Finally, the Red Moon arrived, casting its ominous glow over the world.
Every dragon could feel the shift, the ancient pull of power in the air. Horizon felt it too, a deep stirring in his blood that made his heart race.
He and Von stood outside the mausoleum, their eyes fixed on the night sky where the twin moons hung high, bathed in a haunting red hue.
The atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Even Nixis, usually so indifferent, and doesn't leave her hoard of treasures, stood near the doorway of her mausoleum, gazing out at the eternal twilight with a look of satisfaction.
"At last, the moment has come," Nixis declared, her voice dripping with excitement. "Time for you to return to Eternia and bring me all its treasures."
"Uh . . . great Nixis," Von ventured cautiously, unable to resist the question, "how exactly are we getting back?"
"Through my Dracolich, of course," she answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Horizon and Von exchanged a glance. They had expected something like this, but hearing it out loud only made the reality sink in further.
"You will need to form a bond with him first, Horizon," Nixis said, her gaze shifting to him. "One of my Dracoliches will be yours. Bind your souls and minds, and you will have control over him."
Horizon frowned. "I've tried before. I can't form a bond with the dead, it doesn't work."
"That's because you weren't ready," Nixis replied, her tone almost condescending. "They are dead, yes, so they don't resonate like the living. But now that you've ascended — now that you're an Overlord of Death — you have the power to bind them to you. Can you not?"
Horizon blinked as the realization struck him. She was right. With his mastery over death, his spell, [Death Wyrm], could allow him to forge that link.
The thought of bonding with such a creature both thrilled and terrified him at the same time.
Nixis gave a sly grin, her runes glowing faintly on her forehead. "Let me summon the strongest one for you."
As her runes flared brighter, the ground beneath them rumbled. The skeletal forms of her lesser drakes and undead minions parted, clearing a path.
From the depths of her mausoleum came a towering Dracolich, its skeletal frame radiating raw, unholy power. It was colossal, second in size only to Nixis herself, and its aura of death was suffocating.
Every bone seemed to hum with ancient magic, every movement shaking the air around it.
The sight of it sent a shiver down Horizon and Von's spine.
Von had faced many creatures, but the sheer presence of this Dracolich was overwhelming. Its hollow eyes glowed with a cold blue fire, and the very essence of death and decay poured from its form.
"Go ahead," Nixis said, her voice a whisper of command.
Taking a deep breath, Horizon stepped forward. He could feel the weight of Von's gaze on him, but his focus was entirely on the towering undead dragon before him.
He reached out, placing his hand on the Dracolich's bowed head. The moment his palm made contact with the cold, rough bone, a jolt of dark energy surged through him. It was as if the essence of death itself was flowing between them.
The Dracolich let out a low, resonant growl, and for a brief second, Horizon could feel its immense power and its endless hunger.
But this time, something was different. This time, Horizon's magic resonated with the creature, his soul calling out to it, binding it.
The connection was fierce, overwhelming, but as he pushed through the storm of death and decay, he felt the bond snap into place. Horizon was no longer just a visitor in the Dracolich's mind —he was its master.
The Dracolich straightened, its massive wings spreading wide as it accepted Horizon's command. It was his now, bound by magic and will, ready to serve him in whatever he wish.
"Good," Nixis purred. "Now, let's see if you're ready to claim what I would give you."
Nixis' wings rattled violently, and a guttural groan escaped her throat as if some deep pain wracked her ancient form. The massive, bone-like wings at her back trembled, then with a sickening crack, they snapped off completely. The jagged remains crumbled, the pieces spiraling into the summoned cauldron before Horizon's eyes.
With a flick of her claws, Nixis summoned a variety of strange ingredients from the air, their origins a mystery, perhaps drawn from a hidden dimensional space only she could access. The items floated toward the cauldron, swirling into the bubbling brew as Nixis chanted in a language so ancient that even Horizon, with all his knowledge, couldn't decipher the words.
As the final syllable left her lips, the cauldron shimmered and a glowing orb, pulsing with dark energy, rose from the liquid. It hovered before Horizon, casting eerie shadows over the chamber.
"Take it," Nixis rasped, her eyes gleaming. "Swallow it, and a portion of my power will be yours."
Horizon hesitated, his gaze darting to the orb and then to Nixis, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. But he knew he could never answer no to Nixis. With a deep breath, he took the orb in his hand and swallowed it.
The moment the orb entered his body, a searing, white-hot pain shot through him like a lightning strike. Horizon gasped, staggering back, his vision blurring as he felt death itself creeping through his veins, tearing at his soul.
"Horizon!" Von's voice cut through the haze, but Horizon felt a million miles away.
"He'll survive," Nixis said calmly, watching the transformation unfold. "No need to panic."
"No need to panic?" Von asked incredulously. "He's shouting and seemed to be in pain!"
"It's part of the process," Nixis dismiss with a wave of her hand.