Rise of the Devourer
Book 4: Chapter 32 — Safehouse

Deep within the ancient corpse of Axeros, trapped in the crystalline chamber that housed the Dragon's Heart, Princess Vion fought a battle that no one could see. The massive crystal pulsed with malignant energy, its faceted surface reflecting distorted images of her face as she struggled against the power that sought to consume her very soul.

The Shard of the dead god—that had been buried deep within the Dragon Heart—burned within her chest like molten metal, its influence spreading through her being with each heartbeat. She could feel it reaching into the deepest parts of her mind, seeking to remake her into something else—a vessel, a conduit for powers that should have remained buried with their fallen deity.

But she wasn’t compatible nor suitable, so all it was doing was breaking both her body and mind down, slowly and steadily.

"No," she whispered through gritted teeth, her hands pressed against the crystal's surface as waves of alien thoughts crashed against her consciousness. "I won't... let you..."

But the Shard's influence was insidious, creeping through her thoughts like poison through water. It didn't simply try to overpower her—it seduced her with visions of what she could become. Images flashed through her mind: herself standing triumphant over her enemies, wielding power that could reshape kingdoms, commanding forces that could tear apart the very fabric of reality.

You could be so much more than a mere princess, the voice whispered in her mind, neither male nor female but something altogether other. You could be a goddess yourself. All you have to do is stop fighting and let me in.

"Never," Vion snarled, her draconic nature flaring in defiance. Scales erupted along her arms as her body tried to shift into her dragon form, but the crystal's binding magic held her in place. The transformation felt wrong, incomplete, as if something was interfering with her very essence.

That's when the memories began.

They started as flashes—brief glimpses of lives she had never lived, experiences that belonged to others. But as the Shard's influence deepened, the visions became clearer, more detailed. She was seeing through the eyes of dragons, experiencing moments from across the centuries.

The first memory hit her like a physical blow. She was soaring through crystal-clear skies, her massive wings catching thermals as she danced with another dragon—her friend, a true friend. Below them spread a world that was green and whole, unmarked by the scars of war or the taint of corruption. Joy filled her heart, pure and overwhelming, as she performed aerial acrobatics with her friend, clearly competing.

Axeros, she realized with a start. This was her father, but not as she had ever known him. This was Axeros in his prime, young and vital and free.

The scene shifted, and she was witnessing their first meeting with her mother—a human woman of extraordinary beauty and power, a mage whose abilities had caught the ancient dragon's attention. Even just through the small glimpses, she could tell the courtship was awkward at first, two vastly different beings trying to find common ground—her father messing up in ways that made her mother dislike him deeply—but love had a way of transcending such barriers.

Vion felt tears streaming down her face as she watched her parents' early days together. Her mother's laughter as Axeros attempted to assume human form for the first time, the result awkward and endearing. Her father's patient teaching as her mother learned to ride upon his back, soaring through clouds and over mountain peaks.

Such beautiful memories, the Shard's voice purred. They could be yours to keep forever. Join with me, and you'll never lose them again.

But the memories weren't finished. The scenes began to shift, showing her glimpses of her own early childhood—moments she had forgotten or never known existed. Her father in human form, reading her stories by firelight while her mother hummed lullabies. Family picnics in hidden valleys where no one could disturb them. Flying lessons where Axeros would catch her gently in his massive claws when her infant wings grew tired.

They had been happy. For a brief, shining time, they had been a real family.

The realization hit her like a dagger to the heart. All of this—the love, the joy, the simple domestic happiness—had been stolen from her by forces beyond her control. Fate had torn her family apart before she was old enough to appreciate what she was losing.

You see? the Shard whispered, its influence growing stronger as her emotional defenses weakened. You see what was taken from you? Join with me, and you can have it all back. You can reshape this world into one where such happiness is possible again.

The temptation was overwhelming. The power the Shard offered was vast, godlike in scope. She could bring her father back, could undo the tragedies that had shaped her life. She could create a world where dragons and humans lived in harmony, where love conquered all.

All she had to do was stop fighting.

Vion's resistance began to crumble. The crystal around her pulsed brighter as the Shard's influence spread deeper into her being. She could feel her consciousness fragmenting, pieces of herself being subsumed into something larger and infinitely more alien.

But then she felt it—another presence, another magic interfering with the process. A second presence that felt ancient and powerful but fundamentally different from the Shard. This magic was trying to bend the dragon's power to its own will, using her as a conduit but for purposes that had nothing to do with the Shard’s intentions.

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Neal, she realized with growing horror. The mysterious figure who had orchestrated all of this wasn't just trying to resurrect the dead god—he was trying to control the process, to bind the awakened power to his own will.

The two forces were pulling in different directions, and she was caught in the middle, being torn apart by their conflicting desires.

The dragon began to rampage, its partially awakened ‘consciousness’ driven mad by the competing influences. Through her unwilling connection to the creature, Vion herself felt rage and confusion as it—she—lashed out at everything around it. She could sense the destruction it was causing, the lives of the Wyverns who’d approached too close being lost as it rampaged through the mountain passes.

"Stop," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the psychic storm raging in her mind. "Please, stop this madness."

