The night air was crisp as Lyna stood by the window, her heart heavy with the weight of the decision she had made. Her belly had grown round with the life of her child, a constant reminder of the future she could no longer control. The whispers of the royal family, the sneers of courtiers—none of it mattered now. She had made her choice, and that choice was to leave.

The sound of footsteps behind her broke the silence. Lyna turned, her breath catching in her throat as she saw Celestia standing in the doorway, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight. The years of shared sorrow and strength had only deepened their bond, and Lyna could see the same weight in Celestia’s eyes that she felt in her own heart.

They embraced, holding each other close, as though the moment might shatter and slip away if they let go too soon. Lyna felt Celestia’s heartbeat against her chest, strong yet fragile, a rhythm that had guided her through the darkest times.

“I don’t want to go,” Lyna whispered, her voice cracking under the strain of the tears she refused to shed. She looked down at her swollen belly, the weight of her child pressing against her. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough.”

Celestia pulled back, cupping Lyna’s face in her hands. Her blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but her voice was steady. “You are stronger than you think, Lyna. You carry more than just a child. You carry a future that none of us can see yet. And you will be strong for him. He will need your strength.”

Lyna swallowed hard, blinking back the tears that blurred her vision. “What about you?” she asked, her voice trembling. “How will you survive here alone?”

The guilt clawed at her chest, heavier than she could bear. She had grown so close to Celestia, and now leaving felt like abandoning a piece of herself.

Celestia smiled, though it was tinged with sorrow. “I will find my way back to him,” she said softly. “This is not the end, Lyna. We will meet again.” Her voice carried a certainty that seemed to echo through the room. She bent down, placing a gentle kiss on Lyna’s belly. “We will meet again, my love,” she whispered, her words filled with a love that transcended time.

For a moment, everything stilled. Lyna felt the warmth of Celestia’s affection, not just for her, but for the child growing inside her. It was a love that bridged their pain, their hopes, and their unspoken fears.

Celestia straightened, reaching into her cloak and pulling out a pendant. The delicate silver chain glinted in the moonlight, and the runes carved into the stone seemed to shift as if alive with ancient magic. “This,” Celestia said, placing the pendant in Lyna’s hands, “is more than just a keepsake. It carries a piece of me. If ever you need me, no matter where I am, I will hear you. But use it wisely—its magic is fragile now.”

Lyna’s hand trembled as she took the pendant, feeling its cool weight against her skin. The power within it thrummed softly, a pulse of energy that felt like a heartbeat. She knew, without a doubt, that it held a connection far deeper than the physical.

“I will protect him,” Lyna whispered, clutching the pendant tightly. “And when the time is right, I will find you.”

Celestia nodded, her smile bittersweet. “Love is the strongest force we have, Lyna. It will guide you through this.”

They stood in silence for a moment longer, their unspoken bond hanging in the air like a promise neither could break. But eventually, the time came. Celestia stepped back, her form glowing faintly in the soft light. Her eyes, filled with sorrow and love, met Lyna’s one last time.

“Goodbye, Lyna,” Celestia whispered, her voice breaking as she turned to leave.

Lyna watched as Celestia’s form dissolved into the shadows, her heart heavy with the finality of their parting. The room felt colder, emptier without her. Lyna’s hand instinctively went to her belly, feeling the life stirring within.

Aeron appeared from the shadows, his face a mix of resolve and worry. “Are you ready?” he asked, his voice gentle but firm.

Lyna nodded, though the tears still lingered in her eyes. “We have to leave now,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “The pressure from the royal family is growing. They won’t stop until they take him.”

Aeron stepped closer, taking her hands in his, his warmth soothing the cold that had settled in her heart. “I know,” he said softly. “But we will protect him. Together.”

Lyna smiled weakly, drawing strength from his words. “Together.”

But even as she spoke, a flicker of doubt settled deep in her chest. She knew the journey ahead would be long, filled with dangers they couldn’t yet see. Forces beyond their understanding were at play—forces tied to Celestia, to Einar, and to a destiny far greater than any of them.

For now, though, all she could do was hold on to the hope that love would be enough to carry them through.

** **

The wind stirred gently through the trees, carrying the whispers of past lives and broken promises as Einar stood before the grave of Aeron. The old tree nearby swayed softly, casting long shadows over the earth where his mother had just revealed the truth that would change everything.

Einar stared down at the pendant in his hand—Celestia’s pendant. It glimmered faintly, catching the last light of the fading sun, and he clenched it tightly, feeling its weight in his palm. This pendant was more than just a relic; it was a tether to his past, to the woman he could barely remember but whose presence haunted his every dream.

“All this time,” Einar whispered, his voice raw, as if speaking the words aloud made the truth more real. “I was him.”

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Lyna stood a few feet away, her red hair catching the dying light, her eyes filled with an emotion he couldn’t quite decipher—pain, perhaps, or fear. Or maybe something deeper. She had waited for this moment for years, dreading it and yet knowing it was inevitable. Now, her son, Einar Emberheart, stood before her, but she wasn’t sure if it was truly him.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner,” Lyna’s voice trembled as she stepped toward him. “You deserved to know... but I wanted to protect you. I wanted you to have a peaceful life.”

Einar’s jaw tightened, his crimson eyes flashing with a storm of emotions—confusion, anger, and something deeper, something that gnawed at him like a festering wound. He couldn’t quite name it yet, but it hurt all the same.

“A peaceful life?” he asked bitterly, his voice low and filled with hurt. “Then why are my memories gone? If I was this... warrior, this man who fought for an entire race, why would someone take that from me? Why hide it?”

Lyna’s face softened with regret. “The seal I placed was only meant to suppress your magic,” she whispered. “I didn’t touch your memories. Those were sealed by something... older, something far beyond my power.”

