Page 260 of Scorching the Alien Empire
He stands before me in hisprime—strong, bare, radiant with all the proud beauty of his youth. His body is still seared with scripture, sacred words branded into flesh, glowing with such fury he’s barely an Elder at all. A being of pure light.
And he’s smiling. Paternal. Pleased.
“We’re proud of you,boy,” he says, drawing out the word with that familiar, smug lilt.
My throat tightens. His voice—Gods, his voice. I never thought I’d hear it again. The words hit harder than any savage hammer blow.
“Your glorious destiny awaits, War Chieftain,” he says, baring white fangs in a firelight grin. “Though your name already echoes through the ages. Tell me, what price would you pay for a drop more glory? Your life? Our people’s future? The Blessed Daughter? The death of a God?”
“Riddles? Even here, even now, you old gas-cloud?” I ask, barking a laugh, just glad to hear his voice.
“Indulge me,” he insists, head tilting, green eyes glowing like emerald stars.
“I would sacrifice only my life,” I say, spine straight, chin lifted.
“Noble,” he nods, as if he knew before I did. “But what price would the Blessed Daughter pay, do you think?” His voice and eyes glint with mischief.
The question slides between my ribs like a hidden blade.
“I...” My voice catches, gaze falling. “I do not know.”
But I do. Somewhere deep, in the place I do not dwell long.
I remember her lashing out, shields crashing like thunder. The manic gleam in her eye. That raw joy she takes in domination, in breaking things—hearts, bones, wills. The divine ambition that pulses through our bond like a second heartbeat.
“Perhaps... everything,” I admit, bitter ash on my tongue.
“Bold,” Ignixis hums. “But who is the stronger? The warrior who dies for a cause...” He lifts one blazing hand. “Or the daughter who burns the world to own it?” The other hand rises.
“Arawnoth teaches—”
“Oh, no wiggling out of this one,boy,” Ignixis laughs, wagging a molten finger at me. “I askedyou.”
My fists clench. This question—I’ve asked it a thousand times. It’s the same cudgel she uses against me, hidden beneath a smile. An impossible knot no claw can cut through.
In raw strength, in combat, no one matches me. But what is strength without the will to act? A blade without a hand to wield it is just a lump of metal waiting to rust.
“She is stronger,” I say finally, exhaling steam hot enough to peel stone.
“Oh?” Ignixis arches a brow. “You fear that answer because you fear what it says aboutyou. That you’ll fall like your father. That the weakness is in your blood.”
Once, those words would have lit a firestorm in my chest. I’d have lunged for his throat. Now, they brush past me like smoke.I am no longer that wounded creature, snarling in the dark. I know who I am. What I am.
“Shall I tell you the truth, young Dracoth?” he says, not waiting for permission in his typical style. “You are wrong. But not in the way you think. No other—none—could have resisted the Voidbringer’s torments as you did. You are the strongest. The bravest. The sharpest. The most enduring.”
He spreads his burning arms, flames swirling like a storm. “None can stand before you. You are a titan of war. Arawnoth’s chosen.Myproud son.”
The pride in his voice lifts something in me—something vast and vulnerable. “You honor me,” I whisper, voice cracking like brittle metal.
“Ah,” he waves a dismissive hand. “I honormyself.” A grin. “I had no small part in threading your needle through all those flaming pitfalls.” Then, his expression sharpens. The green fire in his eyes narrows. “Youdopossess one weakness, though. A weakness... that’s also your greatest strength.”
“Absurd.” I scowl. “The flames have boiled your brain.”
“Perhaps!” he cackles, wild and unrepentant. “Chaos dances in the light, after all.” I cross my arms, letting him ride it out. Eventually, he wheezes a laugh and straightens. “Ah... yes. Where was I?” He clears his throat. “Yes. It’s time for you to wake up. You’ve a trying day ahead of you.”
Arawnoth’s colossal fingers begin to curl inward. The sky shakes. Desperation rips through me. “Don’t go!” I shout, reaching up toward the burning heavens.
“I must, dear boy,” he says gently. “But know I watch over you.”