But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Vion tried desperately to assert control, to use her connection to the creature to calm its rampage. But she was fighting a losing battle on multiple fronts. The Shard's influence continued to grow stronger, eating away at her sense of self. The Ascendant's magic wrapped around her like chains, binding her will to his purposes.

Her draconic nature rebelled against the bindings, but even that was being corrupted. She could feel scales erupting along her skin, but they were wrong—black as midnight and edged with an unnatural crimson glow. Her eyes began to change, the familiar gold being consumed by swirling voids that reflected no light.

All while she cried tears of blood, feeling her body begin to break down.

Almost there, the Shard purred with satisfaction. Just a little more, and the transformation will be complete. You'll be reborn as something magnificent—a goddess of destruction and renewal.

Through the psychic chaos, she caught glimpses of the outside world. The kingdom was in chaos, the eclipse-darkened sky filled with unnatural phenomena. Monsters and spirits climbed the walls, the kingdom within on fire.

Somewhere in that chaos, Vion knew, Noah and the others would be in danger. If the undead dragon reached the capital—she didn’t know if even Zax would be able to stop it from taking lives. The knowledge filled her with rage and despair in equal measure. Even if she somehow broke free of this nightmare, would there be anything left to save?

In what she knew might be her final moments of true consciousness, Vion's thoughts turned to Noah. Not to the power he wielded or the destiny that seemed to follow him, but to simpler things. The way he looked when he was sleeping. The manic smiles that lit up his features when he was fighting. The fierce protectiveness that drove him to risk everything for those he cared about.

Noah, she thought as the darkness closed in around her consciousness. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't be stronger.

***

Lyra led them through a maze of back alleys and hidden passages, her movements sure and practiced despite the chaos erupting around them. Noah's enhanced senses picked up the approach of dangers before they materialized. Twice they had to take cover as patrols of guards thundered past, their armor clanking with desperate urgency—the deeper into the outskirts of the city they went, the lesser lunar cultists were present.

Only the monsters and the patrol guards. One easier to deal with, the other easier to avoid, especially when they had four civilians to also escort.

Lyra stopped before what appeared to be an ordinary merchant's storefront. She pressed her hand against a specific stone in the wall, and a section of the facade swung inward to reveal a hidden entrance.

"Quickly," she whispered, ushering them inside.

The passage led to a spacious underground chamber that had clearly been prepared for exactly this kind of emergency. The walls were lined with supplies—weapons, food, medical equipment—and magical light crystals provided steady illumination. The air was thick with protective enchantments that made Noah's skin tingle.

"Noah! Aurelia! Erwest! You made it!"

Seraphina's voice cut through the chamber as she rushed toward them, relief flooding her features. Behind her, Kaelan, Valeria and Valros stood near a large table covered in maps and documents, all their expressions grim—Kaelan and Valeria looked up and seemed genuinely relieved when they saw them, but they couldn’t muster a smile.

“We somehow made it,” he replied to Seraphina, before looking at the few civilians sat near the walls.

Noah gestured for the family behind them to go join the civilians. The father nodded, before thanking them, “Thank you so, so much. Without you, we’d have been…”

“It’s not a problem.” He replied, and Aurelia and Erwest joined in with nods.

"Thank the dragons you're safe," Kaelan said, approaching behind Seraphina and clasping Noah's shoulder. "We feared the worst."

“Where’s Snow?” Noah asked, looking around.

At this, both Seraphina and Kaelan’s expressions fell. “She was in the library, and taken in by the royal guards.” Seraphina finally answered. “I’m so, so sorry.”

"My brother has been captured too," Valros said quietly. "My brother..." He paused, his jaw tightening. "Captain Averos tried to speak in your defense. He's been arrested as a traitor along with the rest of his family. Kaelan is the only one who made it out in time."

Noah's hands clenched into fists. First Vion, now Snow, and Kaelan's family. He looked to Kaelan, whose expression was carefully blank.

Noah reached for the communication bracelet on his wrist, channeling mana into the device as he attempted to ping Zax's location—send him a message, receive a message, anything at all. The bracelet glowed briefly, then went dark.

No response.

Noah tried again, pouring more energy into the attempt. Still nothing.

"Zax's not responding," Noah said, his voice hollow, realization sinking in. "The bracelet should work regardless of distance or magical interference. The only way it wouldn't work is if..."

"If he's dead, imprisoned beyond magical reach, or in a place where the fundamental laws of reality are disrupted," Aurelia finished grimly. "None of those options are good, considering the true extent of Zax’s power."

The chamber fell silent except for the distant rumble of the dragon's roar echoing through the city above. Noah's mind raced through the possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last. Zax was ancient, powerful, and cunning. For him to simply vanish meant they were facing something far beyond their current understanding.

"Something is wrong," Noah said, his voice growing stronger with conviction. "Something about this is very wrong. The king we met wasn't acting like this. Someone or something is controlling the situation. And what I know about these situations is that we can’t just sit idly."

"Even if that's true," Kaelan said desperately, "what can we do? The entire kingdom is turned against us. The royal guards, the council, even most civilians believe we're traitors."

Noah sighed, only one option surfacing to his mind. The only thing he could possibly think of that could help in this situation. "We're going to the castle. We're going to find Zax, rescue the prisoners, and get to the bottom of this."