The skies darkened—not with clouds, but with a strange, green shimr that looked like poison dancing through the heavens. A cold wind blew through the palace courtyard, rustling through the flowers Rina had enchanted to sing lullabies. Their music turned eerily off-key, like they, too, sensed sothing foul approaching.
Cain stepped to the balcony, his jaw tightening. "I know that wind."
Selene appeared beside him, clutching the twin boys' shoulders protectively. "It's him, isn't it?"
From beyond the enchanted forest, where even monsters dared not tread, a colossal horn blasted. It didn't sound like any war horn—this one hissed, like a serpent breathing fire into tal. The ground trembled.
Leo ran in, holding Rina under one arm like a wild puppy. "Okay, okay! We got a problem! A big, slithery one!"
Rina squird free and landed with a flip. "Is it a dragon? Please tell it's a dragon. I've been training my fire bolts for this mont."
Eira narrowed her eyes. "No... it's worse."
Down in the valley, a grotesque army slithered out of the shadows—scaled beasts, forked-tongued n, won with venom in their veins. And at the front, on a throne made of serpent bones and erald fire, sat Prince Orox, the exiled Serpent Prince. His golden eyes glead with vengeance. His black scales shimred like oil. And wrapped around him was his monstrous snake, Korr'alith, as thick as a castle tower.
Cain's voice was low. "We banished him. Sealed him beyond the cursed mountains. How is he—?"
"He's not just back," Eren interrupted grimly, "he's stronger."
Prince Orox raised a long, taloned hand—and the skies opened. Acid rain began to fall, hissing where it touched the land.
Azrael Jr. stood tall, crackling with blue power. "He's not taking our ho."
Caelan's fists lit up. "We protect what's ours."
Rina, now wearing a cape that was definitely her mom's tablecloth, stepped forward dramatically. "Can I throw fireballs at his face now or what?"
Selene turned to Cain. "This is no longer just about the kingdom. He's coming for our family."
Cain kissed her forehead gently, eyes sharp. "Then he'll find out what happens when you ss with the wrong bloodline."
From the towers to the walls, the palace lit with protective runes. The royal family stood united once more—but the war ahead would test every bond, every ounce of magic, and every secret that still lingered in the shadows.
The Serpent Prince had returned.
And the battle for the throne... would be deadly.
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