I yawned and stretched out on the rocky ground, my wings snapping back into place behind me.
Yes, I sleep with my wings out. Celestianite thing. Saves gold on blankets.
The cave buzzed as everyone woke up. Olsen didn’t just rise quietly; he yawned loud enough to vibrate the walls, shaking dust loose from the ceiling.
I stared at him flatly. “Was that necessary?”
He shrugged and shifted into his bulky Ankylosaurus form, stone plates clanking together. “Earthnites gotta Earthnite.”
I peeked outside. The sky was already boiling in red-orange clouds, heat washing over my face the second I stepped toward the ledge. Volcanoes rumbled in the distance while ash drifted through the air in slow spirals.
Out on the ash flats, a Vex prowled. Skinny, four-legged, all teeth, no eyes or nose. It skittered across a ridge before disappearing behind a wall of black rock.
I grinned. “Cool. Daywalkers.”
The group gathered at the mouth, half-awake and thoroughly annoyed. Nobody looked happy to be in Scarletsville. First objective: get off this rock and reach the next island.
“Where to?” I asked, pulling out the map.
“North,” Olsen said, squinting toward the horizon.
I followed his gaze to a wasteland of mountains, lava flows, and volcanic rock.
Twotwoot. My dragon ears twitched.
“You guys hear that?” I asked.
They shook their heads. Loved being the only one with ears.
Twotwoot. It came back louder, a high screech-roar echoing through the valleys before fading.
I turned around, tail wagging before I could stop it. “We should definitely check that out.”
We climbed down from the cave and hiked through the scorched valleys toward the sound.
At the bottom of a steep hill, a figure stood crackling with glowing blue energy.
Prince squinted. “Isn’t that… Power?”
Power Zenith. The legend, the blueprint, the reason the Power Gems existed.
I grabbed a flat rock, dropped it onto the dirt like a hoverboard, and launched down the hill. Ash sprayed behind me as the rock bounced over cracks and jagged stone. At the bottom, I backflipped off and kicked the rock away to make it look intentional.
Power turned and smiled. “Well, well. If it isn’t Don. Remember me?”
The top hero in Avangard was standing right in front of me. I grabbed his hand and shook it like I’d just found the last slice of warm pizza.
“It’s an honor. I’m your biggest fan. You’re actually here. I—”
“Easy,” Power laughed. “Breathe, kid.”
My face burned red. “Right. Sorry. Normal. I’m being normal.”
“Fanboy alert,” Olsen called from the ridge.
Archie tilted his head. “This guy’s the top hero? You’re this obsessed with him?”
I stared at Archie like he’d just claimed two plus two was five. “How do you not know him? He saved over a hundred people in the Leviathan raid.”
Demaurion crossed his arms. “Fantastic. History lesson over. We still have a prophecy.”
I sighed, a puff of smoke trailing from my nose. “Yeah. Let’s save the world before more villains track us down.”
Prince unrolled the map. “Next stop: Gadian Sea. And we’re not even close!” He flipped the parchment upside down, paused, and added, “Oh. Never mind. Reading it wrong.”
“We’re south of Scarletsville,” I said, pointing to the terrain. “Near the Pyramids of Markilao. Water’s that way.”
Back near the rocks, Power’s relaxed smile faded and his posture straightened.
“So,” I said, looking back at him. “Celestianites and Lunaranites are fighting over the Lost Key. Lunaranites want control, Celestianites want peace, and we’re supposed to stop the whole thing from blowing up.”
Power nodded. “Long fight, no breaks.” He smirked. “You kids can handle it.”
FIVE MINUTES LATER
We trained for hours.
Muscles ached and sweat was everywhere. Every now and then somebody cracked a joke, and we’d laugh for a second before remembering we were trying to stop the apocalypse.
Archie was trying to breathe fire without torching his own eyebrows off. By the end, the tips of his feathers were singed black, and every few minutes he’d pat them down while pretending nothing happened.
Olsen grunted like a bear, slamming boulders into the dirt and shaking the entire training ground. He looked less like he was practicing and more like he had a personal grudge against the earth.
