Prince of ruins
The blood on the sword brought silence to the masses. They watched in horror as the last royal took his final breath and with it a part of themselves.
It's over.
The obelisk glowed as Shakka sheathed the blade. It'd taken centuries, but everything he'd set out to accomplish was in his hands.
Yes, the sacrifice was great, but it would not be in vain. For every drop of royal blood spilled, Shakka would change the world to fulfill everything it should be.
"Hear me!" He yells. "The royals are gone, the thrones chained, and the crowns destroyed."
On that day, magic started dying. Humans forgot their true nature and their connection to the rest of the world. Until it was all myth and fantasy. A dream no one was willing to admit they shared.
Shakka created one kingdom under his rule and excluded humanity from it, deeming them unworthy of the gift of the truth.
The thrones are chained, and the obelisk stands as a reminder that being born royal is a crime punished by death and that Shakka will know the second it comes to pass.
Or so he thinks.
Ashari Atreanous, the youngest son of dragon lord Nerva, has grown up like everyone else. In the dying era of Shakka's rule. His father, the lord of the north, is loyal to the king and claims Shakka's actions were necessary for the survival of their kind.
Sheltered in the wilderness of his homeland Alaska, Ash craves to discover what the world is like. But, his family's strange obsession with keeping him hidden makes that difficult.
From the day he was born, Michael Branker has been destined to become the next alpha of the Agantagv pack. With the pride of his parents and oldest son, Michael feels that his younger brother would make a better leader. Feeling that his path is meant to follow a different direction, his wolf urges him to seek it out.
Freedom requires sacrifice and hope. This is the mindset, Kiro Milla's daughter believes in wholeheartedly. Raised to be free-thinking, opinionated, and serve those who have been left weak by cruel and unjust rulers. Vannessa is quick-witted, defiant, and more than willing to defend her family, her heritage, and the fact she's a hybrid southern dragon from anyone. Even the king himself.
Stay in the shadows and hide from the light.
That is the motto Bianca Antich has known since she was little. It's safer in the dark, where people assume the dark monsters dwell and don't come out into the sunlight. How can she when the bad people are waiting to snatch her from it? Just once, Bianca wants to live in the light, pretend she's allowed to breathe and be like everyone else.
"I don't understand what's so bad with them."
"I think the moon goddess made the wrong choice."
"I will go to the ends of the earth to find my destiny."
"Just once, I want to know what it's like to trust someone."
When the winds of change hit and war calls Ash's heart to fight, something changes, and something many don't want to happen.
When he learns the truth, will it be too late for Ashari? Will he be capable of stopping what he started? Does he want to?
To awaken the dawn was to invite the end.
But when it's your heart on the line, isn't it worth it to find what you've always been looking for?
Content warning: LGBTQ+, polyamorous, language, violence, racism, sexism