A Fight That Was Never Over
The moment the shadows struck, the world became a battlefield once more.
There was no warning, no time for second thoughts—just instinct.
The ruins trembled beneath their feet as the first wave of dark energy surged forward, tendrils of abyssal magic slashing through the air like whips of pure night.
Lucienne had already moved.
Her sword carved through the oncoming darkness with practiced precision, the silver glow of her blade clashing against the creeping blackness. Each strike left behind flickers of burning light, as if the weapon itself refused to be swallowed by the abyss.
Jax was only a second behind.
With a muttered curse, he slammed his hands together, and in an instant—fire.
Golden-red flames roared to life around him, illuminating the battlefield with a flickering glow, casting wild shadows against the stone ruins. The fire lashed out, colliding with the tendrils of darkness, burning through them before they could reach the group.
Kael had already taken position, his dagger gleaming as he twisted out of the way of an incoming attack, countering with a strike so precise it barely made a sound.
And Elara—
She had no choice but to move.
She had faced these shadows before, had fought them, survived them, bled because of them.
But this time—
This time was different.
Because the person commanding them wasn’t a stranger.
The voice that had echoed from the darkness, the one that had spoken with that eerie familiarity—
It belonged to someone she once trusted.
And now, that person stood across from her, cloaked in shadows and memories of a time she had tried to forget.
---
The Weight of Recognition
The figure stepped forward.
Not a hallucination. Not a trick of the shadows.
Real.
Alive.
And looking straight at her.
Elara felt her breath hitch in her throat as the face came into view, the dim, flickering light revealing features that had once been so familiar—features that should have never been seen again.
He was the same.
And yet—not.
His eyes, once filled with fire and conviction, were now empty, swallowed by an abyss that had taken everything.
His lips curled into something resembling a smirk, but there was no warmth in it.
“Elara,” he said, drawing out her name like a blade.
The sound of it sent a shiver down her spine.
How long had it been since she had last heard that voice?
How long had it been since she had believed him to be gone?
---
A Name She Couldn’t Say
She opened her mouth—
But no words came out.
Because saying his name would make it real.
Would confirm that the past hadn’t been buried as deeply as she had hoped.
Would remind her that some ghosts never truly stayed dead.
The Dragon King, standing beside her, didn’t seem surprised.
His golden eyes flickered with something unreadable, his expression a mask of calm control.
“You should have stayed buried,” the Dragon King repeated, his voice colder this time.
A slow chuckle came from the figure before them, dark and edged with something sharp. “And miss the reunion?”
He took another step forward, and the shadows moved with him, curling around his body like they had become a part of him—like he had become a part of them.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
Jax scoffed. “Oh, great. Another one of these dramatic ‘I’ve been watching you all along’ villains. Classic.”
Lucienne shot him a glare. “Jax, this isn’t the time.”
Jax shrugged. “I mean, when is the time? If we’re gonna die, might as well go out with commentary.”
Kael ignored them both, his eyes locked on the shadowed figure. “If you wanted to face us, you should have done it sooner. Why now?”
A slow smile. “Because now, you have something to lose.”
The shadows lashed out.
---
A Battle of Ghosts and Flames
Elara barely had time to react before the tendrils of darkness surged toward her, faster than before, more precise.
It was different now.
This wasn’t some mindless force of destruction.
This was him.
And he knew exactly how to strike.
She dodged the first wave, twisting out of the way just in time to avoid the cutting edge of shadow slicing toward her throat. But the second came faster, and she had to block—her blade colliding with the inky blackness, sparks flying from the impact.
It was stronger than she remembered.
Too strong.
The force of it sent her skidding back, boots scraping against the cracked stone beneath her.
Jax unleashed another burst of fire, the flames swallowing the darkness before it could reach them, but it wasn’t enough to push it back entirely.
The shadows kept coming.
Lucienne and Kael had already engaged in battle, their movements sharp and precise as they countered each wave of darkness.
And the Dragon King—
He had stepped forward.
Unbothered. Unshaken.
A silent challenge.
The figure in the shadows tilted his head, a slow smirk playing at his lips. “Still hiding behind your people, I see.”
The Dragon King’s golden eyes burned. “I don’t hide.”
And then—
He moved.
Faster than anyone could see.
The moment his blade struck, the darkness shattered around them.
For the first time since this battle began—the shadows faltered.
The figure didn’t laugh this time.
He simply narrowed his eyes.
“So,” he murmured, “you’ve gotten stronger.”
The Dragon King didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
His stance alone spoke volumes.
And Elara, despite everything, despite the battle raging around them—
Couldn’t help but watch.
Because this was the man she had once feared.
This was the power of a king.
And as the shadows began to reform, as the battle continued, as the echoes of the past threatened to consume them all—
Elara realized one thing.
This wasn’t just a fight.
This was unfinished history.
And it was only just beginning.