Conquering the underworld with my beautiful dragon wives-Chapter 48: The Rise of the Key Heir — The Beginning of the Union

Chapter 48: The Rise of the Key Heir — The Beginning of the Union

That night... the sky was redder than ever.

The flames rising from the palace towers lit up the black and purple clouds. The sound of dragons flying above mixed with the wind. The palace was breathing. It was alive.

But what kept playing in Ethan’s mind... was what the Queen had said.

He stood by the tall window, his hand resting on the cold stone edge, staring into the distance.

That’s when Alice showed up.

Her clothes were still dirty from practicing archery with the baby dragons. Her hair messy, but with that same cheeky smile.

"I freaking love this view... but why do you look so serious?"

Ethan sighed.

"Alice... you know, I don’t wanna just have this palace. I don’t wanna be just the keyholder of this world. I wanna... build something bigger. An empire... an army... a union. When people hear my name... I want them to stand up."

Alice laughed and smacked his shoulder.

"Look who wants an empire now! Sir Ethan the Keyholder!"

Ethan turned to her, serious.

"No jokes. Think about it... how many are we now? Fayra, Selena, Luna, you, me... and three baby dragons. If I’m gonna stand against that dark force the Queen talked about... I need an army. And it has to come from the people of this world. From the clans... from the small unions."

Alice squinted.

"You mean... you wanna go after the little unions?"

Ethan nodded.

"Yeah. One by one. The people nobody cares about. The ones with no hope. I’ll give them a flag. A reason. A name. And if I can’t be stronger than that cursed king... at least I’ll make my name louder than his."

The next day, Ethan gathered everyone.

Fayra, Selena, Luna, Alice, and even the baby dragons — who were now almost as big as winged horses.

The grown dragons were still sleeping, but these three were curious and wild, and totally loyal to Ethan now.

"Listen up!"

Ethan raised his voice.

"We’re not staying here. We’re not gonna rot inside this castle. We’re heading out. We’ll go find every small union nobody gives a damn about. The far tribes. The burned villages. The forgotten towns. And we’ll tell them... come under our flag."

Fayra crossed her arms, serious.

"You mean... you’re gonna build a union?"

Ethan smiled.

"An army. A crazy army nobody expects. Together. With our own rules. And we’re gonna rebuild this world."

Luna laughed.

"Oh my god, I’m falling for this plan!"

Selena playfully drew her sword.

"I’m ready. Anyone says no, their head’s first to roll!"

Alice raised her hand.

"I call dibs on being commander of intel!"

Ethan patted her back.

"You were always our main spy, Alice."

That day, they mounted the dragons.

Alice and Ethan rode the golden dragon.

Fayra, Selena, and Luna turned into their full dragon forms — each massive and stunning.

They flew together, over the castle, the valleys, the purple forests, and the rivers of fire.

Wherever they went... the earth and sky trembled.

They reached the first union — a forest tribe called Varnia.

A couple of treehouses, people in leather clothes, covered in strange tattoos.

Their chief, a skinny, clever man named Dolen.

When the dragons landed, the whole tribe came out.

Some scared. Some bowing.

Ethan stepped forward.

"I’m Ethan. The Keyholder of this world. I came to tell you... it’s time to unite."

Dolen came closer.

"We don’t bow to any master!"

Ethan grinned.

"I don’t wanna be your master. I want, when the war starts... for us to stand together.

My rule’s simple:

Whoever fights with us, gets a share of the victory. Whoever stands against us... turns to ash."

There was silence.

Then Dolen laughed.

"You’re crazy, kid. But... you’re the kinda crazy I’d like to stand with!"

And right there, he raised his hand.

"Varnia... stands with Ethan!"

The baby dragons cheered.

Fayra smiled.

Luna shouted:

"One down! Let’s hit the next one!"

From there on... one by one...

The small unions joined them.

The Stone Tribe — people living in the volcanic mountains.

The Mist Clan — warriors with masks who vanished into the fog.

The Shadow Tribe — forgotten thieves and assassins.

Ethan had the same message for each of them:

"Fight beside me... or be wiped out."

Every night they sat around the fire, told stories, the baby dragons soaring above, and Ethan drew his new world map.

One night...

Fayra sat beside him.

