The Crown's Fire - Chapter 181

Chapter 181: Breach the Dormant Bond
At the Kingdom of Ebodia

Ezekiel was at the southern part of Ebodia, overseeing the construction of fortified walls at the borders. He was accompanied by Lurio, whom he had tasked with creating a powerful barrier around the borders of Ebodia.

“I want something as strong as the protective barrier we had at the northeastern part where the Forbidden Forest is near,” Ezekiel said. Ensuring the safety of his people was paramount. Though Devon was dead, the threat of future conflict and conquest loomed. The world was vast, and greed was a persistent danger.

His discussion with Lurio was interrupted by the sudden approach of Minister Dion of Public Works. The latter bowed and said, “Your Majesty, may I have a word.”

“What is it?” Ezekiel asked.

“We need more production of concrete and steel. With the amount of rebuilding and reconstruction we’re doing, we’ll need to import limestone at this rate,” Dion informed him.

“I see. The Global Summit is nearing, and I will discuss this matter with the other kingdoms. Tell me—” Ezekiel halted mid-sentence. His face paled, and he suddenly winced, feeling something strange inside his body.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?” Lurio, who was beside him, inquired.

“Your Majesty,” Dion also called, concerned.

“I’m fine. I… Just give me a minute,” Ezekiel answered, walking toward an available bench.

Sweat started forming on his forehead, and he suddenly felt chilled. Lurio followed him to the bench and commented, “You don’t look fine to me, Your Majesty.”

Ezekiel’s body was reacting to the bond he had with Katelina before—the dragon bond. It was the same chilling and burning feeling mixed together.

“Lurio, I’m truly fine. Please go to Dion now and reassure him I am fine. This is just a dragon bond thing, and I need a moment alone,” he commanded. Lurio understood and quickly left him behind.

[Khal, what is this?]

[Khal?! Who’s this? I’m not Khal! I am Onyx!]

Ezekiel’s eyes widened. It was definitely not Khal’s voice. It sounded more like a boy’s voice with its small and high-pitched tone.

[Onyx?!] he gasped.

[Yes, and who the bloody hell are you?! How come you can communicate with me?] Onyx hissed, and Ezekiel frowned at how casual and informal this Onyx was talking to him.

[Did you just curse at me?!] Ezekiel growled.

[Wait… Ah!!!] Onyx suddenly burst into his head, ignoring his growl. Ezekiel remained quiet as he tried to check his inner core and the dragon energy inside his body. He was calling for Khal, so why would another voice appear inside his head? Something was off.

[Are you the dragon bonded to my dragonrider?! The golden dragon!] Onyx beamed.

‘Katelina?’ Ezekiel thought, hearing Onyx mention a dragonrider bonded with him.

[That’s me, Khal.]

Ezekiel was finally able to hear Khal’s voice, and that made him release a deep sigh of relief. He had thought he lost Khal.

[Khal? That’s your name?!?] the tiny voice answered, followed by a mocking giggle.

Ezekiel frowned. [Yes, that’s my dragon’s name. Who are you?] he demanded.

[I’m Onyx! And you still haven’t told me who you are!] Onyx retorted.

Ezekiel sighed, trying to remain patient. [I am King Ezekiel of Ebodia, bonded with the golden dragon Khal. Now tell me, how are you connected to me?]

[Oh, you’re the King? Interesting!] Onyx replied, his tone filled with curiosity. [Well, it seems like our bonds are somehow linked through Katelina. I’m bonded with her too.]

[Katelina?] Ezekiel’s heart skipped a beat. [What do you mean you’re bonded with her?]

[It’s recent. We just formed the bond a while ago. Seems like the dragon bond spell worked on me too,] Onyx explained.

Ezekiel’s mind raced. [Khal, is this true?]

[Yes,] Khal confirmed. [I sensed the new bond forming. It appears that Katelina is now bonded to both of us.]

“What?!” Ezekiel voiced out.

“Your Majesty?” Lurio quickly approached him, with a creased forehead.

Ezekiel sighed, realizing his mistake. “I’m sorry, Lurio. I was talking to my dragon and accidentally voiced it out. Please, go and continue with your work. You don’t need to worry about leaving me here alone…” he reassured with a smile.

Lurio hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Very well, Your Majesty. I’ll ensure everything proceeds as planned.” He turned and walked back toward Dion.

[I apologize for the confusion. I temporarily shut down Onyx’s communication for now,] Khal informed him.

[Tell me exactly what happened,] he inquired.

[A while ago, I felt something strange in the dragon bond we share with Katelina. Something was attempting to breach the dormant bond, but it wasn’t Katelina’s energy… It’s something foreign… So I allowed it to pass through the bond. It turns out to be a black dragon, a baby dragon that just recently formed a bond with her,] Khal explained.

Ezekiel’s expression grew serious, the lines on his forehead deepening. From the moment he arrived in Zion and met Katelina in person, he had sensed something was amiss.

“So that’s the energy I felt inside that chamber, and she distracted me to conceal this dragon?” he muttered.

[Yes, you’re likely correct. It’s a dragon… She managed to activate it and hatch it,] Khal confirmed.

“But why isn’t our dragon bond with Katelina functioning? I don’t want to communicate with Onyx! I want to communicate directly with Katelina!” he exclaimed.

[That can’t be helped. Perhaps the heavens deactivated our bond with her temporarily? There must be a triggering factor for it to reawaken, considering how well we can communicate with the physical dragon she bonded with,] Khal suggested.

“And what might that triggering factor be?” Ezekiel pondered.

[How about the flame bond? That’s what we do with our dragon twin flame. The flame bond is established once we mark and mate with our twin flame,] Khal proposed.

[You can grow fangs like in werewolves and vampires, using me… That way, we can establish a stronger bond where we can also feel Katelina’s emotions and read her thoughts,] Khal added.