Chapter 3 The Binding Oath

• The courtyard was still buzzing with shock, but I didn't stay to hear them talk.
• I grabbed the thick leather rope tied to Dean's halter and led him out of the Dragon Nest Courtyard toward the small, broken-down shed at the back of the family estate. It was where the servants kept old shovels and rusty buckets. It was damp, dark, and smelled like dried mud, but it was far away from Iris and Troy.
• The moment I shut the wooden door, blocking out the afternoon light, Dean collapsed onto his side with a heavy thud.
• His breath came out in short, rough gasps. Black smoke flickered faintly from his nostrils, disappearing almost as soon as it touched the cold air.
• "Dean!"
• I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands going straight to his neck. Under his polished obsidian scales, his skin felt like ice. A strange purple light pulsed beneath his ribs, right where his spirit core was.
• I leaned closer and pressed my ear against his side. His heartbeat was weak, skipping every third beat.
• A seal, I realized instantly, my blood running cold. This isn't a cracked core. Someone put an ancient suppression seal inside his body to lock his magic away.
• In my past life, I had spent years reading old medical scrolls trying to fix Troy's fire fevers. I knew the signs of a dark seal when I saw one. Whoever had done this to Dean didn't just want him weak—they wanted him to slowly rot from the inside so he could never reach his true form.
• "Stay still," I whispered, reaching for the silver knife in my pocket again.
• Dean lifted his heavy head slightly. His deep purple eyes fixed on the silver blade in my hand, and a warning flashed in his pupils. He thought I was going to hurt him. He had been hurt so many times that kindness probably felt like a trap.
• "I'm not going to hurt you," I said softly, holding his cold gaze. "They did this to you because they were afraid of what you really are. But I'm not afraid."
• Without hesitation, I dragged the silver blade across my palm again, reopening the cut from earlier. Fresh blood welled up and dripped down my wrist.
• I placed my bloody hand directly over the pulsing purple mark on his ribs.
• "By my blood and my breath," I murmured, repeating the ancient binding words I had memorized in my past life, "I break what was bound. I share what was given."
• The moment my blood seeped between his dark scales, a sharp pain shot straight into my head.
• Aah!
• I choked back a scream, squeezing my eyes shut as a flood of icy energy rushed from Dean's body into mine! It felt like liquid fire pouring through my veins. Images flashed inside my head—not my memories, but his.
• I saw a grand celestial palace made of white stone, surrounded by clouds. I saw thousands of high dragons bowing before a majestic, nine-tailed black dragon king. Then I saw betrayal—golden spears raining from the sky, a heavy iron chain wrapped around a young dragon prince, and a dark curse branded into his heart.
• He isn't just a black dragon, my heart screamed in realization. He is the lost Prince of the High Abyss!
• "Ruth!"
• The shed door slammed open with a loud bang, breaking the vision.
• I gasped for air, pulling my hand away from Dean's side. My body was trembling, cold sweat soaking my grey tunic, but the sick purple light beneath Dean's ribs was completely gone.
• Standing in the doorway was Iris. She held a fancy velvet box, her pink dress dirty around the hem. Behind her stood Troy, huffing impatiently, his golden tail whipping back and forth through the dirt.
• "What are you doing in this filthy hole?" Iris sneered, holding her nose as she looked around the dark shed. "Father wants us in the main hall for the contract feast. But look at you—bleeding all over a dying beast."
• Troy took a step forward, his golden eyes narrowing as he glared at Dean on the floor. He let out an arrogant snort, his golden scales puffing up as he tried to make himself look bigger.
• "He won't make it to midnight, girl," Troy growled in his rough human-dragon voice. "His core is dead. You threw away your future for a piece of trash. If you beg me now, I might let you be my secondary attendant."
• I slowly stood up, wiping my bloody palm against my skirt. I stepped in front of Dean, shielding his body with mine.
• "I would rather rot in this shed than stand near you, Troy," I said coldly.
• Troy's face darkened with rage. He raised his heavy golden claw, a spark of flame dancing over his fingertips. "You dare speak to a High Golden Dragon like that?"
• Before Troy's hand could come down, a low, deep rumble shook the entire shed.
• The floorboards groaned. The dust falling from the wooden ceiling stopped in mid-air.
• Dean stood up.
• He didn't move like a sick beast anymore. He rose with effortless, terrifying grace. His body had grown larger, his broad shoulders almost reaching the roof of the shed. The dull black scales along his spine had split open, revealing a line of sharp, dark purple crystals running all the way to his tail.
• His eyes were no longer dark purple. They glowed like two burning violet suns in the darkness of the shed.
• A terrifying pressure filled the room like a falling mountain.
• Iris gasped and dropped her velvet box. Her knees buckled, and she slammed onto the dirty wooden floor, clutching her chest as if she couldn't breathe.
• Troy's golden scales flattened in pure horror. The flame on his fingertips died instantly. His legs began to shake, and his golden pride disappeared in a second.
• Ancient Dragon Aura, Troy's eyes screamed in silent panic.
• Dean took one slow step forward, placing his massive obsidian head beside my shoulder. He looked down at Troy like an emperor looking at a bug.
• "Touch her," Dean's voice echoed inside the minds of everyone in the room, deep, smooth, and full of death, "and I will tear your golden throat out."