Inresponse, his massive and deadly tail sliced through the air towards me.Imoved, but not fast enough to avoid a glancing blow.Theimpact sent me reeling, disrupting my rhythm.Painflared on my shoulder, but it only fueled my resolve.
AsIstabilized, he closed in, his massive jaws and sharp claws ready to end this dance we had played for over four hundred years.Witha surge of energy,Ireadied myself, letting the storm's power envelop me, turning my whole being into a conduit of destruction.
Wemet in the middle, the force of our collision sending shockwaves through the air.Dragonagainst storm, an ancient battle of raw elements.Isurrounded us with a whirlwind of lightning, each one a bit of my wrath made manifest.
Thebattle was not just a clash of bodies but of wills, the storm against the flame, each feeding off and challenging the other in a spectacle of primal fury.Thiswas whatIwanted—Abraxas, powerful and predictable.Howeasy it would be now to overtake him.
“Wherehave you left that beautiful princess of yours?”Ifelt the air shift and dodged out of the way as his jaws snapped closed whereIhadjust been.
Somewhereyou will never reach her,Hadeon.
“Idoubt that.”
Hisfire shot out at me, butIavoided it easily.Isaw it in his eyes then.Hewas getting sloppy, his rage for me overpowered by worry for her.Thefool.Henearly had me.Iimagined he would have if he hadn’t let that girl crawl into his heart as a fatal weakness.
“AfterI’veclaimed your heart,Iwill not rest until she’s mine to play with.Iso had fun with her last time.”Hesnapped at me wildly, andIsaw my opening.Hestretched too far, andIflew around his head with more speed than he could follow.
Ishot my power out like a whip, lashing it around his neck.Iswung around him untilIwas between his wings and squeezed it tight until his deep, animalistic cry was choked off.
“Iwonder, with your heart tied to mine, will you hear asIpull all those incredible sounds out of her?Willthey be sounds of pain or pleasure, though?Youalways enjoyed mixing the two.”Hethrashed wildly, butIcould taste my victory now.Iexploded with every ounce of powerIhad, and the lightning cut through his wings until they were shredded, and he lost his flight.
Thesky ripped past us as we plummeted to the earth.Thecloud we fell through struck him with its charged power until thick red blood covered me.Wecrashed into a small building at the edge of the palace grounds, and the entire thing exploded.Bricksand dust rained down asIwas thrown from his back.Iscrambled up to see him struggling to lift himself, his limbs quaking as blood pooled out onto the ground below him.
AsAbraxaslay broken, the emerald light of his dragonfire dimmed.Thetaste of victory was on my tongue.Iapproached, my footsteps echoing with the promise of conquest.Hewas mighty, butIhad seen every last dragon fall, andIwas ready to turn this legend into nothing more than a memory.
Iwove my magic into the snare that would capture his heart, my greatest treasure.Helooked upon me with so much hatred it was like a heady drug, and he summoned the last of his power.
Thenmy heart vanished.Thechannel of power that had been mine for centuries just… disappeared.Ireached for it, but it was like trying to catch the early morning mist.Itslipped from my grasp, andIwatched as it winked out of existence.
“Itcan’t be…”Therewas no way.Noway they could have undone the enchantment.Itwas impossible.ITWASIMPOSSIBLE!
Missingsomething,Hadeon?Abraxaschuckled as he tried to raise himself again.
“Youwill pay for this!”Icalled to all the magicIstill held in my heart and condensed it into a single spark.Ihad killedMalechlike this.Iwould kill him, too.
BeforeIcould deliver the final strike, the ground beneath my feet trembled violently.Myeyes shifted just in time to see the palace quake and groan as if in agony.Itsank, slowly at first, then rapidly, into the gaping maw of the earth itself, swallowed whole by a cataclysm of dirt and stone.
Fromthis chaos, a monumental blast of water shot out from the crater where the palace once stood, mist spraying into the surrounding air and soaking me.Thewater surged like a beast unleashed, its roar drowning out even the echoes of the collapsing palace.Anenormous bubble burst forth from that colossal jet, and six bodies tumbled out.
Myeyes immediately locked onPallasand the princess; both sputtered as they coughed water out of their lungs.The princess raised her head, and her gaze immediately locked on me and the dragon.
Shescrambled to her feet and drew her sword. “Getaway from my mate,Hadeon.”
“Gods, what does it take to be rid of you vermin?”Theywere a distraction, nothing more.Abraxaswas my only focus.Iswept a hand out, and lightning danced through the water they had so graciously laid out everywhere.However, blue light surrounded the party, and nothing touched them.
Theprincess stalked towards me, and beside her,Iwas surprised to see the prince.Hisgaze was nothing but infernal fire as he shouted, “CRUSH!”
Iwas forced down into the earth as if by a giant hand, the earth pressing in around me until my arms and legs were immobile.Theprincess wore a smug smile as she closed the distance between us, but it wasPallaswho reached me first.
“It’stime for this to end,Hadeon.”Hereyes glowed.
“Youwill pay for this betrayal, whore.”
“Oh,Idon’t think so, old friend.”Ifelt the cold metal ofAbraxas’ sword as he wrapped it around my neck, back in his fae form.
Ithrew my power out in an explosion that ripped my skin from my flesh.Theyall flew back, landing in disarray asIgathered myself, wiping the blood from my nose where it leaked horribly.
Traitors, bastards.Ihad earned this.Ihad earned this world.Theywould never stand in my way.
