"Father, if that’s true, we must flee," Rosalia pressed, her eyes blazing with urgency. "We have to move somewhere we can expand our forces and prepare."

"No... I can’t leave this place," Henry growled, pressing a hand to his chest as if the very thought pained him. "Feel how rich the mana is here. If we abandon it—"

"If we leave, I will create another paradise," Max cut him off sharply, locking eyes with the old man and forcing him to meet his gaze. "Do you seriously believe I can hold off that many warriors?" He scoffed. He wasn’t some mindless beast Henry could ride into the ground until he dropped dead. Max had his limits, and he had only thrown himself into the last battle to protect Rosalia. This time, he wasn’t nearly as confident.

"Of course you can, Max. Just look at yourself, you wield magic that defies all logic. I’ve never seen a monster like you in my entire life. Even my father, the strongest dragon leader who ever lived, wouldn’t stand a chance against you one-on-one. You can defend us, right? You must. I gave you Rosalia. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Isn’t it?"

His expression was almost crazed. Terror had seized him completely. He had sworn to his father that he would keep the clan alive, that he would one day restore its former glory, yet everything was slipping through his fingers lately.

"You’ve gone mad, old man," Max said, his voice rising sharply. "She is not some accessory you can just toss around as you please—she is my wife."

Max clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, mana churning violently beneath his skin. He could barely restrain the urge to strike Henry down right then and there for the way the old man spoke about Rosalia.

Noticing the dangerous fury building in Max, Rosalia’s face paled. She tugged urgently at his arm, pulling him back just enough to make him relax a fraction.

The sight of Max’s open defiance made Henry’s own rage boil over. "Silence! I am still the clan chief!" he roared, his voice thundering across the village. Ears perked up everywhere. Clan members began drifting closer from every direction, drawn by the argument that crackled like wildfire.

"Father, we will all die because you’re too stubborn," Rosalia shouted, her voice cracking with frustration. She stepped closer to Max, their shoulders brushing, a silent reminder of the private conversation they’d had only minutes earlier. More listeners gathered at the edges of the crowd, their faces darkening with worry.

"Stubborn? Me?" Henry snarled, rising to his full height. For a heartbeat, his expression faltered, a flash of genuine hurt crossing his weathered features as he looked at his daughter standing beside the outsider. Then the mask shattered. "You ungrateful daughter! I gave you the greatest treasure in the world. I made Max your husband so the clan could prosper. Do you think any other leader would have allowed a filthy outsider to marry one of our mighty dragons?"

His voice rose to a furious boom as he stood tall, but Max stepped forward, forcing Henry to stumble back a pace. The old man’s face twisted into something ugly and desperate. He knew he was no match for the younger man.

"You—how dare you?" Rosalia’s eyes welled with tears. Max was standing right here, and her father had just blatantly insulted his origins like that?

Murmurs rippled through the growing crowd. A few younger warriors exchanged uneasy glances; an elderly woman clutched her shawl tighter, whispering to her neighbor, "He’s never spoken to her like that..."

"Enough!" Max’s roar sliced through the tension like a blade. The entire village seemed to hold its breath. "How much time do we have to prepare for their march?" he demanded.

Henry turned his head aside, jaw tight, shoulders heaving. "Two weeks."

That number made Max’s eyebrow lift. It was exactly the window he needed to awaken the bloodline. Even if the odds were low, he was willing to bet everything on it. He had a strong feeling Rosalia would carry his child successfully, and once that happened, his power would skyrocket.

"Pass the leadership to me," Max declared loudly, his voice carrying far enough to draw audible gasps from the crowd behind them.

Henry’s eyes widened, his pupils darkening with raw fury. "What did you say?" The words came out slow and menacing, each syllable dripping with threat.

"You heard me," Max replied, voice steady as steel. "Name a new leader and I will protect every clan member without fail. Refuse, and I will take Rosalia and anyone willing to follow me and leave. From that moment on, we will be enemies."

A heavy silence fell over the gathered clan. Feet shuffled. Fists clenched at sides. No one dared speak, but the air thickened with shock.

"You ungrateful brat!" Henry finally spat, saliva flying with every furious word. "I was the one who saved you! I was the one who let you stay! If not for me, you would have bled out and died in the dirt. If not for me, you would never have awakened the power you wield now!"

Many had already drawn close, their eyes fixed on the trio. Confusion and unease painted every face. They had never seen Henry so unhinged before. And Rosalia, of all people, was openly standing against her own father, shoulder to shoulder with the very outsider her father now cursed.

"My achievements have nothing to do with you," Max spat, gripping Rosalia’s trembling hand tightly. "They’re because of her."

"You dare defy me?!" Henry’s voice cracked with raw fury and panic. "Get out! I exile you! Surround him! Now!"

Yet no one moved.

A heavy murmur rippled through the growing crowd. Many shook their heads, their faces etched with sorrow. The leader they had followed faithfully for centuries had finally broken. The devastating news of the Thunder and Wind clans’ alliance had struck them right after the joy of the wedding feast. It felt as if the gods themselves were cruelly pulling the strings from above, turning their lives into one endless ordeal.

And now came the hardest choice of all: between Max and Rosalia... and Henry.

"We’re leaving, Henry," Max declared, his voice cold and resolute. "And we’re taking the clan with us, even if you choose to stay behind and die."

He turned, gently pulling Rosalia along with him as they walked toward the gathered clan members.