The gigantic shadow outside the palace walls moved again.

BOOOOOOOM.

The entire mountain trembled beneath its footsteps.

Stone cracked across the burning throne hall while nobles screamed and collapsed to the floor.

The tiger cub instantly pressed closer against the boy’s legs, trembling violently beneath the smoke.

And then—

another roar shattered the night sky.

Not the roar of a beast.

The roar of something ancient.

Something furious.

The king staggered backward away from the shattered windows.

“No…” he whispered.

His face had turned pale beneath the firelight.

The child noticed immediately.

Because this was the first time the king of Ashkar had ever looked afraid.

The royal captain raised his sword again despite shaking hands.

“Kill the boy NOW!”

Dozens of guards charged through the flames.

The child tightened his grip around the glowing Dragon Fang sword.

Blue energy pulsed violently through the ancient blade.

Almost alive.

Almost breathing.

The tiger cub suddenly growled beside him.

Not in fear.

In warning.

Then—

CRAAAAAAASH.

The giant palace wall exploded inward.

Stone and fire erupted across the throne hall like a volcanic blast.

Guards were thrown screaming through the air.

The ceiling cracked apart above the Iron Throne.

And from the smoke—

something enormous slowly stepped into the burning palace.

The entire hall fell silent.

A giant tiger.

Twice the size of a warhorse.

Black-striped silver fur burned beneath the firelight like living steel.

Its glowing blue eyes locked onto the tiger cub instantly.

The cub cried out happily.

“Mrrraaa!”

The giant beast took one heavy step forward.

The marble floor shattered beneath its paw.

Nobles screamed in terror and fled deeper into the collapsing hall.

Because every person in Ashkar knew the legends.

The Mountain Tiger.

Guardian beast of the northern cliffs.

A creature believed extinct for over a hundred years.

And now—

it stood inside the royal palace itself.

The king pointed at the beast furiously.

“ARCHERS!”

Hidden soldiers emerged from the upper balconies instantly.

Flaming arrows aimed downward toward the giant tiger.

The child’s eyes widened.

“No!”

FWOOOOOSH.

Hundreds of arrows rained through the smoke.

But before they could strike—

the giant tiger moved.

BOOOOOM.

Blue energy exploded outward from its body.

Every arrow disintegrated into ash midair.

The shockwave blasted the balconies apart.

Soldiers crashed screaming into the flames below.

The king stumbled backward in horror.

“That power…”

Then suddenly—

the glowing Dragon Fang sword inside the boy’s hand pulsed harder.

The blue light spread across his arm.

The child gasped in pain.

Visions exploded inside his mind.

Snowstorms.

Mountains.

A woman crying beside a fire.

A giant tiger walking through falling snow.

And—

a baby wrapped in dark cloth.

The same glowing sword resting beside him.

The boy nearly collapsed.

The giant tiger slowly turned its glowing eyes toward him.

Not hostile.

Sad.

Almost familiar.

Then the beast spoke.

Not with words.

Inside his mind.

Protect him.

The child froze.

Protect… who?

Suddenly—

the tiger cub cried loudly again.

The giant beast lowered its massive head beside the smaller cub gently.

And for one brief second—

the enormous creature looked peaceful.

Like a mother finally finding her lost child.

Then—

THUNK.

A black spear suddenly burst through the giant tiger’s side.

Blood exploded across the burning marble floor.

The cub screamed instantly.

The child spun around in shock.

The king stood near the throne holding a massive dark spear glowing with crimson energy.

The Spear of Vhalor.

A forbidden weapon forged during the Beast Wars.

The giant tiger roared in agony.

The entire palace shook violently.

But the king only smiled coldly.

“Just like before.”

The child stared at him.

“…before?”

The king slowly approached through the flames.

His eyes burned with madness now.

“You think this creature came for the cub?”

He pointed directly at the boy.

“It came for YOU.”

Silence consumed the throne hall.

The boy’s heart stopped.

The giant tiger growled weakly beside him.

The king laughed.

“Twelve years ago… your mother ran from this palace carrying the Dragon Fang sword and a newborn child.”

The child’s breathing became uneven.

“No…”

“She betrayed the throne.”

The king’s smile widened.

“She chose beasts over her kingdom.”

Another memory flashed inside the boy’s mind.

A woman’s voice.

Run, Ash.

Run before he finds you.

The king slowly lifted the crimson spear again.

“You were supposed to die with the others.”

The boy staggered backward.

Ash.

That name.

He remembered now.

The burning village.

The snowstorm.

The woman who hid him beneath the cliffs before soldiers arrived.

The giant tiger suddenly roared furiously despite the spear lodged in its body.

Because the king was lying.

Not completely.

But enough.

Then the truth exploded into Ash’s mind all at once.

The giant tiger was not protecting him because of the sword.

Not because of destiny.

Because—

it had protected him since birth.

The beast had carried him through the mountains the night his mother died.

The tiger cub beside him—

was the child of the same guardian beast.

And the king had hunted them ever since.

The throne hall trembled harder.

The palace was collapsing completely now.

Fire spread across the ceiling beams.

Massive stones rained downward.

Yet the king kept advancing.

“You should have stayed forgotten.”

He hurled the crimson spear directly toward Ash’s chest.

FWOOOOOSH.

