CHAPTER 85: CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE: LET ME GO YOU PSYCHO!

Everyone looked with wide eyes as Damien stood before them, his body trembling under the weight of a force none of them had ever felt before. Behind him, a pair of strong, veiny wings unfurled with a sound like a deep, resonant crackle tearing through the clouds. They were massive, stretching far wider than any of the seven dragons remembered from the old tales.

His head tilted down and his dark hair hung in strands across his forehead. His eyes were still closed. The ground beneath him smoked faintly, and faint lines of slithering darkness streaked across his veins.

Then, suddenly, his eyes opened.

They were black.

Completely, terrifyingly black.

A wave of power rippled from him, giving off an eerie glow from Damien’s wings to illuminate the scene.

He dropped to his knees, panting heavily as the energy pulsed through him. His body felt like it was burning from the inside, his heartbeat roaring in his ears. This power... it wasn’t new. It had been buried and locked away, and now it was had finally clawed it’s way out of him.

The very cursed power his mother had given up her to hide within him was now exposed.

It sounded like a waste but if not for her sacrifice, he probably would have been eaten up by that vile curse.

The seven dragons, all in human form, exchanged glances. The youngest among them judging by his dark, slicked back hair, stepped forward. His aura alone was commanding and he was just the youngest.

He bent slightly and took the old, almost charred book from Damien’s grasp. His gaze lingered on it for a moment before he turned his attention back to the boy kneeling before him.

"Follow me," he said, his tone flat, as though he already knew Damien would obey.

Lio and Elyria exchanged worried looks but followed as well, their steps echoing softly as the group moved toward the open veranda of the old citadel.

Damien’s wings dragged behind him like a burden he couldn’t yet bear. The orange sky stretched endlessly above, looking more red than orange. That in itself was the least strangest thing that had happened.

The dark-haired man finally stopped and turned to face him.

"Do you realize what just happened?" he asked.

Damien raised his head, his breathing still uneven. "I..." he started, but the man didn’t let him finish.

"Your inner dragon has awakened," he said simply. "The same dragon that corrupted your bloodline. It is inside you now and this time, you cannot hide it.

The words hit Damien like a blade. He swallowed hard.

He had known it already happened but hearing it said aloud... unsettled him gravely. It made it look like his mother’s sacrifice was all in vain.

The man stepped closer. His eyes hardening the more. "It is time," he said. "Time to restore Kesath. You are her prince. You are our hope. And the rest of our kind, your kind, are dying under that wicked king’s rule."

A sharp voice cut in from behind them before Damien could reply the man.

"You speak of war too easily, Kiriat," said one of the other dragons — a tall, red-haired man whose skin actually resembled real scales. "You would throw a fledgling into battle before he can even control his breath."

Kiriat, the dark-haired one, turned sharply, his patience thinning. "And you would prefer to hide forever? We have lived like lonely ghosts for centuries! Don’t you want it the roar of unity to be heard again?"

Another voice joined in, softer but firm Elyria’s. "Elder Kiriat is right. We shouldn’t sit on this opportunity."

The dragons broke into murmurs and a storm of disagreement brewed among them. Everyone was in high tension until Damien finally pushed himself into their midst.

"I’ll go," he said quietly.

The raised voices fell silent.

He raised his dark head that complimented his black eyes. "I’ve been gone for too long anyway."

Lio’s jaw tightened and he looked serious. "What you’re about to do is no easy feat." he said.

"I know," Damien replied. "But staying here won’t help anything either."

A heavy pause followed. Then the oldest of them: a quiet, elderly woman with pale green hair and deep violet eyes stepped forward. She had been silent until now.

"If you are truly ready," she said softly, "then follow me."

Without another word, she turned and walked to the edge of the veranda. Her human form shimmered and a pair of great, mighty wings spread behind her. In a flash, she launched herself into the air with a single, graceful motion.

Elyria and Lio exchanged a brief look, then unfurled their own wings and followed. One by one, the others rose as well until the sky above Kesath was filled with them;nine dragons suspended in the sky.

Only Damien remained below.

He hesitated for a while the spread his wings powerfully. They were heavy and unfamiliar, weighing him down greatly. He tried to lift himself, but his body wavered because he couldn’t get them to move.

His feet left the ground only for a moment before gravity pulled him back down.

He clenched his fists, trying again.

Nothing.

Lio dove down, his wings beating hard as he reached for Damien’s arm. "You’re trying too hard!" he shouted over the wind. "Let it flow!"

