The Reign of the Dragons: Chapter 4: The Real Prophecy

When Narda took my hand and started walking, I pulled her back.

I had to keep her safe.

I vowed to the real Jane that I would protect Narda, and I was not the type to break a promise.

I whispered, "Mother, there is danger around us. I can't explain now, but please, don't move."

Narda's eyes flickered with hesitation. She wanted to argue—I could see it. But then she looked at me. Something in my expression must have convinced her, because she just nodded and remained still.

Red's voice echoed in my mind. "Master Jane, move very slowly. No noise. There are archers around. They can't see you through the trees, but if they hear you... they'll shoot."

I sucked in a breath.

I leaned close to Narda and whispered, "We have to move. But slowly. No sounds."

She nodded again.

We crept forward, every step deliberate, every movement controlled. The tension in the air was suffocating. One wrong step, one snapped twig, and—

We were dead.

We were nearly at the edge of the forest when Red suddenly warned, "Master Jane, stop! Do not go forward. Blaze family soldiers are waiting outside."

I froze, instinctively pulling Narda to a halt.

She gave me a look that screamed, 'Now what?'

I whispered, "I know this sounds crazy, but Blaze family soldiers are right outside. If we step out, we'll be captured. But if we turn back—" I swallowed. "There are assassins and archers. They'll kill us on sight."

Narda's face paled.

I grabbed her sleeve and whispered, "What do we do now?"

She shook her head, looking lost.

I sighed. This was too much for a normal person.

For me? It was just another battlefield.

I wasn't scared for myself. I was a soldier in my past life. I had been in worse situations. And now? I had a damn dragon to protect me.

But Narda...

How would she react if she saw her meek, fearful daughter suddenly fighting an entire battalion?

I might be in a twelve-year-old's body, but I could still fight. It would get bloody, but I would win.

I once defeated my instructor in a graduation duel. She had been so impressed that she even tapped my shoulder.

That was her highest form of praise.

I was pulled from my thoughts when Narda suddenly tapped my shoulder.

She whispered, "I can see that you've awakened the dragon."

I stiffened.

She knew?

She continued, "I know the real prophecy about you—not the fake one. Let's go. We move forward. If they try to hurt us, summon your dragon."

I blinked.

I had expected panic, denial—not this.

And what did she mean by the real prophecy?

She grabbed my hand before I could process her words and started leading me toward the forest's edge.

When we stepped out, the soldiers standing guard immediately shifted.

Then, a man in elegant robes strode toward us.

Narda immediately pulled me behind her.

Her voice was cold, sharp as a blade. "What do you want with us, Lord Blaze?"

I stiffened.

In all of Jane's memories, Narda had never spoken like this.

I was impressed.

The man—Astral Blaze—took a step forward.

Narda stepped back.

She repeated, her voice like ice, "What do you want, Astral?"

He flinched.

Oho...

Had he never heard his first name spoken with so much venom?

His eyes burned with barely contained rage, but he swallowed it down.

"I have come to take you," he said stiffly, "my wife and daughter, back home."

He tried to make it sound gentle.

It wasn't.

It was a command.

And Narda—

Narda laughed.

A cold, bitter, hysterical laugh.

When she finally stopped, her expression was deadly.

"Daughter? Wife?" she hissed. "Since when?"

Astral's face darkened.

She stepped forward, fire in her eyes.

"Where were you when we faced hardships? When we were cast out like trash?"

Astral's jaw clenched.

Narda smirked. "Ah, yes. You were with the matriarch of the Blaze family. Funny, I thought I was supposed to be your wife."

Her voice turned sharper.

"You married my best friend. The one you ignored until you needed a distraction from me. And then, you divorced me."

The tension in the air thickened.

"You called my daughter a disgrace. You stripped her of the Blaze name. And now—now that you realize there was a second prophecy, suddenly she's your 'daughter' again?"

Astral's face flickered with shock.

I smirked.

He didn't know.

He had no idea there were two prophecies.

He swallowed and asked, "What... is the real prophecy?"

Narda's lips curled.

"I'll tell you," she said, "but first—look."

She turned to me.

"Show the mark, dear."

I nodded and pulled up my sleeve, revealing the dragon tattoo.

Narda's voice rang out, clear and strong:

"Born of the second, yet destined for the first,
The daughter of power shall rise in flame.
Marked by fire, fierce and untamed,
She shall command the Red, unyielding and strong.

The rulers of dragons shall shape the land,
Bound by fate, to unite the sundered world.
Yet among them, her mate shall stand,
A bond forged in fire, unbroken by time.

Trials shall test her, shadows shall chase her,
Betrayal shall carve scars upon her heart.
But the deepest wound, the cruelest treason,
Shall be dealt by blood, not foe."

Silence.

Astral stared at me like I was a treasure.

He took a step forward—

And I stepped back.

"Stop," I said.

My voice was calm. Even.

"Please stop where you are, Lord of the House of Blaze. I do not wish to talk to you. And I do not wish to return to the place you call 'home.'"

Astral looked wounded.

"But my daughter—"

I cut him off.

"You called me a disgrace. And now you suddenly want me back?"

I let the words sink in.

"Let me guess—you found out about the second prophecy, and now you're desperate to claim me before anyone else can."

His face twitched.

"Unfortunately," I continued, my voice empty, "I belong to the House of Allois. It has a better standing than Blaze. And I will go home to my grandfather—the man who actually tried to defend me in court. Unlike someone else who stayed silent while his daughter's life was decided for him."

I turned away and pulled Narda along with me.

We walked toward a waiting carriage—one that was deliberately stationed away from the Blaze soldiers.

A man stepped out.

The moment Narda saw him, she ran.

She threw herself into his arms.

"I missed you, Father."

The man hugged her tightly.

"I missed you too, my sweet-heart." His eyes softened. "And I missed my granddaughter."

I hesitated.

He turned to me, then knelt and gently took my hand.

"I am Michel Allois." he said. "I am your grandfather, and the head of House Allois. And I am very proud of you."

I blushed.

It had been a long time since I had heard genuine praise.

Click 'Chapter 5' to read the next chapter.