Eorsoim stumbled out of the hidden alcove deep inside another mountain far from Dragons Peak. His blood left a thick trail that a blind human could follow if there were anyone around. Naturally, there wasn't. His secret sanctuary was precisely that, a secret. It was here that he stored his most precious treasures, some of which he crushed as he stumbled his way to the altar. His vision swam as he tried to reach his only chance at survival. He nearly walked past it when he noticed he had arrived at his destination. The altar was dragon-sized and made of a nearly indestructible type of obsidian. On the side were carved figures of dragons with two legs and humanoid shapes, known as dragonkin. They were unrelated to the walking animals known as kin, but those that transformed propagated the lie. It was beneficial to have an entire race worship you, even more so, knowing that he was defeated by one. How had a kin of all creatures defeated him? Utter madness.

Eorsoim grabbed the chalice that rested atop the altar and pressed it to one of his many wounds. Once it was filled with blood, he returned it to the altar as he began casting. The spell was long and complex. There was a chance he might not survive, but he had to take the risk. One by one, the carved figures' eyes illuminated with a bright white light. He assumed the third figure's eyes were blazing as his sight gradually grew dark, hiding his surroundings. His voice grew distant as he mumbled the last few words, nearly faltering. The spell either completed or failed. He wasn't sure which. He might be experiencing spell feedback right now, but with his failing body, he wouldn't even notice. Eorsoim let go of his consciousness as even his thoughts faded to nothing.

***

A cool drip of water on his forehead woke Eorsoim. The first thing he noticed was how big everything was. The altar towered above him, and the cavern was so massive that he could even fly in here. Eorsoim looked down at his black, scaly hands, and there were hands, not front legs, as he turned them over, marveling at the change. He'd done it. He was the first new dragonkin in nearly a century. He collapsed on his ass, chuckling. He'd survived. Now it was time to recover what strength he could, then get answers. He would start with the humans. There were many prominent cities that humans had made or conquered over the years. Surely one of them could explain what that monster was. He shivered as he recalled the look in the kin's eyes and that terrible power. A shiver of fear shook his entire body. That was a sensation he'd never felt before. He didn't like it, not at all.

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***

"How many did we lose?" Azura asked her mother as she finally collapsed against a tree. She was utterly exhausted. How many lives did she save today? Azura might have killed the most dragons, but her mother felt like the real hero.

"We're still counting. Best guess is nearly two hundred."

"Two hundred," Azura said, the weight heavy on her shoulders as she joined her mother. Unfortunately, it had become a burden she had grown accustomed to. That wasn't a good sign. She looked up at the clear blue sky and wondered how it could be such a lovely day with so many dead.

"You think it was worth it?" Azura asked.

"It was," Coralline said, immediately taking Azura by surprise. "We did lose kin today, not nearly as many as I thought we would, but enough all the same. We killed nearly twice as many dragons. That is a feat worthy of legends. With Kinator retaken, our people have hope once more. Instead of the steady decline of the kin, we have a real chance at a future."

"Huh," Azura said. Then she got to her feet, extending a hand toward her mother. "Then let's go see what we were fighting for."

***

Azura entered the ancient entrance of Kinator and was both impressed and disappointed. The place looked like a bunch of dragons had lived here for the last century, which was exactly the case. Any structure that was kin-sized had been destroyed, and was that a pile of dragon feces in the corner? Yuck. It would take a lot of work to get the place livable. At least she had an excellent excuse for why she couldn't help. Azura glanced behind her to where a massive sphere of dragon blood floated. After checking on her mother, she had made it a priority to collect as much as she could. How powerful would she be once she cultivated all of it? That didn't include the mana. Oh, the mana! It was so dense that she could feel her ki rapidly replenish. With this much mana, they could raise thousands of cultivators.

"Kinator belongs to the kin once more," Azura said.

"No," Fatania countered. Azura looked at her, surprised. "Kinator was the name of a city long since lost. It will be reborn, but as something new and for a new purpose. So, it needs a new name."

All the kin gathered around gawking at their ancient home, while avoiding the dragon poo in the corner. At Fatania's words, they all looked at her. She knew what they wanted. No, what they needed.

She met their eyes and knew what they should call it.

"This place shall now be known as 'The Azure Mountain Sect.'"

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