The first rays of dawn stretched over the capital of Klyrode, casting golden light across the cobblestone streets. But the sun's warmth brought no comfort—only a stillness, as if the world were holding its breath.
Within the Dragon's Rest Inn, Lyraea clutched her swollen belly, her instincts whispering of an oncoming storm. The joyful anticipation of childbirth was drowned out by a chilling rumor: the Dark Army marched toward the capital.
A knock came at her door, followed by Kaito's urgent voice. "Lyraea, listen to me. You need to stay hidden. This inn is protected, and Christine will keep you safe."
Lyraea's eyes brimmed with tears. "Kaito, please… don't do anything reckless."
He cupped her face with one hand, gently brushing her cheek with his thumb. "I swore to protect you and our child. Nothing will touch you—not while I still draw breath."
He turned and strode out, the warmth of his hand fading from her skin like a dying ember.
Outside, panic swept through the city like wildfire. Civilians screamed, fleeing from their homes as the capital's soldiers scrambled into formation. Above them all, a suffocating darkness crept across the sky.
Kaito stood tall on the battlefield, sword drawn, as thunder rumbled low in the distance. But it wasn't the weather. It was something else—someone else.
A ripple tore through the air. Then he appeared.
A colossal figure emerged from the gloom—towering, clad in blackened, twisted armour that seemed to drink in the light around it. A jagged helm concealed his face, and from within its shadow, a voice like rolling thunder boomed.
"Greetings, Fire Dragon's vessel," the figure growled. "I am Xandros—General of the Dark Lord's Peers."
Kaito narrowed his eyes. "If you're looking for a fight, you've found one."
Xandros chuckled, the sound like bone scraping bone. "You'll come with me. Willingly or broken."
The moment shattered.
Steel clashed. Flames ignited.
Kaito launched forward, blade wreathed in golden fire. Sparks exploded as their swords collided, sending shockwaves that cracked the earth beneath them.
The battlefield warped with their every strike. Trees were uprooted. Walls crumbled. And still, neither yielded.
Xandros's blade cleaved through the air, distorting space itself. Kaito barely dodged, retaliating with a searing arc of flame. But Xandros'sarmourr—dark and impenetrable—shrugged off the worst of it.
They were locked in a war of gods.
Kaito, now! a voice echoed in his mind—the Dark Elf Oracle's words:
"When the shadows fall, the fire shall rise. The vessel of the Fire Dragon shall unleash its fury upon the world."
He drew deep within himself. The Fire Dragon roared in his soul.
Light burst from his body—pure, radiant gold. His eyes became twin infernos, and his sword transformed into a blazing beacon.
"Power On."
With a cry that shook the heavens, Kaito unleashed a devastating blow. Xandros staggered, his armour cracking under the force.
But just as victory seemed within reach—
The impossible happened.
Xandros laughed.
His form convulsed, twisting into an inhuman nightmare. Shadows swallowed his body, limbs distorting and melding with the void. What emerged was a creature of pure darkness, its voice now alien.
"You may have shattered my shell… but not me."
Tendrils of blackness lashed out, coiling around Kaito. He struck, but the shadows ignored his blade. They pulled him in—toward a realm beyond light.
"Kaito!" a voice cried out.
It was Lyraea—but it wasn't. It was Juichi.
His son's voice echoed through the void, gentle and defiant. "Dad… don't give up. I'll protect you. I'll protect Mom."
Kaito's heart surged with purpose.
Even as the darkness consumed him, his grip on his sword never wavered.
---
Back at the inn...
Lyraea collapsed to her knees, a pulse of agony running through her chest. Her soul screamed—Kaito was in danger. She could feel it.
The walls trembled. Outside, the Dark Army charged.
But just as they descended, a blinding light tore through the heavens.
From that light emerged a figure—tall, celestial, radiant like a star brought to earth. With a single gesture, divine energy erupted, incinerating the front lines of the Dark Army in an instant.
Xandros's corrupted form reeled back, screeching as the light seared him. And then he vanished, fleeing into the shadows, a whisper of malice trailing in his wake.
The divine light faded… but its presence lingered.
"You are safe. For now," a whisper echoed in Lyraea's ear.
---
The city lay in ruins.
Lyraea stood amid the rubble, calling out Kaito's name again and again. No answer came.
As night fell, she sank to the ground, cradling her belly.
She had lost him.
But not forever.
"I will find you," she whispered. "No matter where the darkness hides you… I will bring you back."
She pressed her forehead to the earth, tears falling silently onto the stones.
The Fire Dragon had fallen.
But hope… had not.
---
To be Continued...