The Regressed Heir of Ravencrest

The crimson-eyed woman’s lips trembled as she looked at the Unknown Energy. She had arrived only a moment ago. A few minutes earlier, she had sensed the faint crimson mark she had left on Ethan at the Black Stone Ravine, just before she vanished to avoid crossing paths with Iris. The mark would only manifest once he had used a certain amount of Intent, a threshold she had believed would take him months, or at least a few years, to reach. She hadn’t thought she would sense him this early. Elated, she had left at once and rushed over to find the Black Knight her thoughts kept returning to.

The Crimson Mark was one of the Ancient Runes, a highly complex one that even Iris couldn’t sense, and it would only manifest once all its conditions were fulfilled... that was precisely why she had chosen it despite the fraction of power it had cost her. She didn’t care about the price at all as long as it allowed her to find him again.

Even before she reached the Winterveil Mountain Range, she had sensed the purple mist drifting through the air with her divine-level perception, and she had already concluded that it must be the work of one of the higher demon nobility. But she couldn’t care less about it.

The moment she arrived high above the battlefield, she saw a black streak imbued with the Unknown Energy tear across the sky and lodge itself in the Ice Dragon’s shoulder.

Her body went cold as her spine stiffened. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Her fingers curled tightly at her side, yet she couldn’t stop the faint tremor running through her hand. That energy... the moment her eyes landed on it, something deep inside her recoiled, as though her very instincts were warning her to stay away.

Fear.

Yet even as the fear spread through her body, she couldn’t take her eyes off it. Then her eyes shifted to the one who had thrown the sword. Slowly, the fear in her eyes began to mix with something else. Her obsession with Ethan reached another peak as her eyes looked at him with fascination.

———

Inside the Ice Dragon, the purple mist was being devoured by the Unknown Energy with a hunger it hadn’t shown before, as if it had found a delicacy after being starved for decades. In just a minute, the purple mist was reduced to only a few strands. Even though the mist fought back as if it didn’t want to be lost, it couldn’t do anything in front of the apex nature of the Unknown Energy.

Mythralis fought back without pause until the whole purple mist was completely devoured. The weight that had crushed her consciousness, the darkness that had swallowed her will, and the madness that had moved her body against her own wishes... all of it was gone. For the first time since that demonic being had forced the mist into her in the frozen cave, her mind was completely her own.

She could feel the pain and injuries across her body, but rather than pain, she felt happiness. Finally, she could fully control her power.

Above Northwatch, the Ice Dragon stopped in midair.

Its wings beat slowly to keep it aloft. The light in its throat had faded, and the killing intent that had poured from it since the moment it descended was gone.

Marcus and Evelyn didn’t lower their guard. They didn’t know what had just happened, but they had seen that it was Ethan who threw the sword. They hovered between the dragon and the fortress with their weapons raised, their bodies tense despite their exhaustion. The only thing they realised was that something had changed after Ethan’s sword lodged in the dragon, but they didn’t know whether it was a good sign or a worse one.

For a few seconds, none of them moved.

Then a massive magic circle bloomed in the sky above the dragon.

It was enormous, far larger than any it had cast during the battle, layer upon layer of silver-blue runes spreading across the clouds and rotating in perfect silence. The temperature began to drop once more.

"Evelyn!" Marcus shouted, his grip tightening around his spear.

On the walls, the soldiers who had only just begun to breathe again froze in terror.

Was it going to attack again?

But the magic circle didn’t descend on the fortress.

With a deep hum, the magic circle shot away from the battlements and streaked across the sky toward the Winterveil Mountain Range.

———

Winterveil Mountain Range

Riennal was still clutching his head in pain as his injuries opened once again... the artifact his Lord had given him had begun to crack in a dozen places, even though he kept pouring his demonic energy into it.

Through the few beasts he still controlled, he saw the Ice Dragon regain herself and the enormous magic circle form. Then the artifact shattered and turned to dust in his hand, and the last threads of his control over the horde snapped. The panic in his eyes widened into horror.

"No... no, no, no... I need to escape from here."

A silver-blue light was racing across the sky toward him, growing larger with every second. He didn’t need to ask what it was. He could feel the dragon’s will inside it, cold and furious, locked onto him like a hunter onto its prey.

He turned and ran. He poured whatever demonic energy he had left into his legs and fled down the jagged ridge, slipping on the ice, his wounds tearing open with every step.

He had never imagined any of this would happen. The plan had been perfect. No matter how the battle ended, House Ravencrest would have suffered, and he would have gained enormously whatever the outcome... But now everything had collapsed in a matter of seconds.

His revenge against Severus’s bloodline had slipped through his fingers. And if they captured him now...

A chill ran down his spine as he thought of what would happen to him. Not only the Ravencrest family, but even the dragons would never let him be.

The dragon clans did not forgive those who harmed their kin. They would not simply kill him. They would torture him until he begged for death, and even then, they wouldn’t grant it.

"I have to get away...!"

But before he could take another step, the magic circle descended on him.

Silver-blue chains erupted from the runes and wrapped around his body, binding his arms and his legs. Frost crawled over his skin, locking him in place. He struggled with everything he had, but the chains only tightened, and the dragon’s will pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.

Riennal fell to his knees in the snow, unable to move as the ice completely froze him.

———

Above Northwatch, the Ice Dragon raised its head.

Then it released one of the strongest powers dragons were born with.

