Chapter 51: Wings Over Water

The wind was cold and sharp above the sea, but it didn't matter.

I soared through the sky with the five elder dragons behind me, wings stretched wide and silent against the sun. Below us, the Monarch fleet carved a steady path through the ocean, massive ships surrounding a floating metal platform. And on that platform… was Kong.

Even from this height, I could see the thick steel bindings wrapped around his wrists and ankles, though they weren't tight. They weren't meant to restrain him. Not really. Just enough to suggest a sense of control to the humans watching from behind reinforced glass and towering machinery.

But Kong wasn't fighting.

He wasn't roaring. He wasn't pulling at his restraints or crushing the deck with his fists. He just sat there. Head low. Shoulders heavy.

There was no fury in him.

Just sadness.

And all because of one thing… or rather, one person.

Jia.

The small Iwi girl had come out of the helicopter hours ago. She had spoken to him. Touched his face with her tiny hand. Signed words only the two of them shared. And Kong responded—not with his usual grunts or primal rage, but with gentleness, something so rare for a beast that large.

He had only agreed to go with them for her.

For the last living member of the Iwi.

I hovered in the sky for a moment longer, heart heavy.

I remembered this. I had seen it before. Not here. Not like this. But in a different life. A different world. On a screen in a movie theater, just before flames claimed my old body.

Godzilla vs. Kong.

The war was coming, and Kong didn't know it. He wasn't preparing. He wasn't planning a strategy or waiting to strike.

He just wanted to keep the girl safe.

I banked to the left and gestured with a wing, signaling the elders to follow. We landed on a steep cliff that rose just above the ocean's waves—out of sight, out of reach. The rocks were slick with sea mist, but our claws dug in easy.

They gathered around me, eyes sharp, wings folded tight.

"We will not interfere," I said quietly, watching the ship. "Not yet."

The third elder grunted. "He's surrounded. If he calls, do we fly?"

"Only if he calls," I answered.

The second elder's brow furrowed. "You said it yourself… this is the beginning of the end. The great war. So why do we wait?"

"Because Kong doesn't need saving," I said, my voice firm. "Not now. He doesn't care about war or territory or who rules the Hollow Earth. He's not looking to conquer."

"Then what does he care about?" asked the fourth elder.

"Her." I nodded toward the girl now resting in a makeshift shelter on the deck of the ship, her eyes never leaving Kong. "He follows her. Lives for her. She is his purpose. Not this world. Not some battle."

We all fell silent for a moment.

Kong wasn't a king of ambition.

He was a king of compassion.

That's why he was dangerous when threatened—not because of his strength, but because he had something to protect.

"Then what do we do?" the fifth elder asked at last.

I looked at them, each dragon bearing scars, age, and experience. I was proud of every one of them.

"We follow from afar," I said. "If Kong needs us, we come. We fly without hesitation, without fear. But until that time comes… we watch. We prepare."

"But what if he falls before we act?" asked the second elder.

I met his gaze, unflinching. "He won't."

They all turned to look at the distant ship again. Kong still hadn't moved much. But when Jia brought him a piece of fruit and he gently took it from her hand, the fourth elder exhaled.

"He's… soft," the elder muttered.

"No," I replied. "He's strong. And his strength comes from that girl."

Silence again.

Then, slowly, each elder gave a nod of agreement.

I stepped up to the edge of the cliff, wings flaring slightly against the salty breeze.

"This is not our fight. Not yet. The dragon clan will not rush into another war blind. We are the sky's teeth, the fire beneath the clouds. We are not pawns. We are not soldiers to be spent."

They nodded again.

"And if the time comes… we will rain fire from the heavens."

At that, I lifted into the air again, gliding silently over the sea. I stayed far enough to remain hidden, yet close enough to see the movement of every ship. I would not lose sight of Kong.

He saved my people once.

He protected us when he had no reason to.

And now, even without asking, I would repay that debt.