Elyria followed, grabbing Damien’s other arm. Together, they pulled him upward. For a brief moment, he was airborne. The rush of air hit his face but the moment was fleeting.

"Leave him," the elder woman commanded sternly after seeing what they were doing.

Lio hesitated, glancing back. "But he’ll—"

"Leave him!"

Elyria jerked from the intensity of her voice and unknowingly allowed Damien to slip from her grasp.

Damien faltered instantly and his wings folded awkwardly behind him and the wind howled past him as he fell with a heavy thud, crashing back into the earth. The impact sent the sand and few leaves fallen from the trees flying.

He groaned, pushing himself up. His back ached as if a sharp object pierced through his wings.

"He can barely fly," she said to the others above. "And yet you send him to fight a war? Desperation does not justify recklessness. We cannot destroy what the gods have preserved." the woman said, descending gracefully before Damien

Then she turned to Damien.

"There is something you must know before you go to take on this heavy mantle, Prince," she said, her voice low and grave.

Damien met her gaze, still breathing heavily. "What is it?"

"To be able to save our people and yourself, you must let your demon become you." the woman uttered. She gestured to everyone around her. "Every dragon has a demon in them. If they do not accept that demon, if they do not give themselves up to it then they remain just as a vessel."

Everywhere fell silent. It sounded unbelievable but it was true.

"Demon?" Damien questioned as his breathing regularized.

"Do you think that witch’s curse was just a coincidence?" she returned his question with a raised brow.

"Well—"

"Be real prince." the woman said sharply, cutting him off. "... everything was fate being played out. You were meant to suffer those losses for this very moment."

The woman paused and looked at Damien to allow her words sink in. "Accept your demon, Damien and it will help you whenever you need it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Don’t worry little dove. I’ll make this less painful."

With that, Elena is forced onto the bed by Cassian who smiles wickedly at her.

His smile widened and he moved quick as lightning, as though the shadows themselves carried him forward. He caught her wrist, spinning her toward the bed. The motion was too fast that Elena landed on the bed with within a second.

"Let go!" she cried, struggling, but his grip only tightened.

He didn’t answer. He pressed her down against the silken sheets, his weight holding her still. Her pulse raced in panic.

"Stop—Cassian—"

She tries to get out immediately she lands on the bed but Cassian pushes her back onto it. He grabs her legs with one hand and ties it up. He then cuffs her wrists to the sides of the bed, bringing her before him fully. The plain, small dress that served as her only covering is pushed up, revealing her milky thighs completely. Cassian licks his lips maliciously.

"I suppose my brother hasn’t touched you yet little dove." He says wickedly as he runs his cold fingers on her body. Elena shivers from the impact in disgust.

She jerked against him but her wrists pinned against the bedframe restricted her movement. The cold metal bit into her skin. His movements were firm and deliberate without a hint of softness in them.

"Cassian, please— Damien will—"

Her voice cracked, but the plea only made his expression darken further. "You still think someone’s coming for you?" he asked quietly. "That your pathetic husband will save you?"

The way he said pathetic made her heart jolt. Damien.

But she couldn’t speak.

Cassian’s hand moved, his power pressing down on her like invisible chains. His grip was strong...and she was at his mercy.

He cages her laps with one hand, undoing his trouser cords with the other. Elena trashes about on the bed as his briefs come off and his organ dangles before her eyes. She gulped hard at the sight of it.

"This won’t hurt." he said as he pried open her legs without untying the ropes that bound them together.

Her ankles turned red from the pressure, almost bleeding. Oh no.

She shouldn’t bleed. This man would suck her dry.

Elena tried to close them but fails as he’s clearly stronger than her. Even Damien hadn’t touched her yet his brother was about to!

He pushes the little linen aside and settles himself near her entrance. His member grows hard as his eyes glimmer with desire.

He bites his lip hard as her soft legs cradles him. "You’ll love this little dove."

Elena screams out and suddenly a burst of light flash from her chest, sending him flying across the room from her.

Cassian was thrown backward, crashing into the wall with that took his body frame as he landed on it.

Elena gasped, sitting up, her chains snapping loose as if melted by the light. Her hands were free and she felt the familiar pulse of the mark on her neck.

She laughed softly in disbelief. No way. Without wasting another second, she dashed out of the bed and headed straight for the window. She almost jumped out the window when she stops in her tracks.

Standing up from the rubble with anger that swallowed the air was her captor. And he didn’t look happy...