Page 3

Kieran

The ripple hits before I see it—a pulse of chaos splitting the stillness like thunder through a starless night.

My shadows recoil, curling closer, their instinctive reaction making my scales itch beneath my human skin.

The Heart of Eternity stirs, its power reaching even here, in the depths of my sanctuary.

"Stay back," I warn as a young griffin shifter stumbles through my wards, corruption eating at his wings. The others who've found refuge here press against the crystalline walls, their magic flaring in response to the newcomer's tainted power.

I move forward, shadows coiling around my hands. The griffin's eyes are wild with pain and fear, the same look I've seen too many times since Absentia fell. As I reach for him, another call from the Heart hits, stronger this time, and the memory crashes over me like a wave.

I was young, barely able to hold my dragon form for more than a few hours, when my father brought me to the Valkyrie sanctuary.

We flew together, two shadows against the twilight sky, my smaller wings struggling to match his powerful beats.

Dragon shifters offering protection to the Valkyries in exchange for their aid against the growing corruption.

The griffin's wing bleeds corruption under my touch—acrid, like burning metal and blood. I catch him before he falls, channeling my power through our contact. The magic buzzes with rot and heat beneath my hands while my mind races back through centuries.

She couldn't have been more than six, a tiny figure darting between the Valkyries' legs, wisps of shadow and light playing around her feet like mischievous pets.

When she saw me, her eyes lit up with curiosity that mirrored my own.

While the adults traded alliances, we slipped away—two children chasing wonder into the meadow.

"Hold still," I mutter, dragging myself out of memory as I focus on the griffin. The scent of meadow grass lingers in the back of my mind.

"Can you really turn into a dragon?" she'd asked, bouncing on her toes. Her excitement had been contagious, my own magic stirring in response. My little star, that's what I called her. The words just slipping out.

The corruption fights back, black veins spreading across the griffin's feathers. I push harder, letting my power flow through him. Behind me, I sense Revna moving closer, her phoenix fire ready if I need it.

I shifted for her that day, scales rippling across my skin until I stood before her in my dragon form, smaller than my father's, my obsidian scales still carrying hints of purple in the light.

Where others might have feared me, Kaia laughed in delight.

Her tiny hands reached out to touch my snout, fearless and gentle.

The moment her fingers brushed my scales, something sparked between us. The connection left a mark I still feel in my bones. The shadow magic inside her surged forward, wrapping around my wings like it found a piece of itself it didn't know was missing.

The griffin screams as my power burns through the corruption. I hold him steady, remembering another touch, another connection.

We spent hours in that meadow—me showing off aerial acrobatics while she clapped and created shadow shapes to chase me through the air. Her shadow magic never once shied away from my form, instead seeming to dance with my own magic in perfect harmony.

"Commander." Revna's voice slices through the memory fog like fire through smoke. The corruption finally breaks. The griffin collapses against me, his wings whole but scarred. Another survivor. Another soul saved too late.

When the diplomatic talks ended and my father called for me, Kaia hugged my scaled neck fiercely. "Promise you'll come back," she demanded, with all the authority a child could muster. I nudged her gently with my snout, a promise I wouldn't get to keep.

"Get him to the healing chambers," I tell Revna, my voice tight with memory. She nods, understanding more than I say. She's seen me like this before, when the past settles in my chest like a stone.

Within months, everything changed. Alekir's forces descended on the sanctuary.

My father and I led the other dragons to their aid.

But we were too late. I searched for her in the chaos, my wings beating against smoke-filled skies, but found nothing.

When the Valkyries fell, I mourned her along with all the rest, carrying the memory of that spark between us like an open wound.

The Heart calls again, stronger now. Each beat carries her essence, that same bright magic that once danced with mine. For centuries, I believed her lost, until seventeen years ago when I felt it. That same spark, that same magical resonance, suddenly blazing to life across the realms.

I don't move. I can't. "She's coming," Revna says softly, her phoenix eyes seeing more than just the present. "The Heart calls her here."

I move to the edge of the sanctuary, where crystal walls hold back the corruption. Out there, chaos reigns. But in here, I've built something even Alekir couldn't destroy. A foundation for her return. My shadows coil tighter, eager for what's to come.

"She will be mine," I whisper, the words carrying centuries of promise. The sanctuary hums in response, the wards thrumming with my determination. Somewhere out there, Kaia fights her own battles, unaware of what awaits her in Absentia. Unaware of me.

But she'll remember. I'll make sure of it.

The Heart pulses once more, and I know it's time. I've waited centuries for this moment—and gods, it hasn't dulled. Not one damn second. No more watching from afar. No more protective distance. She's coming to Absentia, and this time, I won't fail her.

This time, I'll keep my promise.