The floor opened beneath my feet.
Not violently.
Not with pain.
With purpose.
Stone shifted into light, and the ground turned into a glowing spiral that carried me down—slow, controlled, almost gentle.
Yllas descended with me, one hand around my wrist to steady me.
His touch wasn't searing.
It wasn't cold.
It was… solid.
"Don't panic," he murmured.
"I'm not panicking," I replied.
He raised a brow. "Your pulse is racing."
"I was dropped into a glowing hole—of course my pulse is racing!"
Helion's voice echoed faintly above. "Don't die!"
Gerrin added, "Breathe deeply!"
Owain's voice thundered behind them—
"KANAH—DON'T—MOVE—WITHOUT—ME!"
His howl echoed deep into the Spire as the floor sealed above.
My chest tightened.
Yllas's thumb brushed over the back of my hand.
"He's safe," he said gently.
I exhaled shakily. "I know."
The spiral slowed… then landed us softly on solid ground.
The temperature changed instantly.
Warm.
Still.
Dense.
The chamber was vast—vaulted stone ceilings, glowing gold veins, walls carved with ancient draconic patterns. The air hummed with power.
"It's beautiful," I breathed.
Yllas watched me closely—not the chamber, not the runes.
Me.
"Careful," he said quietly. "You're standing on the leyline's heart."
"What does that mean?"
"Everything reacts to intent here. The walls. The air. The flame. Your rune."
My hand drifted toward my chest. "And if I think something is wrong?"
"The Spire will challenge it."
"Fantastic."
Yllas smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I'm with you."
Heat crept up my neck.
Before I could respond, a deep rumble echoed through the chamber.
A flame burst out of a carved dragon's mouth on the far wall—
blue, swirling, alive.
Yllas stepped forward. "The Trial begins here."
My stomach tightened. "What do I have to do?"
"Walk toward the flame."
"That's it?"
"No."
"What else?"
"Survive it."
"…Great."
Yllas motioned for me to move.
I stepped forward slowly.
The moment I did—
The flame shifted, twisting toward me, swirling like a serpent tasting the air.
I stopped cold.
"Yllas—"
"Keep moving."
"That fire is sensing me!"
"Yes."
"Is it judging me?"
"Yes."
"Is it going to kill me?"
Silence.
"Yllas?!"
"No," he said quickly. "Probably not."
"Probably not?!"
His lips curved. "I'm here. Nothing will harm you."
My pulse roared.
The flame split suddenly—opening into two streams, forming a corridor of fire.
Yllas nodded. "Walk through it."
"I'll die."
"You won't."
I turned sharply. "How do you know that?"
His voice softened.
"Because dragons don't burn who they call."
My heart stopped.
Yllas' eyes didn't leave mine.
"I shielded you. The flame recognizes that."
"Dragons… call?"
"Yes."
"To who?"
His jaw tightened. "To those they choose to protect."
My breath hitched.
"That's why Owain reacted."
Yllas didn't answer.
But he didn't deny it.
I stepped forward slowly… then into the fire corridor.
The flames curled around me—warm, soft, almost affectionate—and parted around my body like a river splitting around a stone.
I gasped in shock.
"I'm not burning."
"You won't," Yllas said gently, walking behind me. "The flame has accepted you."
I exhaled shakily.
This world made no sense.
Once through the corridor, the flames vanished behind us.
Yllas stopped beside me and pointed forward.
Three pillars stood ahead—
one carved of obsidian,
one of gold,
one of dragonbone.
"The Trial has three phases," Yllas said. "Strength, Will, and Instinct."
"Wolf Moon Trials had Strength and Instinct."
"And now you face them in dragon form."
Gerrin would yell at me for agreeing to this.
Owain was probably breaking that barrier above us.
Helion was… Helion.
But the Spire chose me.
I stepped toward the first pillar.
It glowed faintly.
Yllas reached out and gently touched the back of my shoulder—a grounding, warm pressure.
"You're safe," he said.
His voice was lower than usual.
Steady.
Focused.
Dragon instincts.
I breathed in.
Then touched the pillar.
The room changed instantly.
