The Crown's Fire - Chapter 68

Chapter 68: A Weapon
Feeling his feet touch the ground once more, Ezekiel winced as the pain of holding the dragon back started becoming far too much for him to contain. There was no hope in him holding Vulcan back while he was human. He had to become a dragon once more if he wanted to contain one.

‘I have to hurry…’ he inwardly hurried to himself. ‘I just have to focus…’

With the portal winking out of existence behind him, the prince looked around just to make sure that nobody would ever see him transforming into a dragon. Currently, he was in the middle of what looked to be a small clearing in the middle of a forest, with trees obscuring his vision everywhere he looked.

“P-Perfect…”

Satisfied, Ezekiel gritted his teeth as he sat down, his mind focusing on the dragon within as he did his best to hold Vulcan back. Thankfully, the dragon didn’t seem to be much of a problem to him as he slowly felt himself transforming. In fact, he felt strangely connected to the dragon spirit, his will easily manipulating it as if he was already one with it for some reason.

‘Strange…’ he couldn’t help but think to himself. ‘Still, I must remain vigilant…’

Slowly, Ezekiel began to change. His hands became claws, and the temperature around him soared to a searing heat as his entire body grew in both size and strength. The shimmering gold of his scales began to appear, and his entire being expanded to that of a fully grown dragon.

With his transformation now complete, Ezekiel focused on keeping the dragon spirit contained once more. Only, he didn’t even need to focus on it too much now. Instead, he found himself in full control of the dragon’s power and all that it entailed.

‘I can’t even hear Vulcan anymore,’ he inwardly thought to himself as he flexed his wings. ‘I’m… I’m in full control…’

Ezekiel couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle as he took his newfound control for a spin. Swishing his tail, he flexed every single muscle in his dragon body with effortless ease, Vulcan’s influence on him almost nonexistent as he even willed flames to erupt from his mouth.

What he didn’t know, however, was that both he and the dragon spirit had already been bonded without him even knowing. Tarah had done the deed discreetly, ensuring that he would be in full control of his now enormous power.

‘Well… what am I supposed to do now?’

Surprisingly, Ezekiel was at a loss for what to do with himself. He had expected a grand fight between him and the dragon for control, with him having to expend his all in order to prevent Vulcan from ever reappearing. However, it didn’t happen. Instead, he was currently alone in a clearing just admiring his own power. It was both freeing and awkward to him somehow.

Nevertheless, he was glad that Vulcan wouldn’t be able to take over him now. At least, that was what he felt in himself. There was no chance that he’d be able to endanger anyone anymore. He was fully in control… which meant that he could finally wield the dragon’s power against his enemies.

‘This is… I can finally help my soldiers!’

His mind whirred with possibilities. With the dragon’s power, there was no chance that he would ever lose again. So long as he applied its abilities properly, Ebodia would finally stand on top of what was basically a weapon of mass destruction. A weapon that only he could control.

Another wide grin erupted on Ezekiel’s face as he flapped his wings. His mind made up, he swiftly made his way to the northern borders of Ebodia where the fighting against Helion was starting to get out of hand. From what he observed, their front lines were starting to collapse, and it was only a matter of time until their defenses were breached, allowing Helion to further capture more Ebodian soldiers.

Well, that was what would’ve happened if not for his newfound power.

‘Let’s see what I can do…’

With his dragon form enhancing his senses, Ezekiel hovered above the battlefield as he continued surveying the area. Currently, the Ebodian troops were pinned down in their position with Helion rapidly approaching them. They were barely holding on as it was, and unless something happened to turn the tide of battle, his army would be utterly routed and captured.

‘Not on my watch!’

Flexing his newfound power, Ezekiel let out a loud and menacing roar, his wingbeats summoning powerful gusts of wind as he rapidly swooped down into the battlefield. Both friend and foe alike froze to look at his visage, all of them shivering in fear at what was clearly an unwinnable battle.

“A dragon?! Now of all times?!”

“W-We’re doomed!”

The shouts of hopelessness in his troops stirred something in Ezekiel’s heart, and it took him his all not to turn to them and give them a knowing nod. It wouldn’t do for him to reveal himself like that. Instead, he would just have to let his actions do the talking.

Turning his head to Helion’s encroaching army, he took a deep breath before summoning the dragon’s searing hot flames. He knew he wouldn’t even need his other powers for this. Just the mere flames of Vulcan’s form would be more than enough to melt his enemies.

“ARRGGHHH!!!”

“TAKE COVER!!!!”

With his soldiers behind him, Ezekiel used his own body to shield them from the pitiful attacks Helion threw at him, almost all of them merely bouncing off his scales as he watched them melt into the ground like they were nothing. All the while, his soldiers slowly came around, some of them still looking at him with fear while others looked at him like he was a miracle made manifest.

“Did… Did the dragon just help us?”

With his work done, Ezekiel flew back up into the skies, leaving his soldiers to clean up the mess he made before darting off to another depopulated area. He still had to contact Tarah, after all. He didn’t want them worrying about him too much after all of this.