The Citadel’s control room pulsed with low light as the screens cycled through data streams. Red threads mapped energy signatures across the world, each one blinking faint against a wider grid. Lucian stood with his arms folded, gaze locked on the central feed.
The AI’s voice carried. "Cross-referencing residual aura from Marc’s battle with Silas and Vyn... triangulating. Location established."
A section of the map flared. A wide compound sat on the outskirts of the northern district, cloaked by old wards. Its name burned across the screen in white letters: Thorne Estate.
Lucian’s jaw tightened. His reflection in the glass flickered sharp.
"So they’ve been keeping them there," he muttered.
Kaelis stirred on his shoulder, his golden eyes narrowing. "The Thornes," he said, voice low with old disdain. "Arrogant family. Always collecting pets they don’t deserve. Looks like they’ve collected yours."
Lucian’s hands curled into fists. His voice was steady, but the edge in it was colder than steel. "They’re not pets. They’re my people. And Eron thinks he can chain them like trophies."
Kaelis tilted his head, wings folding tight. "So what’s the plan, space-boy?"
Lucian’s eyes stayed on the estate glowing on the screen. "First, I cut down Marc. Then I kill Eron. And when I’m finished—" His voice dropped to a growl. "—you level the estate. Not one stone left standing. Not one name left breathing."
Kaelis arched a scaled brow, his mouth curling faint. "Finally speaking like a king. About time."
Lucian turned his head, meeting the dragon’s gaze. "I’m not doing this to rule. I’m doing it because he made the mistake of touching what’s mine."
For a moment, silence pressed between them. Then Kaelis’s grin widened, all teeth. "And how do you want to arrive? Quiet? Or loud enough to rattle every coward in the district?"
Lucian didn’t hesitate. "Loud. We don’t sneak in. We ride in. A show of power."
Kaelis’s grin faltered. He blinked. "Ride me?"
Lucian’s expression didn’t change. "Yes. I want the sky itself to know what’s coming for Eron."
Kaelis narrowed his eyes. "I’m not a horse."
"You’re worse," Lucian said, turning back to the map. "But this isn’t about pride. It’s about fear. Eron thinks he’s untouchable. I’ll make sure the entire estate watches me descend on your back before I burn their master to ash."
Kaelis studied him for a long moment. The grin crept back, sharper this time. "Hnh. You’re insane." He stretched his wings faintly. "But I like insane. Fine. I’ll play steed for your show."
Lucian gave a single nod, then turned toward the exit.
They walked together through the empty corridors. When they reached the sick bay, Lucian paused at the door.
Lucy lay still under the pale sheets. The monitors hummed beside her, steady lines tracking her fragile pulse.
Lucian stepped inside, and stood over his sister, watching the faint markings still etched into her skin. His hand brushed her wrist, feeling the weak but steady rhythm beneath.
He spoke without raising his voice. "Citadel AI. Care for her while I’m gone. If her aura spikes, sedate her. If her vitals drop, stabilize her. Nothing else matters."
The AI responded immediately. "Understood. She will be protected."
Lucian leaned closer, his breath ghosting faint across his sister’s hand. "I’ll come back for you. But first, I have to kill him."
He straightened, turning sharply for the door. His cloak snapped faint behind him as he left the sick bay. Kaelis followed, his small claws tapping against the steel before he leapt onto Lucian’s shoulder again.
Outside, the night air cut sharp.
Kaelis jumped down, his small body glowing with golden cracks. His wings stretched once, twice, then spread wide as light consumed him. His form grew, shadow devouring the docking bay, scales unfurling like mountains. When the glow dimmed, the dragon stood massive, wings curling against the walls, golden eyes burning like suns.
He lowered his head, his voice rolling deep. "Well then. Mount up, rider of storms."
Lucian didn’t smile. He simply teleported. Space folded in a blink, and he was already seated on Kaelis’s back, cloak flaring in the night wind.
Kaelis rumbled, amused. "No saddle. No reins. If you fall, you die."
Lucian rested a hand against one golden scale. His voice was calm, but the fury under it cracked like hidden thunder. "I’m not falling. Not until Eron’s corpse is beneath me."
Kaelis’s wings unfurled with a sound like a storm tearing free. Air rushed outward, rattling the Citadel’s walls. He launched skyward in a single beat, the Nova Sanctum shrinking behind them as they cut into the clouds. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍
From the ground, people looked up, pointing, some falling to their knees as the massive dragon carried its rider through the night.
Lucian sat straight, cloak snapping, eyes locked ahead.
He thought of Reia’s face bound and bleeding. Of Silas’s broken arms. Of Vyn pinned against stone. Of Evelyn running alone, screaming for them to move.
And beneath it all, he thought of Eron’s smile.
That calm, mocking smile.
Lucian’s jaw tightened until his teeth ached. "Eron," he muttered, voice low enough only Kaelis could hear. "You should’ve killed me when you had the chance. Because now, I’ll kill you slow. I’ll tear your estate down stone by stone. And when I’m finished, the only thing left of you will be ash carried in the wind."
Kaelis’s golden eye tilted back toward him. "You hate him that much?"
Lucian’s gaze didn’t shift from the horizon. "Hate isn’t the word. Hate is too small. What I feel for him... it’s older. It’s what happens when someone spits on everything you swore to protect."
Kaelis chuckled darkly. "Good. Keep it sharp. Hate dulls fast. But that? That cuts forever."
The dragon’s wings beat harder, breaking through the clouds. Ahead, the northern district stretched faint in the distance, and at its heart burned the glow of the Thorne Estate.
Lucian’s hand rested against Kaelis’s scale. His eyes burned steady, violet glow flickering faint across them.
Kaelis’s laugh shook the clouds apart. "Then let’s make them choke on it."
They descended together, rider and dragon, their shadows swallowing the moonlight.