The Vault trembled.
Cracks splintered across the stone ceiling. Pillars groaned under the weight of a presence older than time itself. The air rippled—not with heat, but something worse—a gravity that pulled at the soul.
Kaela knelt beside the glowing dragonling, her hand trembling as she shielded it from the falling debris. I moved in front of them, wings wide, flame pulsing through my veins.
> "He's found us," I said.
Kaela looked up at me, her voice raw. "How? This place was sealed."
"He was part of the seal."
And now… he was breaking free.
---
The Vault Cracks
A thunderous roar erupted from the depths below.
The walls split open like eggshells, exposing a chasm of molten shadow. From within, chains of dark flame slithered upward—each one carrying echoes of forgotten dragons screaming in endless torment.
And then he rose.
Vaelus.
But not the corpse-wielding puppet we had faced at Brimhold.
This… was his true form.
He emerged as a dragon-shaped god, forged of obsidian flame and star-metal. His wings blotted out the sky, each scale etched with runes of betrayal. A third eye, golden and vertical, pulsed on his forehead—open and watching.
> "You opened the Vault," he said. "How kind. I was growing weary of scratching at the walls of time."
---
Darian's Stand
I stepped forward, flame crackling from my claws.
"No more running," I said. "No more hiding in the past."
Vaelus laughed. "Do you think I want to rule this world, brother? I want to erase it. Burn it down to the marrow. And begin again—with no dragons, no gods, no chains."
"You're wrong," I growled. "You don't want rebirth. You want vengeance."
He grinned, exposing jagged teeth like shattered glass.
"Then let me begin with you."
He charged.
---
Clash of the Eternal Brothers
The mountain exploded in flame as we met mid-air.
The force of our collision shattered peaks and sent ripples through the sky. I clawed at his throat, fire pouring from my jaws. He countered with voidflame—black fire that ate light and hope alike. Our roars drowned out thunder. The land cracked beneath us.
Kaela carried the dragonling to safety, but the Vault was collapsing fast.
"I made you," Vaelus hissed. "I gave you the soul of the First Sovereign."
"No," I growled. "You twisted it."
We spiraled through the sky, our battle scorching the heavens.
---
Kaela's Choice
Meanwhile, Kaela stood at the exit of the Vault—watching the sky war unfold. The baby dragon in her arms whimpered, its scales flickering gold and white.
It was connected to both of us.
A vessel of pure flame and memory.
And it was dying.
Kaela looked at the pendant Thorne had given us—the one that guided us here. It pulsed now, brighter than ever.
> "This isn't just a key," she whispered. "It's a core."
If she gave it to the child… it might live.
But it would also awaken its true purpose.
She didn't hesitate.
---
The Awakening
As Vaelus hurled me against a crumbling ridge, I felt a shift.
A heat so intense, even I staggered.
I turned—and saw it.
The baby dragon floated above Kaela now, no longer a hatchling.
Its wings had grown. Its eyes burned with starlight.
And its voice echoed through everything.
> "Enough."
Time froze.
Vaelus faltered.
The newly awakened dragon—child of the Vault, born of the Heart—spread its wings and flared with a brilliance that scorched the realm between life and death.
> "You are no longer worthy," it said to Vaelus.
And then it struck.
---
Endless Flame
A beam of pure sovereign flame lanced from the child's heart and pierced Vaelus's core.
The third eye cracked.
The black god howled, writhing in the sky, flames unraveling from his body like silk threads in a hurricane.
> "No! I am eternal—!"
"You are done," I said.
With the last of my strength, I surged up and bit down on his neck—tearing through scale and shadow.
And with a final scream, Vaelus exploded.
Ash rained from the heavens like snow.
Silence followed.
---
Aftermath: Dawn of Flame
The Vault collapsed behind us, sealed forever.
The child—now known as Solin—landed gently beside me and Kaela. His eyes held the wisdom of millennia, but his voice was still soft.
> "You saved me."
I nodded. "No. You saved all of us."
The Flameborn gathered on the ridges, watching the sky clear for the first time in years.
Brimhold would be rebuilt.
The war was over.
But the story of dragons was not.
Solin turned toward the horizon.
> "There are more Vaults. More truths. If we don't guide them… someone else will."
Kaela sheathed her sword.
I stretched my wings.
And together, we began the next journey.