CHAPTER 351: DARIUS II

SAGE

An ancient.

That was my first thought when I saw the dragon.

For a heartbeat, my brain refused to process what I was seeing. Then the sight before me swallowed every other sound, every other thought, until there was nothing left but awe.

The creature towered before me—no, loomed—scales gleaming like molten bronze under the glare of the sun, streaked with veins of dull gold that pulsed faintly, as though alive. Each breath it took was accompanied by a low rumble that shook the earth beneath my feet. The smoke drifting from its nostrils carried the scent of ash and iron, and each exhale left trails of heat curling through the air.

Its eyes—bright, molten gold with a slit of darkness in the center—fixed on me with the eerie intelligence of something far older than the present world. Its massive body stretched out behind it, wings half-folded but still wide enough to cast a long shadow that swallowed half the arena. Its tail, long and ridged, swung lazily from side to side, carving deep furrows into the ground like a blade through soft clay.

Gasps, then screams. The crowd erupted in chaos.

"Dark magic!" someone cried.

"It can’t be—"

"That’s not possible!" another voice shouted, hoarse with disbelief.

The murmurs swelled into terrified whispers, a rolling storm of sound. Even the royals, who were trained to wear serenity like armor, were sitting forward now, alarm stamped across their faces.

It reminded me of eons ago, during the contest back at the community, when the beast summoned by ignorant Rachel, had come out to play.

Fear was as tangible as the sight sourcing it, in the field.

Dark magic. The word stung in the air like a curse.

Yes, it was dark—I could feel it, thick and potent, radiating from the dragon in waves that made my skin prickle. But not evil. Not the kind that tainted the soul. This wasn’t the rot of black magic. This... this was ancient. A magic older than corruption, older than good or evil. The raw pulse of something that had existed before rules were written to define it.

I didn’t know how I knew that. But the knowledge came from somewhere deep inside me, an instinct, an echo from another life.

As Dora, I had once read of them—ancients who had lived long before witches or wolves or vampires had walked these lands. I had stolen the book from the forbidden shelves, from the dust and cobwebs of the old library where knowledge slept. The pages had whispered of their extinction, of the wars that had burned them to ash.

Yet here I stood, staring at one in the flesh. There was no other explanation. Darius was an ancient. It was why he had sneered when I called him a witch back in the forest.

Yet how? What was he doing here? How is he not extinct? Is he the only one?

The world tilted slightly around me. What was going on?

Curiosity burned within me, more than the eagerness to fight.

Is there a mission going on here that I wasn’t aware of?

And how was I going to fight a dragon this big? I could shift, but the last time that had happened, El had been present to lend her strength.

She wasn’t here now. So, could I shift without her?

The thought came and went like lightning, impossible to hold onto. And then, before I could think of it again, the dragon moved.

The ground shook beneath the weight of his steps, claws digging deep into the arena floor. The spectators stumbled backward, their fear thick and sharp in the air. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even blink.

I was entranced.

His movements were graceful in a way that contradicted his size—power and beauty woven seamlessly into each motion. His wings rippled, scattering golden dust through the air, light shimmering off them like fractured glass.

I didn’t see the panic on Adam’s face—not clearly. But I felt it. His gaze was heavy, almost suffocating, like a warning pressed against the edges of my awareness. I pushed it aside. I couldn’t afford distractions now.

I steadied my breathing. My magic thrummed beneath my skin, restless and hot. I drew it upward, focusing it in my limbs, letting it pulse through my muscles like an electric current.

When the dragon inhaled deeply, chest expanding, I knew what was coming.

"Here we go," I muttered under my breath.

He roared. The sound split the air, a sound so deep it vibrated in my bones. And then, from his throat, fire.

A wave of gold and orange flame surged toward me, alive and screaming, the air burning before it even reached me.

I reacted before I thought. Magic burst from my feet, and I shot upward—faster than any mortal should. It felt like fire had ignited beneath my skin, propelling me skyward, my legs burning with the sheer force of it. The ground cracked from the thrust.

