A Stillness That Wasn’t Peace
The world around them had fallen into an unsettling quiet.
Not the peaceful kind, but the kind that made the skin crawl—the kind of silence that felt like it was watching.
The night air was thick with lingering traces of magic, with whispers that slithered through the ruins like unseen specters. The remnants of battle still hung in the air, staining the earth, the stones, the very breath they took.
Elara could still feel the echo of the shadows in her chest, an oppressive weight pressing against her ribs, like unseen hands reaching from the void.
Her fingers curled around the hilt of her weapon, though she didn’t lift it. Not yet.
Because in this silence, in this pause between what had happened and what was about to happen—there was only him.
The Dragon King.
The one she had thought she would never see again.
And now, he stood before her, his golden eyes unreadable, his presence just as overwhelming as she remembered.
---
A Distance That Felt Closer Than Ever
Elara didn’t move.
She couldn’t.
Not because she was afraid—no, fear had long since left her when it came to him.
It was something else.
Something deeper.
Something she didn’t know how to name.
His gaze was steady, unwavering, as if he were waiting for something—for her to say something. To break the silence first.
She refused.
Let him speak.
Let him explain why, after all these years, he was standing here now, like a ghost that had stepped out of the past to haunt her once more.
But the longer he remained silent, the more the ache in her chest grew.
He was always like this. Always holding back. Always leaving too much unsaid.
---
Jax’s Unwelcome Commentary
A voice shattered the tension.
“Okay, this is getting awkward. Someone say something before I choke on the tension.”
Jax.
Elara let out a slow breath through her nose, willing herself not to snap at him.
Lucienne, standing beside him, smacked his shoulder. “Shut up, Jax.”
Jax rubbed his arm, scowling. “I’m just saying! They’re staring at each other like—like they’re in the middle of some tragic love story.”
Elara stiffened.
The Dragon King’s expression didn’t change, but she swore she saw the corner of his mouth twitch.
Jax, ever the reckless one, continued, “Seriously, is no one else seeing this? It’s like one of those dramatic reunions where one of them has been gone for years and the other—”
Kael cut him off with a sharp look. “Jax.”
Jax sighed, muttering something about “no one appreciating his humor.”
Elara ignored them.
She couldn’t afford to be distracted. Not now.
Because the Dragon King was still watching her.
And that silence between them?
It was heavy.
---
A Name That Held Too Much Meaning
“Elara.”
The way he said her name—low, careful, edged with something she couldn’t quite grasp—sent a shiver down her spine.
She hated that it still affected her.
Hated that after all this time, after everything, he still had that power over her.
Her grip on her weapon tightened. “You’re late.”
His golden eyes flickered. “I know.”
Elara clenched her jaw. She had expected more. An excuse. A reason. Something.
But that was all he gave her.
Just those two words.
Like they were supposed to be enough.
Like they were supposed to erase the years of silence.
---
The Shadows’ Return
Before she could say more, before she could demand an answer, the air shifted.
A pulse of darkness.
A whisper on the wind.
The shadows weren’t done.
They had been waiting.
Waiting for this exact moment.
The ruins trembled, the stone beneath them cracking as the darkness came alive once more.
Jax cursed, drawing his weapon. “I knew it. We were standing around for too long. Never a good sign.”
Lucienne’s blade gleamed in the dim light. “They’re not retreating.”
Kael narrowed his eyes. “No. They were never planning to.”
Elara felt it too.
The way the shadows moved now—it was different. It wasn’t wild, desperate.
It was calculated.
They were being watched.
And then—
A voice.
Low, echoing, coming from everywhere and nowhere.
“You cannot outrun the past.”
Elara’s blood ran cold.
Because she recognized that voice.
It was one she hadn’t heard in years.
One that should have been impossible.
The Dragon King’s expression darkened. “So it’s you.”
---
A Face From the Abyss
From the shifting darkness, a figure began to take shape.
A form twisted in shadow and smoke. A face half-formed, yet familiar.
Elara’s breath caught in her throat.
Because she knew this person.
Once, long ago, they had fought side by side.
Once, long ago, they had been friends.
And now—
Now, they stood against each other.
The voice came again, smoother now, less distorted by the shadows.
“Did you think you had seen the last of me?”
The Dragon King’s golden eyes burned. “You should have stayed buried.”
The shadow-formed figure laughed.
And the battle—
Began anew.
---
The Unfinished War
The air exploded with magic.
Darkness lashed out, tendrils of shadow striking toward them, twisting, curling, sharp as blades.
Lucienne was the first to move, her sword flashing in the dim light as she cut through the approaching attack.
Jax followed, fire bursting from his fingertips as he countered the oncoming wave of darkness.
Kael moved with precision, striking down anything that got too close.
And Elara—
Elara faced him.
The one who should have been dead.
The one who had once fought beside them.
The one who had betrayed them.
The past had returned.
And this time—
It wouldn’t be ignored.