Episode 9 — The Dragon King's Call
The storm slowly faded above the Sanctuary.
For the first time in centuries, silence returned to the ancient fortress.
Dragon riders stood frozen across the ruined battlements.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Every eye remained fixed upon the distant mountains.
Where colossal blue eyes had appeared inside the clouds.
Even after disappearing...
The feeling remained.
An overwhelming presence.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Impossible.
Kai could still hear Veyrath's voice echoing faintly inside his mind.
"The time approaches..."
The words sent chills through his body.
Nearby, Nyrax stood proudly atop broken stone.
The young dragon looked completely different now.
His body had nearly doubled in size.
His black scales gleamed like obsidian armor.
Glowing blue crystal patterns stretched beneath his scales.
His wings looked stronger.
Larger.
More powerful.
Dragon riders watched him carefully.
Some with awe.
Others with fear.
Commander Vaelor approached slowly.
For several seconds he simply stared at Nyrax.
Then finally—
"He evolved far too early."
Seraphine nodded.
"That's what worries me."
Kai frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Vaelor looked toward him.
"Dragons normally evolve after years."
His expression darkened.
"Nyrax evolved after days."
Silence followed.
Even Kai understood that was not normal.
Suddenly—
Nyrax growled softly.
The dragon looked toward the northern mountains.
His glowing blue eyes narrowed.
Kai immediately felt it too.
Through the bond.
A pull.
A calling.
Something was summoning them.
Nyrax spread his wings slightly.
Restless.
Excited.
Nervous.
Then Veyrath's voice returned.
Clearer than before.
"Come to me."
Kai froze.
The voice wasn't inside his mind anymore.
It echoed through the world itself.
Ancient mountains trembled.
Dragon statues across the Sanctuary began glowing faintly blue.
Even the dragons inside the fortress reacted.
Several enormous dragons lowered their heads respectfully.
Vaelor's face turned pale.
"He is awake."
That night—
Kai couldn't sleep.
The Sanctuary remained on high alert.
Dragon riders patrolled every wall.
The Void Dragon might return at any moment.
But Kai wasn't thinking about monsters.
He was thinking about his father.
Earlier that evening, Vaelor had finally revealed part of the truth.
Years ago—
Kai's father, Kael Ravenwood, had been the greatest Dragon Rider alive.
Leader of the Dragon Order.
Hero of countless battles.
And the last known rider capable of communicating directly with Dragon Kings.
Until he vanished.
Then everything collapsed.
The Dragon Order shattered.
Kingdoms fell.
Dragons disappeared.
And darkness slowly spread across Eldoria.
Kai sat quietly beside Nyrax inside a giant stone chamber.
Moonlight entered through broken windows.
The young dragon rested nearby.
For a moment everything felt peaceful.
Then—
Nyrax suddenly lifted his head.
Alert.
Danger.
Kai felt it instantly through the bond.
"What is it?"
The dragon stood immediately.
Growling.
Outside—
A distant explosion shook the fortress.
BOOM.
Then another.
BOOM.
Alarms began ringing again.
Kai jumped to his feet.
Not again.
The Sanctuary erupted into chaos.
Dragon riders rushed through hallways.
War horns echoed across ancient stone walls.
Seraphine burst into the chamber.
"Kai!"
Her expression looked grim.
"What happened?"
She looked toward the northern mountains.
"Scouts are missing."
Another explosion echoed outside.
Far away.
Much farther than the fortress walls.
Something was happening in the mountains.
Something big.
Commander Vaelor entered moments later.
His face looked darker than ever.
"We found them."
"Found who?"
"The scouts."
Silence filled the room.
Then Vaelor spoke.
"They're dead."
An hour later—
Kai stood atop the highest tower of the Sanctuary.
Looking north.
Beyond endless snowy peaks.
Beyond frozen valleys.
Beyond the edge of the known world.
A strange blue light illuminated the horizon.
Not natural.
Not fire.
Something else.
Something ancient.
Then suddenly—
The light exploded upward into the sky.
A gigantic pillar of blue energy pierced the heavens.
Every dragon inside the Sanctuary roared simultaneously.
Nyrax roared loudest of all.
Veyrath's voice echoed across the mountains.
"COME."
The pillar remained visible for miles.
A beacon.
A signal.
A summons.
And Kai knew.
Without any doubt.
The Dragon King was calling him.
But they weren't the only ones watching.
Far away...
Deep inside a ruined volcanic fortress.
The Void Dragon knelt before a gigantic shadow hidden within darkness.
Only crimson eyes could be seen.
Hundreds of them.
The shadow slowly spoke.
"Veyrath awakens."
The Void Dragon lowered its head.
"What are your orders, my lord?"
The darkness smiled.
May you like
And the mountains trembled.
"Bring me the Shadow Heir."
