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Chapter 38 – Storm on the Horizon
The moment Kael's foot touched the stone threshold of the mountain temple, the world shifted.
Above, clouds spiraled in unnatural patterns, thick and dark as obsidian smoke. A pulse of wind rolled down from the peaks, laden with static and the scent of ozone. The mountain trembled—not violently, but with a steady, slow heartbeat that matched the rhythm of something ancient awakening.
Lys stumbled slightly, catching herself on the wall. "What did you do in there?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. His eyes were distant, still echoing with the voice of Kal'Darion, the vision of wings unfurling behind his reflection, and the impossible glow of the Draconic Core. Power hummed just beneath his skin, barely restrained.
"I think," he said slowly, "the world just realized I exist."
> Gracebound System Update
Milestone Event Triggered: [Awakening of the Draconic Heir]
World-State Changed.
New Map Unlocked: Draconic Leylines – Visible only to the Heir.
Tracking Initiated: Entities of Interest (3)
Next Legacy Trial: Hidden until Resonance 6/10.
Resonance: 5/10
Grace Points: 245
Sareth's projection flickered into view beside him, coalescing out of embers. "So. That got their attention."
Kael smirked, still catching his breath. "Understatement."
Lys gave the projection a sidelong glance. "Any warnings about this from your ancient knowledge bank?"
Sareth's usually smug expression shifted to something graver. "Just one: when the Draconic Leylines shift, the organizations that feed off their silence come out of hiding. And some of them don't negotiate."
As they descended the mountain path, the wind grew sharper. Jagged bolts of lightning cracked across the sky—blue, then violet, then green. None of them touched down, but pressure built in the air, heavy as a held scream.
Halfway down the pass, Kael paused, hand raised.
"What is it?" Lys whispered.
"Engines," Kael said softly. "Wings, too."
Sareth turned his head toward the sky. "Get ready."
A sleek black airship tore through the clouds above them. Its angular wings shimmered with floating runes. No insignias. No warning. It hovered in place, the hum of its core resonating with Kael's.
Three figures dropped from the belly of the ship, trailing green jet-glyphs. They landed with precision—two armored warriors and one robed figure with a staff carved from dragonbone.
The leader took a step forward. "Kael Virek," his voice amplified and cold. "On behalf of the Consortium, you are classified as a High-Order Aberration."
Kael crossed his arms. "Am I supposed to be honored?"
"Not at all," the man said. "This is a retrieval order. Dead or alive."
Sareth flickered beside Kael, eyes narrowing. "Consortium operatives. Dragonbone tech, psionic dampeners, ley-seeking armor. This won't be easy."
The robed one, Ardent, raised his staff. "You've awakened a Core. That makes you dangerous. We contain threats like you."
Kael's body tensed—and then fire burst from his palm.
Lys surged forward as well, her daggers whirling through the air. Sareth stayed near Kael, analyzing data mid-battle. "The one on the left is using reflective shielding—attack from the ground!"
Kael dropped to one knee and slammed a wave of flame beneath the nearest soldier's feet. The armored figure stumbled as the earth beneath him erupted in molten shards. Lys exploited the opening and drove a dagger into his side, right between the plates.
Ardent swung his staff, and a concussive shockwave cracked the ground. Kael barely blocked it with a wall of flame—but the impact still pushed him back. Sparks danced in his vision.
> Combat Notification
Warning: Opponent possesses Tier-Three Nullify Glyphs. Direct system interference in effect.
Kael hissed. "They're trying to shut down the Gracebound interface."
"I've countered it for now," Sareth said. "But they'll adapt."
Kael pressed forward. With Emberwake blazing in his veins, he met Ardent's staff head-on—his fist crackling with raw flame. The moment of contact ignited a miniature explosion that sent both of them skidding backward.
"They've trained for people like me," Kael muttered.
"No," Sareth corrected. "They've trained for the idea of you. Not you."
Kael's eyes flared gold. He spun, released a sweeping arc of dragonfire—and Ardent's robe caught alight. He screamed and stumbled back, signaling the others.
"Fall back!" he shouted.
The trio activated emergency teleport glyphs. They vanished in pulses of green light. The airship followed, ascending sharply into the storm-wracked sky.
Silence descended again.
Lys wiped blood from her cheek. "That was a retrieval squad. Think they'll try again?"
"They'll send worse," Kael said.
Sareth nodded. "And next time, they won't talk first."
Kael stared at the horizon. The clouds were spreading outward now, a slow spiral of power unraveling across the continent. The Draconic Core had awakened something older than fear.
And it was only the beginning.
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