Reincarnated as the Last Dragon Egg
Chapter 18: The Rift

Chapter 18: The Rift

The ocean boiled.

Not with heat—but with presence.

A pressure so dense it made my bones ache. The sea itself recoiled. The very abyss cracked open like a wound—and from it came a hum... low, ancient, full of hunger.

Thalyra hovered beside me, eyes wide.

> "We were wrong," she whispered. "The Hollowed didn’t find the Rift Maw.

They were called by it."

---

Escape From the Sunken Vault

The Vault around us began to collapse. Cracks raced across its coral foundations, glass pillars burst from the pressure of the force awakening below. Deepfire sputtered out. Magic fractured.

"Go!" Thalyra roared. "Fly, Darian!"

"But—"

She didn’t wait.

She slammed her wings together, sending a tidal shockwave that hurled me upward. In the split second before I lost sight of her, I saw her dive—back toward the abyss.

Toward it.

> "I’ll hold it back! Tell the Flameborn!"

---

Breaching the Surface

I shot upward like a spear of flame. The Aether Sea churned violently, waves rising into walls, sky blackening even as the moon trembled.

When I broke the surface, it was like being born again—gasping, panting, wings wet and heavy.

A moment later, a ripple tore through the horizon.

A beam of black flame erupted from the ocean behind me—wider than any mountain, twisting the clouds into ash.

> It was awake now.

The Rift Maw had begun to see.

And it wanted to feed.

---

Return to Emberwatch

I flew harder than I ever had, crossing entire mountain ranges before nightfall. My wings bled. My flame burned low.

But I made it.

Emberwatch stood alert, torches lit, scouts patrolling the walls. When I crash-landed in the main courtyard, Kaela and Solin were the first to reach me.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Solin touched my shoulder—and flinched.

"You saw it," he whispered. "The Rift Maw."

"I felt it," I breathed. "It’s not just an ancient weapon. It’s a... a hunger. A mind. And it’s waking."

Kaela paled. "Where’s Thalyra?"

I looked down.

"Still fighting. But not for long."

---

The Rift Explained

Later that night, in the council chamber, Solin summoned flame-maps across the room—ancient images burned into the aether itself.

"The Rift Maw," he began, "was created by Vaelus in the First Cataclysm. But even he could not control it. It devoured gods, dragons, whole kingdoms. So, the last of the Flamebound sealed it beneath the sea, guarded by sorrow and silence."

"But the Hollowed broke the seal," I said.

"No," Solin corrected. "They merely arrived in time. Something beneath the Hollowed... called them."

Silence fell.

And then the real truth sank in.

> "There’s something worse than the Hollowed."

---

The Call of the Rift

As the others debated strategy, I stood by the window.

And I heard it.

A whisper—not in words, but in instinct. A pressure on the back of my mind, like talons scraping my soul.

It wasn’t a threat.

It was a promise.

> "You belong to me, Sovereign. You always have."

I staggered back.

Solin turned to me sharply. "It’s already chosen you."

"What?"

"The Rift Maw... feeds on flame bloodlines. Sovereigns. You’re the last true vessel it needs."

---

Rise of the Hollowed Host

The next day, our scouts returned.

They didn’t speak.

They couldn’t.

One died immediately—his flame drained, his eyes hollow. Another babbled nonsense, eyes blackened by Voidfire.

Only one remained coherent long enough to speak:

> "They’re marching. All of them. From the North, East, Sea. Thousands.

Dragon shells. Flame wraiths. Risen gods.

The Hollowed Host is coming."

Kaela drew her blade. "Then we stand here."

I shook my head.

"No. If we fight them at Emberwatch, we lose."

"Then what do we do?"

I turned to the flame-map—and pointed to the mountains beyond Coldspire.

"There’s another Vault. Untouched. Sealed. A fragment of Sovereign Flame still sleeps there. If we reach it first, we gain a weapon. If they reach it... they finish what Vaelus began."

---

Final Orders

Kaela stepped beside me, hand on my shoulder. "Then we ride with you."

"No," I said. "I go alone. The Rift Maw wants me. If I bring a legion, it will sense our strength."

Solin nodded solemnly. "I will guard Emberwatch with my life."

Kaela hesitated—but finally gave in. "You better come back, Darian."

I smiled faintly.

> "This time, I’ll bring back the sun."