The Alpha And The Fifth Blood

Chapter 180

The corrupted dragon kept staring at Ariana while its massive body trembled violently across the shattered council floor. Black veins continued spreading beneath its golden scales like poison moving through living fire, and every strained breath it released filled the chamber with dark smoke that curled slowly through the cold air.

But despite the corruption consuming it, the dragon’s eyes never left Ariana.

Ariana felt her chest tighten painfully as something deep inside the creature reacted to the golden light beneath her skin. Beneath the darkness twisting through its body, she could still feel the dragon itself struggling to survive. The connection between them had become impossible to ignore now. She could feel its fear, its pain, and the desperate instinct fighting against whatever the Underworld had forced into it.

"Mira," Ariana said carefully, "step away from it."

Mira remained kneeling beside the dragon with one trembling hand pressed against its neck while silver fire flickered faintly beneath her skin. Tears had begun gathering in her eyes, but her expression still carried the same terrifying calm that unsettled everyone inside the chamber.

"It was screaming," she whispered softly. "I could hear it dying."

The dragon suddenly released another low sound filled with pain, and the black veins beneath its scales spread farther in front of everyone’s eyes.

Kael moved slightly closer to Ariana immediately while silver lightning continued crackling violently around him. The pressure surrounding him had not weakened since the Gate Titan recognized him beneath the mountain. If anything, the Lycan seemed more unstable now, reacting aggressively to the corruption spreading through the chamber.

"That creature is infected by the Underworld," Lucien said sharply. "Move away from it before it spreads further."

Mira’s eyes flashed toward him immediately. "You think I don’t know that?"

The black mist surrounding her surged sharply with the emotion behind her voice.

Several wolves instinctively stepped backward.

Ariana noticed it immediately.

The darkness around Mira was no longer simply reacting to the dragon.

It was responding to her.

Augustus noticed too. His expression darkened as he stepped closer toward the center of the chamber. "The fracture marked her."

The words sent immediate silence through the hall.

Mira slowly turned toward him. "Marked?"

Augustus’ silver eyes remained fixed on the black mist curling around her body. "You touched Underworld energy directly. It answered you."

Cold spread through Ariana’s chest immediately.

The dragon beneath Mira suddenly growled again before lowering its massive head slightly toward Ariana. Its corrupted black eyes flickered violently, and for the briefest second, Ariana saw gold return to them.

Then the dragon moved.

The entire chamber tensed instantly as the wounded creature dragged itself slowly across the shattered floor toward Ariana despite the corruption spreading through its body. Wolves near the exits panicked immediately while several warriors raised their weapons.

But Ariana knew immediately that the dragon was not attacking.

It was struggling.

Every movement looked painful, like the corruption inside it was fighting against the dragon’s own instincts. Black mist poured continuously from the wounds across its body while its claws carved deep trenches through the broken stone beneath it.

Kael stepped fully in front of Ariana without hesitation.

The Lycan reacted immediately.

Silver lightning exploded violently across the chamber while the pressure surrounding Kael crashed outward hard enough to force several wolves backward. His eyes had darkened again beneath the storm building around him, ancient and dangerous enough to make the chamber feel smaller around him.

The corrupted dragon stopped moving instantly.

Not because it was afraid.

Because it recognized him.

Ariana saw it clearly.

The dragon was looking at Kael the same way the Gate Titan beneath the mountain had.

Like it recognized something ancient buried deep inside the Lycan itself.

Then the voice beneath the mountain echoed through the chamber again.

"The Guardian still protects what belongs to the Sovereign."

The words rolled through the hall like thunder.

Kael’s jaw tightened immediately while another violent tremor shook the mountain beneath them. The widening fracture across the chamber floor split farther apart as enormous chains continued snapping below the territory one after another.

The prison beneath the world was collapsing faster now.

Vormerion suddenly stepped forward, his enormous bronze body placing itself partially between the corrupted dragon and the fracture beneath the hall. Golden fire reflected faintly across his ancient scales while his expression darkened.

"The corruption is spreading through the dragons," he said grimly.

One elder looked horrified. "Can it infect all of them?"

"Yes," Augustus answered quietly.

Fear spread visibly throughout the chamber.

Outside, dragon roars thundered across the territory again, but Ariana noticed the difference immediately. Some of the roars no longer sounded fully dragon anymore. Something darker echoed beneath them now, twisted and unnatural enough to make cold settle deeper into her chest.

Mira heard it too.

Her expression cracked slightly as she looked toward the mountains outside the shattered council hall. "No..."

The corrupted dragon suddenly cried out again before collapsing heavily onto the broken floor. Black veins spread violently across its neck while dark smoke poured from beneath its scales.

And then Ariana felt it.

Pain.

Not her own.

The dragon’s.

The connection slammed into her so suddenly that she nearly lost her breath. She could feel the creature fighting desperately against the corruption inside its body while something ancient and dark tried to consume its mind completely.

"Ariana."

Kael grabbed her arm immediately, but she barely heard him.

The dragon was dying.

Not physically.

Its mind was being swallowed.

The realization struck hard enough to make her chest ache.

"It’s still alive," she whispered.

Augustus’ expression hardened. "Not for long."

Ariana looked toward the dragon again.

Its blackened eyes remained fixed entirely on her now, filled with pain and desperation beneath the spreading corruption.

Waiting.

Begging.

Then something inside Ariana responded.

The golden light beneath her skin suddenly flared violently on its own.

The entire chamber froze.

Warmth exploded through the hall as ancient golden fire spread across Ariana’s arms and illuminated the shattered chamber in brilliant light. The black mist recoiled instantly while the corrupted dragon let out a sharp cry beneath the sudden warmth.

Vormerion’s eyes widened immediately.

"The Sovereign flame," he said quietly.

Kael turned toward Ariana at once. "Ariana, stop."

But she could not.

The golden fire continued spreading from her body like instinct itself had awakened inside her. Ariana could feel the dragon’s pain pulling against her power while ancient warmth surged violently through her chest.

Then the corrupted dragon slowly lowered its massive head completely to the floor before her.

In surrender.

The chamber fell completely silent.

And deep beneath the mountain, the Gate Titan roared in fury.