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Epilogue
Last Updated:
2022-09-22 10:01:29Related chapters
The Flaming Heart Prologue
It was a dark and dusty room. There was no fire in the hearth, as they would never allow it. Leila was laying on her tiny bed against the wall. She tried to place her bed as far away from the door and broken windows as possible. The wind chilled her to the bone at night. She was exhausted after another day of hard work. After only having a small piece of bread for dinner, she was still hungry. Yet she couldn’t sleep; the cold kept her awake. She heard a voice, then a footstep. Someone was turning the doorknob. She hid herself under her sheet. She didn’t have the courage to sit up or confront them. She believed all horrible experiences would pass eventually, if she chose to bear it all, and wait for time to heal her wounds. This had always been her way of life. She shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. It was her uncle, her aunt’s husband. He entered her room, quietly tiptoeing. Leila felt a sense of relief wash over her. Her uncle had always been good to her. When her aunt wasn’t
Last Updated : 2022-04-25The Flaming Heart 1. The Shadow
She was knocked back by the sudden impact. Leila lifted her eyes to see what she had run into. A tall, strong knight with a golden sword and shield was standing before her. His armor shone with a golden light under the bright, hot sun. Her flustered escape caused her to crash into the leader of a squadron of golden knights, ranked as golden dragons, patrolling under the direct command of the royals. Their glistening armor hurt Leila’s eyes. She had never seen anything like it; everything was gray and brown in her aunt’s house. She was amazed by this troop of men. The shield was emblazoned with a fierce dragon, as though it was vividly flapping its monstrous wings on the beautiful piece of weaponry. Their swords were long and sharp. Just gazing upon the points of their swords was enough to make Leila’s heart hover in her throat. People on the street gathered around, enthusiastic to observe the stupid girl who had just committed a crime. Rarely had one dared to stumble into the golden
Last Updated : 2022-04-25The Flaming Heart 2. The Diagnose
Leila was sitting in a grand room. It was a much larger space than she was used to. The room was quiet, as it was facing the opposite direction from the noisy courtyard. She wiggled her toes deep into the thick carpet and played with her fingers absentmindedly. There wasn’t anyone else in the room, but she could’t help feeling like a horrid stranger might barge in at any second. Even so, she decided to tiptoe to the other side of the room and peek outside. The large, floor-to-ceiling window was absolutely mesmerizing. Leila had never seen a window so enormous. Peering outside, she realized how wonderful the weather was, regretting wasting such a perfect day on escaping. The view was simply extravagant. A sprawling field of crops stretched on without an end in sight under the crystal blue sky. In addition to a few farm houses and wandering cows, several watchtowers also dotted the lively green. Leila wondered if she might be at the edge of King’s Harbor; the view was quite different th
Last Updated : 2022-04-25The Flaming Heart 3. The Prince
Leila knew it was the prince who had come into the room. She recognized him right away, and this time, she was able to get a good look at him. Although his thick, black hair appeared untrimmed, she was instantly struck by his elegant cleanliness and regal poise. He wore a neat, navy velvet jacket and black pants. Along with his perfectly pointed nose, his eyes were as dark as an abyss. The pressure of their eye contact was too much for her. She quickly broke her gaze and lowered her head. The prince briefly glanced at Leila as he walked past her; he seemingly had no intention of speaking with her. Taking a thick stack of letters in his hand from the large ironwood table by the window, he started to read the documents one by one. The prolonged silence gave Leila a small amount of confidence to peek at him again. The prince was a breathtakingly handsome young man, chiseled like a diamond. But she had never seen a more stern expression than his. He was the prince of the dragon kingdom,
Last Updated : 2022-04-25The Flaming Heart 4. The Chilled Milk