“What do you mean?” Einar’s voice was sharp now, demanding answers. He needed something to hold onto, something to make sense of the swirling chaos in his mind.

“There were runes,” Lyna said, her hands trembling slightly as she spoke. “Ancient runes on your heart, placed there by someone... someone close to you. Celestia didn’t tell me everything, but she said it was done to protect you.”

Einar’s breath hitched at the mention of Celestia’s name, his heart twisting painfully. His mind raced, images of battles, of fire, and a woman with golden hair and crystal blue eyes filling his thoughts. But it was all fragments—disjointed, like pieces of a shattered mirror he couldn’t put together.

“Where is she?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper now. “Where is Celestia?”

Lyna hesitated, her gaze dropping to the ground. “I don’t know,” she admitted softly. “She gave me this pendant to call her when the time was right, but... it hasn’t responded in years. I fear... she may be lost.”

The pendant in Einar’s hand felt heavier now, like it was a piece of his soul that had been ripped away and left to wither. His chest tightened, a painful ache spreading through him. The woman in his dreams, the one who had fought beside him, loved him, died for him—was she still waiting for him? Or was she gone, lost like the land of dragons, wiped from history?

“What about Mythoria?” Einar’s voice cracked, the name of the land falling from his lips like a forgotten song. “The land of dragons... what happened to it?”

Lyna’s face grew solemn, her eyes filled with sadness. “Einar... it’s as if it never existed,” she whispered, her voice heavy with grief. “No one remembers it. It’s not in any records, any books. The dragons, the Dragonkin... they’ve been erased.”

Erased.

** **

The word echoed in Einar’s mind like a death knell. His fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms as the rage began to rise, burning hot in his chest. His people, his land, his very existence had been wiped away, like they had never lived at all. An entire race... gone. And for what? For who?

“Why?” His voice shook, barely holding back the storm of emotions that threatened to tear him apart. “Why would someone do this? Why erase us from the world?”

Lyna looked at him with sorrow in her eyes, shaking her head. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “But I know there are forces in this world far greater than we can understand. Perhaps they feared the dragons... perhaps they feared you.”

The weight of her words pressed down on him, suffocating. Einar took a step back, struggling to breathe. The world felt like it was closing in, the enormity of his past crashing down on him with brutal force. And then there was Celestia. She had fought for him, sacrificed everything for him... and now, she was waiting. Somewhere. Alone.

Einar’s chest tightened painfully, and his hands trembled as he looked at Lyna, his voice breaking. “Do I have to choose, Mother?” His question was desperate, his eyes searching hers for an answer that would make the pain go away. “Between this life... and my past?”

Lyna’s eyes glistened with tears as she stepped closer to him, reaching out to gently touch his face. “I wish you didn’t have to,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “But Celestia... she’s been waiting for you. For so long, Einar. You can’t run from who you are.”

Einar shook his head, his heart pounding in his chest. “But what about you? What about Alice? Do I leave my family behind for a woman I barely remember?”

Lyna smiled sadly, brushing a tear from his cheek. “You’re not leaving us,” she said softly. “You’re becoming who you were always meant to be. Celestia... she’s a part of you, just like we are. You don’t have to choose.”

Einar swallowed hard, his throat tight with emotion. He didn’t want to lose his family. He didn’t want to abandon the life he had built here. But he couldn’t ignore the pull in his chest, the call of his past, of the woman who still haunted his dreams.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough.”

Lyna’s hand trembled as she reached for the pendant around her neck—the one Celestia had given her. She placed it in his hand, her fingers brushing his. “You’re stronger than you know, Einar,” she said, her voice steady despite the tears in her eyes. “And you won’t be doing this alone.”

She took a deep breath, her expression turning resolute. “I’ll lift the seal on your magic.”

Einar’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes widening. “Mother, no—”

“I have to,” she said firmly, her voice leaving no room for argument. “It’s time, Einar. You need your power to protect those you love. To find Celestia. You were born with a dragon’s heart, and it’s time for it to awaken.”

Einar hesitated, fear gnawing at the edges of his resolve. “But what if... what if it hurts you?”

Lyna smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll be fine,” she whispered, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her. “This is my gift to you.”

Einar swallowed hard, guilt twisting in his chest. But he nodded, knowing there was no turning back now.

They sat facing each other, their knees almost touching as Lyna began to chant softly, her voice a melodic hum that filled the air around them. The sound was ancient, a language Einar didn’t recognize, yet something about it resonated deep within him. It was the sound of power being unraveled, of magic long-dormant awakening.

Einar closed his eyes, feeling the magic stir, a soft warmth blooming from her hand into his. It started gently, like the warmth of a summer sun, but soon, the energy surged, like fire spreading through his veins. The heat was intense, almost unbearable, as if a volcano had erupted inside him.

Suddenly, a shock of cold coursed through him, sharp and biting, like a flood of icy water had doused him. His breath hitched, and he felt a pulse—a bolt of red lightning crackling inside him, wild and untamed. His muscles tensed, his hands clenched tightly as the energy surged through every part of him.

This… this power. It was his. It had always been his.

The lightning coiled inside him, wrapping itself around his heart like a storm. His body trembled, but beneath the chaos, something felt familiar—this was the element that belonged to him. His power. His heritage.

He could feel the dragon’s blood inside him awakening. He could feel it coursing through his veins, mixing with the magic in his core. This wasn’t just about lifting a seal. This was about becoming whole again.

He closed his eyes, trying to control the overwhelming force coursing through him. He focused, breathing deeply, guiding the energy to his core, where the Mana Core in his chest—not his abdomen—burned with a steady flame.

A single word echoed in his mind: Dragon Heart.

And then... something went wrong.