Time slowed.

The tiger cub screamed.

The giant tiger tried to move—

but collapsed from its wounds.

The spear flew closer.

Closer—

Then suddenly—

the Dragon Fang sword exploded with blinding blue light.

BOOOOOOOOOOM.

A massive wave of energy erupted across the throne hall.

Every flame extinguished instantly.

The crimson spear shattered into dust midair.

The king was thrown violently backward across the palace floor.

And behind Ash—

something impossible appeared.

A giant blue dragon made entirely of light.

Its enormous wings filled the collapsing throne hall.

Nobles fell to their knees screaming.

The king stared upward in pure terror.

“The Dragon Spirit…”

The glowing dragon lowered its head beside Ash silently.

Not attacking.

Protecting.

The child could barely breathe.

Because he understood now.

Dragon Fang was never merely a weapon.

It was a seal.

A prison.

And inside it—

lived the final spirit dragon of Ashkar.

The same dragon the old kings tried to enslave generations ago.

The king crawled backward desperately.

“No… you cannot awaken it…”

But the dragon suddenly turned its glowing eyes toward the throne.

Toward the black crown resting atop it.

The crown began shaking violently.

CRACK.

Dark energy leaked from the ancient metal.

The child frowned.

Something was wrong.

Then the giant tiger spoke into his mind again.

The crown…

Ash suddenly understood the horrible truth.

The throne of Ashkar had never been cursed by beasts.

The kings themselves created the curse.

Long ago, the royal bloodline stole power from ancient creatures using the black crown.

Every war.

Every massacre.

Every hunted beast—

all done to feed the crown’s dark magic.

The king screamed furiously.

“THAT POWER BELONGS TO THE THRONE!”

He rushed toward the crown desperately.

But Ash moved first.

The child sprinted through the collapsing flames.

Blue energy exploded behind him like lightning.

And with one final roar—

he swung Dragon Fang downward.

SHHHHRRRAAAAAAK.

The black crown split in half.

Silence.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

Dark energy erupted upward through the palace roof like a giant storm.

The mountain itself shook violently.

Across Ashkar—

people looked toward the capital in horror as black clouds spiraled above the burning palace.

The king screamed in agony.

His body began cracking apart like stone.

Because the crown had been keeping him alive.

Far beyond normal human years.

The old king collapsed to his knees.

Wrinkling.

Aging.

Turning to dust before Ash’s eyes.

“No… my kingdom…”

Ash stared at him silently.

Then answered quietly:

“It was never yours.”

The king crumbled apart completely.

Only ash remained beside the shattered throne.

Then suddenly—

the palace ceiling collapsed.

CRAAAAAASH.

Massive burning pillars fell toward the throne hall.

Ash grabbed the tiger cub instantly.

The giant tiger struggled weakly to stand.

The dragon spirit roared.

And together—

they ran.

The child sprinted through collapsing corridors beside the wounded guardian beast while explosions tore through the palace around them.

Walls shattered.

Firestorms consumed entire chambers.

Outside—

thousands watched the royal palace begin collapsing down the mountainside.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOM.

The throne hall exploded in blue fire.

The shockwave lit the night sky for miles.

Ash shielded the tiger cub beneath his body as debris crashed around them.

The giant tiger collapsed beside him heavily near the palace gates.

Its breathing had become weak.

Too weak.

The cub cried desperately and nudged its mother’s face.

Ash dropped beside the creature instantly.

“No… stay with us…”

The giant tiger slowly lifted its head.

Its glowing eyes softened.

And once again—

the voice echoed gently inside his mind.

You were never abandoned, little one.

Ash’s eyes widened.

The beast remembered him.

After all these years.

The tiger slowly pressed its forehead against his.

Just like a mother comforting her child.

Then—

its glowing blue eyes faded softly into darkness.

The cub cried louder.

Ash felt tears running down his face for the first time in years.

Because beneath the monster…

beneath the legend…

this creature had simply been protecting her family.

The burning palace crumbled behind them.

Snow suddenly began falling through the smoke-filled night.

Ash looked upward slowly.

The giant blue dragon still circled high above the kingdom.

But now—

its enormous glowing body was fading into the clouds.

Before disappearing completely.

And across the city—

something unexpected happened.

The soldiers lowered their weapons.

People stepped out from hiding.

Not cheering.

Not celebrating.

Just… staring.

Because the tyrant king was gone.

The black crown was destroyed.

And for the first time in generations—

the kingdom of Ashkar was finally free.

Days later—

the fires across the capital finally died.

The shattered throne hall remained in ruins atop the mountain.

Nobody rebuilt it.

Nobody wanted another cursed throne.

Instead—

the people gathered below the cliffs where the giant tiger had fallen.

A massive stone monument was raised there.

Not for kings.

Not for warriors.

But for the guardian beast who saved the kingdom.

And beside the monument—

a barefoot boy often sat quietly with a growing tiger cub sleeping beside him.

Some people called him the Dragon Child.

Others called him the Last Guardian.

But Ash never cared about titles.

Because every night—

when the cold mountain wind moved through the cliffs—

he still remembered the warmth of the giant tiger’s forehead against his own.

And deep within the silver Dragon Fang sword—

the blue light still glowed softly.

Watching over him.

Waiting.

For whatever came next.