Leila startled awake as a loud bang resounded from somewhere downstairs. She felt her heart jump from the sudden noise. She quickly got to her feet, put on a plain cotton dress, then rushed out to the door. It had been three days since Leila returned to her aunt’s house. Unsurprisingly, not a single day had she ever got her peace back. Just as Thorn told her, the house was completely emptied by her family; not even a single pot was left behind for her. Leila guessed that her aunt must be hiding somewhere far away from the capital now, and that she wouldn’t return until things cooled off. It was better this way though. She could rest for a few days and use that time to think about her future. Staying with her cruel family was the only thing she wanted to do now. But apparently, the prince couldn’t even let her have that. Leila rushed downstairs and spotted a pile of black and blue fabric, ripped to shreds, at the end of the stairs. It was the third time she had found a pile like this
Last Updated : 2022-04-25The Flaming Heart 5. The Destruction
Leila was agitated and grumpy, which were entirely unfamiliar feelings for her. She planted her hands on her hips and paced across the room, with only one thought circling in her head. Could Thorn still have his dragon spirit? What exciting news! Hardly anyone in the dragon kingdom had seen a real dragon for years. It was only a few days after the previous dragon queen, Tora’s, funeral. When the sun came up above the stretching horizon, the dragon spirits didn’t wake up as usual. Instead, they had all left their hosts’ bodies and disappeared into thin air. The whole realm was heartbroken with grief; some with weak minds even died because of the pain of the separation was beyond a toleration. The Dragon King, Eros, had handled the event terribly. He canceled a series of traditional holidays that had been handed down from generation to generation since the beginning of the dragon era in an attempt to avoid any interaction with his citizens. All he did was hide in his palace, heavily
Last Updated : 2022-04-26The Flaming Heart 6. The Bed Chamber
Never had Leila experienced such a complete shutdown of her mind with her eyes wide open. Even so, a subconscious level, a deadly alert was screaming inside her head. She was still completely naked! Groping around to find the towel, she felt a seething heat enveloping her. The heat was too fierce to be ignored; she wasn’t even sure if it came from her own shock and embarrassment, or if it came from the naked prince on top of her. Even though the house was crumbling around her, Leila’s surroundings were somehow muted. She was seemingly having trouble connecting reality with her own perception as Thorn’s gorgeous, dark eyes emblazoned on his perfect face utterly dazzled her. Thorn finally asked, “Are you hurt?” as he looked down at Leila. He felt his dragon blood rushing with excitement. Leila shook her head mechanically. “Good.” He nodded and tried to push off the ground and back up, yet her peach colored nipples on her soft, plump breasts were mischievously in his way. Just as he
Last Updated : 2022-04-27The Flaming Heart 7. The Palace Garden
Leila wondered if Thorn’s lips were generating a kind of magical power, making hers reluctant to part from them. When she was little, Leila loved to collect cookie wrappers, as each one was inscribed with short tale. Among all the stories, her favorite had always been about the romance between the dragon queen and king. She often imagined what her own first kiss would be like, visualizing the circumstances, the emotions, and, most importantly, the person she would share it with. But she had never had the opportunity with anyone other than Arthur, the milk boy. Despite his decent looks, he would always only be a friend. Even if she had the choice, she would have turned him down. But she has never expected for her first kiss to be stolen by Thorn, even if everything felt just right. The slight moisture, feathery softness, and his pristine, fresh breath enveloped the brief kiss. Furthermore, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity that caused Leila to linger there. Thorn was als
Last Updated : 2022-05-18
Latest chapter
The Flaming Heart Epilogue
