Chapter 14 – The Price of a Dragon’s Trust

They didn't speak much after Vireon vanished.

Even Kael, usually quick with questions or warnings, was silent. The snow no longer fell. The trees stood still, as if the forest itself was waiting to see what Seren would become now.

Because something in her had changed.

Not just the fire that curled at her fingertips like a purring beast, or the weight of the fourth key — a blood crystal now fused into her spine like a shard of frozen lightning. No, this change was deeper. It lived behind her eyes, in the way she walked, in the way she no longer hesitated.

She was no longer only surviving.

She was becoming.

And her next step was clear.

"We need to go east," Seren said the next morning as they packed their things.

Nyara raised a brow. "East is dragon territory."

"I know," Seren replied.

Kael froze mid-motion. "Seren… they won't welcome you."

"They will," she said, standing tall. "Because they'll have no choice."

---

The Dravari Spires rose like obsidian spears, jagged peaks stabbing into the clouds. Somewhere within those mountains, the last of the dragonkind slumbered — their bones older than empires, their breath able to melt castles.

And yet, no one had seen them in centuries.

Not until today.

As they crossed into the foothills, the air grew warmer. Unnaturally so. Fire lived beneath the stones. The earth trembled every few miles like something massive had stirred beneath them.

Kael kept a hand on his sword. "Why would they even listen to us?"

Seren didn't answer — not with words. She simply pulled her glove off and held up her bare hand.

The fire there was no longer just elemental.

It was draconic.

Nyara whistled low. "So that's why the vampire king gave you the fourth key. He knew what it unlocked."

Seren nodded. "This power was never just about flame. It's ancient. Older than the kingdoms. It belonged to the dragons once. I need to give it back."

Kael blinked. "You're going to give your power away?"

Seren smiled faintly. "Not give away — share. I won't repeat Aru'vethra's mistake."

---

They reached the Dragon Gate by dusk.

It wasn't made of stone.

It was bone — ribcages of fallen titans, bleached by time, fused into an arch that shimmered with golden light. A sigil pulsed in the center: the mark of the First Brood.

As Seren approached, it flared.

Then… it opened.

Not like a door, but like an eye.

And the mountain itself breathed.

A thunderous voice rang out, shaking the stones beneath their feet.

"WHO DARES STAND BEFORE THE FIRST?"

Kael flinched. Nyara crouched, daggers drawn.

But Seren stepped forward.

"I am Seren of the Emberlands," she called. "Blood-marked, flame-chosen, bearer of the keys. I come not to take, but to return what was stolen."

The silence that followed was terrifying.

Then the ground opened beneath them.

---

They fell into a cavern of fire and crystal, the heat unbearable — yet Seren didn't burn. The flame welcomed her.

A shape moved in the smoke.

Massive.

Glorious.

Terrifying.

A dragon the size of a cathedral, scales like molten gold, eyes like twin suns. Its wings curled around the cavern like walls, and its teeth gleamed like swords.

It looked down at her — and laughed.

"YOU… ARE SMALL."

Seren didn't flinch. "And yet I hold your power."

The dragon's nostrils flared. "YOU HOLD A CURSE. STOLEN FROM THE HEART OF OUR FIRST QUEEN. A FLAME THAT WAS NEVER YOURS TO WIELD."

"I know," Seren said softly. "And I want to fix that."

The dragon lowered its head, smoke curling from its jaws. "WHY?"

"Because this war will never end until the old wounds are healed," she said. "The vampires fight the humans. The humans hunt the dragons. Everyone burns. I want to stop it."

"YOU ARE ONE GIRL," the dragon rumbled.

Seren took a breath.

Then knelt.

"I don't need to rule over dragons," she whispered. "I need dragons to stand beside me."

For a moment, silence.

Then the dragon leaned closer. "NO ONE HAS BOWED TO US IN A THOUSAND YEARS."

"I'm not bowing out of fear," Seren said. "I'm bowing out of hope."

The dragon blinked.

Then it roared — not in anger, but in something else.

Approval.

Its voice filled the cavern.

"THEN RISE, FIREBEARER."

Seren stood.

And the dragon raised one massive claw, placing it over her heart.

Fire exploded between them — golden, wild, ancient. Not destructive, but warm. Healing. Her flame fused with his, rewriting the very nature of her power.

She cried out, not in pain, but in release.

When it ended, she stood with her eyes glowing — not orange, but gold.

The dragon stepped back.

"THE FLAME IS YOURS. AND SO IS OUR NAME."

He roared again — and the mountains echoed.

From the shadows, other dragons emerged. Red, silver, blue, green — young and old. One by one, they bowed to her.

Kael stared in awe.

Nyara grinned. "Well, damn."

---

They stayed that night in the caverns, the dragons watching from afar. The golden one — whose name was Varethian — told stories of the old days, of Aru'vethra's betrayal, of the broken bond between dragon and crown.

"You carry the Thorned Blood," Varethian said. "But your soul… it is still yours. Do not lose it."

"I won't," Seren promised.

Then Kael pulled her aside.

"You're becoming something else."

"I know," she said.

"Do you still feel human?"

She hesitated.

Then whispered, "Not completely. But I feel… right."

He didn't answer.

Just looked at her like he might lose her soon.

---

At dawn, they left.

But not alone.

A single dragon flew above them now — a young silver one named Ashryx, sworn to protect her until the end.

The journey to the capital would be long.

The last vampire court had begun to stir.

And Aru'vethra's voice still echoed in her dreams.

But Seren walked forward, flame at her side, dragon at her back, and a kingdom waiting to be reborn.

Not through conquest.

But through blood, fire, and love.