Moments before…
Behind the main building where the banquet was taking place…
Lucas's last words pierced the silent forest like a whisper carved in stone.
"There's nothing greater than life… I give mine for his capture."
And for a brief moment, the world stood still.
To Atticus, everything froze. The forest. The island. The entire dimension that housed the military training camp.
In this frozen world, his mind spun like a vortex of lightning, racing faster than anything else in existence.
'Something's coming.'
That thought echoed through his being, deep and primal, resonating from his soul.
He hadn't seen it. He hadn't sensed any artifact or spell on Lucas. And yet, Atticus knew, something was coming.
'I can't react in time.'
For as long as he could remember, even from the earliest days of his reincarnation, his mind had always been the fastest part of his body. The first to react, to comprehend, to strategize.
But now, even his mind had reached a conclusion.
He couldn't escape this.
A blinding light erupted from Lucas's body, so intense it bathed the entire forest in a blinding radiance.
Time resumed.
Aurora, Kael, Zoey, and Nate flinched, shielding their eyes from the blinding surge.
And as their hands lowered, they saw it;
A massive pillar of light tore into the sky, then collapsed downward, converging on Atticus with devastating force.
His eyes flashed cold.
Boom.
His aura exploded outward, mana and spiritual energy intertwining like chaos incarnate, forming a swirling maelstrom of power.
The sheer pressure birthed a shockwave, trees were uprooted, the ground fractured, and Aurora, Kael, Zoey, Nate and the other Ravensteins were hurled backward like leaves in a storm.
"Atticus!"
Aurora screamed, flipping midair to regain balance. Her crimson eyes trembled.
Kael and Zoey stared, eyes wide with disbelief.
Despite unleashing his full power, the light still swallowed Atticus whole, unrelenting, merciless, as though it were divine.
'Ozeroth!' he screamed in his mind.
"It's too powerful! It's restricting everything, we're being confined!"
'Then protect them! Get out of me, keep them safe while I figure this out!'
"There's no separating us, Bond. Where you go… I go."
Atticus's eyes sharpened to slits. He turned his gaze toward Aurora, Kael, and Zoey.
And they saw it.
A look that said only one thing.
Survive… until I return.
The light intensified. It surged violently, swirling around him, flashing, consuming, until finally…
It vanished.
In its place, a small glowing orb hovered in the air, pulsing with untamed power.
Atticus was gone.
"No… No!"
Aurora erupted into flames, rocketing toward the orb.
Wings flared from Zoey's back as she followed, streaking through the air with desperate speed.
Kael had already begun to transform, his body warping into its berserk form as he barreled forward.
They all reached for the orb, hoping, praying, that somehow, they could pull him back.
But before they could reach it
BOOM!
A figure crashed down from the sky, landing between them and the orb with cataclysmic force.
The shockwave sent the trio hurtling back again, spinning midair before regaining balance.
Their gazes snapped to the new figure, and their eyes widened.
His aura was primal, ancient. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire
His body was covered in dark obsidian scales. Slit pupils glared at them like a god gazing down at ants. Razor-sharp claws gleamed under moonlight. Massive wings trembled at his back, itching to be unleashed.
Draktharion Ignisyth.
The Apex of the Dragon Race.
"What are you doing!" Aurora barked, flames roaring around her. Her voice was filled with rage.
Kael and Zoey's expressions darkened, their guards raised instantly.
Atticus had said the Dragon Apex was neutral, and somehow grateful. Why was he here now?
Draktharion remained silent not responding to Aurora's words. His gaze was heavy, face unreadable. He seemed… conflicted.
Then, finally, his eyes narrowed as though reaching a decision.
"What I must."
He turned and reached for the orb.
A cloth wrapped around it swiftly, trying to conceal it.
But as he lifted the orb, His eyes widened.
His arm dropped instantly.
BOOM.
He slammed into the ground, brought down by the orb's sheer weight.
'I… can't move it?'
No matter how hard he tried, it refused to budge.
'The universe is against me, huh…'
A bitter laugh escaped his throat.
Even while captured, Atticus was still impossible.
'What a monster.'
But Draktharion clenched his jaw.
'I must see her again.'
His resolve steeled. He turned to face the trio, his slit pupils glowing.
If he couldn't take the orb, then he would complete the true reason he had come here.
A terrifying killing intent surged through the forest, suffocating the air.
Aurora, Kael, and Zoey staggered slightly, instinctively stepping back.
Because of Atticus overwhelming power, the might of the other apexes had been overshadowed.
But in that moment… they remembered.
What an Apex truly was.
The one with the most potential to become the strongest. The mighty of them all.
The powerful.
The strongest.
The peak.
The apex.
Draktharion moved.
A blur of speed that even Masters and Experts could never hope to react to.
TWACK.
A pool of crimson splattered across the forest floor.
Aurora's eyes widened.
Kael's lips curled into a smile.
Draktharion's eyes narrowed.
He gazed down toward where his claw had pierced flesh. It had come as a surprise, a massive one.
After his secret meeting and deal with Carius, Draktharion had received his order. The price of reunion with his loved ones was simple, yet cruel:
Deliver a message. A lesson. One that would scar Atticus Ravenstein before his inevitable end.
Kill the one he cherished most.
Carius had already tested that theory on the first day of the military camp, when Aurora had been attacked by the Dimensari. Atticus's reaction had confirmed it all.
His target… had been Aurora.
And yet…
'Even though i didn't even use my full speed… he had intercepted my attack?'
Draktharion's eyes dropped to the boy beneath him.
A brown-haired youth, pierced straight through the chest.
Kael.
Kael hadn't reacted to the speed.
He had anticipated it.
He'd known where Draktharion was aiming, and he had willingly placed himself in the way.
But what shocked Draktharion more than anything… was the look in Kael's eyes.
Despite the gaping wound, despite the pain, he was grinning.
Eyes burning crimson. Body swelling, muscles bulging, skin darkening, his berserk form igniting.