The skies above Linemall trembled with the beat of Erandyl's wings.

The Dragon Lord of the Earth soared through the air, her vast form cutting through the clouds as if the heavens themselves parted before her. Behind her stretched the coalition she had summoned at Lukas' request: the full might of the Earthborn, gathered under the singular will of their Lord. Soldiers flew in unbroken ranks, their armor forged from the bones of mountains, their banners carrying the sigil of the Great House Telaryon.

The army Erandyl had raised was vast enough to cover the lands below in a sea of shadow. Yet, despite this show of strength, Erandyl's hope had already begun to dwindle.

She had felt it—waves of power rippling across the land, unnatural surges of magic that no mortal should wield. And then came the stillness, something that filled them all with dread. Erandyl recognized it for what it was: the Heart of Kaeryth, the vessel that stood as a testament to her mother's sacrifice had beat its last. The steady pulse that had kept Founder's Spell alive through countless ages had gone still, putting an end to the magic that had kept Linemall hidden from the rest of the world.

The Dragon Lord's claws tightened as sorrow weighed her wings, but before despair could root itself fully, she felt something brush against her mind. A presence, delicate yet insistent, seeking entrance. Erandyl stiffened at the sudden intrusion but still she allowed the connection to be formed, she heard a voice.

It was a voice Erandyl had not thought she would hear ever again.

"Hello, grandmother."

Time itself seemed to halt.

Erandyl's heart lurched, her mind reeling as disbelief warred with a fragile, dangerous joy.

It was Kaitlyn. Her Kaitlyn. Her granddaughter was alive.

The Dragon Lord nearly halted mid-flight, her colossal wings missing a beat, clutching at the impossible hope that this was real.

"Know that I am alive and well," Kaitlyn's voice continued, steady yet urgent. "The time for explanations can wait. I need you to listen to me."

Erandyl did not answer. She could not. Words clogged her throat as tears threatened her sharp, ancient eyes. Her silence was not refusal but a desperate effort to hold herself together.

Far ahead, upon the peak of Mount Ashendir, Kaitlyn stood with the wind pulling at her hair, her gaze unwavering. Through the power of Jesse's Crown, her voice carried across the distance between them and into Erandyl's mind. At her side, Jesse gave the Royal Consort of the Seas the faintest of nods. His eyes were firm, his resolve unshakable, urging her to repeat the words he had told her to speak just moments ago.

"You must name Lukas as your successor."

The words struck harder than any blow Erandyl had received in all her years of living. For a moment, the sky itself seemed to rumble as Erandyl's wrath surged. Shock burned into outrage, disbelief into defiance. Her voice roared back across the bond, raw and unrestrained.

"Have you lost control of your bloodydamn mind? He is a bastard! He is of House Drakos! For what reason would I ever name him my successor!? How can you—"

But her fury was cut short by the magic of the Crown.

Through Kaitlyn's eyes, Erandyl was made to see the truth.

Jesse and the Lady Kaitlyn stood upon the jagged peak of Mount Ashendir, the winds howling all around them. But their eyes lay beyond the great mountain and it found the fight that raged on below.

What Erandyl saw took her breath away.

The sea was not calm. It was not in motion as mortals knew it. The waters themselves warred against each other, vast waves rising higher than the Magic Tower of Easthaven, colliding with a violence that could have drowned kingdoms in its path. It was as if the oceans and the seas were fighting amongst themselves, each surge driven by a will beyond comprehension.

But Erandyl knew who this power belonged to.

It belonged to the Hero from Another World.

Who else could command the seas themselves to rage as though alive? Who else could wield the strength of an immortal with such devastating ease?

It was the Hero who had laid waste to her people long ago, tearing apart hundreds of thousands of dragons; all of whom had fought for the sake of their people. It was the Champion of Oceanus who had cut the greatest generals Linemall had ever seen along with the Lords who led them into battle. It was that very man who had killed Erandyl's children when they went to war. And now, the Hero From Another World had finally found the Kingdom of Dragons and he was here to finish what he had begun. He was here to drive the draconic kind into an early extinction.

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Through Kaitlyn's eyes, Erandyl took it all in, and grief welled in her chest like molten stone.

The sight of those waves was enough to unmake the hope that had already began to die.

But those waves never reached Linemall.

For there was one who stood against it. A single dragon, defiant before the Hero's overwhelming might.

That dragon's name was Lukas Drakos.

