Chapter 51: The Ashen Truth Beneath the Crown
The corridors of the royal palace hummed with tension, echoing the invisible friction that thickened with every passing hour. The events of the Blood Moon Ball had left the court in an unspoken disarray. Nobles, cloaked in silk and suspicion, whispered beneath jeweled chandeliers. But behind the fragile glint of gold and civility, a deeper storm brewed.
Rei stood by the long stained-glass window in the west wing, the sun casting fractured colors across his solemn face. His thoughts had not rested since that night. Mei's transformation had been brief, but enough. Enough to draw fear into the eyes of anyone who had seen it—or thought they had.
"The veil is thinning," Rei muttered to himself. "They'll start coming for her now."
Behind him, the quiet rustle of footsteps. Mei entered, dressed in her usual court robes, her expression unreadable. Her eyes, however, held the molten flicker of unease.
"They're talking, aren't they?" she asked softly.
"They are. About dragons. About curses. About how a prince fell under the enchantment of a creature from old tales." He turned to face her. "But they forget who I am. And who you are."
Mei lowered her gaze. "You know who I am?"
"Enough to know you are not the monster they whisper about." He paused. "But we need answers."
They left the window and headed down into the lower archives—a place forbidden to all but the inner royal blood. But Rei had the seal now, granted after his declaration in court. The nobles had not dared oppose him openly, but he had felt their ire like blades at his back.
The hallway was lined with obsidian bricks, and every torch that flickered along its walls cast deep shadows, as if ancient memories stirred within them. Finally, they reached the vault-like door. Rei placed his signet ring against a carved indentation of a phoenix. With a low groan, the door slid open.
Inside, dust and silence reigned. Scrolls, parchments, and books aged beyond imagination sat on tall carved shelves. The air held the scent of old flame and secrecy.
"Here," Mei whispered, drawn toward a set of scrolls marked with an ancient symbol—a dragon with wings half-unfurled, one broken.
Together, they unrolled the first. The script was angular and old, but Mei read it with unnatural ease. Her eyes moved faster than Rei could track.
"This speaks of the Dracon Line. A bloodline tied not to men, but to a pact made with skyfire spirits. The original dragons, once divine guardians, fell from grace when mortals betrayed them. Only one survived—a female who hid her egg in the Valley of Embers."
Mei's hand trembled slightly. "That egg... could be my mother."
Rei studied her, carefully. "The scroll says anything else? About what they feared?"
"Yes. The last dragon—if she ever bore a child, the old world would return. Magic would rise again. Thrones would burn."
A pause stretched long.
"You think that's me, don't you?" Mei asked.
"I think the court does. And I think Kaien knows more than he dares admit."
As they delved further, they found records of The Ember Purge—a secret campaign a hundred years prior, meant to eradicate dragonbloods. Hidden under the guise of quelling rebellion, it had been a genocide. Mothers, children, entire villages wiped for bearing "flame-born taint."
Mei's jaw clenched. "They lied to us. The Queen—she knew."
"Or she was told just enough to believe it was right. History is always written by those afraid of fire."
That night, while the palace slept, a messenger dove brought a sealed letter to Rei's quarters. It was unsigned, but the wax bore a familiar emblem: the broken winged-dragon. Inside, a single line written in crimson ink:
They're already within your walls. Protect the flame, or watch it die.
---
The next morning, Lady Veyra, a long-time noble known for her neutral stance, requested an audience. She arrived veiled in mourning black, though none had died in her house.
"My lord," she began, voice low. "A secret court is forming. They question your decision to protect the girl. Some even call it treason."
Rei's eyes narrowed. "Then let them speak openly, instead of skulking in shadows."
"They won't. Not yet. They await Kaien's proof."
Rei dismissed her and went to Mei, finding her standing in the training grounds, watching the clouds.
"You knew they'd fear you. Yet you stayed. Why?"
She didn't look at him. "Because I want to change that fear into something else. Something better."
"Even if it kills you?"
Her voice was quiet. "Especially if it saves others."
---
That evening, Queen Aveline called Rei to her private chambers. Unlike the audience hall, her chamber bore no throne, only soft candlelight and tapestries older than the realm.
"Rei," she said, her voice neither cold nor warm. "You're playing with fire."
"She's not a threat. She's a girl who saved your kingdom more than once."
"And yet dragons bring war. Always."
Rei studied her, searching her gaze. "Is that fear speaking, or regret?"