Prince was basically a human bullet. He zipped around so fast even his shadow struggled to keep up, sending a yellow blur past someone’s face every few seconds.
Demaurion was over there summoning water with all the finesse of a kid learning to pour a glass, which meant dousing Olsen’s face constantly.
“MY BAD!”
“THAT’S THE FIFTH TIME!”
“I SAID MY BAD!”
And me? I was chasing my celestial energy like a hyperactive cat in a tree. Sometimes I caught it, sometimes I faceplanted, and sometimes I looked like I was doing an interpretive dance.
Power watched from a rock with his arms crossed, his smirk growing bigger the longer he looked. Finally, he pushed off and walked over.
“Alright, Don. Let’s talk daggers.”
I pulled out the pair of sleek, humming Celestial Daggers he’d forged himself. “You mean these spirally things?”
“You called them ‘spirally things.’ They’re daggers.”
I twirled them around, checking out the glowing blades. “Spirally equals spirally. They look spirally, so I’m calling them spirally things.”
Power sighed. “Yup. They’re your new best friends.”
For three seconds, I imagined myself slicing through enemies like a shadow ninja.
Power’s smirk twisted. “Here’s the catch. Daggers aren’t about brute force. They’re about speed, precision, and control. You’ve got the speed part down, but your precision needs work.”
“Okay, wise guy. What do I do then?”
Power clapped his hands, and the clearing filled with flickering blue holograms. They were short, fast, and cracking their knuckles like something out of a training simulator.
“Meet the Shadow Patriots,” Power said. “Your job is to slash them all down in thirty seconds.”
I stared at them as one dashed sideways and another crouched low. “They don’t look like dummies.”
“Ready?” Power asked, folding his arms.
“No.”
“Go.”
The Shadow Patriots exploded into motion. I lunged forward with both daggers flashing and immediately missed as one slipped around my strike, another ducked, and a third jumped clear over my head.
“HEY!” I spun and swung wildly, missing again.
Thirty seconds later, every single Shadow Patriot was still standing.
Power shook his head. “Again.”
The second attempt went worse. One Patriot literally sidestepped me, which was just insulting.
“Again.”
On the third try, I slowed down, breathed, and focused. The first Shadow Patriot disappeared beneath a clean slash, the second got caught mid-pivot, and the third fell to a quick spin.
My movements felt tighter and more deliberate. Power gave a slight nod. “Better.”
We ran the drill over and over. Each round ended faster than the last as the Shadows blinked out one after another. My arms burned and my legs felt heavy, but it was clicking. Precision wasn’t about hitting harder—it was about hitting the exact spot you meant to.
“See?” Power said. “Daggers demand agility. You’ve got to be light on your feet.”
Agility. That word reminded me of one of my favorite moves. Wing Jump—using my wings to boost my jump height way higher than normal.
“Show me your Wing Jump,” Power said, reading my expression.
“Right now?”
“Right now.”
I spread my wings, crouched low, and launched. Ground dust cracked beneath my boots as my wings snapped open at the peak of the leap. The world dropped away beneath me, wind roaring across my scales as I shot into the air.
At the top of the jump, everyone looked tiny below me. Even Power looked impressed.
When I landed, dust exploded around my feet.
Power nodded. “Good.”
I tried not to look too proud and failed immediately. “Really?”
“Really. Now combine that with your daggers. Speed, precision, agility.”
I spun one dagger around my finger. “So daggers plus flying ninja moves.”
“Basically.”
“I’m unstoppable now.”
Power laughed. “Slow your roll, kid. You’re just getting started.”
The training went on for hours. I practiced strikes, dodged attacks, wove through Shadow Patriots, and fell on my face repeatedly. Every mistake taught me something, sharpening my technique until I could feel myself actually getting better.
By midday, we finally called it and headed back into the cave.
Training had drained every last drop of sweat and fire from our bodies. Nobody looked eager to move anymore, and even Prince had slowed down, which was a scary sight on its own.
I sat down, staring at my hands as a question I’d been avoiding all afternoon finally forced its way out.
“Why are they fighting over one thing anyway?”
Olsen shot me a look. “You serious? Lunaranites want to take over Avangard.”
