Reborn as the Last van Ambrose

Lin struggled to her feet, ice crystals still falling from her scales as the last effects of her magic faded. The stronghold around them was in ruins—walls cracked from the battle, thermal vents spewing steam through broken pipes, and the acrid smell from the corruption lingering in the air.

General Huoyan approached, her sword still drawn but no longer glowing with flame. "Princess, we need to pursue him immediately. Every moment he remains ahead of us gives him more time to corrupt Ao Run’s forces."

By the time Grim and Captain Zhen arrived, Jiaolong had already made his escape.

"The Gate," Grim said, studying the portal that Jiaolong had used.

All eyes turned to Commander Yuehua, but she raised her hands peacefully. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but Jiaolong’s betrayal changes everything. The gate will remain stable for perhaps ten more minutes."

General Huoyan sheathed her sword. "Then we follow him."

Before anyone could answer, the gate’s energy fluctuated more violently. If they were going to follow Jiaolong, they needed to decide immediately.

"I’m going," Lin declared, moving toward the portal. "Jiaolong has three keys already. If he gets Ao Run’s key, he’ll have all four."

"I’m with you," Grim said.

Captain Zhen nodded in agreement. General Huoyan hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward as well. "The rebels have been manipulated enough. It’s time we chose our path."

Even Commander Yuehua moved toward the portal. "I can...."

"We don’t trust you," Grim said bluntly as he interrupted her.

"I don’t expect you to," Commander Yuehua replied. "But right now, stopping Jiaolong serves both our interests."

The portal’s energy crackled, indicating its imminent collapse. Lin decided for all of them, diving into the swirling vortex. The others followed immediately.

The transition was disorienting—one moment they were in the ruined stronghold, the next they found themselves in a tunnel carved from black volcanic rock. The walls were smooth, they looked like they were polished.

They moved quickly through the tunnel, their footsteps echoing off the volcanic walls.

After twenty minutes of pursuit, they reached a vast underground chamber. The ceiling stretched hundreds of feet above them, supported by massive columns of natural rock. Ancient carvings covered the walls, depicting dragons in their prime.

The chamber that they were in was the chamber that connected all four sea realms. Each pathway was different. One was covered in Ice, one was made from volcanic stone, another was made from coral and jade, and the last one was covered in mist.

In the center of the chamber, they found Jiaolong.

He wasn’t moving toward the next passage. Instead, he stood before a particular section of wall where the carvings were more elaborate than the rest. His corrupted form seemed smaller somehow as if the dark energy around him had diminished.

"I wondered when you would catch up," he said without turning around. His voice didn’t carry the commanding authority it had held in the stronghold. "Tell me, Princess Lin, do you see her in these carvings?"

Lin approached cautiously, her ice magic ready to go at any time. The wall Jiaolong was studying showed a scene of dragons in celebration—a ceremony of some kind, with two dragons at the center sharing what appeared to be a bonding ritual.

"Who?" Lin asked.

"Lanshen," Jiaolong said, his clawed finger tracing one of the carved figures. "My mate. These carvings commemorate our bonding ceremony, fifteen hundred years ago."

She had assumed Jiaolong’s corruption was driven by ambition or power, but this suggested something far more personal.

"She was killed during the Third Realm War," Jiaolong continued his voice barely above a whisper. "Caught in a battle between loyalist forces and rebels who couldn’t agree on territorial boundaries. Neither side claimed responsibility, of course. Just another casualty."

Grim moved closer, his hand resting on his sword hilt but not drawing the weapon. "So you decided to tear down the entire system?"

"I decided to create a system where such senseless deaths couldn’t happen," Jiaolong corrected, finally turning to face them. Without the active corruption swirling around him, his changes were more visible—scales that had lost their natural luster, eyes had gone black, muscles that seemed to strain with just lifting his arm.

"By corrupting everyone around you?" General Huoyan challenged. "By turning dragons into mindless servants?"

"By eliminating the petty squabbles that lead to wars," Jiaolong replied. "When all dragons serve a single purpose, there can be no conflict between realms."

"There can be no freedom either," Captain Zhen observed.

Jiaolong’s expression hardened. "Freedom is what killed her. The freedom of Dragon Kings to wage war over whatever pleases them. The freedom of rebels to challenge authority without considering consequences. The freedom that allows politics to matter more than lives."

Lin understood now why the corruption had taken hold so completely in Jiaolong. It wasn’t just magic—it was grief transformed into absolute conviction, sorrow twisted into a desire for control.

"She wouldn’t want this," Lin said softly. "Whatever Lanshen was like, she wouldn’t want you to destroy the freedom of every dragon in the sea realms."

"You didn’t know her," Jiaolong snarled, corruption flaring around him again. "You have no right to speak of what she would want."

"Then tell us," Lin challenged. "What was she like?"

For a moment, Jiaolong’s anger wavered. "She was... kind. Gentle with smaller sea creatures, patient with those who disagreed with her. She believed in cooperation, in finding common ground between opposing sides."

"And you honor her memory by forcing cooperation through corruption?" Grim asked.

Jiaolong was quiet for a long moment, his gaze returning to the carvings on the wall. "Perhaps she would disapprove of my methods. But she would understand my goal—a world where no one else has to die for political reasons."

"The Dragon Emperor’s power won’t bring her back," Lin said. "It will only create more suffering."

"It will create order," Jiaolong insisted, but his voice lacked its earlier conviction.

Commander Yuehua stepped forward. "Lord Jiaolong, I served you because I believed in your vision of a united South Sea. But what you’re becoming... this isn’t unity. It’s domination."

"It’s a necessity," Jiaolong replied, but he was already moving toward the passage that led to the West Sea. "The time for debate is over."

As he walked away, the corruption around him intensified again, the dark energy swirling. But for just a moment, they had seen the dragon beneath the corruption—a being driven by grief and loss rather than simple ambition.

"He’s not entirely lost," Lin realized as they prepared to follow him. "The corruption is strong, but his original personality is still there."

"Which makes him more dangerous," General Huoyan warned. "A dragon driven by grief will take risks that a purely ambitious one wouldn’t."