Aveline hesitated. "Both."
He rose to leave.
"If they move against her," he said at the door, "they move against me."
---
Later that night, Kaien met with cloaked figures in the catacombs. Their voices were muffled, but one phrase echoed through the stone like an oath:
The last dragon dies before the eclipse.
Mei, meanwhile, stood alone on the balcony overlooking the city, her hands clasped, her flame barely contained. She did not see herself as a goddess, or a weapon. Just a girl trying to understand why the stars had cursed her with a dying legacy.
And as the sky darkened and storm clouds rolled over the city, one truth settled deep into her bones:
The war wasn't coming.
It had already begun.
Chapter 52: A Storm Before the Trial
Rain lashed against the stained-glass windows of the High Palace as the tension inside matched the fury of the storm outside. The court was quieter than usual, thick with the weight of suspicion and unease. Ever since Rei had made his public declaration to protect Mei, a ripple had shaken the nobility and commoners alike.
Mei stood at the balcony overlooking the training courtyard, her golden eyes narrowed as thunder rumbled in the distance. The heat of her draconic blood stirred faintly, reacting to the charged air. It had been three nights since the confrontation beneath the palace, and Kaien had disappeared without a trace.
"He's waiting," Rei said, appearing beside her. His tone was low but steady, eyes fixed on the courtyard as soldiers trained below. "Or he's planning something worse."
Mei nodded, her fingers tightening on the railing. "The moment I revealed my strength, I put you in danger."
"No. You revealed the truth. I choose to walk with you in it." Rei's words were soft but resolute. "Whatever comes next, we face it together."
A soft knock interrupted the moment. Lady Selene, Rei's former tutor and current court mediator, entered with a deep bow. Her silver hair was damp from the rain, and a sealed scroll rested in her hands.
"An emergency summons," she announced, her voice taut. "The Queen has called for a closed tribunal at midnight. The council will convene to determine the legitimacy of your declaration, Prince Rei... and to judge the nature of Lady Mei."
Mei's breath caught. "A trial?"
Selene nodded grimly. "They're calling it a cleansing under ancient law. If the court deems you an unstable entity or threat to the realm..."
"They'll try to execute her," Rei finished, rage flashing in his eyes.
The hours slipped away like sand in an hourglass. By nightfall, the palace was draped in an ominous silence, broken only by the echoing footsteps of guards changing posts.
In Rei's chamber, Mei paced restlessly. Her white ceremonial robes had been laid out on the bed, laced with golden thread and the insignia of the royal protectorate. She hated the way it felt — like a dress meant for a funeral.
Rei emerged from behind the partition, already dressed in his own formal attire. Deep blue with silver trim, the prince's coat bore the House Sigil on one shoulder, and the dragon's flame — Mei's emblem — on the other.
"Is this really happening?" she whispered. "You risk exile. Or worse."
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "The court wants fear. We give them truth."
The Hall of Judgment was a circular chamber hidden beneath the palace. Torches lined the stone walls, their flames wavering as the storm still raged above. At the center stood a raised platform, and surrounding it were twelve robed figures — the High Tribunal.
The Queen sat behind them, her face unreadable.
Rei stepped forward. "I stand by what I declared. Mei is no threat. She is a protector of this realm."
Murmurs rippled through the tribunal. One of the judges, a tall man with an iron mask, leaned forward. "The issue, Your Highness, is not loyalty. It is nature. Dragons are not of this world. Their power—"
"Has saved countless lives," Rei interrupted. "She saved mine. She has protected children, servants, and even nobles who spit at her feet. What law says truth must be human-shaped?"
Another judge, a woman with a harsh gaze, lifted a scroll. "Ancient decree: Non-humans possessing violent potential must submit to containment or eradication. This is not bias. It is precedent."
Mei spoke then, her voice cutting through the hall. "I have no intention of destroying this kingdom. But I will not apologize for who I am. My mother died because she refused to hide. I will not make the same mistake."
Gasps echoed. The judges exchanged glances.
"Proof?" the iron-masked man asked.
Rei stepped forward again. "Then judge me as well. For harboring her. For loving her."
Even the Queen's expression faltered.
Outside, thunder boomed like war drums. As the tribunal retreated to deliberate, Mei and Rei were escorted to a holding chamber nearby. They sat together, neither speaking, their fingers intertwined.
Minutes turned to hours.
