The morning was cold and quiet. A heavy mist hung over the Black Halo estate.
Blake adjusted the straps of his leather battle gear, the elixir vials secured tightly to his belt. Malrek was already outside, leaning against the stable wall with his arms crossed, masked as always, a bored expression hidden behind painted porcelain. Javier tightened his gloves, cracking his neck as he muttered something about "smacking a damn dragon's teeth in." Drayce stood off to the side, calm as usual, though his clenched fists were already warm with flickers of black fire licking around his fingers, coiling like serpents.
The horses were saddled. The mission was clear.
Blake stepped out, eyes steady, heart heavier than it had ever been.
That was when Lora stepped in front of them, blocking the path to the gate.
"You're not going," she said.
Her voice was firm. No tremble. Just command.
Blake stared at her. "Move, Lora."
"No."
Javier raised a brow. "Oi, you planning to fight us? All four?"
"I'm trying to save you," she snapped, her eyes darting to Blake. "Selene isn't some rogue deviant. She's a dragon now. An uncontrollable force of destruction. You saw what she did."
"We also saw what we did," Blake said. "Or what we failed to do."
Lora took a step closer, her voice cracking. "I can't lose another one of you. Please. Just let the Order handle it. Or my father—"
"Your father?" Malrek cut in, arms still folded. "You mean the same man who lied to us? Sent us in blind?"
Blake clenched his fists. "She's our responsibility now."
Drayce spoke, quietly but firmly. "I won't let her burn another village. We owe the people that much."
Lora's gaze dropped, grief swimming in her eyes. "You don't understand... Selene's scared. She's not in control. Killing her—"
"We're not trying to kill her," Blake interrupted. "But if we have to choose between saving her or saving others…"
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
Lora's breath caught, and for a moment the fire inside her dulled. But she nodded slowly, pain clearly etched into her face. "Please don't kill her... she's still my sister."
"We'll see," Malrek said.
"You come back alive," she said. "All of you."
Javier tipped his head. "No promises."
They mounted their horses, the sun barely rising over the hills as the four deviants rode out. Toward danger. Toward redemption. Toward Selene.
The wind howled through the trees as the four deviants rode deeper into the forested wildlands, the sky overhead a bruised gray. The path was uneven, winding through dense thickets and whispering shadows. Every now and then, the distant sound of wings or distant fire would ripple through the woods—reminders that the dragon was near.
Malrek rode at the front, silent, the mask catching faint glimmers of light through the trees. Blake rode beside him, his thoughts heavy, the three elixir vials clinking softly with each gallop.
Javier, as usual, was the first to speak.
"So… white hair," he muttered, leaning forward in the saddle, "we just waltz up to the dragon and knock on her scaly door or what?"
Blake glanced at him, managing a faint smirk. "Yeah, sounds about right. You go knock. I'll watch from behind a tree."
Drayce, riding in the rear, chimed in, his tone cool and low. "She's been spotted near the ruins of Karswell, near the cliffs. If she's nesting, she won't roam far."
"She will attack anything near her," Malrek added. "We need to be ghosts until we strike."
Blake nodded. "Then we strike where it hurts. Remember that scale gap we saw? I think it's still there. We aim for that."
"I can draw her attention," Drayce said. "Keep her locked on me while you two get into position."
"Not if she roasts you first," Javier muttered, but his tone had softened. "That fire she spits? No joke."
Blake reached into his belt and pulled out one of the vials. The liquid shimmered red-gold inside, flickering like trapped sunlight. "These will give us the edge. Julie said the boost won't last long, but it'll spike our strength and speed just enough to make a difference."
"We use them only when we're ready to finish it," Malrek said, eyeing the vial. "Until then, conserve energy."
"Do you think she can be saved?" Blake asked suddenly, his voice quiet.
The others were silent for a moment.
"No," Drayce answered finally. "Not if she's fully turned. That dragon… that wasn't Selene."
Blake looked ahead again, eyes fixed on the mountains now appearing in the distance. The ruins weren't far.
"No hesitation," he said. "No fear. We end this."
Malrek let out a low chuckle. "Didn't think you had it in you, rookie."
"I almost died," Blake replied. "That tends to change a man."
Their horses pushed forward, the air growing colder with every mile. Flames, steel, and vengeance awaited them beyond the cliffs.
And they rode toward it without looking back.
The lair was a wide, cavernous hollow veiled in mist and the heavy scent of ash. Charred bones littered the floor, and faint embers glowed between the rocks. They had found her.
Selene, in her dragon form, rested in the center—an enormous beast of scaled black and iridescent silver. Her massive body rose and fell with each breath, wings folded tightly to her sides, tail coiled like a serpent. The calm before the storm.
"She's resting," Malrek whispered, crouched behind a rock. "We strike now."
