The Alpha And The Fifth Blood

Chapter 17

The sky had turned into a battlefield. Dragons tore through the clouds like living storms, their wings cutting through smoke and fire as flames clashed above the hidden city. Roars rolled across the mountains, shaking stone and echoing through the valley. Below, the palace terraces burned, smoke rising thick into the air and turning every breath heavy.

Ash drifted down over broken marble and scorched gold, coating everything in gray. The city no longer looked sacred or untouchable. It looked wounded, like something ancient had finally been dragged into a war it could not avoid. Heat pressed against Ariana’s skin, but even that felt distant compared to the weight building in her chest. Even the air felt wrong, like the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for something worse to come.

Then everything changed.

At first, it was only a shadow moving behind the storm. It didn’t move like a creature or a weapon, but something slower and far more deliberate. The clouds split apart, and the massive black structure drifted into view above the dragons, silent and unnatural. Its walls pulsed with crimson runes like a heartbeat, steady and cold, bending the air around it with every pulse. Each glow felt like it reached further, pressing against everything below, searching.

It made no sound. It did not attack. It simply existed.

And suddenly, the dragons hesitated.

Ariana felt it before she understood it. A cold weight settled deep in her chest, pressing against her lungs until her breath came shallow. It wasn’t fear the way she knew it. It felt older than that, like something inside her recognized what her mind couldn’t yet name. Like her blood remembered something her life never had.

"That thing..." she whispered.

Kael narrowed his eyes, his entire posture sharpening. "...is not a dragon."

Beside them, the man in black and gold went completely still. "No," he said quietly. "And we were wrong to hope it wouldn’t come."

A figure stepped forward from the edge of the fortress. He didn’t rush, didn’t react to the storm tearing around him. Tall, unmoving, and completely untouched by the wind, he looked like something carved into existence rather than born into it. His silver eyes locked onto Ariana immediately, like he had been waiting for her. Not searching. Not guessing. Certain.

Her breath caught as something inside her recoiled violently. Her fingers tightened around Kael’s arm before she realized what she was doing. "He can feel me."

Kael’s jaw tightened. "Good."

Ariana shook her head, panic rising sharper now. "No. He’s not afraid of me." And that was worse. Far worse.

The Dragon King’s voice echoed inside her mind, heavy and certain. Of course he is not. Ariana swallowed hard, her throat dry as she forced the words out. "Why?"

The answer came like distant thunder. Because he has killed Sovereigns before.

For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. The words settled into her chest like something final, something that had already happened and would happen again.

Beside her, the man in black and gold spoke again, his voice tighter than before. "Lord Malrec." The name alone made the air feel heavier, like something old and dangerous had just been given form.

Kael frowned. "That’s not a real title."

"It is," the man said. "Three hundred years ago, he destroyed the last Sovereign."

Ariana’s chest tightened painfully. "The one before me?"

"Yes."

Kael’s voice dropped, colder now. "So he’s here to finish it."

The answer came without hesitation. "Yes."

High above, Malrec raised one hand. The runes across the fortress flared brighter, and pain ripped through Ariana’s chest so suddenly it forced a gasp from her lips. She doubled slightly, gripping the edge of the balcony as her power twisted under pressure, like something was pulling it apart from the inside. It wasn’t just pain. It felt like something was taking, pulling at her power piece by piece.

"Something’s wrong."

Kael turned instantly, his hands already on her shoulders. "What is it?"

She struggled to breathe. "That magic... it’s pulling at me."

The Dragon King growled. He forged those runes with Sovereign blood.

Kael’s eyes darkened. "He’s weakening her."

"Sovereign."

Malrec’s voice spread across the battlefield, quiet but impossible to ignore. It reached everything, cutting through fire, smoke, and sound. His gaze never left Ariana. It felt like the entire sky was speaking through him.

"I have waited centuries for this moment."

Kael stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of her. "You’ll wait longer."

Malrec didn’t even look at him. "The throne should have remained empty."

Ariana forced herself to straighten despite the crushing pressure. "That isn’t your decision." Even as she said it, her voice felt smaller against the weight pressing down on her.

Malrec smiled faintly.

"It already was."

He lowered his hand. The sky exploded.

Dark energy slammed into the palace like a storm breaking apart the world. Stone shattered, pillars cracked, and the mountain trembled beneath their feet. Ariana felt her power flicker dim for the first time and fear hit her fast and sharp. Not fear of him, but fear of losing what made her able to stand here at all.

Kael caught her before she could fall. "Stay with me."

Above them, the fortress descended slowly as Malrec watched, calm and unmoved. "Even reborn," he said, his voice steady, "the Sovereign remains weak."

Then he stepped off the fortress.

He did not fall. He walked through the air itself, descending toward them as if gravity no longer applied to him. Each step tightened the pressure around Ariana’s chest until it hurt to breathe. She forced herself to stay standing, even as her power struggled under the weight of his presence. Every step felt closer, heavier, like the distance between them was closing too fast.

"If you are truly the Sovereign..." he said, raising his hand slowly, "...then command your dragons to kill me."

The sky fell silent. Every dragon turned toward her. Even the Dragon King. Hundreds of eyes. Waiting. Expecting. Watching her decide.

Kael’s voice lowered beside her. "Can you do it?"

Ariana stared up at Malrec, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. Every instinct inside her told her to step back, to run, to hide from whatever he was. But her feet didn’t move. Because running wouldn’t change anything. Not anymore.

"I don’t know."

Malrec smiled.

"I thought so."

And the sky descended.