapons crashed harmlessly onto the streets of Aetherion. The swords suspended within the throne room clattered onto the marble floor.

Vaelric collapsed to one knee. "What... have you done?" he rasped.

"Althea's prophecy was never about me defeating you," I said quietly. "It was about your weakness."
I looked at the shattered glass. "It was inside your sister all along."

He turned toward Elyndra. "How... did you find out?" Then his eyes settled on Florian. His voice broke with fury. "You traitor!"

Black mist poured from his body as though his very spirit were leaving him.

The Black Crown split cleanly in two.

With a cry that shook the palace, Vaelric collapsed onto the marble floor.

Silence.

No one moved. Even the shadows beneath the throne vanished.

"Elyndra..." I whispered, my gaze dropping to her.

She had collapsed as well.

Yet the woman lying upon the marble floor began to change.

Elyndra's pale features slowly faded, revealing the face of a young woman I had never seen before. The black gown she wore dissolved into wisps of shadow, replaced by the simple uniform of a palace maid.

I stared at her in stunned silence.

Then, the broken halves of the Black Crown trembled. Before our eyes, they slowly drew together and repaired themselves.

Vaelric inhaled. The entire throne room stiffened.

"Lio..." I whispered.

He raised his staff.

Violet flames gathered in my hands.

Slowly, Vaelric's eyes opened. "Please..." he whispered.

I froze. That wasn't Vaelric's voice.

"Elyndra?"

Blackish-green light rippled across his body.

His features began to change before our eyes. The sharp lines of his face softened. His broad shoulders narrowed. Dark hair spilled past his shoulders.

The Dark Prince disappeared.

Elyndra stood before us, the Black Crown resting upon her head.

The shadows emerged from every corner of the throne room and gathered around her, settling quietly at her shoulders as though acknowledging their true mistress.

She stared at her hands, turning them over in quiet disbelief. Then she smiled sadly. "What my father forced the Fleshwrights to do," she said softly, "has finally corrected itself." She lifted her eyes to mine. "Just as Althea willed."

The tyrant was gone. The curse had ended.

Then the palace shook once more.

A distant roar echoed from the poisoned wastelands east of Aetheria.

A roar filled with pain...

And agony.

My heart stopped.

Blink, now waiting by the throne room doors, looked straight at me.

"Azerath needs you, Serafina," she said. "Hurry!"

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Azerath

At last...

The struggling beneath me ceased. I remained where I was, pressing my weight into the poisoned earth.

The mist continued to eat away at my wings. The acid burned through the exposed membranes, hissing against my scales. Every breath filled my lungs with poison.

Slowly, I lifted myself from the crater. Gray mist curled around my legs as I looked down.

Nothing remained of Moriath.

The acid had consumed his flesh. The poisoned mud swallowed what little was left until only black sludge remained, dissolving into the barren earth.

The Beast was dead.

A weary sigh escaped me. The victory brought no joy.

Only peace.

My legs trembled beneath my weight. I tried to spread my wings. Pain answered me. The poisoned mist had eaten through them. Ragged holes gaped between the bones. They would never carry me again.

I took one step. Then another. My strength failed. I collapsed into the poisoned mud along the riverbank.

The acid continued to burn through the remaining scales along my side.

After a short while, I could no longer feel the pain. Only exhaustion.

So, this was the end.

I closed my eyes. "Serafina..." I whispered. A faint smile touched my lips. "My love... Live and be happy."

Darkness embraced me.

Out of nowhere, a voice called out to me.

"Azerath."

The voice was soft and warm. One I had not heard in a thousand years.

My eyes opened.

The poisoned wasteland was gone. Instead, I stood beneath a sky of endless stars. Before me stood a dragon with scales like molten lava.

Ignara. My mother. She smiled exactly as I remembered.

"I remember teasing you," she said gently, "because you wished to take a mortal as your mate." A quiet laugh escaped her. "I told you dragons always chose dragons."

I lowered my head. "I guess I was wrong."

"No," she replied, stepping closer. "You were never wrong." She rested her forehead against mine. "I know how much you have suffered."

Images flashed before me.

The burning kingdoms. The countless graves of my fallen kin. The centuries of loneliness. The promises I could not keep.

"I prayed to the gods every day," she whispered.

"I asked them to grant my son one final wish."

Tears stung my eyes. "I do not deserve one, Mother."

She smiled sadly. "You have spent a thousand years believing that." She gently lifted my chin. "But I have watched you. I watched you protect those who hated you. I watched you carry guilt that was never yours alone. I watched you love."

Golden light surrounded us.

"The gods have answered." She stepped back. "You have fulfilled your purpose. You deserve to be happy." Her voice trembled. "Live and be happy, my son. I am so proud of you."

The light grew brighter. Her form began to fade.

"Mother... No..."

"I will see you again," she promised. "But not today."

Everything dissolved into gold.

Warmth spread through my body. The weight of my wings disappeared. The ancient fire within my chest faded. My scales crumbled into drifting sparks. My claws became hands.

The dragon was gone.

I drifted weightlessly above the poisoned mist before slowly descending to the gates of Aetheria.

When my feet touched the ground, I was a man.

I no longer felt the ember that resided in my chest.

My knees buckled. Every breath burned. Every muscle ached.

But I was alive.

Somewhere inside the city walls, I heard frantic voices.

"Blink, where is he?" Serafina cried.

A bark answered. "Here!" Blink huffed. "I found him!

The corners of my mouth lifted into a faint smile. At least I could still hear Blink.

Footsteps pounded across the cobblestones. The gates of Aetheria swung open.

"Azerath!" Serafina screamed happily as she saw me.

Through the drifting mist of early morning, I saw her running toward me, her arms outstretched. Lio was close behind, his staff glowing with brilliant violet light.

Serafina threw herself into my arms, kissing me with all the love in her heart.

I returned her kiss, wrapping my trembling arms around her.

For the first time in a thousand years...

I was finally home.

Basking in the warmth of Serafina's fire.