The two sat in tense silence amid the rubble at the bottom of the crater left by Seraphis’s attack. Each remained on edge, knowing that one wrong move, one poorly chosen word, could ignite the simmering tension between them into a full-blown battle—one that might leave even more destruction in its wake than the clash of dragons had. Yet, as it often goes in life, balance is rarely perfect. In this moment, it was Orion who held the upper hand, his spirit calm but watchful, while Atlas’s hand hovered over the hilt of his sword.

  “What is it you wanted to discuss?” Orion finally broke the silence. “Actually, let’s skip the formalities. I already know your questions. Yes, I am a dragon, and yes, the boy traveling with me is an avian. Anything else?”

  “I have eyes,” Atlas replied, his tone sharp. “What I want to know is, where have you been all this time? The last dragon sighting was ages ago, in the Fey Dominion. A brat named Cyrus rode on the back of a white dragon into war with demons. Wait, a moment…” Atlas’s eyes widened as realization dawned on him. “You’re that dragon! You helped Cyrus liberate the Fey!”

  “‘Helped’ is an overstatement,” Orion replied with a slight shake of his head. “Cyrus did the heavy lifting. He saved the Fey, though it came with a cost.”

  “What happened then?”

  “You already know,” Orion replied, a teasing grin spreading across his face. “He fell in love with some girl from a world beyond ours, and then he died. Years later, your kind banished her. After his death, I lost my place in the mortal world and retreated.”

  “So what brought you back? Was it the boy?” Atlas asked, his eyes narrowing.

  “Among other reasons,” Orion admitted.

  “He’s dangerous, dragon!” Atlas’s voice rose, the tension between them thickening. “When the child with wings forged from shadows is born, the endless night shall awaken. Darkness will stretch its hungry hands, devouring all in its path, until the world is but a whisper on the wind.”

  “Another of your empty prophecies, Crimson Blade?” Orion mocked, dismissing the warning with a scoff.

  “Empty or not, that boy is a threat to our world,” Atlas insisted, his tone accusing. “And your reappearance only makes me more suspicious. You’re planning to use his power against us to settle an ancient grudge. Isn’t that right, dragon?”

  “You’re as clueless as the fools who wrote those prophecies,” Orion laughed. “Why do you think the woman you loved was banished?” he asked suddenly, his expression turning serious.

  “Who are you talking about?” Atlas replied, feigning ignorance, countering with a question of his own.

  “You know damn well who I mean. Cyrus told me about your brief encounter with him,” Orion continued, his tone sharpening. “Only a jealous man would go to such lengths to warn another who loves the same woman. She chose a mortal over you, and that choice has fueled your hatred ever since. Isn’t that right, Atlas?”

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  “What are you getting at?” Atlas demanded, his voice simmering with anger.

  “Would a simple relationship between a mortal and an avian really warrant banishment?” Orion replied calmly. “Or was there something more that fate had in store for her?”

  “Just say it already,” Atlas snapped, his patience fraying.

  “A child, Atlas. A child of two worlds,” Orion said, his gaze piercing.

  “A child? That can’t be...” Atlas began, shaken.

  “What was the prophecy again?” Orion mused, stroking his white beard as if deep in thought. “Do not lie with a mortal, for its offspring will bring an end to us all. Wasn’t that it?”

  “How dare you make such baseless accusations!” Atlas shouted, his composure slipping. “She may have loved that man, but she would never bear his child! The risks were too great, and she wouldn’t… She wouldn’t…” His voice faltered, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

  “His name is Valerian,” Orion continued softly. “I couldn’t believe it at first, but when I heard that name, I knew. It was the name Cyrus always dreamed of giving his son.”

  “Liar!” Atlas roared, striking Orion with a powerful punch to the chest that sent him flying back.

  Orion’s Blackrock armor absorbed most of the blow, and he landed on his feet, slightly winded, but unyielding.

  “Believe it or not, it’s the truth,” Orion replied, steadying his breath.

  “If that were true, I would remember it!” Atlas countered, his voice breaking. “Seraphina was banished because… because…” He struggled to recall, but the harder he tried, the more his scars ached, the pain in his left arm intensifying.

  “No matter how hard you try, you can’t remember, can you?” Orion said, a knowing sadness in his voice. “I don’t know why, but I know this: when I look at that boy, I see Cyrus… I see him.” Orion’s smile was tinged with sorrow, his eyes glistening as though no tears fell. “Cyrus could never talk to women to save his life, and the only girl in the universe who was as strange as he was… was Seraphina. Though the boy’s personality is more like yours, there is no doubt—he is their child.”

  “And what if he is?” Atlas demanded, voice stern. “What difference does it make?”

  “It changes everything,” Orion replied, stepping closer to Atlas. “You may act like the ruthless warrior, the big bad wolf, to everyone else, but you can’t fool me. You would never kill the son of the woman you loved—even if he wasn’t yours. In fact, I’d bet you’d change sides the moment you saw him.”

  Atlas stood frozen, his will faltering, his convictions splintering like glass. Everything he thought he knew blurred, his soul teetering on the edge between accepting the truth or staying in comfortable ignorance, blindly continuing to follow the orders of a madman. His body trembled, his resolve wavered. And then, suddenly, a cold calm washed over him. He reached for his crimson blade, drawing it with a sharp, deliberate movement and pointing it at Orion.

  “You’re wrong about me, White One,” he whispered, his voice flat, his eyes devoid of emotion.

  Any trace of humanity he might have had, he cast aside, choosing to feign ignorance in the face of an unbearable truth. It was easier to follow orders than to question them. In this way, he could relinquish control of his life to someone else. He became an instrument of another’s will, sparing himself from all responsibility and burdens that he would otherwise have to bear.

  “If this is how you choose to face the truth,” Orion said quietly, the lightning sparking around him with renewed intensity, “then so be it.”

  The air crackled as distant thunder rumbled, and with a flash, Orion lunged toward Atlas. And so, a clash of titans began.