For a moment, I soared.

The heat roared past below, devouring the space where I’d stood seconds before. I twisted midair, heart pounding, watching the dragon’s massive wings unfurl, the gust from them knocking debris and sand across the field.

He launched after me, eyes locked on mine, wings slicing through the wind.

Would it come to a duel in the skies?

My breath hitched.

I’d faced monsters before. But never something like this. Not with El silent in my head, not with the weight of power pressing on me like a mountain.

Could I win against an ancient?

My fingers trembled slightly. I can’t lose. I won’t lose.

Darius—no, the dragon—was circling now, his eyes tracking every twitch of my movement. He opened his mouth again, and I could see the flames building, the golden glow flooding his throat.

"Damn it," I whispered. I pushed my magic higher, drawing it from the core of me until it burned. The world blurred around the edges.

The dragon roared and sent another torrent of fire at me.

The heat was unbearable. Even my shields faltered under it. I could feel it biting into my skin.

Was he truly trying to kill me?

Fine.

I’d show him what it meant to pick a fight with a witch.

I spun midair, eyes narrowing, and dove downward. The dragon turned sharply, following. I could feel the air ripple as he descended, his wings a storm at my back.

Just before his fire reached me, I vanished.

The air imploded where I’d been—and I reappeared lower, near the ground, landing hard. The earth groaned beneath my feet.

No more playing nice. Not when I could feel my strength leaking away. I couldn’t outlast him... somehow I knew that.

I raised both hands, the sigils already forming around me—black lines, ancient and sharp, drawn from the depths of power itself. I knew what I was about to do was dangerous. Reckless, even.

But I had no choice.

Magic flooded out of me, hot and wild. The ground split in a perfect circle beneath my feet, symbols glowing in a sickly, pulsating red. The sound around me faded into nothing—like the world itself was holding its breath.

Then the air began to warp.

A hole. No—a void.

Darkness formed at its center, swirling and shifting, a hunger that seemed to have no bottom. The ground shook. The shadows stretched toward it, as if pulled by invisible hands.

Gasps and screams echoed through the crowd.

"What is she doing?"

"Stop her—!"

But I couldn’t stop. The spell was already alive.

I directed its hunger toward the dragon. The void pulsed, a heartbeat of shadow, and the pull began—strong enough to drag the loose stones from the ground.

The dragon roared, claws digging into the earth, wings flaring wide as he fought against the suction. His scales glowed under the strain, his tail whipping wildly, gouging deep scars into the field.

"Come on," I hissed through clenched teeth, my arms trembling. "Fall—"

The void’s edges brightened, almost silver now. The pressure built until the air itself vibrated.

I could feel it trying to drain me, too. My magic. My energy. Every pulse of strength I had left was being devoured to keep it open.

The dragon’s roar turned into something guttural—a sound of defiance. I gritted my teeth, sweat running down my back.

Then something shifted.

The air grew colder. Too cold.

A whisper crawled through the silence, low and impossible, like the echo of something waking in the dark.

My eyes widened.

The shadows inside the void were moving—not from the dragon, but from something else.

And then I saw it.

A tail. Massive, scaled, and bone-white. Larger than Darius’. It slid out from the center of the void, slow and deliberate, like something testing the air.

The screams from the crowd turned to panic.

"Close it! Close the damned thing!"

My heart pounded. I didn’t need to be told twice.

I forced my hands together, weaving the sigils in reverse, trying to undo what I’d unleashed. The void pulsed once more—greedily—before snapping shut with a sound like thunder.

The backlash hit me like a blow.

I fell to my knees, gasping. The world tilted, the sky spinning above me. My chest felt hollow, my magic burned raw.

The dragon—Darius—crashed to the ground a few feet away, his massive body shaking the earth. He let out a weak roar before staying silent, smoke curling from his nostrils.

The crowd had gone silent again. The only sounds left were the hiss of settling dust and my ragged breathing.

I swallowed hard, glancing toward the dragon’s motionless form. The field still smelled of burnt earth and magic.

Did I win?