The night air shimmered faintly as the flames of Solvane's capital finally dimmed in the distance. The scent of smoke lingered — sharp, metallic, and heavy with the memory of chaos.
Prince Kael of Vulmir leaned back in his chair again, arms folded behind his head, watching the stars peek through the soot-clouded sky. He didn't seem concerned that he'd just lied to one of the most dangerous men alive.
Not yet, anyway.
"Still here, Kael?"
The voice was smooth, rippling like water over glass.
Kael cracked one eye open. "Ah, you're late. I was starting to think you'd gone for a midnight swim again."
The figure who appeared through the mist was tall, his armor reflecting faint ripples of moonlight. Blue and silver, engraved with coral-like patterns that seemed to move when you stared too long. He carried no weapon — only a curved blade made of liquid that hovered behind his back, flowing like an extension of himself.
Prince Thalor of Aqualis, heir of the Aqualis Kingdom, and holder of half the Water Dragon Spirit — Nereveth.
Kael grinned. "Look who decided to show up. The ocean's favorite boy."
Thalor smiled faintly. "And the volcano's worst headache. You haven't changed."
"Neither have you," Kael said, pushing to his feet. "Still too calm for your own good."
Thalor glanced at the ruined horizon. "I heard about the wedding. I suppose it didn't end peacefully."
Kael gave a lazy shrug. "You could say that. The 'God's chosen prince' went berserk. You should've seen it — dragons roaring, flames devouring marble. Real fireworks show."
Thalor sighed softly. "And the Ice Fox?"
Kael's grin widened. "Slipped through his fingers."
Thalor's brows lifted. "You helped him escape?"
"I might've given him a head start."
Thalor shook his head, lips twitching in amusement. "You're impossible."
"Flattering," Kael said, pretending to bow.
They stood in silence for a moment — two heirs of empires whose fathers had tried to kill each other a dozen times over, yet here they were, sharing a quiet night and a secret.
"You know Caelum will come," Thalor said finally. "He won't stop until he finds them."
Kael smirked. "Let him. Watching him rage will be worth it."
Thalor gave him a look. "You're going to get yourself killed one day."
"Maybe," Kael said. "But at least I'll die laughing."
A sound of rushing air cut through their conversation. Heat rippled across the sky as something vast moved within the smoke — a shadow too large to belong to anything mortal.
Thalor glanced up. "He's here."
Kael rolled his neck. "And so the chosen idiot arrives."
From the skies above, a crimson flare descended. The flames curled, forming into a colossal shape with wings that blotted out the stars. Ignathar, the Flame Dragon, landed behind Kael with a thunderous quake, his four burning eyes gleaming like twin suns.
Moments later, the ground shimmered like water, and a figure of blue light rose beside Thalor — a four-winged serpent-dragon of sapphire scales and seafoam hair: Nereveth, the Water Dragon.
The two dragons regarded one another with ancient recognition, their presence bending the air itself.
And between them, descending like a god wrapped in arrogance, came Prince Caelum of Solvane — the man who held the other halves of all six dragon spirits. His golden hair glowed faintly in the moonlight, his armor engraved with runes that pulsed with the power of six elements. His golden eyes burned like suns — cold, divine, unyielding.
The ground scorched slightly as his boots touched the earth.
"Kael. Thalor."
Kael gave him a mock salute. "Evening, oh radiant one."
Caelum's eyes flicked between them. "You saw them, didn't you?"
Thalor's tone was measured. "Them?"
"The Ice Fox and the princess."
Kael smirked faintly. "You make it sound like a love story."
Caelum's expression didn't change. "Where did they go?"
The two princes shared a glance — one short, silent exchange that carried years of mischief.
Kael tilted his head. "East," he said smoothly. "Toward the marshlands. The girl was barely conscious. The Ice Fox carried her himself."
Thalor nodded in confirmation. "I sensed frost residue heading that way. Weak, but present."
Caelum closed his eyes briefly, listening — perhaps to the voices of his spirits, or the pulse of the world itself. Then, with a sharp motion, he turned toward the east.
"Good," he said. "They won't get far."
Without another word, he rose into the air, fire and wind swirling beneath him. Ignathar spread his vast wings, and together, man and dragon vanished into the crimson clouds.
The silence that followed was almost holy.
Then Kael exhaled loudly and dropped back into his chair. "You know, for a god's chosen, he's incredibly gullible."
Thalor's composure broke first — a quiet snort escaped him. Then another. And suddenly the two princes were laughing.
It started as chuckles. Then wheezing. Then full, helpless laughter that echoed through the ruins like two children who'd just stolen from a market stand.
Kael fell sideways, clutching his stomach. "Did you see his face? He didn't even question it!"
Thalor was leaning on his knee, tears threatening the corners of his eyes. "He never does. He trusts his own perfection too much to doubt anyone else."
"Oh, gods," Kael gasped between laughs. "If the Ice Fox actually went west, we just sent the mighty Caelum straight into a swamp."
"Filled with fireproof frogs," Thalor added.
Kael pointed at him, grinning. "Exactly! Glorious."
Their laughter rolled on until even the dragons behind them stirred.
Ignathar's deep, rumbling voice echoed like a volcano's growl. "You two mock the divine heir?"
Kael glanced back with a grin. "Only because it's fun, big guy."
Nereveth's tone was softer, flowing like water through a cavern. "You risk much, child of flame."
Thalor smiled faintly. "Risk makes the story interesting."
Ignathar's eyes burned brighter. "The Ice Fox is no ordinary mortal. The god's balance wavers. You sense it too, Waterborn?"
Nereveth's wings rippled. "Yes. The ice that should be weakest… resists."
Kael leaned forward, intrigued. "So even the dragons can't figure him out, huh?"
Ignathar's gaze turned toward the dark horizon. "His frost carries something ancient. Something not born from the Six."
Thalor frowned. "Then what?"
The dragons didn't answer. Only the wind replied, carrying the distant echoes of wings and flames fading toward the east.
For a long moment, Kael and Thalor stood in silence. Then Kael sighed. "Well, we should probably go after him before he does something catastrophic."
Thalor gave him a sidelong glance. "You mean Caelum or the Ice Fox?"
Kael grinned. "Yes."
Thalor chuckled, shaking his head. "You're insufferable."
"And you love me for it," Kael shot back.
"Unfortunately, yes."
Kael rose, Ignathar's molten light bathing him in gold and red. "Let's see where fate takes our little snowflake and his princess. I have a feeling the world's about to get interesting."
Thalor placed a hand on Nereveth's crest, water shimmering beneath his boots. "It already is."
Their dragons unfurled their wings in perfect unison — fire and water rising together, the sky boiling with steam as two forces that should never coexist took flight side by side.
Below them, the garden burned and froze in patches — a battlefield of elements, a reflection of the world's fragile balance.
Kael laughed again, wind whipping through his hair. "Let's go, Thalor. The god's chosen needs company."
Thalor's voice was calm but amused. "You're going to regret this."
"Maybe," Kael called over the roar of fire and wind. "But it'll be one hell of a ride."
And with that, the two princes — one of fire, one of water — vanished into the clouds, following the trail of destiny that led toward an unconscious princess, a cursed frost mage, and the spark of a rebellion that would shake the seven empires to their core.
Note: The Dragon spirit Holders were considered as siblings by the people because the dragon spirits themselves are siblings.
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Chapter Info
Name:Thalor
Height: 178 cm
Skin: pale white
Hair: Azure
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