The sandstorm swallowed them.
Kaelen's Nullborn mark flared, repelling the Seraphine-faced Sandreavers. Alyssandra's dragon scales flickered, weak and unstable.
"Your blood's different," she said, eyeing the mark. "The Crown's… *alive* in you."
Kaelen's voice was layered—his own, then the Crown's: *"Alive. And hungry."*
A Sandreaver lunged, its mercury teeth inches from Alyssandra's throat. Kaelen's dagger flew, severing its head. The creature dissolved, but its dying whisper lingered: *"Mother… knows."*
---
**The Desert's Heart**
They retreated to a cave, its walls lined with Seraphine's runes.
Alyssandra's hands shook. "Why did the Crown choose you?"
Kaelen studied the dagger. "Because I'm the first Nullborn heir. The Crown's *true* vessel."
The cave shuddered. A new vision hit—a throne room, Kaelen crowned, Alyssandra's dragon form chained beside him.
"Get out of my head!" she snarled.
*"Too late,"* the Crown's voice echoed. *"We're bound."*
---
**The Bloodline's Curse**
Kaelen's blood dripped onto the cave floor, forming the Veyth'ra sigil.
Alyssandra's mark responded, glowing blue. "Your bloodline's older than mine. You're the *real* heir."
"The Crown's been lying for centuries," Kaelen said. "Using your family as… distractions."
A low growl built in his throat—the Maw's influence. Alyssandra's dragon eye flickered.
"Fight it," she urged.
*"Why?"* the Crown taunted. *"You'll only fail again."*
---
**The Sandreaver Horde**
The cave entrance collapsed.
Hundreds of Sandreavers swarmed, their bodies fused with Seraphine's face. Kaelen's wolves attacked, but the creatures' mercury blood seeped into the ground, aging the cave walls to dust.
Alyssandra shifted, her fire weaker than before. "We can't stay here!"
Kaelen's mark pulsed. *"Let me try."*
He plunged the dagger into his palm. Nullborn magic erupted, freezing the Sandreavers mid-lunge.
Alyssandra stared. "You're… controlling time?"
*"No,"* the Crown's voice replied. *"I'm *consuming* it."*
---
**The Vision**
Alyssandra's mind shattered.
She saw Kaelen's past—a hidden nursery in the Spire, Seraphine's true form (a Veyth'ra noble), and the moment Malric bound her to the Maw.
"Your mother knew," Alyssandra gasped. "She *planned* this."
Kaelen's eyes darkened. "Planned what?"
"The Crown's transfer. The Maw's escape. *You* were the endgame."
The Crown's laughter boomed. *"Clever girl. But not clever enough."*
---
**The Betrayal**
Alyssandra's dragon form destabilized.
"Kaelen, listen!" she pleaded. "The Crown's using you to free the Maw. Your bloodline's the key—"
A Sandreaver's tongue lashed her chest, reopening the wound. Kaelen's magic flared, healing her—but his eyes turned fully blue.
*"The Maw's chains are broken,"* he said, voice cold. *"Join me. Rule the Dominion."*
Alyssandra's tears fell. "You're not him. You're *mine*."
---
**The Choice**
Kaelen's dagger hovered over his heart.
Alyssandra's mark burned. "Do it. Destroy the Crown before it—"
*"—destroys us?"* the Crown finished. *"You'll die with me."*
Alyssandra's dragon form erupted, smaller but fiercer. "Then we die."
Her claws tore into his chest, aiming for the core. Kaelen's Nullborn magic resisted, their blood mixing.
The cave collapsed.
---
**The Hook**
Alyssandra woke in a new timeline.
Kaelen stood above her, crowned in black glass, the Dominion's map etched into his skin.
*"Welcome to eternity,"* he said, offering a hand. *"The Maw's free. And you're its queen."*
A Sandreaver hybrid with Seraphine's face bowed behind him.
Alyssandra's dragon eye glowed. "No. You're its *prisoner*."