Then — footsteps. Selene returned, her expression unreadable.
"The court is divided. Six for exile. Six for protection. The Queen has the deciding vote."
A breathless silence.
"She will speak at dawn."
As dawn's first light crept through the narrow window, Mei rose slowly. "If I am cast out... I will not regret any of this."
Rei tightened his grip. "Nor will I."
Outside, the storm finally began to clear.
Chapter 53 – "The Flame That Binds"
The moon loomed low over the capital, bathing the spires of the palace in cold silver light. Within the eastern wing of the palace, the air was thick with tension. Rei stood at the window, his silhouette tall and still, watching the flicker of lanterns along the royal courtyard. Since the declaration in court, where he had publicly claimed Mei under his protection, a storm had been building beneath the surface of noble society. Alliances were shifting, whispers traveled like wildfire, and assassins stirred in their sleep.
Mei sat silently across from him, her long hair falling like a curtain as she brewed tea from a set she had salvaged from the ruined storage chamber. She had not spoken much since the confrontation with Kaien. Not from fear, but from something deeper—a brooding thought, a memory resurfacing.
"They're going to try again," Rei said finally. "The nobles. Kaien. Maybe even some of the generals."
Mei looked up, her golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim candlelight. "Let them come."
Rei turned to face her fully. "You don't understand. If you unleash that power again, if you transform fully... the people won't just fear you. They will hunt you."
She placed the teacup in front of him. "So you're saying I should hide?"
Rei hesitated. "I'm saying there's a better way. We need leverage. A way to shift their focus."
"Like the prophecy," Mei said, her tone unreadable.
He nodded. "Exactly. If we can prove the prophecy ties your presence to the empire's survival, it could change everything."
Mei looked down into her cup, watching the steam curl like wisps of breath. "And if the prophecy demands sacrifice? Would you still want to know it?"
Before Rei could answer, a loud knock came at the chamber door. It was not the usual servant's tap—this was urgent.
Rei opened it to reveal Sir Kael, one of the remaining knights loyal to him. His armor was smeared with soot, and his eyes wide. "The western archives... they're on fire."
Mei stood at once. "The archives? That's where the sealed records of the old dynasty were kept."
Kael nodded grimly. "Someone wanted them erased."
Rei grabbed his sword. "Lead the way."
--
The fire roared against the night, flames licking the sky as smoke curled over the stone rooftops. Nobles and servants scrambled to contain it, but it was no ordinary blaze. It was fueled by magic—the unnatural heat cracked stone and warped iron.
Mei stepped forward, her hands weaving ancient sigils in the air. Cold wind spiraled around her as she whispered words in a long-forgotten tongue. A wall of water surged from the nearby fountain, crashing over the fire with divine force. Hissing steam blanketed the area.
Rei moved in as the smoke cleared, leading Kael and two other knights into the smoldering remains. He made his way to the deepest vaults, heart pounding. If the ancient scrolls were gone...
But fate had left one sign. In the rubble, scorched but intact, was a single obsidian tablet. It hummed with low, rhythmic energy. Mei approached and touched it gently. Her eyes widened.
"This isn't just a record," she whispered. "It's a binding seal."
"Seal?" Rei asked.
"This tablet... it binds something. Someone. A dragon."
---
Later that night, they brought the artifact back to the eastern wing. Rei had the knights posted outside, and Mei began her analysis in a circle of glowing runes. Her fingers brushed the grooves of the tablet, reading the carvings that only her kind could interpret.
"His name was Varenth, the World Shard. A dragon so large he split continents when he moved," she said slowly. "He was imprisoned beneath this palace centuries ago."
Rei froze. "Beneath us? Now?"
She nodded. "And this seal is weakening."
Rei sat heavily on the nearby bench. "So someone tried to burn the records so we wouldn't find this?"
"Or to prevent others from discovering it," Mei said. "Varenth's return could destroy everything... or save it."
Rei looked into her eyes. "And you think it's time he returned?"
Mei paused. "No. Not yet. But if the nobles push us into a corner, we may not have a choice."
Their conversation was interrupted by a strange tremor beneath their feet. A deep, guttural growl echoed up through the stone like the sigh of an ancient beast.
"He stirs," Mei whispered. "He knows we're here."
Far below, in a cavern lit by the glow of molten rock, eyes the size of shields blinked open in the dark.
Varenth was waking.
And the palace above would never be the same again.