“Yeah, but why?” I asked. “What started all this in the first place?”
The cave went quiet. Power’s confident grin faded as he looked down at the stone floor. For the first time all day, he looked tired.
“Alright,” he said softly, leaning back against the rock wall. “Time for a history lesson.”
The Origin of King Dreadixz
Dreadixz was never content with an ordinary life. From the start, his hunger for power was like a pit that couldn’t be filled. While everyone else lived within the order of Celestia, he rejected it. Even working down in the deep mines, he wasn’t just digging stone; he was watching, planning, and waiting for his chance.
He didn’t just want strength. He wanted authority, control, and a seat higher than the stars themselves. Most of all, he wanted what King Vigilzante had.
Vigilzante was everything Dreadixz wasn’t: respected, untouched, and ruling with ease. While Dreadixz carved through stone and shadow, Vigilzante held total authority. Every word of praise aimed at the king felt like a personal insult to Dreadixz, and living under his rule felt like slow suffocation. It wasn’t admiration. It was pure hatred.
Back then, the Lunaranites were already smart and capable, but they had no single ruler to lead them. They lived scattered across the land without purpose beyond basic survival. Dreadixz saw that gap immediately, not as a problem to fix, but as a opportunity to exploit.
Everything changed the day he found the Lost Key.
It didn’t glow, speak, or make a choice. It just sat there—ancient and heavy. Dreadixz understood what everyone else missed: the Key wasn’t meant to judge anyone. It was just a tool waiting to be taken.
When he picked up the Key, nothing stopped him. No force pushed back, and no fate intervened. The power inside the artifact bent to his willpower, and Dreadixz used it to elevate himself above every Lunaranite who came before him. He proved he was superior through brute force and presence, driving the scattered Lunaranites under a single banner through fear and unmatched strength.
That was how he became their king. Not by birthright, but because no one could stand up to challenge him.
With an army behind him, Dreadixz carved out a massive kingdom across Celestia. Over time, natural ocean currents broke the land apart, collapsing his territory into a single isolated continent known as Foreshade—a realm wrapped in shadow and strict control.
Even with land, power, and an entire nation following him, it still wasn’t enough. Vigilzante was still alive, standing for everything Dreadixz hated: balance, order, and peace.
To Dreadixz, those ideas were weak illusions holding the world back. His hatred grew past simple jealousy until he convinced himself the world itself was broken. He didn’t want to fix the system; he wanted to tear it down entirely and build a quiet world where he was the only ruler left standing.
He pushed this idea across Foreshade, turning the Lunaranites into a force driven by a single goal: destroy the current world to rebuild it from the ground up.
When the time was right, Dreadixz stepped forward as the Shadow Lord and declared his true ambition: complete annihilation. He planned to burn the world to ashes so he and his army could rule the silence that remained.
At the center of that plan sat the Lost Key—the same power he took once, and the power he intended to use again to finish what he started, regardless of who tried to stand in his way.
Power’s voice dropped as he finished explaining. “That’s why Dreadixz and the Lunaranites want the Key—for vengeance, power, and control.”
I lowered my eyes, the reality sinking in. “Damn. I get it now.”
The cave went dead silent except for the steady drip… drip… drip echoing from somewhere deep inside. My breath puffed into little white clouds in the sudden chill.
I reached into my hoodie pocket and pulled out a crinkled, faded scroll. “Okay, so I may or may not have found this back at school,” I said, carefully unrolling it.
Prince leaned in, wide-eyed. “You had that in your pocket this whole time?”
“Wait,” Olsen blinked. “We almost got eaten by Scar and you had the legendary scroll of destiny sitting in your jeans?”
“It wasn’t exactly labeled, Olsen,” I muttered.
Archie squinted at the parchment. “You sure that’s not just your grocery list?”
Power shot everyone a sharp look. “Quiet.”
He took the scroll from my hands, ancient Celestianite runes flaring with golden light as his eyes scanned the symbols.
“Celestial’s Fight, Earth’s Might, Lightning’s Surge, Flame’s Burns…” As Power read aloud, the words rippled through the air, casting a warm glow across the cave walls. The air felt heavy, like the stone itself was paying attention.
