Chapter 23: Shadows Stir Beneath
The storm clouds hadn't yet cleared from the sky when Valerian landed atop the war-wyrm's back. Its wings of black fire carved through the heavens, casting a jagged shadow over the dead hills that stretched for miles. The valley below lay in eerie silence, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Behind him, Lira, Seraphine, and Selene rode on skeletal wyverns—lesser summoned beasts formed from Valerian's will. All of them were silent, shaken by what had just occurred. The sheer presence of the draconic war-wyrm—Valerian's newest summon—had shaken even their hardened resolve. It was not just a beast. It was a symbol. A message to the world.
He was no longer just a rogue noble, no longer a boy reincarnated. He was a force.
But something gnawed at the edge of his thoughts.
The system had been quiet.
He called out to it.
(System. Status.)
[System initializing... Error. Reconfiguration in progress.]
Valerian frowned. That wasn't normal.
"Problem?" Selene's voice came through a mental link, carried by the enchantment woven into their contract. She was the only one who dared speak directly into his mind without permission.
"Not yet," he replied. "But I can feel something's wrong. The system is... changing."