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Jean Luther, the youngest daughter of the prestigious Luther Clan, is both a rising swordswoman and the Emissary of Light, chosen by the goddess Celeste. After graduating from the Luther Academy, she is required to undergo a two-year assessment as an Envoy Knight, an elite order of Transcendent Master swordsmen loyal to the clan.

Upon her return, Jean is thrust into a brutal succession war for the Patriarchy of the clan. She embarks on a perilous journey to become the strongest swordsman in the world, accompanied by her divine guardian—a powerful dire wolf named Whitney.

LIGHTBEARER: THE CHRONICLE OF JEAN LUTHER

Chapter 97 – Embers Beneath the Throne

Midnight cloaked the Iron Capital in silence.

But beneath the Vorn estate, in caverns carved by forgotten fire, silence was broken by the chanting of traitors.

Jean, Kaelis, and Silvia stood atop a ledge overlooking a hidden ritual chamber. Below, robed figures—Magistery warlocks and Vorn loyalists—encircled a floating obsidian seal. The dragon egg, no longer chained, pulsed at its center.

Whitney growled low. The air was thick with fire magic.

"The Rite has begun," Kaelis said grimly. "They're forcing a hatching."

Jean clenched her fist around Luxclade's hilt. "We end it now."

Kaelis descended in a storm of lightning and wind, her trident crackling with divine force. Silvia moved like shadow and steel, cutting down mages with swift, precise strikes. Jean landed in the center, Luxclade ignited in radiant white, sundering the ritual circle in a single arc.

Panic erupted. Warlocks screamed. A vortex of fire exploded from the egg as the seal shattered further.

A whelping dragon—newborn, but ancient—stepped forward. Its scales burned like molten glass, and its eyes were full of hate.

Jean stared at it, heart pounding. This was not a beast. This was a message.

The dragon opened its maw—and spoke.

> "Antares returns. And you, Emissary of Light… shall burn first."

Then it unleashed a torrent of flame.

Jean raised Luxclade, forming a barrier of pure light. The blast struck, forcing her to her knees. Whitney leapt in front of Kaelis, his divine fur shielding them both.

Silvia moved in a blur, slashing at the dragon's wings, trying to destabilize it. But even wounded, the young drake fought like an echo of its lord.

Jean's light flared. "Celeste—grant me your strength."

Luxclade's edge shifted. It pulsed with blessed white flame.

The blade met dragon flesh, and the clash sent out a shockwave that collapsed the entire cavern.

Jean emerged from the rubble, burned but standing. The dragon lay still, its body turned to stone—sealed by divine light before it could fully awaken.

Kaelis limped beside her. "You stopped the hatching… barely."

"This wasn't about hatching it. This was a test. They wanted to see if I was ready."

Silvia stood silent. Then: "And if you hadn't been?"

The Iron Empire would've been the first to fall.

CHAPTER 97. EMBERS BENEATH THE THRONE.