When he reached the end, the final line hung in the air: ‘His place as King of the Celestianites will be found.’
The glow faded, leaving us in silence.
Olsen scratched his head. “That sounded pretty official. Like you’re about to get a crown.”
Prince grinned. “Your Majesty, should I hold your royal cape? Even kings who fold under pressure deserve respect.” He went for a dramatic kneel, instantly lost his footing on a loose rock, and slipped sideways.
“AH!”
I snickered, watching him scramble. “Stop. You look like a broken swan.”
Power didn’t laugh. He slowly rolled the scroll back up and looked straight at me.
“That line about claiming your name isn’t just a line. It means you are destined to become the next King of the Celestianites, Don.”
My smile vanished. “…Huh?”
“King,” Power repeated, dead serious. “Celestia hasn’t had one since the old empire fell. This prophecy says you’ll take the Celestial Throne when the trials are finished.”
My wings twitched nervously. “King? Man, I can barely wake up on time for class. You think I can run an entire species?”
Prince snorted. “So what, do we have to call you ‘Your Majesty’ now?”
“Try it and I’m kicking you into a portal,” I warned, glaring at him.
Olsen crossed his arms. “Guess that means we’re guarding royalty now.”
“Nah,” Prince said, stepping back with a grin. “I’m calling him King Celestianite Dragon of the Divine Tribe Lens Donnerton the Absolute Third, with full orchestral violin music in the background.” He cleared his throat and started humming loudly: “DODODODO DOO DOO—”
“PRINCE!” I snapped, wings flaring.
“DON’T HURT ME!” he squeaked, ducking behind Olsen.
Power sighed, shaking his head. “Definite children of prophecy.”
Before I could answer, the ground groaned beneath our feet. Rocks rattled loose from the ceiling, raining down around us as the whole cave trembled.
We bolted for the exit, scrambling out onto the ledge just as the canyon floor cracked wide open below us, revealing a river of bubbling lava.
From the molten river rose a massive lava golem, its rocky body veined with molten orange fire. Its eyes blazed with fury as it let out a monstrous roar—a terrifying blend of T-Rex and Leviathan.
I drew my daggers. “WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!” Olsen shouted.
“That’s Scar,” I said. “Thought we killed him. Guess we forgot he can evolve and survive under lava.”
We all felt like dumbasses. No shit he could survive in lava—he’s a Flamenite!
The titan loomed over us like a mountain made of molten rock and anger, bigger than any skyscraper in New York. Celestial energy sparkled across my skin like static electricity.
“Let’s just hope we survive this fight…” I muttered.
“FIGHT? DON, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!” Olsen screeched. “That thing is massive! And we’re nowhere near full power!”
I turned to him. “Olsen… we’re the Five Chosen Ones. That means we do whatever it takes to fulfill the prophecy. All of it. If we die, we die, but I’m not backing down. We beat this guy or we die trying.”
Olsen blinked, then smirked. “Then let’s kick some magma butt.”
Without waiting, we launched ourselves at Scar.
The monster roared, then fired a beam of straight-up lava at us. We charged into the heat, but as soon as we got close, Scar slammed both massive arms down toward us.
Power flew over my head like a meteor and punched the lava right out of Scar’s arm, blasting hot rocks in every direction. He zipped straight to Scar’s face and landed two heavy hits right on his jaw, making the beast roar in pain.
I took to the air, wings spread wide, dodging magma blasts like a bug near a campfire. Olsen slammed his hammer into the stone below, triggering a shockwave.
“NICE ONE!” I shouted from above.
WHAM. Scar grabbed me in a giant, crusty lava hand and flung me toward a blazing ridge. Before I hit the rock, Power zoomed in, snatched me out of the air, spun around, and yeeted me straight back toward the monster.
“GO GET ‘EM, BOY!” Power yelled.
I landed hard on Scar’s arm. The heat was almost cooking me through my sneakers, and his other arm was already swinging down to squash me. Prince flew in with lightning crackling off his wings, snagged me with electric tendrils, and hurled me directly at Scar’s face.