Authority.

It was something she hadn’t been able to use during the entire battle. When the mist controlled her, she had been nothing more than a weapon, her power wielded by another’s will. But now, with her consciousness and complete control over her Dragon Heart restored, she could use the full weight of her power.

The world stopped.

Along the miles of battlements, every soldier froze in place. Archers with their bows half-raised. Mages with their mouths open mid-breath. Knights with their aura shields still glowing above their heads. Even the falling snowflakes hung motionless in the air.

Van stood frozen beside Ethan, one hand still reaching toward him.

Only a handful of beings could still move: Marcus, Evelyn, Ethan, and the small silver cub standing at Ethan’s feet.

Marcus’s eyes widened as he looked around at the frozen fortress. Beside him, Evelyn sucked in a sharp breath. Neither of them had ever witnessed anything like it.

But they knew of the highest power dragons held.

For the first time in many years, Mythralis showed genuine surprise. Her Authority should have affected every being on the battlements except those she had deliberately spared, or those who possessed both strength beyond a certain threshold and an unyielding will, yet the small silver cub remained completely unaffected, staring back at her without the slightest trace of fear.

Mythralis looked at the cub for a long moment. Then her gaze moved toward Ethan, and to the bond connecting the beast and Ethan.

High above, the crimson-eyed woman watched everything unfold, unaffected by the Authority. Even Mythralis couldn’t sense a trace of her presence.

———

Mythralis turned her attention to her shoulder, where the Unknown Energy that had torn the purple mist out of her body still remained, coiled around the black blade. Strangely, she felt a faint trace of familiarity from it, yet no matter how hard she searched her memories, she couldn’t recognize what it was. But one thing was clear to her. The energy was connected to the boy standing on the central battlements. It belonged to him, the one who had saved her.

Mythralis moved toward the battlements.

Her massive body glided down through the frozen air, slow and silent, until she hovered just beyond the central parapet as she tried to move toward Ethan. Marcus and Evelyn tensed and quickly moved toward her to stop her.

But they stopped as words entered their minds.

"Don’t worry... I am not going to harm him," the Ice Dragon said, her eyes glancing at both of them.

For the first time since the battle began, they heard the Ice Dragon speak. The hostility that had radiated from her only moments earlier was gone, replaced by the profound calmness for which Ice Dragons were renowned. Neither Marcus nor Evelyn knew how to respond, but their attention soon shifted to Ethan. Despite his deathly pale face and severe internal injuries, he continued to look directly at Mythralis without a trace of hesitation, as though he were certain she wouldn’t harm him.

On the battlements, Ethan looked up at Mythralis.

His vision was blurring. The gray world had faded back into color, and even that was beginning to swim. His legs were shaking, and the only thing keeping him upright was his hand pressed against the stone.

Yet Ethan managed a faint smile. His lips moved, forming two silent words.

You’re back...

No sound escaped him, but Mythralis heard them clearly.

The emotion behind those soundless words reached her like a wave, so heavy and so deep that it struck something inside her she couldn’t explain. The happiness in his expression was so raw that it almost hurt to witness. He was looking at her with the unmistakable relief of someone who had feared he might never see her again.

Before she understood why, a single tear rolled from the corner of her massive eye.

Marcus and Evelyn, who saw this, reeled in confusion. They had never thought they would see a dragon like this.

Mythralis didn’t know why she was crying. She didn’t know this child. She had never met him in her long life. Yet her heart ached as she looked at him. She moved closer to him.

At that moment, the Unknown Energy in Mythralis’s shoulder suddenly stirred. It burst from the wound like a bolt of black lightning, crossing the short distance to the battlements so quickly that even Marcus and Evelyn couldn’t follow its movement. Before anyone could react, it struck Ethan in the abdomen and disappeared into his body.

"Kuhk...!"

Ethan coughed violently, and dark blood poured from his mouth.

High above, the crimson-eyed woman’s eyes widened.

The trembling in her hand grew stronger. Yet her lips slowly curved into a smile.

"Just what are you...?" she whispered.

———

On the battlements, Ethan’s strength finally gave out.

His hand slipped from the stone. His knees buckled. The world tilted around him as his body began to fall.

Mythralis moved before she even thought about it.

Silver light enveloped her massive form, and her body shrank in an instant. As she transformed, the Eternal Sovereign Blade slipped free from her shoulder, and she caught it in one hand. In place of the enormous Ice Dragon stood a woman whose beauty could lead kingdoms to war, tall and pale, with long white hair flowing gently in the wind like fresh snow.

She stepped onto the battlements and gracefully caught Ethan before he could hit the ground.

His head fell against her shoulder as his consciousness slipped away.

Mythralis lowered her gaze to the boy resting against her shoulder. His breathing was shallow, and blood stained his already pale face. She could sense how badly his body had been damaged, and as she adjusted her hold, a strange ache stirred in her chest, accompanied by an inexplicable fear of hurting him further.

Then her dragon eyes found something on him that made them widen.

There were faint traces clinging to him... traces that every one of her kind would recognize, even across thousands of years. Her eyes filled with fear, then reverence.

"Why does this child bear the traces of that being...? Why are there traces of the Void—?"

The words left her lips before she could stop them.

She froze mid-sentence, realizing her mistake.

Above them, the sky rumbled.

A deep, heavy sound rolled across the frozen heavens, and the air around Mythralis began to twist and ripple.