A Few Years Later, Eastern Dragon Island,
A strong, ancient energy pulse, deeper than any sound or force, shook the royal hall. The entire island seemed to take one deep breath as the building vibrated.
"She is waking up," the elders whispered excitedly. One by one, they quickly appeared near the royal peak, all staring intently at the grand hall, waiting for the massive event to happen.
Inside the sacred hall, the bright cocoon of violet-gold light around Zi Yan started to shrink one last time, slowly and painfully. The swirling, ghost-like dragon shadows that had danced for years suddenly stopped for a moment. Then, with a quiet, massive force, they were all violently sucked into her body, vanishing into an invisible center deep inside her.
Cracks, like burning streaks of lightning, ran across the bright shell. A profound second heartbeat... the sound of true power... echoed in the silent room, and the energy cocoon finally exploded and shattered.
A searing, pure light shot out, blinding everyone and engulfing the whole royal mountain peak in a spectacular violet and gold glow.
Outside, the gathered elders cried out, quickly raising their arms to shield their eyes from the overwhelming, divine light. At the same time, an unbelievably high, royal pressure crushed them. It was a shockwave that wasn't hot or sharp, but simply absolute, demanding control. It tested the right of anything near her to even exist in her new, supreme presence.
As the blinding light slowly faded, Zi Yan appeared. She floated just above the stone floor, now radiating a majestic presence that could not be denied. She looked like a proud, ancient queen finally returned to her rightful place.
She floated in calm stillness, her long, magnificent hair moving around her like smooth, watery silk in a phantom breeze. Her body was recognizable, but every part of her was fundamentally changed. Under her skin, faint purple-gold lines pulsed, showing complex, ancient dragon runes of staggering power. Behind her, the air twisted and warped, creating immense, overlapping shadows, part dragon and part phoenix, that faded and reformed, as if reality couldn't decide which supreme bloodline had won.
In a quick flash, her eyes snapped open. They were no longer the simple, youthful purple from before; instead, they were a vibrant, molten gold with a sharp, vertical slit... the stunning eye of a true imperial dragon.
An overwhelming, ancient, and absolute wave of pressure slammed outward. Even after she drifted down, her feet landing gently on the stone platform, the surface beneath instantly cracked from the sheer weight of her presence. A fine ring of dust lifted from the platform, yet it couldn't settle or even touch the protective sphere of her newly awakened, sovereign power.
For a long moment, she stayed completely silent, looking at her hands as if seeing them for the very first time, utterly unfamiliar with the immense strength now resting within them.
"Shen Yi…" Her voice finally emerged, a soft, low sound that carried an otherworldly echo, like the distant whisper of a dragon across a huge canyon... a sound that clearly no longer belonged to a young girl.
Immediately after, the elders appeared inside the hall. They instantly fell to their knees, speaking with voices that were both trembling and overjoyed. "Congratulations on your awakening, Dragon Empress."
Her pure golden gaze lifted, sweeping over the kneeling figures. It was sharp, curious, and dangerous; a primal power older than mountains flickered deep within her eyes. Then, slowly, the stunning intensity softened, and her expression returned to the one everyone recognized as Zi Yan's.
Zi Yan let out a soft, measured breath. "Where is he?" she asked, her voice now calm and composed.
The elders quickly exchanged worried looks before standing up one by one, their movements unhurried. Elder Tai Qing stepped forward respectfully, bowing slightly. "Young Empress… Shen Yi is not here right now. He left the island just before your complete awakening."
Zi Yan blinked once, the golden light in her eyes intensifying with sudden, fierce emotion. "Left? Why would he leave?"
"He simply said he had something very important that needed his immediate attention," the elder explained. "But before he left, he gave us this to pass on to you."
The elder held up a small, simple token, unremarkable except for a faint, detailed spiral deeply carved into its center... the exact token Shen Yi had given them moments before he suddenly vanished.
Zi Yan extended her hand, and with an invisible wave of raw energy, the token flew from the elder's grasp and rested in her palm without her physically touching it. She stared at it for a long, unreadable moment before a faint smile appeared on her lips... soft, yet undeniably dangerous and completely knowing.
The nearby elders instantly became stiff. They knew that particular smile well, understanding that it rarely meant anything good for the person she was focused on.
Zi Yan closed her fingers around the cool token. "I'll keep it," she confirmed.
"Young Miss," another elder, whose manner was more cautious, began, "I can clearly sense the strong presence of other islands moving closer now. It seems our Eastern Dragon Island is quickly headed for a collision with them. The rebels, who have been waiting a long time for this chance, might try to use this chaos to attack our eastern territory."
"I'll handle them," Zi Yan's voice cut clearly through the air, completely dismissing the threat with chilling ease. Her tone wasn't loud or harsh, but absolute and certain in its command.
The ancient dragon runes under her skin pulsed and glowed fiercely again as her aura flared with undeniable, majestic dominance, instantly filling the cavern with the terrifying presence of an emperor waking from a sleep of centuries.
"Prepare for it," she commanded, stepping off the platform. The air swirled violently beneath her feet, forming a miniature, powerful vortex of gold and violet light. "Anyone who still dares to rebel… I'll decide their fate myself."
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