The Awakening of Ash and Blood

The moment the Celestial Dragons stepped forward, Anne felt it. A pulse of something vast and unknowable, an energy that stirred beneath her skin like a second heartbeat. The fire inside her flickered, uncertain, as if waiting.

Kaelar, their leader, moved first. He was fast—faster than Anne had expected, a streak of gold and shadow as he closed the distance. His blade, forged in the fire of fallen stars, slashed toward her.

Anne barely had time to react. She ducked, rolling backward as the steel bit through the space she had occupied a second before. The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, splitting the stone beneath her feet.

"You are a mistake," Kaelar growled. "You should not exist."

Anne's teeth clenched, a surge of anger bursting through her. "Funny," she shot back, dodging his next strike. "I was just about to say the same about you."

Kaelar snarled and lunged again. This time, Anne met him head-on.

Flames erupted from her hands, coiling around her arms as she blocked his strike with a blast of raw fire. The force of it sent them both skidding backward. Anne's chest heaved. This wasn't just her fire anymore. It was darker, heavier—alive in a way she couldn't explain.

And it wanted to be unleashed.

From the sidelines, Valtheris watched, a smirk playing at his lips. Yes, just like that, his eyes gleamed. This was what he had been waiting for. The Celestial Dragons had arrived, forcing Anne's power to surface. Perfect.

Lucian stood frozen, fists clenched at his sides. He could feel the shift in Anne's energy, could see the darkness creeping through her flames. He had spent so long believing he could protect her, believing he could be enough. But standing here now, watching her become something else—something he didn't recognize—he felt powerless.

You can't protect her from herself.

Kaelar struck again, and Anne met him with equal fury. Every attack sent another shockwave through the battlefield, fire and steel colliding in a deadly dance. But then—

Anne felt something crack inside her.

Not pain. Not weakness.

Power.

It came without warning. One moment, she was fighting to keep control. The next, she wasn't herself anymore.

A roar erupted from her throat—not human, not even dragon. It was something ancient, something deeper than blood. Her vision blurred, her body moving on its own. When Kaelar swung his sword again, she didn't dodge.

She caught it.

The moment her fingers closed around the steel, the air itself shattered. Kaelar's golden armor cracked under the pressure of her grip. He gasped, trying to pull away, but Anne held him there.

Her flames darkened, turning from burning red to deep violet, then to something darker than night. A new heat surged through her veins, a fire that was not hers alone—but something old.

Kaelar's eyes widened in horror. "Impossible."

Anne didn't hear him. She barely felt herself anymore. The power had taken her, whispering in a voice that wasn't her own.

Finally, child, you awaken.

Lucian took a step forward. "Anne! Stop!"

For a moment, just a moment, her head snapped toward him, eyes burning with an otherworldly glow. And in that second, Lucian knew—she wasn't entirely Anne anymore.

A choice weighed in his chest.

Save her? Or save himself?

Fear rooted him in place. He had always thought he would fight for her no matter what. But this? This was beyond him.

For the first time in his life, Lucian made a choice.

He turned away.

The moment he did, Anne felt something break—not inside her, but around her. The tether holding her to herself snapped, and the darkness surged forward.

Then—

A force slammed into her, knocking her backward. Anne hit the ground hard, gasping for breath. The fire around her flickered, momentarily dimming. She looked up—

And saw Bela standing there.

Her mother's expression was not one of anger, nor fear. But sorrow.

"Anne," Bela whispered, stepping closer. "Stop this."

Anne's breath caught. She had been so consumed by the fight, by Lucian's betrayal, by the storm raging inside her—she hadn't even noticed her mother's arrival.

The fire around her flared wildly. She tried to pull it back, tried to breathe, but something inside her snapped. And before she could stop herself—

She lashed out.

The blast of energy that left her wasn't intentional. It wasn't controlled. It was pure instinct, the ancient force within her reacting to the threat.

Bela barely had time to react. The impact threw her back, sending her crashing against the rocks. The moment the flames touched her, Anne saw it.

Her mother's true form.

Not the woman who had raised her, not the protector who had shielded her for seventeen years. But something vast and ancient, wings of ember and gold unfurling against the darkened sky. Scales shimmered in the firelight, a crown of burning horns adorning her head.

Anne's breath caught in her throat. She had never seen her mother like this. Never once imagined what she might truly be.

And Bela—seeing the fire, the darkness swirling around Anne—looked at her daughter not with rage, not with fury.

But with fear.

Anne froze. The fire in her hands flickered and died. She saw the way her mother looked at her and understood.

She was the very thing they all feared.

Anne took a step back, then another. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might break through her ribs.

Then she turned and ran.

Ran from her mother.

Ran from Valtheris's laughter ringing in her ears.

Ran from Lucian's absence.

Ran from herself.

But no matter how fast she ran, she could still hear it.

The voice in the dark.

Finally, child… you are ready.