I spin back, heart slamming against my ribs.
The God of Chaos stands ten feet away, the tension from before gone.
His weathered face holds something I didn’t expect. Something that looks almost like sorrow. Or maybe wonder. It’s hard to read expressions on a being older than time.
“Little Valkyrie.” He tilts his head, studying me like I’m a puzzle he’s finally solved. “They are not bowing for me.”
The words don’t make sense.
“Then who—”
“You.”
Nope.
My wings flicker. My knees threaten to buckle.
“That’s not— I didn’t—”
“You did.”
He begins to move. Circling me the way a teacher circles a student, each step measured, patient.
“You did what no one else could do. What no one elsecando.” He gestures toward the open Gate, still blazing white against the black stone. “Only a Valkyrie could reopen this. Only one bound to both life and death.”
Another step closer.
“You faced Alekir.” His voice carries soft disdain — the dismissal of a god for an old little man who thought himself important. “You faced your fears. And you followed your heart — even when it led you here. Even when it asked you to risk everything.”
He stops in front of me. Close enough to touch.
“You didn’t know what waited on the other side of that choice.” Something shifts in his ancient face. Almost gentle. “You chose anyway. That is what makes you worthy.”
My throat closes. Tears burn behind my eyes.
“I didn’t know,” I manage. “I didn’t plan any of this—”
“No.” His gaze holds mine. “You didn’t know. You loved. You trusted. And you opened the door.”
Behind me, I feel my men processing. Their emotions crash through the connection — shock, awe, pride, love, fear, hope.
Finn’s voice, barely audible: “Kaia… they were waiting foryou?”
Torric’s jaw clenches, but pride radiates through the bond like heat.
Aspen breathes my name like a prayer.
Darian’s light flickers. Not fear this time. Wonder.
And Kieran—
Kieran’s dragon form lowers. Massive head dipping toward the snow. Wings folding against his scaled body.
He’s bowing.
To me.
A dragon. An ancient being who’s lived centuries. Who’s watched empires rise and fall.
