The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 107: A Similar Kind

Chapter 107: A Similar Kind

>>Ariston

The air was thick with the scent of blood and fire. The echoes of dying roars still lingered as I sprinted through the halls of the palace, back toward the isolated wing.

As I reached the heavy metal door again, I hesitated for just a breath.

Then I pushed it open.

The hinges groaned, loud and unwilling. The sight on the other side made me still.

Aelin lay slumped on the floor, her small form curled and unmoving beneath the fractured light streaming in through the ruined window. The curtains fluttered like torn banners behind her. Cracks split across the floor. Black blood stained the tiles around her.

But no monsters.

None.

Just her.

Alone in the chaos.

I took a slow step forward, eyes sweeping the room. The cores had been shattered—holy magic residue lingered in the air, warm and dense. My lips pulled into a slow smile.

She did it.

Aelin, the little human princess, had stood her ground and won.

I crossed the room quickly and knelt beside her. Her breathing was shallow but steady, her forehead slick with sweat. There were smudges of soot on her cheeks and blood—thankfully not hers—on her hands. Her eyes were closed, lashes fanned against her skin, and she looked... peaceful.

I didn’t know how long she’d fought. Or what she had to push through to do it.

But she did.

Gently, I brushed some hair from her face and rested my hand on her shoulder. "You did well, Princess," I whispered. "Better than any of us expected."

I exhaled through my nose. Somewhere deep inside, pride flared. Not just for her magic, but for the courage it took to face something like that alone.

Then I muttered, more to myself than her, "Draegon is going to lose his mind when he sees you like this."

But it was a rare kind of chaos we’d all stepped into tonight. And if this was just the beginning... then I’d rather have someone like Aelin on our side.

Even if she didn’t know how strong she truly was—yet.

I shifted her carefully into my arms. She groaned faintly, head leaning into my shoulder. Her body was warm—too warm. Probably from the magic. I’d seen mages burn themselves out before, but hers didn’t feel like that. It felt different. Like the magic had come from somewhere deeper.

Older.

I glanced once more at the charred remains of the monster. Then to the open sky beyond the shattered wall.

She must have exhausted all her mana since she has never used it before.

I tried to look beyond the battle.

With a person like Aelin here, ’He’ might just come looking too. It’s a chance I might not get again.

***

>>Draegon

The woman stood in an eerie clearing, unmoving, framed by the blood-red dawn and the smoke curling from scorched earth.

"Why are you killing my children?"

The words hit me like a slap. My muscles locked.

Children? What is she saying? Who is she referring to? My gaze went around once.

She asked me why ’I’m’ killing them, does she mean the monsters?

I took a cautious step forward, scanning her. It was after I took a closer look that I realized something. She was tall—easily over seven feet. Slender, yet statuesque. I could feel it: the pressure in the air around her, the way the magic curled unnaturally. Not just demon magic.

Abyssal.

My claws extended in a hiss of flame and smoke. My first thought was to put her in the same category as Ruoxy. She was definitely a similar kind.

An abyss worshipper.

"What do you want?" I asked her

Her expression didn’t change. If anything, her grief deepened. "You slaughtered them like they were nothing."

There was this weird sense of unease in me. I don’t think asking her anything will lead to any answers. I should incapacitate her first.

I didn’t wait. I lunged forward, ready to strike her down.

But I never made it. Just as I started my movement, something happened.

Something flickered—a movement I couldn’t track. In less than a heartbeat, she was gone from her spot.

"Wha—?"

And then she was suddenly right in front of me.

!!!?

And before I could react, two hands—hands that hadn’t been clasped in front of her a moment ago—shot out from the folds of her robe. No, not her robe. Her body. These weren’t ordinary limbs. They were black, skeletal, jointed wrong, and far too long. These second pair of arms were under her first pair, that was still collapsed together in front of her chest.

They plunged into my chest.

Pain burst through me like lightning. My breath left me in a roar as I was flung backwards across the ruined courtyard. I hit the stone wall with a crunch and crumbled to my knees.

The nun stepped forward, her face serene.

"You must pay for what you’ve done to my children."

I growled and shoved myself to my feet. Blood dripped from the gashes in my chest.

My heart thundered, fury and pain mingling in my veins. I had not expected that. I wasn’t prepared.

No,

I knew now.

She wasn’t just some worshipper. She wasn’t on the same level as Alishay or Ruoxy.

One hit from her and I could tell she was far stronger. Far far stronger.

My flames surged across my arms as I bared my teeth.

And then we clashed.

I struck first, unleashing a wave of fire that turned the ground to molten glass. She moved with unmatched speed, floating more than walking, her monstrous limbs deflecting my strikes. Her claws met my own with a screech of magic against magic.

I ducked under a sweeping arm and slashed her side, but no blood came—only a hiss of smoke.

It simply meant I hadn’t cut her deep enough.

She retaliated, launching me skyward. I twisted midair, wings snapping open, and dove back down, claws blazing.

We collided again. Her robes tore away in places but I couldn’t land a proper hit

Considering she was a worshipper, that means she has a core too and I need to find it to kill her.

I roared, slamming her with a fire-infused punch that cracked the stone beneath her feet. She staggered but didn’t fall. Her eyes glowed now—a deep hollow black, filled with sorrow and rage.

But I need to make my hits stronger so I can cut her open!

We ran towards each other, limbs ready to thrash.

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