Chapter 117 The First Test
Elara's POV
"The castle is under attack!" The message came through magical communication just as poison gas blurred my vision. "Lily and Mother are trapped in the throne room! The Eternal King brought his army early!"
"No!" I tried to stand but my legs wouldn't work. The poison was fast-acting.
Drakon caught me. "Antidote! Someone get me an antidote!"
But the border town rebellion erupted into full chaos around us. Humans throwing rocks at magical creatures. Ice faeries retaliating with freezing spells. Complete madness.
"We can't help anyone if we're dead!" A healer rushed forward with a vial. "Drink this, Your Majesty!"
I swallowed the bitter liquid. Within seconds, my vision cleared. The poison's effects faded.
"Drakon, we have to get back to the castle!" I grabbed his arm.
"And leave this town to destroy itself?" He gestured at the fighting. "If we abandon them, the Eternal King wins anyway. He created this division. We can't let it succeed."
He was right. But Lily and Mother...
"I'll handle the castle," Thorne's voice crackled through the communication crystal. "You two stop this rebellion before it spreads to other towns. Trust me to protect them."
I had to trust him. No choice.
"Everyone STOP!" I channeled power through my voice, making it boom across the town square. Every head turned.
"You're fighting each other while the real enemy attacks our home!" I climbed onto a fountain so everyone could see me. "The Eternal King wants this! He wants you divided! Weak! Too busy hating each other to fight him!"
"The magical creatures took our jobs!" A human man shouted. "They're dangerous!"
"We're just trying to live peacefully!" An ice faerie shot back. "You're the ones attacking us!"
"Both of you are right!" I said. That surprised them. "And both of you are wrong. Yes, magical creatures have advantages. But humans have skills magical folk don't. You need each other!"
"We don't need anyone!" The human man spat.
"Really?" Drakon stepped forward. "Who grows your food? Humans. Who creates ice to preserve that food so it lasts through winter? Ice faeries. Who builds your houses? Human carpenters. Who reinforces them against storms? Dragon shifters with protection spells. You're already working together. You just don't realize it."
Muttering rippled through both groups. Some looked thoughtful. Others still angry.
"The Eternal King studied you," I continued. "He knows your fears. Knows how to manipulate them. This rebellion? He planted the seeds for it months ago through his agents. Made you afraid of each other so you wouldn't unite against him."
"That's just words!" Someone shouted. "Where's your proof?"
"The timing!" A woman stepped forward from the crowd. I recognized her; Marina, the girl from the mixed family. "Don't you think it's suspicious? Our town lived peacefully for months. Then suddenly, right when the Eternal King is about to attack, we're at each other's throats? That's not coincidence. That's strategy."
More thoughtful murmurs. The fighting was pausing. People were listening.
"I was raised human," I said quietly. "I understand your fear of magic. My first time seeing a dragon, I was terrified. But I learned that fear and hate are choices. So are trust and cooperation. Choose wisely. Because your choice will determine if you survive what's coming."
"Pretty speech," the human leader said. "But it doesn't solve our problems. Magical creatures are still taking our jobs."
"Then we create new jobs," Drakon said. "Ones that benefit everyone. What if we establish formal trade agreements? Humans grow crops. Magical creatures use their powers to improve farming, preservation, and distribution. Both groups profit."
"You mean... work together officially?" An ice faerie asked.
"Exactly. Equal partners. Fair compensation for all." Drakon looked at me. We were making this up as we went, but it felt right.
"I want that in writing," the human leader said suspiciously.
"Done." I created an ice contract in mid-air with magical writing. "Northern and Southern kingdoms unified. Human and magical citizens equal. Trade agreements fair and balanced. Signed by Queen Elara and King Drakon."
We signed it with magic. The contract glowed and duplicated, copies floating to every person present.
"This is real?" Marina asked, tears in her eyes. "Official policy?"
"As real as it gets," I said.
Slowly, weapons lowered. Humans and magical creatures looked at each other warily but without violence.
"We'll try it," the human leader finally said. "But if it doesn't work..."
"It will work," Drakon said firmly. "Because we'll make it work together."
Crisis averted. The town started to calm. People helped injured neighbors regardless of species.
"That was close," I whispered to Drakon.
"Too close. But we did it." He squeezed my hand.
Then the communication crystal blazed urgently. Thorne's voice came through, panicked.
"The castle! He broke through our defenses! The Eternal King has Lily and your mother! He says he'll kill them both unless you surrender the crystal in one hour! And Elara... there's something else. Something worse."
"What?" I demanded.
"He's not alone. He brought someone with him. Someone who claims to be your father."
The world tilted. "My father died when I was ten. I watched him die."
"I know. But this man knows things only your father would know. Personal things. And he's begging to see you. Says he needs to warn you about something before the Eternal King kills him again."
My father. Alive. Or another trick. Another manipulation.
"We're coming," I said. "Hold them off as long as you can."
As we flew back toward the castle at top speed, I couldn't shake the terrible feeling that everything, the rebellion, the possession, the attacks had been leading to this moment.
The Eternal King had something planned. Something involving my supposedly dead father, my trapped family, and the crystal in my chest.
And I had less than an hour to figure out what before everyone I loved died.
The castle came into view. Dark energy swirled around it. Through the windows, I saw the Eternal King standing in the throne room.
Beside him stood a man I hadn't seen in years. Older, grayer, but unmistakable.
My father. Holding a knife to Lily's throat.
"Welcome home, daughter," he called out as we landed. "We have so much to discuss. Starting with how you're going to help me destroy reality."