Chapter 23
That night, Andri dreamed a strange dream.
He dreamed of a woman he had never met—the former queen of Imresia, executed long ago by King Alexios himself. A mother whose face he should not have known.
He had been told that Queen Irina came from an ancient borderland bloodline said to carry traces of old magic. In truth, it had apparently resembled divination more than sorcery. Even so, the futures Irina foretold rarely failed to come to pass. Time and again, Irina’s visions had led Imresia to victory, while Alexios earned renown across the realm as an undefeated warrior king.
Irina was smiling.
Mother.
Andri tried to call out to her, but no sound left his throat.
As he stepped toward her, Irina turned her gaze elsewhere.
Something enormous stood there.
It stood upon massive hind legs, its forelimbs formed into vast membranous wings. A jagged line of sharp horns ran from the back of its skull along its spine and down to the tip of its long tail, crossing a vast body of smoky ash-brown scales.
Its face remained hidden.
Even without seeing its face, Andri knew at once what it was.
A Dracotyrannus.
Its form looked nothing like Yuki’s long serpentine body. And though Andri had never once seen himself transformed, he knew instinctively that this creature resembled him far more closely than hers ever could.
Had his mother truly conceived him with a Dracotyrannus?
And if she had… why?
He wanted to ask.
Yet for reasons he could not explain, he found himself unable to look away from the Dracotyrannus.
Then he realized where he was standing.
The winds of the far north screamed across the frozen land. The icy gales that swept southward into Imresia were cold enough to make breathing itself painful.
And yet, strangely, Andri felt no cold at all.
Looking down, he saw himself clothed in the thick layered garments and heavy winter cloak Yuki and the others had given him. They were as warm and comforting as they had been the first time he wore them.
We want thee to remain here for as long as thou desirest.
And whenever thou wishest… return to us.
They had found him.
They had warmed his body.
And they had warmed his heart.
Yet still—
No one reached out to that lonely dragon.
It was supposed to have been sealed away. So how had it returned to this world?
Was that Dracotyrannus truly his father?
And if so… where was he now? What was he seeking?
“…Father.”
The moment the word left his lips, Andri awoke to the sound of his own voice.
Warm morning light spilled across his face.
When he touched his cheek, he realized tears had already run down to his temples.
