The world slowed as Kael unleashed his fury. A torrent of dragonfire cascaded downward, bright enough to blind, hot enough to melt stone into rivers. The Court gasped, shielding their eyes.
But within the inferno, Aric moved.
The bond shielded him, Serenya's fire wrapping around his body like wings of light. His sword burned brighter than Kael's flames, cutting through the torrent like a spear of destiny.
He roared—not in fear, but defiance. His voice carried across the court, raw and unyielding:"I fight for her! I fight for us!"
He leapt into the storm, his burning blade driving upward.
Time fractured.
The sword pierced through Kael's chest, slipping between scales and bone, embedding deep into the dragon's heart. A shockwave erupted, flame and light colliding in a cataclysm that rattled the heavens.
Kael's roar turned from triumph to agony. His massive body convulsed, wings faltering, flames sputtering into embers. His eyes—once molten with pride—dimmed in disbelief.
"You… a mortal…?" he growled, voice breaking. "No… a bond… stronger than mine…"
His colossal form collapsed, crashing into the arena with a sound like mountains falling. Dust and fire engulfed everything.
When it cleared, Aric stood in the crater, sword still blazing, his body trembling and scorched. He was alive—barely—but alive.
The Court erupted. Some in awe, some in fury, all in disbelief. A mortal had slain a dragon lord in open duel.
Serenya rushed into the arena, heedless of tradition or law. She caught Aric as his knees buckled, his head falling against her shoulder. Tears streaked her cheeks as the bond glowed fiercely between them, sealing burns and wounds just enough to keep him alive.
"You fool," she whispered, clutching him tightly. "You could have died."
Aric's lips curved in a faint, broken smile. "But I didn't. Because you were with me."
The Court fell silent as the Dragon King himself rose from his throne, eyes like ancient stars. His voice cut through the arena like a blade.
"Aric of the bond," the King said. "You have defied our laws and yet proven a truth even we cannot deny. The bond between dragon and mortal is no weakness. It is power."
Gasps swept the crowd.
The King's gaze shifted to Serenya, then back to Aric. "The Courts will not forget this day. Nor will they forgive it easily."
The victory was theirs.
But the war it would spark had only just begun.