D R A G O N T R I A L — S T R E N G T H
The chamber vanished.
Heat surged around me.
The stone cracked.
Winds roared.
I stood on a rocky ledge overlooking a storm of fire.
Above—
a colossal dragon writhed through the sky, wings beating storms into existence.
Its molten eyes locked onto me.
My heart stopped.
"Yllas—?!"
His voice echoed around me, distant but steady.
"This is not real. It is a memory. A dragon's memory. Do not flinch."
"Kind of hard when a skyscraper-sized dragon is staring at me!"
The dragon lowered its head.
Fire boiled beneath its skin.
Then—
it roared.
The blast of heat hit me, lifting me off the ledge—
I screamed.
Yllas' voice echoed sharply.
"Kanah! Stand!"
"I CAN'T STAND I'M FLYING!"
"Land!"
I did not land.
I crashed.
But the rune flared—
a burst of golden light catching my body before the rocks did.
I blinked.
"I didn't die."
Yllas answered dryly, "I would have mentioned if dying was part of the Test."
"You didn't mention anything at all!"
Another roar.
Another shockwave.
Another blast of heat.
The dragon lunged.
I ducked—
wrong.
Too slow.
Too weak.
The heat slammed into me—
but the rune pulsed again, pushing back.
Yllas' voice cut through the storm.
"Kanah! Dragons respect power. Not fear. Push back."
"With WHAT?!"
"Your rune."
"It reacts on its own—I can't control it—"
"Yes, you can," Yllas said sharply. "You did it in Fenr Vale!"
That wasn't control.
That was survival.
But maybe…
I closed my eyes.
I felt the heat.
I felt fear.
Then focused on one thing—
Yllas' voice.
Steady.
Warm.
Grounding.
I lifted my hand.
The rune pulsed—
and the blast of heat broke.
The dragon howled.
I gasped.
"I did it."
Yllas' voice was proud. "Again."
I pushed harder.
The rune burst outward—
golden threads wrapping the fire, bending it, controlling it.
The dragon recoiled…
Then bowed its head.
The vision broke.
D R A G O N T R I A L — W I L L
I blinked back into the chamber.
Yllas stood close—too close—eyes glowing faintly, breath warm against my cheek.
"You did well," he murmured.
"I almost died."
"You lived."
"That's not comforting."
He smiled slightly. "Dragons consider it high praise."
Gerrin would faint.
Owain would kill someone.
I stepped toward the second pillar.
The moment my fingers grazed the gold—
the world vanished again.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Not cold.
Not painful.
Still.
Quiet.
Endless.
Then—
A voice whispered inside my bones.
Come.
My breath froze.
You are mine.
I gasped.
"No—no—"
Yllas' voice echoed faintly. "Kanah? What do you hear?"
"Him," I whispered. "He's here."
The Beast King.
I tried to move—
my feet wouldn't respond.
I tried to speak—
my throat tightened.
Come to me.
Seal-bearer.
Queen-blood.
Mine.
"No—!"
Heat wrapped around me suddenly.
Hands.
Real hands.
Warm.
Yllas.
"Kanah!" he shouted. "Open your eyes—NOW!"
I did.
And the Beast King's shadow scattered like smoke.
Yllas held my face between his palms, eyes burning molten gold.
"Stay here," he whispered. "With me."
My breath trembled.
He hadn't grabbed it.
He hadn't demanded.
He anchored me—softly, powerfully.
"I'm here," I whispered.
The walls glowed.
The vision shattered.
D R A G O N T R I A L — I N S T I N C T
"One more," Yllas murmured.
I turned toward the final pillar—dragonbone, intricately carved, humming with power.
"This part," Yllas said quietly, "will be harder."
"Why?"
His gaze didn't waver.
"Because dragons test instinct with instinct."
My heart pounded. "Meaning?"
Yllas stepped close.
Too close.
His breath brushed my cheek.
His aura wrapped around me.
"Meaning," he murmured, "I will be part of the test."
Heat shot through me.
"Owain is going to kill you."
"He can try," Yllas replied softly.
I touched the pillar.
