Queen Lysandra's long cloak flowed behind her like smoke trailing from warfire. The courtyard had quieted under her presence, the remaining guards bowing their heads and giving space, as if they feared her more than the dragon itself.
Elira stood frozen beside Elric, who had braced himself upright against a broken column, still wounded but now far more alert.
The Queen's black eyes turned toward the sky Kael had vanished into, her voice low but strong, like the echo of thunder over distant mountains.
"Kael was not always a monster."
Elira looked at her. "Then what was he?"
"A child," Lysandra said simply. "Lost. Wild. And furious with the world."
She began to walk slowly, her words drawing images in the air.
"I found him decades ago, locked in combat with a high demon over the scorched ruins of the Irondust Valleys. The beast was young, reckless… but powerful enough to turn half a kingdom to ash in an hour."
Elric's brows furrowed. "You told me Kael was gifted to us by the old mages."
Lysandra stopped. "That was the story I fed the nobles. But Kael was not given. He was won. I bound him myself after defeating that demon in combat—nearly lost my left eye doing it."
Her voice dropped.
"But when I looked into Kael's eyes after the fight, I saw more than rage. I saw a creature desperate for meaning. For loyalty. For home."
"And you gave him that?" Elira asked.
"For years," Lysandra nodded. "Kael became the guardian of this realm. My companion in war. He learned language. He slept curled around the palace like a great scaled wall. He was the fiercest part of this kingdom… until he disappeared."
Elric's jaw tightened. "And now he's returned—but not as our protector. Why?"
The Queen's lips thinned.
"Because someone has broken him. Pulled at the cracks of his ancient mind, twisted his memories and loyalty until the creature I raised is nothing more than a weapon again."
Elira stepped closer, voice trembling. "Who could do that?"
Queen Lysandra didn't answer immediately.
Then she turned, her eyes gleaming—not with fear, but something deeper. Older.
"The one corrupted by darkness… and desire."
A sudden gust of wind howled through the broken arches of the courtyard.
Elric frowned. "Desire for what?"
Lysandra's voice was grave now. "For immortality. For power beyond the gods. For control over time, fate, and even prophecy itself."
Elira whispered, "Someone wants to control the mirror."
The Queen gave her a slow, chilling nod.
"And they know exactly who the Mirrorbound is."