Chapter 2
A second later, a line of blood-red Ancient Draconic runes materialized on my skin.
—Upon the next opening, only the Mark-Bearer shall be recognized.
Three days after the omen of The Dragon Gate appeared, a piercing alarm suddenly tore through the ancestral estate of House Morgan.
The shrill chiming echoed across the grounds, startling a flock of black-feathered birds from the eaves. Family members poured out of their rooms, their eyes turning toward the Healing Ward.
"It's coming from Lady Lila's chambers!"
"She's having another episode!"
I was in the courtyard practicing my Dragon-breath techniques. At the sound, I immediately extinguished the flames dancing in my palms. The moment I took a single step, The Dragon's Mark on my chest flared with a faint heat.
The butler rushed up to me.
"Miss Claire, the Madam wants you in the Healing Ward right now."
"What happened to Lila?"
"Her dragon-breath is completely unstable. The Healer says her life force is draining fast."
I didn't ask any more questions. I followed the butler down the long corridor.
When the heavy stone doors pushed open, the room was already packed.
Lila lay on the central treatment table, pale as a ghost and slick with cold sweat. Her dragon-breath was like frayed threads, crashing wildly inside her body. Every breath she took came with a frail shudder.
The Healer held down her shoulders and said grimly, "Her dragon-breath won't realign on its own. She needs an infusion of Draconic Ichor immediately."
Helen turned to look at me.
"Draw her Draconic Ichor."
I froze.
Draconic Ichor was the absolute core of our dragon bloodline's power, stored right next to the heart meridian. Standard healing could only restore dragon-breath, not replenish Draconic Ichor. Once drawn, my body would be left severely weakened for a long time, and my Heart-scale would lose its luster.
"Mother, I was just training. My own dragon-breath hasn't fully settled yet."
"Lila can't wait." Helen's tone was sharp and unforgiving. "You are her older sister. Are you really going to just stand there and watch her die?"
The Healer had already pulled out a silver extraction tube, placing it into a crystal vial nearby.
"It will be fine, Miss Claire. You're the Dragon Rider chosen by The Dragon Gate. Just a small fraction of your essence will be enough to stabilize Lila's heart."
I looked at Lila on the table.
The younger girl forced her eyes open, her voice barely a whisper. "Claire... please save me..."
Everyone in the room was staring at me.
No one asked if I was willing. No one cared if my body could handle it.
I walked up to the table and held out my arm.
"Do it."
The silver needle pierced my wrist, a freezing sensation drilling into my veins. A second later, my Draconic Ichor was slowly siphoned out, pooling into the clear crystal.
The golden liquid flowed sluggishly, looking like crushed sunlight.
My face drained of color, but the Heart-scale on my chest faded even faster. The scale, which normally gleamed with a vibrant crimson-gold, dulled into a lifeless, ashen gray.
The Healer stared at the liquid in the vial with a satisfied look.
"The purity is incredibly high. As expected, only the eldest daughter's bloodline can stabilize Lila's dragon-breath."
"It's not enough." Helen glanced at the table. "Keep drawing."
I snapped my eyes up. "You said you only needed a little."
"Her condition is worse than we thought. The longer you hold out, the longer she lives."
The golden liquid in the tube kept rising.
I gritted my teeth, my fingers gripping the edge of the table until my knuckles turned white. It wasn't exactly painful, but it felt like an invisible hand was scraping the core strength straight out of my bones.
The doors to the ward banged open again.
Ethan strode in.
His eyes immediately darted to Lila, his voice laced with panic. "How is she?"
"Her dragon-breath is recovering," the Healer replied. "But we still need more Draconic Ichor."
Only then did Ethan turn to me.
I was leaning heavily against the table, cold sweat beading on my forehead, my lips completely bloodless. But Ethan just glanced at the vial before stepping up to me.
"Claire, just hold on a little longer. You know Lila's been sickly since she was a kid. She can't control her own body." Ethan lowered his voice. "You're her sister, and the eldest daughter of House Morgan. You're the only one who can save her right now."
I stared at him. "So my power was always meant for her?"
"You're not giving it to her, you're saving her life." Ethan gripped my shoulders. "Didn't you tell me once that family is supposed to share the burden?"
That was exactly what I had told him.
Years ago, when Ethan had failed his training and was almost kicked out of the core disciple ranks, it was I who had begged for his second chance. I gave him all my training notes and took the full blame in front of the elders.
Now, he was throwing my own words back in my face.
Except, the only one ever making sacrifices was me.
Suddenly, Lila opened her eyes on the table and reached out, weakly grasping my fingers.
"Sister..." she breathed, her voice paper-thin. "I don't want to die."
I looked down at her.
Lila's hand was as cold as carved jade, but her grip was shockingly strong.
"Sister... give me your Heart-scale," Lila gasped out. "Your Heart-scale is the only thing that can keep me alive until the day The Dragon Gate opens."
A dead silence fell over the room.
The Healer paused. Helen's eyes locked onto my chest.
The Heart-scale was the absolute defensive core of a dragon bloodline. Forcibly ripping it out would, at best, destroy the host's cultivation, and at worst, shatter their heart meridian entirely. But if implanted into someone of the same bloodline, it could permanently stabilize their dragon-breath.
"Claire," Helen finally spoke. "You heard her. Hand over the Heart-scale."
"You're young. A few years of rest and you'll recover."
"Sacrificing a little power for your sister is your duty as the eldest."
Ethan chimed in. "Claire, don't let everyone down."
I looked around the room.
My mother, Helen, stood at the front. The Healer was still clutching the silver needle. Ethan stood guard by Lila's side.
Suddenly, I memorized every single face.
I memorized where they stood, who looked away first, and who let a tiny smile slip when they heard the word "Heart-scale."
"Do it," I said.
Two attendants pinned my shoulders down.
The Healer pulled out an extraction scalpel, pressing the blade against my chest. The moment the metal sliced through my skin, an agonizing explosion of pain ripped through my brain. My body seized violently, The Dragon's Mark on my palm flashing blindingly bright.
The Heart-scale was pried out, inch by bloody inch.
Blood poured down my collar. The exact second the crimson-gold scale was fully severed from my chest, every single light crystal in the ward flickered out.
The Heart-scale dropped onto a silver tray, and the Healer presented it to Lila.
Lila reached out and pressed the scale against her own chest.
A flash of golden light pulsed, and her chaotic dragon-breath finally smoothed out.
"It worked," the Healer exhaled in relief.
No one even looked at me anymore.
I walked out of the ward. The moment I crossed the stone threshold, my legs gave out. The butler instinctively reached out to catch me, but I planted a hand against the wall and slowly forced myself to stand tall.
The wound on my chest was still bleeding, but The Dragon's Mark on my palm was glowing brighter than ever before.
Just then, a heavy, muffled boom echoed from the depths of the ancestral estate.
In the direction of the family's secret vault, the black seal shattered on its own.
The vault doors blew open. A streak of searing crimson light shot out from the depths, blasting through layers of stone walls, heading straight for the Healing Ward.
I looked back.
It was my Draconic Reverse Scale.
And it landed right in Lila's hands.