"Ethan... where’s your stopping point?"

Ethan stared into the fire.

"Maybe... nowhere."

Alice grinned.

"Good... ’cause I’m already calling myself Queen of Intel."

Selena laid her sword across her lap.

"I’m the army’s commander. No one else’s taking that spot!"

Luna laughed.

"And I’ll be the commander of army fun times!"

Ethan laughed.

"Alright... this is our army. Our rules.

We move forward... to the end of the world,time for the next city"

From a distance, the city of Gravenfield looked like a worn-out lump of rock, thrown carelessly into the middle of the burning plains. Its cracked walls and half-broken towers were clear signs of a land still clinging to its old, dusty legends.

Ethan glanced at Alice with a serious look and said,

"Yeah... this is it. Gravenfield. A bunch of old folks who still think they run the law around here."

Alice stared at the guard towers, curious, and said quietly,

"Weird... I didn’t think it’d look this wrecked."

Ethan gave a bitter smile,

"It’s worse than you think... but well, we’ll see."

Above them, Fayra, Selena, and Luna flew in their huge dragon forms. Their giant shadows slid over the walls like black clouds.

Ethan grinned,

"Look at them... no one’s got the guts to stand against us."

Alice chuckled,

"Hope this city knows what it means to have dragons around."

When they reached the gates, people were already peeking from behind the walls. The dirty looks, the whispers, the smirks...

One of the young guys shouted,

"Hah! The Key Heir’s here? That kid?!"

Then came Marcus, the council leader. A fat old man with a messy beard. He sneered and said mockingly,

"Well, well... the Key Heir! So it’s you, huh? The dragon boy?"

Laughter filled the square. A few guards stomped their sword handles on the ground and laughed out loud.

Ethan took a deep breath and said, steady and loud,

"I’m not here to waste time. I’m giving you a choice. Join my Union... stand beside me... or—"

Someone in the crowd shouted,

"Or what?! You gonna scare us with those flying lizards?!"

The crowd burst into laughter again.

Alice leaned toward Ethan and whispered,

"They’re... real idiots."

Marcus stroked his beard and said coldly,

"Look kid... this is our law. We’ve run this city for a thousand years without any lords or dragons. We’re not bowing to some fresh-faced brat. Get lost."

Something cracked in Ethan’s eyes. A heavy silence fell.

He spoke in a low, cold voice,

"Alright... you asked for it."

He raised his hand. Whistled.

In a second, the sky shook with roars and fire. Azarakhsh, Sholeh, and Sama rose up from behind the walls. Fayra, Selena, and Luna came tearing down through the clouds. Grey clouds split, and fiery light ripped the sky apart.

Alice’s eyes went wide,

"Holy crap..."

Red and blue flames burst out of the dragons’ mouths. In seconds, the walls crumbled. The towers toppled like melted candles.

People screamed, running for their lives. Marcus tried to escape, but Azarakhsh torched the ground around him with a single burning breath.

Ethan yelled out,

"Now... learn what it means to have dragons!"

Fayra, still in dragon form, circled the square and fired streams of flames.

Luna laughed and roared fiercely,

"Oh... this is fun as hell!"

Selena let out a heavy growl, smashed one of the towers down,

"You called us lizards? Bet you’re loving the lizard taste now!"

Alice shouted next to Ethan,

"The city’s burning! What do we do?!"

Ethan answered firmly,

"Nothing. Let it burn. This is a lesson for the rest."

When the fire turned the city to ashes, Ethan landed among the ruins. The sound of groans... smoke... and the stench of burnt flesh filled the air.

Marcus, half-burned, dragged himself forward.

In a weak, broken voice,

"We surrender... we... give up..."

Ethan leaned down, stared into his eyes, and said coldly,

"Too late."

He signaled, and Sholeh dropped the final flame on what was left of the council.

Fayra, Selena, and Luna stood next to Ethan again, in human form.

Fayra smiled in satisfaction,

"You did the right thing."

Ethan looked at the wreckage, speaking quietly, 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"They were the first. If the others don’t get it... this is what happens."

He turned to Alice and said,

"Now you get why I need an army?"

Alice nodded, serious,

"Yeah... you’re right."

The flames still danced in the sky.

Ethan murmured under his breath,

"This... is just the beginning."