Bolts of lightning snaked out from the scepter and scorched the entire dragon skeleton. The energy of the almighty power had given a life to the dormant, ancient bones. It was the undying existence of Father Dragon. The ashes were his flesh, burnt and crystallized.Thorn felt his dragon spirit quiver and heart grow empowered. He looked down at Leila. Her skin was glistened with a creamy glow, like a pearl, as she held the scepter like a goddess. He sensed that she was different; a more powerful being was connected to her soul.Then, the dragon eggs were lit up one by one. Soon, they illuminated the entire room.Olcan withdrew to the back of the room and tried to get away, but he was spotted by Thorn.The dragon scooped him up with his claws, then smashed him onto the ground, flashing his teeth and ready to bite off Olcan's head.Ben suddenly appeared behind them. He walked forward, restraining the urge to shift into a wolf. He moved past Leila to reach Thorn. His skin tickled from the
The Flaming Heart 62.The Moonlight
The MoonlightLeila was free-falling. Her hair was flying upwards. She was surrounded by darkness. She tried to reach, to grab onto anything around her, but there was nothing she could do to slow the fall. Fear flashed across her mind, but it was too brief to take notice. The faint gleaming of the scepter in her hands anchored her—it was a part of her. The constant noise of water sloshing was gone. She felt a tickling sensation in her throat as the air became drier and hotter. Then she heard the same whisper again,Sla..thar... Sla.. thar..As the sound grew louder and clearer, for the first time ever, Leila felt the power the word carried with it. It seemed like some sort of energy was resonating within her, shattering her muscles and bones, affecting her mind and thoughts as if an unknown power was waiting for her, and it was buried deep down below.She couldn’t possibly know how far she had been falling. When she landed, the ground was strewn with smoldering ashes and cushioned her
The Flaming Heart 61. The Fire Gem
Thorn stepped up. He placed himself between Olcan and the water sphere Leila and his baby were in.He stared at the wolf king with a deadly glare, and said with the coldest tone possible, as if every syllable was made of a sharp blade, “It was you all along.”Olcan responded with a wicked grin, pulling the string of the crossbow in his hands, aiming at the sphere, “I suggest you back off, dragon prince, if you don’t want to die with Mother Dragon. I should have killed her along with her annoying husband that day. But after I finally killed that old wretch, I was already too exhausted, giving her a chance to escape.”“But Eros’ ring... how did you get the ring?” Ula asked impatiently with a bewildered expression.“I think I know what happened that night,” Thorn answered, his gaze unwaveringly glued to Olcan as he inched towards Eros with small steps, “Olcan killed my mother and the Luna Queen. Then, he stole Eros’s ring while he was drunk and asleep in Amaya’s chamber. What always both
The Flaming Heart 60. The Mother Dragon
Olcan stood over the rampart, looking down on the ancient draconic city resting under the darkness. The palace was fully under his control. He was the first-ever werewolf king to accomplish standing at the dragon realm capital's highest point. But there was still a hole in his heart that couldn't possibly be healed.“My king,” one of his sentries approached and reported, “The dragon warriors, the so-called "Dark Wings," surrounding the palace were all captured.”“What about the brute prince and his foolish knights?” Olcan withdrew himself from the city view and moved back into the torch light.“All were put in the dungeons.”“Any casualties?”“No. The Frost Stones were very effective. As soon as the stones touched their skin, they were incapable of moving.”“You’ve done well,” Olcan gritted his teeth, “They underestimated us in every possible way, thinking I could easily fall for this imbecile's trickery.” He walked over to Serlon, who was bruised and swollen, lying in a pool of his o
The Flaming Heart 59. The Lunar Eclipse
Fenris had been tied to the back of a horse-drawn carriage. His body ached from sitting on the hard, wooden panels but was incapable of doing anything about it. Ulric’s corpse lay right beside him and had already started to emit a rotten smell.Normally, a werewolf’s corpse wouldn’t decay so quickly, just within an hour. But tonight was a special exception. A cold shiver suddenly washed over Fenris. Utter darkness had befallen the dragon land. He felt in his bones that the power of the moon had vanished. As far as he knew, the lunar eclipse wouldn’t be long—one or two hours at the most. He needed to survive it, then find a chance to escape.With quiet neighing, the horses stopped. The carriage pulled over on an empty alleyway. Fenris stayed put and tried to catch every sound passing through his ears. Someone was coming for him.“How was the trip?” Hugo flashed a grin at Fenris and pulled him out of the carriage. He then dragged him all the way into a dark house. Fenris was surprised b
