🌑 Chapter XVIII — The Forest of Breath
🌑 Chapter XVIII — The Forest of Breath
The path to the mountain of Umbros twisted through a valley of mist and silence.
But as the fellowship descended, the air began to change.
It grew warmer.
Sweeter.
Alive.
Lyra paused.
“This isn’t Umbros anymore…”
Rowan nodded.
“We’ve crossed into the Forest of Breath.”
Thorne looked around.
“Didn’t the Oracle say this forest was… ruled?”
Before anyone could answer, the wind shifted — not with sound, but with presence.
From the fog emerged two towering figures.
One pink, radiant, winged.
The other pale greenish-blue, regal, fierce.
Their claws gleamed like polished stone.
Their eyes held centuries of wisdom.
They did not roar.
They did not threaten.
They simply stood.
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🌸 Chapter XIX — Princess Mary and Prince Rasheem
The pink dragon stepped forward.
Her voice was soft, but it carried through the trees like music.
“You carry the Blade of Eternity,” she said. “And you walk into Umbros without a guide.”
Apmairnker bowed instinctively.
“I am Apmairnker. I seek the First Shadow.”
The greenish-blue dragon stepped beside her.
“You seek more than shadow,” he said. “You seek memory. And memory lives here.”
Rowan whispered, “They’re the rulers…”
Lyra nodded.
“Princess Mary and Prince Rasheem. The dragon sovereigns of the Forest of Breath.”
Mary lowered her wings.
“We are not here to test you. We are here to join you.”
Rasheem’s voice rumbled like distant thunder.
“Umbros is no longer a place mortals can walk alone.”
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🔥 Chapter XX — The Pact of Flame and Light
Around them, the forest stirred.
Dozens of dragon-like creatures emerged from the trees — smaller, gentler, but unmistakably kin to their rulers.
Mary raised her claw and the forest fell silent.
“We are a race born of breath and fire,” she said. “We remember the world before Umbros fell.”
Rasheem stepped forward.
“And we remember the prophecy.”
He turned to Apmairnker.
“You are the one chosen to carry the Blade. But you were never meant to carry it alone.”
Apmairnker looked at the Blade, then at the dragons.
“Will you fight with me?”
Mary smiled.
“We will walk with you.”
Rasheem nodded.
“And when the time comes… we will burn the shadow from the sky.”
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🌑 End of Chapter XX
The party is now complete.
The dragons have joined the fellowship.
The march toward the mountain begins.
#Apmairnker #aminparker