I channeled every bit of energy I had left. “CELESTIAL DEVASTATION!”
I smashed my fists into Scar’s face, releasing a burst of purple energy that rattled the whole canyon.
Falling fast, I braced for impact until Archie swooped in on his Phoenix Beast form and caught me on his back.
“Thanks for the lift!” I shouted.
Archie nodded, zooming past Scar while unloading fireballs like a machine gun. “GO!” he called out.
I jumped off his back, soared with my wings, and landed on Scar’s raised arm. I stabbed my daggers into his hide and started skiing straight down his arm. Lava burst from his wounds like soda from a shaken bottle. At his shoulder, I leapt into the air, crossed my daggers, and slashed straight across his face.
I landed on his other arm and skated backward this time, pulling off a clean drift. “Guess you’re not that powerful after all,” I smirked.
Then Scar whipped his shoulder and flung me high into the sky. I was falling fast, flailing my arms as the ground rushed up to meet me.
Then I remembered the chains.
“CELESTIAL CHAINS, ACTIVATE!” I yelled mid-air.
Nothing happened. I kept plummeting, my clothes flapping and energy tendrils whipping uselessly in the wind.
“JUST AIM AT SOMETHING!” Power shouted from below.
“HOW DO I AIM?!” I yelled back.
“DUNNO—JUST POINT!”
I pointed at a nearby peak. The chains shot out like missiles, latched onto the rock, and yanked me to the top. Scar swiped at me, but I was already out of reach.
Standing on the summit, I looked down at Scar and started taunting him with a little dance. “Come on, Scarry Scar! You want this?! Shake that tail!”
Scar was NOT amused. He roared, slammed the peak, and blew the top of the mountain apart. I went flying with chunks of molten rock chasing me through the air.
“HELP!”
Scar caught me midair and slammed me straight through a rock formation. I tumbled through the rubble, every bone aching.
“DON!” Prince yelled.
Olsen rushed over, hauling heavy boulders off me. I lay there in the dirt, bruised up, my tail dimming to a deep blue.
“We’re in trouble…” I wheezed.
Scar began charging a lava beam between his hands, a massive glowing sphere forming right above us.
“We might as well give up…” I muttered.
“WHAT?!” Olsen yelled, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me. “NO! WE’RE NOT GIVING UP! Remember what you said?! ‘It’s do or die!’ Well, Don—you promised do, not die! You lose all the time and you still get back up! Why? Because you’re the Chosen One! You’ve got the rarest element and crazy skills! You are Lens Don, THE FREAKING CELESTIANITE!”
I managed a faint smile. “…Right.”
Archie helped me up. I forced myself to stand, gripping my sore arm as purple sparks began to crackle around my daggers. I took a deep breath, locked onto Scar, and charged.
I wove around his massive claws, dodging falling rocks as my daggers sliced through the cracks in his lava armor. I jabbed, stabbed, and ducked under his fiery swings until I saw an opening.
I leapt high and drove my dagger deep into his face.
Scar shrieked, lost his balance, and plunged backward straight into the lava river below. A huge plume of steam and fire shot into the sky as the heat washed over the canyon.
I dropped to my knees on the hot stone, completely spent.
My friends gathered around, staring down at the bubbling lava in shock. Archie finally broke the silence. “Don… that was amazing.”
I threw my hands in the air, grinning. “YEAH, I KNOW RIGHT?! I TOOK DOWN MY FIRST ENEMY!”
My tail glowed yellow and started wagging uncontrollably. “I GOT MY FIRST WIN! I GOT MY FIRST WIN! OH-OH-AH! OH-OH-AH!”
I started doing a ridiculous victory dance right there on the rocks. “Doo doo do do do dooo—GOT MY FIRST WIN, YEAH!!”
Olsen smacked his forehead. “Dude. You almost got cooked.”
Prince whistled. “Okay, I ain’t gonna lie… that was some straight anime protagonist stuff, bro.”
Archie pulled out the map. “We’re a few hours from the Gadian Sea Kingdom. We better move before a lava shark shows up.”
I raised my fists. “GADIAN SEA KINGDOM, LET’S GOOOOOOOO!!!”