At first, Erandyl could hardly believe it. She had always known that Lukas was strong, stronger than most Lords she had encountered in her lifetime. But this—this was something else entirely. To hold back even a fragment of Oceanus' full power defied all logic, logic that had separated the mortals from the very gods they worshipped. And yet there Lukas was, his will carved into the very fabric of the waves, his body standing firm against the storm that would have erased empires.

The knowledge that her granddaughter yet lived was miracle enough. But to see Lukas stand where all others would have been swept away—it struck her deeper than she could have ever anticipated.

Then another voice joined the bond, steady and commanding, resonating with the weight of centuries.

"Erandyl."

This voice belonged to Rysenth Ishtar, the Dragon Lord of the Flames, his own Crown bridging their minds as seamlessly as Jesse's and Kaitlyn's.

"It is what must be done. Lukas is the reason we yet draw breath. Without him, the Hydra would have put an end to our lives. You know this as well as I do." Rysenth's voice pressed on, unwavering, even as he felt his fellow Lord's uncertainty through their connection. "He needs our strength, now more than ever. He needs it, Erandyl."

And for the first time in centuries, the Dragon Lord of the Earth felt the certainty of her own convictions falter.

Finally, a new voice entered her mind, firm yet measured, carrying the authority of one who knew exactly what was at stake.

"My name is Jesse Sterling," he said. "You knew my grandfather, Godric, the last of the Lords who ruled Linemall's Skies. You know my father, Samuel Sterling, the current Head of House Sterling. Now, the only Lord my father and I serve is Lukas Drakos. I don't care if he is a bastard. Right now, he is the only thing keeping the Hero from destroying this kingdom. Name him your successor…so that he may fight with the strength of all those who have come before him."

The words cut through Erandyl like a blade of truth, stripping away her defenses.

For the first time, she saw the brilliance of Jesse's design.

Lukas was strong, stronger than she dared to admit. But strength alone would not be enough. Against the Hero from Another World—against the wrath of Oceanus embodied in mortal flesh—there was no single warrior, not even an army of dragons, who could defeat him. Not when the golden ichor of a Titan ran through his veins. Even she, Dragon Lord of the Earth, knew better than to imagine herself capable of standing against such force. The vast host she had raised, the banners, the strength and the pride of the Earthborn, would scatter like leaves in the gale in the face of the Hero's strength.

But if she named Lukas as her successor…then that would change everything.

Lukas had inherited the Crest of the Lord and it was the very same Legacy that now allowed him to stand as the Hero's equal and meet him in battle. If Erandyl named him her successor, if both Rysenth and even Samuel named Lukas as their successor…then every dragon who had been named a Lord of Linemall, past and present, regardless of their House, would pour their strength into his veins.

Lukas would not only inherit a Legacy, he would inherit the strength of his people; the power of countless generations.

If Lukas bore that mantle, Erandyl did not know what he might be capable of.

Lukas Drakos could ascend to heights no dragon, no mortal, no Lord had ever dreamed of reaching. Heights Eranyl realized that he must reach, if Linemall was to survive and if he was to overcome the Hero From Another World.

For centuries Erandyl Telaryon had carried this title and she had not known that there would ever be a day where she would no longer be the Dragon Lord of the Earth. There had, of course, been times when Erandyl had wished to pass it on, to let another bear the burden, but she had endured—for duty, for her people and for love of the earth that had given her life. She had continued to lead her people because there had been none willing and worthy to take her place.

It was in this moment that Erandyl thought of Lukas.

She thought of his sharp defiance, his conviction and the way he had spoken of a future where the Great Houses might stand as one, a future where Lukas swore that he would see every single dragon freed. He was reckless, yes, but not foolish. He bore a love for his people that she had not seen since the very first Dragon Lords, the very ones who had created this sanctuary they would all come to know as the Kingdom of Linemall.

Lukas carried dreams of unity and freedom but above all…he carried a dream of a better world. That was not something that could be instilled in another, it was the type of love that defied all reason but it was this type of love that ended up changing the world.

It would change it for the better.

Lukas Drakos was worthy. And he was willing.

In that moment, Erandyl knew what must be done.

Through the bond of their Crowns, three voices joined together, the weight of their oaths forever leaving its mark in the annals of history. Together, the voices of Erandyl Telaryon, Rysenth Ishtar and Samuel Sterling rose as one, a declaration that would echo through the ages.

"I name Lukas Drakos as my successor. May he lead Linemall into a better future for the sake of our people. May he act as a shield that will never break and may he protect us all now and for the rest of his days."

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