The chamber vanished.
And—
Yllas stood before me.
No illusions.
No visions.
Him—
but different.
Half-shifted.
Wings unfurled behind him, shimmering black and gold.
Scales lined his jaw.
His pupils were vertical slits.
His aura burned against my skin.
My breath caught.
"Yllas?"
He stepped forward.
Slow.
Predatory.
Beautiful.
"This is instinct," he murmured. "Raw. Unfiltered. Not the part I show the others."
He circled me like a flame.
I swallowed. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Match me."
"I can't—"
"You can."
He stopped behind me.
Warm breath on my neck.
Fingers brushing my waist.
Not grabbing.
Not claiming.
Testing.
My legs trembled.
"Yllas…"
The rune flared—bright gold.
Yllas inhaled sharply. "You feel that too."
"What?"
He moved in front of me again, face inches from mine.
"Our instincts… resonate."
My pulse raced.
"Resonate… how?"
Yllas touched my chin—light, careful.
"Closeness. Breath. Aura. Fear. Attraction. Trust."
My knees nearly buckled.
"This is what dragons test," he whispered.
"How you respond when instinct is present."
He stepped closer.
"Not wolf instinct."
Closer.
"Not panic instinct."
Closer.
"Dragon instinct."
My heart was hammered.
"Yllas…"
He lowered his forehead to mine—soft, slow, deliberate.
"Breathe with me."
This again.
This thing that everyone uses to calm me.
But it worked.
Our breaths synced.
My pulse slowed.
The rune steadied—
then reached outward.
A golden thread extended from my chest…
To him.
Yllas inhaled sharply.
"That's dragon resonance," he whispered. "A temporary connection. Very rare."
My breath trembled. "What do we do?"
"Let it settle," he murmured. "Let it recognize us."
He leaned closer.
Not kissing—
not touching—
but close enough that the air between us heated.
My lips parted.
His breath mingled with mine.
He whispered my name.
"Kanah…"
My heart flipped.
And then—
A scream tore through the chamber.
Owain.
"LET HER GO!"
The vision shattered violently.
I stumbled backward.
Yllas caught my waist instantly.
Owain slammed against the barrier above, voice breaking.
"KANAH! ANSWER ME!"
I gasped. "Owain—"
Yllas held me steady.
"You passed."
I blinked. "I did?"
"Yes."
The Spire glowed warmly.
Gerrin and Helion rushed down the staircase.
Helion grinned. "Good news—we're not dead."
Gerrin glared at him. "Stop smiling."
Owain's voice cracked.
"KANAH—PLEASE—ANSWER—ME!"
My chest ached.
"Let me go to him," I whispered.
Yllas released me instantly.
"You always could."
I ran.
THE BARRIER
Owain slammed into the barrier as I approached.
His hands hit the glowing surface.
His eyes were wild, shining.
"Kanah!" His voice broke. "Are you hurt? Are you okay? Answer me—"
"I'm fine," I said softly.
He collapsed to his knees.
I pressed my palm to the barrier.
He pressed his to mine.
We couldn't touch it.
But our breath synced through the glowing rune between us.
"Oh thank god…" he whispered. "I thought I lost you."
Tears burned my eyes.
"I'm here," I said. "I told you I'd come back."
Owain bowed his head, pressing it to the barrier.
"No more trials. No more danger. No more dragon shit—"
Behind me, Yllas crossed his arms. "Rude."
Gerrin sighed.
Helion laughed.
Owain lifted his head.
"What did they do to you?"
I swallowed.
"A lot."
His voice dropped, trembling.
"Kanah… come back out."
"I will."
"When?"
Before I could answer—
The Spire roared.
Gold flames shot upward.
A rune carved itself into the air.
A voice echoed through the chamber—
The seal awakens.
The child rises.
The Beast King hunts.
The world trembles.
My vision blurred.
Owain shouted my name.
Yllas reached for me.
Gerrin's markings lit bright.
Helion swore.
And the Spire whispered one final line—
Choose.
Wolf, Dragon, Elf, or Leopard.
Choose.
Before he takes the choice from you.
The light consumed me.