Ash Beneath the Crown

Dragons were never the monsters.
For years, the kingdom of Virellia has hunted them into near extinction, praising silver-cloaked hunters as heroes. Among them, one name once ruled them all: Onyx Vale, the Shadow Hunter.
Seven years ago, he vanished after slaying a Viper Dragon. The world believes he died from its venom.
They were wrong.
Onyx did not disappear to escape death. He disappeared because he discovered the truth. Dragons were not destroyers. They were wardens guarding a forgotten seal buried beneath the kingdom itself.
And that seal is breaking.
When a cursed rose blooms in dragon ash and binds itself to Captain Elric Thorn, the balance begins to fracture. Blood awakens ancient sigils. Shadows stretch where they should not. And something beneath the earth starts to breathe again.
Onyx has a plan.
The kingdom will not survive it.