The Flaming Heart 58. The Ring
Thorn forced his eyes open. The sharp water spear had become deformed, dissolving into the ocean water. He saw queen Amaya drop lifelessly onto the ground. King Eros was standing next to her. Eros picked up a handful of bubbling shells, buried his nose in them, and took in a big gulp of fresh air.“Dragon King,” Ula drawled, keeping a safe distance, “I didn’t expect you'd dare come here.”“I had to,” Eros lifted his face up from the shells, feeling better with ample air in his lungs, “I had a feeling you would make a move tonight. The streams’ mirrored surfaces only confirmed it.”Thorn looked back to Amaya, observing the fresh cut on her throat. “How did she die?”Eros glanced briefly at Thorn, dodging away from answering directly the question.“Who killed her?” Thorn pushed again, fixing his gaze on Eros.“Why are you looking at me like that?” Eros snapped, suddenly annoyed, “I did! Alright?” He raised his voice. “I had to. The capital is going to be attacked by werewolves! There wa
The Flaming Heart 57. The Golden Badge
Like a dark, looming storm, every werewolf squadron had set off for King’s Harbor under Olcan’s command. They moved faster than the night wind, carrying light-weight but incredibly deadly weapons made of frost stone. It was the night of the Lunar Eclipse, the strongest ever since the dragon race had lost their spirits. The werewolves believed that, if they could conquer the dragon palace, the first beam of searing moonlight would bless them with a century’s-worth of glory, power, and endless fortune. As for their eternal rivals, the dragons would lost their position in the world and fall to the Northern Realm, all thanks to the wolves’ frost stone.“Our fiercest enemy,” Fenris said to Olcan as they left the marshland, “the black dragon, he’s already dead.”“Your meticulous research amazes me, Brother,” Olcan said to Fenris without looking at him, “I underestimated you. I thought you were merely a careless man.”Fenris chuckled, hair prickled on his skin. “I’m glad to be of help. My me
The Flaming Heart 56. The Hidden Desert
Leila heard the voice again. It was louder and clearer this time. Sla-thar.. It came from down below, but it was too dark to see anything from her current distance. A faint reflection of the moon loomed beside Leila as she sunk downwards, cradled in Thorn’s arms. Unlike the cold and remote moon in the sky, its silver light was blazing hot, like the sun hanging over a parched desert. The path ahead was endless. The farther they went, the less it looked like an underwater world. It was the fishy scent that reminded her that she was deep in a river. The pain in her belly was subsiding; it mellowed into a slight discomfort instead of a sharp, breathless ache. What was more disconcerting than the pain was the rate of its growth. Leila’s belly was growing larger at an unprecedented rate. Thorn put his hand on it, feeling its heartbeat. Leila stared at him through the transparent bubbles on their heads, trying to decipher what he was thinking. His thick dark hair swayed in the water. H
The Flaming Heart 55. The Girl in the Room
Fenris was in a rather good mood. He just got a message from the spies he had sent to the Craggy Mountains; they reported that they had seen Thorn die with their own eyes, lying in bed and as his knight mourned. However, unbeknownst to him, it was a fake message—Hugo had forced the spies to write it with swords pointed to their necks before he finished them off for good.James and Serlon had escorted the crossbred girls back to their homes and had made sure any remaining Green Robes had surrendered or were executed. Unfortunately, Luca had died. The pain of losing one eye to Leila and further torture from Thorn was even too much for him to withstand.This city is soon to be mine, Fenris thought. He had dreamt of this moment for a long time. He strode across the damp ground, and the scent of the night seemingly became sweeter. The moon’s light was fading. It’s almost time to for their final strike. In high spirits, he entered the tent where his big brother was waiting.To his surprise,
