The Queen dropped to one knee, her blade clattering against the shattered ground. Her breath hitched—sharp, irregular.
Her eyes, always unwavering, fluttered for the briefest second before she forced them open again, locking onto mine.
"Liam… run."
But I didn't move.
My fists shook, not from fear—but from the pressure building inside me. My pulse was pounding so violently I could feel it in my fingertips. My jaw clenched until I tasted iron.
Across from us, the cloaked figure let out a low chuckle.
"Touching." He raised a single hand toward her. "But foolish."
A wave of energy surged toward her like a tidal wall.
And in that moment—I moved.
Faster than I ever had before.
I wasn't thinking. I was done thinking.
I was done watching her bleed for me.
Something inside me cracked.
Not like before—not that trembling, unstable power that I feared would devour me.
This was different.
Clean. Cold. Ancient.
It felt like… home.
Like something that had been waiting—waiting for me to stop running.
She's not going to die for me. Not now. Not ever.
I wasn't the frightened boy caught in shadows anymore.
I was the storm they feared.
The air around me collapsed inward with a deafening snap, like reality itself was inhaling.
Shadowfire erupted from my back, not wings—but spires of obsidian flame that cut into the very fabric of space.
Runes carved themselves across my skin, glowing in an ancient tongue I'd never learned but somehow understood.
My heartbeat wasn't mine anymore.
It was the drum of a forgotten war, echoing across the centuries.
And I…
I roared.
Not out of rage.
But out of claim.
This was my battle now.
My realm.
My Queen.
The enemy's attack slammed into me—And shattered.
The impact threw dust and debris for miles—But I didn't budge.
My cloak of flame pulsed once.
And when the smoke cleared, they all saw:
The Final Heir had awakened.
But just as I stepped forward to strike back—
A second, unfamiliar voice cut through the battlefield:
"You're not the only one who answered the bloodline's call, Liam."
Another figure stepped out from the shadows.
Eyes just like mine.
To Be Continued…