Blake, Javier, Drayce, and Malrek exchanged brief nods. They each took out their vials of the augmenting elixir. Blake's hand trembled as he uncorked it—the liquid shimmered like molten gold with hints of red from the phoenix feather. He downed it.
His body convulsed as power surged through his veins, muscles tightening, blood racing. The others followed suit—except for Drayce, who said his flames were enough. For a brief moment, they felt invincible.
Then the dragon's eyes snapped open.
A deep growl rumbled through the cavern, and with a sudden roar, Selene lunged.
The battle was chaos. Drayce's Abysspyre scorched across her scales, Malrek hurled boulders from other places with warpwalk, and Javier struck with unmatched speed. Blake coordinated with them, weaving through flames and claws with augmented agility.
They aimed for the weak spot in her scales—the small gap Blake had noticed during their last encounter. Working together, Javier and Blake landed their blades deep into the wound. Selene roared, but it wasn't enough.
"We're not killing her like this," Blake muttered. He looked up, eyes fierce with determination. "I have an idea. Cover me."
Before anyone could stop him, he sprinted straight toward the dragon and leapt into her mouth.
"BLAKE!" Javier shouted.
Selene swallowed him whole.
Everything stopped.
The three of them stood frozen, the elixir's power fading. For a moment, it felt like all hope had died with Blake.
Then the dragon trembled.
Her wings jerked, limbs collapsing beneath her. She let out a final cry—and fell.
Silence.
A moment later, her jaws parted. A bloodied hand pushed through the slime.
Blake crawled out, drenched in saliva and gore, clutching a dagger dripping with glowing ichor.
"The core," he gasped. "I stabbed it from the inside."
A breathless laugh escaped Javier as he ran over and helped Blake up. "Oi, white hair... you're insane."
The others gathered, stunned, but victorious.
And then, before their eyes, the dragon began to shrink.
Bones cracked and folded, wings receded, scales dissolved like ash in the wind. In place of the beast lay Selene—unconscious, breathing shallowly, her naked form trembling in the cold.
"We take her," Malrek said. "Now."
Blake didn't argue. He pulled off his cloak and wrapped her in it, gently lifting her with help from Drayce.
But as they began to exit the cavern, steel clashed against stone.
The duke's men had arrived—heavily armed, riding black-armored horses with torches and crossbows. At the center of them stood a young man in dark navy robes with the same silver eyes as Duke Ardan.
"So," he said coldly. "You traitors found the beast."
Blake stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "She's not a beast. She is a person, like you and me."
"And still a monster." William drew his blade and raised his hand. "Kill them all. And burn her body."
Steel rang out as the Black Halo deviants moved to defend. Drayce's eyes glowed with fury—black flames erupted, forcing the first wave back. Javier dashed through their line like lightning, killing one after another. Malrek summoned a rift, boulders slamming down on riders and crushing them.
Blake stood at the center, holding Selene protectively. "Malrek! Portal!"
"Already on it!"
Behind them, a massive rift opened—light rippling through it like a doorway to another world.
"Go!"
They ran, leapt through, just as arrows sliced the air behind them.
Then—darkness and silence. The portal closed. They were back. Home.
Selene was safe—for now.
The chill of the wind bit at Blake's exposed skin as he stepped through the portal, boots crunching softly against the stone floor of the Black Halo's courtyard.
They were home.
Behind him, the others emerged one by one—Javier, limping but grinning through a bloodied lip, Drayce silent as ever, his fists still faintly smoking, and Malrek with that usual smirk dulled by exhaustion.
But Blake didn't move.
He stood there, frozen, Selene's body cradled in his arms.
She was light, far too light for someone who had moments ago been a towering, fire-breathing beast.
The cloak around her was damp and stained, clinging to her pale, unconscious form. Her breathing was shallow, her lips slightly parted, her skin ghostly under the sunlight. Strands of her blonde hair were matted against her face.
Blake looked down at her, his brows furrowed.
She looked… broken.
Not just wounded—but tired. Like someone who'd been trapped in a nightmare too long. And in a way, she had.
A soulbrand she never asked for. A curse she couldn't control.
"She didn't choose this," he whispered.
He thought of her eyes—wild with fear during the transformation. The way her dragon form had hesitated, recoiled, even after being wounded.
She wasn't just a danger.
She was a prisoner in her own body.
He adjusted his grip, holding her closer as if shielding her from the weight of the world.
Malrek walked past him, slowing just enough to glance over. "You alright, white hair?"
Blake didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on Selene, his thoughts deeper than words.
Javier caught up beside him, breathing heavily. "Oi... you saved her, you know. Could've left her behind. Could've ended her clean. But you didn't."
Blake's jaw tightened. "I saw myself in her."
Javier tilted his head, brow raised, but said nothing more.
Blake finally took a step forward, carrying Selene inside the mansion.
He didn't know what would come next—whether she'd wake up in tears, in rage, or not at all.
But one thing burned clearly in his mind:
She wasn't the enemy.
Not anymore.