Inside the castle, in the throne room, the king felt the violent tremor and the deafening crash of the great Sacred Tree falling. At that very moment, he realized that the primordial dragon had invaded the palace in search of the runes. His face could not hide his nervousness. He urgently needed to confirm whether his soldiers had neutralized the young dragon.
It didn't take long before a royal servant burst through the massive throne room doors, breathless and terrified.
"Your Majesty, the battle is over! The Sacred Tree has fallen!"—the servant exclaimed, desperate.
The king quickly rose from his throne, startled. He knew the people would see this as a tragedy. But before anything else, he had to know about the runes.
"And the runes? Are they still buried? Was the dragon defeated?"—he asked urgently.
The servant took a deep breath before answering:
"The royal mage confirmed that the runes are no longer there. As for the dragon... he is not certain if it was truly defeated."
Upon hearing this, the king felt the blood in his veins run cold. A great problem was now in his hands. The Order would not be pleased with this news.
"I need to retire to my chambers,"—the king said, his voice trembling.
"Your Majesty, what should we do now? The tree collapsed onto the capital and caused massive destruction..."—the man tried to insist, but the king ignored his words, quickly turned around, and left the room.
As he walked to his chambers, the king was lost in thought, worried about how he would deal with the Order. But as soon as he opened the door to his room, he froze—standing in the middle of the chamber was a humanoid shadow. One of the generals of the Shadow Order.
"How did your task of dealing with the dragon go?"—the shadow asked in a cold tone.
The king swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond.
"Bringing down the Sacred Tree of the capital… quite a bold move, I'd say,"—the shadow continued. "It would be a shame if the people started to turn against the king responsible for such a tragedy, wouldn't it?"
"I did everything I could! I placed our best soldiers there. The most powerful mage in the kingdom was also present. I'm sure the dragon was defeated!"—the king tried to defend himself, though his voice lacked confidence.
The shadow stepped closer, slowly.
"Do you really think a primordial dragon would be defeated by that pathetic magic? If you believe you did everything you could, then you are capable of very little."
The king lost his patience.
"Then why didn't you send reinforcements?! You knew they were coming!"
With an indifferent tone, the shadow replied:
"The young dragon obtaining the runes is not the end of the world for us. The Order needed to see if you were capable of handling him on your own. But it seems you didn't even guard the underground tunnels... Quite the disappointment. Soon, we will meet again to discuss your future."
In the blink of an eye, the shadow vanished into thin air, leaving the king alone in his chambers, overtaken by a deep chill and an even greater sense of dread.
Meanwhile, in the mountain village, the atmosphere was tense. Orzoth had opened a portal in a hurry, and the group emerged amidst a whirlwind of dust and magic. Kaelon and Orzoth landed roughly on the ground, while Drayk appeared behind them, carrying an unconscious Varian in his arms. His body was covered in burns, the result of the devastating attack suffered in the capital.
The villagers stared in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing. Kaelon, still high on adrenaline, quickly got to his feet and exclaimed:
"Holy shit! That was absolutely insane!"
But no one shared his excitement. The air remained heavy, their eyes locked onto Drayk and Varian.
Among the crowd, Orun, the village elder, swiftly gestured toward his hut.
"Bring her quickly, we have no time to lose!"
Inside the hut, Drayk carefully laid Varian on the bed while Orun prepared a simple potion and some makeshift bandages. With trembling hands, Drayk helped administer the potion, hoping it would take effect.
But after a few minutes, nothing happened.
Orun shook his head, his expression grim.
"Young King, these burns were caused by a magic too powerful for my potions to heal. I fear that… she may not survive until dawn."
A heavy silence filled the room. Drayk, Orzoth, and Kaelon exchanged tense glances. Though their time with Varian had been brief, the thought of losing her weighed heavily on them.
Orzoth noticed Drayk growing more restless and immediately understood his intentions.
"Don't even think about going back to the capital now, Drayk. The Order might be expecting exactly that."
Orun placed a firm hand on the young king's shoulder.
"You are wounded as well. You need to rest. I will do everything I can for her tonight."
Reluctantly, Drayk agreed. He made his way to his quarters, his heart heavy with the feeling of helplessness. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he watched as his own wounds slowly healed—thanks to the newly acquired power within him.
"If only I could share this power with her..."—he murmured in frustration.
Exhausted, sleep finally overtook his mind.
In his dream, Drayk once again found himself before the immense and imposing Aru'Mathis.
"I obtained the runes..."—Drayk said, disheartened.
The great dragon stared at him with piercing eyes.
"You do not seem pleased with that, young king."
"My companion is dying, and I can do nothing to save her..."
"Do you truly believe that?"—Aru'Mathis questioned calmly, his gaze filled with ancient wisdom. "Your blood carries the life force of dragons. If you wish to save her, then do so with your own hands."
Instantly, Drayk awoke with a start, drenched in sweat. Without hesitation, he rushed to Orun's hut, his heart racing with newfound hope.
Upon arrival, he found Orun carefully changing Varian's bandages. Her condition seemed even more dire.
"Young King, what happened?"—the elder asked, surprised by his sudden appearance.
Without answering, Drayk stepped forward and swiftly cut his own finger with his nail, allowing a drop of his blood to fall onto Varian's lips. Orun watched in disbelief.
Little by little, a golden glow spread across Varian's body, slowly closing her wounds. The burns faded, her skin fully restored.
Kaelon entered the room just in time to witness the incredible sight and let out a relieved sigh.
"Now that... was truly insane."
Drayk smiled, relieved, as he watched Varian's breathing return to normal. She was safe—for now.