The sky did not tear apart all at once. It cracked slowly, like glass under pressure. Thin lines of light spread across the clouds, glowing white and gold. The air trembled, and a deep sound rolled downward, low and endless.
Aren lay on the ground, unable to move. His body felt empty, like all strength had been pulled out of him. Every breath hurt. His chest burned where the bond connected him to Kael.
Kael was on one knee beside him.
The fire around Kael flickered wildly. His wings were still half formed, unstable and shaking. Scales covered parts of his arms and neck, but not completely. He looked like something trapped between two shapes, neither fully human nor fully dragon.
Commander Lyra Voss stared up at the sky. For the first time since arriving, she looked afraid.
"Fall back," she said quietly.
None of the soldiers moved.
They were all staring upward.
From the sky, something massive began to descend. It was not a body at first. It was a presence. The air bent around it. Mana surged so strongly that the ruins started to crumble on their own.
Aren felt the system react before he could see anything.
[Warning][Unregistered Authority Approaching][System Access Restricted]
His vision blurred again. Another screen forced its way into view, overlapping the others.
[Error][Primary Control Interrupted]
Aren tried to sit up. His arms shook, but he managed to prop himself on one elbow. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might tear itself apart.
"What is that," he whispered.
Kael did not answer.
The clouds parted completely.
A massive eye opened in the sky.
It was not like Kael's dragon form. This eye was ancient. Calm. It did not burn with rage. It simply watched, as if everything below it was small and already judged.
The soldiers dropped to their knees without being told.
Some of them trembled. Others bowed their heads instinctively.
Lyra remained standing, but her grip on her weapon tightened. Her jaw was clenched so hard that her teeth creaked.
"So it is true," she said. "The old authority still exists."
The eye blinked once.
The world went silent.
No wind. No sound. Even the flames around Kael froze in place.
Then a voice spoke.
It did not come from the sky. It came from everywhere.
"Dragon Suppression Authority," the voice said. "You have crossed a boundary you were forbidden to approach."
Lyra swallowed. "This world belongs to humanity now."
The voice did not answer immediately.
Aren felt pressure inside his skull, like someone was pressing a finger against his thoughts.
The system screen flickered again.
[Forced Synchronization][User: Aren Valen][Status: Incomplete]
The voice spoke again.
"This one," it said. "Is not yours to decide."
The pressure increased.
Lyra took a step back. "He is an unstable variable. Dragon Tamer abilities were erased for a reason."
Kael laughed weakly. "You erased us because you were afraid."
Lyra snapped her head toward him. "Silence."
The eye shifted slightly. The clouds moved with it.
"Fear," the voice said, "is not an accusation. It is a truth."
Aren felt something pull at him. His vision darkened at the edges. Images flashed through his mind, too fast to fully see. Fire. Crowns. Chains. A hand reaching out across a battlefield.
The system reacted violently.
[Memory Gate Opening][Access Level Insufficient]
Aren cried out in pain. He clutched his head as the images tore through him.
Kael shouted his name. "Aren."
The pressure eased slightly.
The voice spoke again, softer this time.
"Awakening him fully now would break what remains of the seal."
Lyra's eyes widened. "Seal."
"Yes," the voice replied. "The same seal you have maintained for centuries."
Lyra straightened. "Then you know why this cannot be allowed."
The eye closed halfway.
"You mistake control for balance," the voice said.
Aren forced himself to look at Kael. Kael was shaking, sweat dripping down his face. The fire around him was unstable, flaring and dimming without pattern.
"Kael," Aren said weakly. "Hold on."
Kael looked at him. His eyes were human again, filled with fear and anger. "I do not know how long I can."
Lyra raised her weapon again, though her hands were shaking. "If the Dragon King awakens," she said, "this world will burn."
The voice did not deny it.
"This world has burned before," it said. "And it was rebuilt."
Aren's system screen changed suddenly. The text shifted, reorganizing itself.
[Hidden Quest Unlocked][Title: Heir of the Broken Throne][Objective: Survive]
Aren stared at the words.
"That is it," he whispered. "Survive."
Lyra noticed the screen. Her expression hardened.
"So the system has chosen," she said.
The eye opened fully.
"No," the voice said. "The system has followed."
A sudden shockwave blasted outward from the sky. The soldiers were thrown back like leaves. The ruins collapsed completely, stone and dust filling the air.
Aren was lifted off the ground.
Not violently. Carefully.
Invisible force wrapped around him, holding him in the air. Kael was lifted as well, pulled closer to Aren without either of them moving.
Lyra shouted. "Do not let them leave."
Her remaining soldiers fired their weapons.
The attacks vanished midair.
They did not explode. They did not deflect.
They simply stopped existing.
Lyra stared in disbelief.
"This is not possible," she said.
The voice replied calmly. "It is no longer your decision."
Aren felt warmth spread through his chest. The pain from the bond dulled slightly. He could breathe again.
The system spoke once more.
[Temporary Protection Granted][Authority: Unknown]
Kael looked at Aren. "What are you."
Aren shook his head. "I do not know."
The eye began to rise back into the sky. The cracks started to close.
"Remember this," the voice said. "The seal weakens because the world has changed."
Lyra fell to one knee, fury burning in her eyes. "This is not over."
The voice paused.
"It never is."
The sky closed completely.
The pressure vanished.
Aren and Kael dropped to the ground gently. Dust settled around them. The ruins were gone, reduced to rubble.
Silence returned.
Kael collapsed onto his hands, gasping. The fire around him faded completely. The scales vanished. He was human again.
For now.
Aren lay on his back, staring at the sky. His system screen remained open.
[Quest Active][Heir of the Broken Throne]
Before he could process it, another notification appeared.
[Global Announcement Pending]
Aren's heart skipped.
"What does that mean," Kael asked weakly.
Aren did not answer.
The system counted down.
[5][4]
Far away, across the world, countless people looked up at the sky as mana surged through every city.
[3]
In hidden places, sealed eyes began to open.
[2]
Lyra smiled coldly, blood on her lips. "Now everyone will know."
[1]
The system spoke, not just to Aren, but to the entire world.
[Attention All Users][A Dragon Has Awakened]
And somewhere deep beneath the earth, something far larger stirred.