Everyone Feared The Alpha King's Dragon — She Healed It, And He Chose Her As His Bride

The air grew hotter as Vera raced down the spiral stone steps, the echoes of battle fading behind her.

She burst into the vast magma cavern just in time to see Grand Master Vane standing on the lower platform, holding a glowing black crystal in his trembling hands.

Synindrath was thrashing wildly against his heavy iron chains, roaring as the black crystal emitted a high-pitched, agonizing frequency that vibrated through the stone floor.

"Stop!" Vera shouted, stepping out onto the ledge.

Vane spun around, a cruel, mad sneer twisting his face. "Ah, the little martyr returns! You ruined months of careful work, girl! That beast was supposed to die slowly, leaving Valdrich defenseless when Lord Malakor arrived!"

"You betrayed your kingdom for a tyrant!" Vera spat, taking a cautious step forward, her hand tightening around her dagger.

"I traded a doomed kingdom for unlimited power!" Vane cackled. He raised the black crystal high. "This crystal holds the core of the rotting curse. If I cannot rot the dragon’s flesh, I will burst his heart with pure darkness!"

He began chanting in a dark, ancient tongue. Synindrath let out a painful screech, his golden eyes clouding over with red fire as he collapsed onto his knees, the chains rattling furiously.

Vera didn't hesitate.

She didn't attack Vane with the dagger. Instead, she sprinted straight toward the Grand Master and threw her body directly onto the black crystal in his hands.

"No, you fool!" Vane shrieked.

The moment Vera’s skin made contact with the dark crystal, the curse inside her own wrists reacted like dry tinder exposed to a spark.

The dark energy didn't kill her—it recognized her as a Painbearer, a living vessel capable of absorbing infinity. Vera opened her soul wide, pulling the raw, chaotic dark magic out of the crystal and directly into her own heart.

The crystal shattered into useless black dust.

Vane gasped in terror as the dark magic swirled around Vera like a hurricane of black fire. Her eyes turned solid gold, her hair flying wildly in the rising heat.

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