Only a true heir of the Giant King could inherit that specific brand of violence. Jorik wasn't blind; he finally recognized the lineage.
"I am Kaelen Stoneheart," the hybrid declared, hovering amidst the blood mist. "Fourth Prince of the Stoneheart Horde."
His voice rang like steel. For the first ti, he felt the true weight of that title. Seeing the awe and fear in the dragon's eyes, Kaelen realized that his heritage wasn't a burden.
It was glorious.
"My apologies. I misjudged you."
The massive dragon lowered his head, his voice a low rumble of shifting ice. "I knew your father, though I never expected to find his kin here. I am Jorik, of the Glacial Dragons."
To be honest, Jorik was still reeling. If Kaelen hadn't stepped in, that ambush by the Dragonlouse King wouldn't just have hurt—it would have crippled him, forcing him to burn a lifeline he couldn't afford to lose.
"Jorik?" Kaelen's eyes lit up with recognition. "The ancient dragon of the Northern Tundra?"
The na was familiar. Kaelen had heard the stories a thousand tis.
"I am," Jorik nodded, surprised. "You know of ?"
"I didn't know you," Kaelen corrected, "but I know the legend. You fought alongside my father during the Civil War. Your na is carved into the chronicles of the Stoneheart Horde's rise."
This was the fundantal difference between Sophia and Ava. The mont Kaelen and the Dark Butterfly Race returned to the fold, Sophia had imrsed him in the Horde's script, traditions, and history. She wanted him to be one of them, not just an ally. She wanted him to belong.
"That is my honor." Jorik ant it.
Orion was a Demigod now—an eternal being. For a Glacial Dragon who hadn't yet ascended to the rank of Archlord, being immortalized in the history of such a powerhouse was a legacy in itself.
"However," Kaelen's tone shifted abruptly, "this is Stoneheart Horde territory. You've crossed a line."
The sudden change from camaraderie to accusation caught Jorik off guard. The air grew heavy.
"It's a misunderstanding!" Jorik stamred, anxious to explain. Kaelen was a Giant Prince; his word carried the weight of the entire Horde. "You saw the carnage. The Dragonlouse swarm devoured our kin on the periter. We're only here to exterminate the infestation. The Dragonflight has no intention of challenging the Horde's sovereignty."
"I believe you," Kaelen said, his expression softening slightly. "My Second Legion and the Volunteer Corps are en route. We'll crush the infestation together."
Jorik's eyes brightened. With the Stoneheart Horde involved, the swarm that threatened his kind would be wiped out.
"Hah! That is generous of you!"
"No need for thanks," Kaelen cut in coolly. "Defending Stoneheart land is my duty. Cleaning up pests cos with the territory."
Jorik smiled wryly to himself. Loud and clear. Kaelen kept emphasizing "Stoneheart land." It was a warning: We are allies today, but keep your claws retracted.
The Westreach Sea, Southwest Region
The water here was an abyss of ink-black silence, miles from the nearest coastline or island. High above the rolling waves, Orion, Leonidas, and the Kraken hovered in formation, looking down at the deep.
"Brother," Leonidas grunted, eyeing the water, "we need to make an entrance. Sothing with style."
They were here to break the Sea Folk.
The campaign had moved fast because the Holy Order had left the coastal fortifications intact. Most parishes hadn't seen direct combat, so the walls were standing. Orion's coalition simply had to occupy the empty forts and man the ramparts to reactivate the defensive line—a stroke of luck that surprised all three of them.
"Boss, why don't you and Orion drag a teor down?" the Kraken suggested, eager as always to escalate. "Smash it right in. Flush out the big fish."
"A teor?" Leonidas frowned. "Too much hassle. Hard to aim, and crushing the local flora is bad form."
Orion stared at the black water. Flora? In the middle of the Dead Sea?
"If not a teor," Orion said, ignoring Leonidas's sudden environntalism, "how about three leviathans?"
"Three leviathans?" Leonidas cocked his head. "You an..."
Orion shrugged, glancing between the Bearman and the Dreadfin. The gleam in their eyes said they understood perfectly.
Thirty minutes later.
Three streaks of fire tore through the sky, slamming into the ocean with the force of falling stars. The impact birthed a tsunami, sending shockwaves hamring toward the seabed and terrifying the marine life below.
It was a teor strike in all but na—a destructive entry that satisfied all three of them. But as they hit the water, it wasn't just the physical force that rippled out; the unbridled pressure of a Demigod and two invincible Archlords swept through the depths like a plague.
This was their way of saying hello.
A Dragon, an Abyssal Dreadfin, and a massive octopus. Three titans floated on the surface, letting their power boil the sea.
"They're coming," Kraken rumbled.
"Friends. We are all children of the tide. Why harm the innocent?"
The voice was female, drifting up from the depths. Preceding her was a soft, mysterious luminescence rising like a stalk of spectral kelp. It pulsed with life, surrounded by a halo of glowing plankton. As the spectral plant neared the surface, it shifted, shedding its color to beco crystalline and transparent. Runes of starlight and ocean currents swirled within it.
Suddenly, the kelp blood into a transparent flower. From the petals stepped a translucent woman.
"I am Coraline. Greetings, friends of the sea."
Orion said nothing. Neither did Leonidas or the Kraken.
The water broke again. A colossal serpent head rose from the waves, towering over them.
"I am Corren. Greetings."
Monts later, a monstrosity of writhing tentacles, each lined with blinking eyes, surfaced nearby.
"I am Vaelor. Greetings."
Three local Demigods. One at the second stage, two at the first.
It was a formidable lineup. Orion found himself wondering how this trio had managed to force a peace treaty with the Goddess Agaman and hold dominion over these waters.
The two groups floated in the silence of the aftermath, sizing each other up, waiting for the first real move.
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