Chapter 385: Inferno-Pyremourn Summit
Drip… Drip… Drip…
Step, Step, Step…
“Be careful, it’s slippery here,” Helena cautioned, her voice echoing in the eerie silence. She gingerly placed her foot on the ancient stone steps, slick with a thick layer of blood and fleshy remnants, the once-vibrant crimson now faded to a sickly brown as it dried in patches.
The scent of decay was overwhelming, a pungent reminder of the countless lives lost in this forsaken place.
The Dragon Emperor led the way, he guided them down the seemingly endless staircase.
It had been an hour since they began this arduous descent, yet the bottom remained out of sight.
“How much longer are we going to be walking?” Vespherine muttered, her voice laced with exhaustion and frustration.
Kai, who trudged along behind her, his legs were also ached, He glanced up at the Dragon Emperor, “Dragon Emperor, if it’s not too much trouble, could you tell us how much longer we need to walk?” Kai asked, his voice respectful.
The Dragon Emperor turned slightly, his eyes narrowing as he regarded Kai with a cold, calculating gaze, “If you cannot handle this,” he began, his voice low and menacing, “then I doubt you will survive what lies ahead.”
Meanwhile, Victor, who had been quietly observing their descent, noticed something strange about their path.
They weren’t simply descending; they were….
‘It seems like we’re spiralling around the mountain…’ he thought, lifting his gaze to the ever-narrowing strip of sky above them. The summit, once visible, was now obscured by the twisting walls of stone. To his left, the mountain fell away into a deep, yawning chasm, a void that seemed to pull at him with a quiet, insidious force.
Crack
“AHHH!” A sudden scream shattered the silence as Ashara’s foot slipped on the treacherous stone. She teetered on the edge of the path, her body leaning dangerously over the abyss. In a blind panic, she flung herself at Victor, her arms wrapping around him in a desperate bid for stability.
Victor stiffened as he felt her soft boobs press against him….. A flicker of ‘annoyance’ (Not really) crossed his face, but as he looked into her terrified eyes… Instead, he sighed heavily, resigning himself to the situation. But before he could react further—
“SHIT!” Kyra cursed loudly as her foot also slipped, sending her crashing into Victor’s other side. She clung to him for dear life, her breathing ragged with fear.
Now, Victor found himself sandwiched between the two women, each clinging to him as if he were their last lifeline. He could feel the weight of their stares…. two deadly glares!
‘Sigh, Give me a break…’
…..
….
After what felt like an endless eternity of walking….
Finally, the group arrived at their destination, a wide, flat expanse at the very base of the mountain. The stone floor beneath their feet was smooth and unnaturally even!!
“-ha-ha-”
Everyone panted heavily, their breaths coming in ragged gasps as they doubled over, hands on their knees. Some of the group simply collapsed onto the ground, too exhausted to care about the bloodstained stone beneath them.
The Dragon Emperor surveyed them with a mixture of disdain and disappointment, ‘Pathetic,’ he thought, his eyes flicking from one weary face to the next. His gaze lingered on Victor, who stood apart from the others, showing no sign of exhaustion….. Instead, Victor’s attention was fixed on something beyond the Dragon Emperor, his gaze narrowed in contemplation.
“Wait! Are -ha- those…” Selene’s voice broke the silence, her tone a mixture of curiosity and wariness as she pointed past the Dragon Emperor.
The Dragon Emperor’s lips curled into a smirk, “Yes, what you see before you is the same material used in the construction of my castle.”
Before them stood a massive wall of pure black metal, towering over them with an imposing presence.
The wall material, identical to those in the Emperor’s castle, bore the weight of centuries, its surface marred by the passage of time.
Yet, there was something different about these walls…. etched into the metal was a large, intricate symbol…. A circle, perfectly symmetrical, with a straight line bisecting it vertically and two smaller lines adjacent to it.
‘A peace symbol…’ Victor thought, a deep frown creasing his brow. The symbol was unmistakable same one he used in his previous world.
“This is the true Inferno-Pyremourn Summit,” the Dragon Emperor declared, his voice filled with a solemn gravity that demanded attention.
“T-Then… don’t tell me that above…” Aqualina’s voice trembled with shock as realization began to dawn on her.
The Dragon Emperor turned to her, his smirk widening into a sinister grin, “Yes, everything you saw above—those decayed bodies, the remnants of lives long lost—are nothing more than the corpses of dragons.
As I mentioned before, millions upon millions of dragons have perished here since the Ancient Era.”
He gestured towards the walls, his voice taking on a tone of reverence as he continued, “This place was built by the Ancients, a sacred ground to test the worthiness of those who would dare to claim the title of Dragon Emperor.”
The revelation sent shockwaves through the group…. Even the Principal, usually so composed and unflappable, raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“So, if someone passes this test, they…” Jack began, his curiosity piqued despite the dire circumstances.
“They earn the right to challenge the current Dragon Emperor… if there is one, that is!” the Dragon Emperor interjected, his voice cold and matter-of-fact, “Anyone who passes this trial has the right to duel the Emperor for the throne and even if they lose… They will be respected and honoured by all dragons in the Empire… just like a true Emperor.”
“I see…” Jack nodded slowly, a look of amusement playing on his lips, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
Meanwhile, Thalia and Raven’s expressions hardened, and their minds thought in unison, ‘Duel? Lose? You bastard Emperors will kill them!!’
“What’s this symbol?” Nyx asked, her voice tinged with curiosity as she reached out to touch the strange markings on the wall. Her fingers traced the lines as if trying to unravel the mystery they held.
The Dragon Emperor’s gaze softened slightly as he placed his hand on the symbol, “I’m not entirely sure. My father once told me that this symbol represents… peace.”
“Peace?”
“Yes,” the Dragon Emperor replied, his voice taking on a contemplative tone, “Once you enter, you will find peace… either like them,” he gestured towards the piles of decayed corpses then, his lips curling into a smug grin as he pointed himself, “or like me, who found inner peace.”
“….”
A heavy silence fell over the group as the weight of his words sank in. This was no ordinary trial; it was a one-way journey, with no guarantees of survival!!
The Dragon Emperor, seeing the fear and uncertainty on their faces, nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, once you enter this test… it’s do or die.”
“FUCK!”
The curse echoed through the chamber, a raw expression of fear and frustration. The faces of the group mirrored that sentiment, each one etched with horror as they fully comprehended the gravity of their situation.
“A-Are we sure this is the real trial?” Kai’s voice wavered as he glanced around at the others, his doubt evident. “I mean, weren’t we supposed to discover shattered heart or something? What if… what if we’re in the wrong place?”
His words gave everyone pause.
What if they were wrong? They could die for nothing.
The group fell into deep contemplation, the sight of the dead dragons weighing heavily on their minds.
They needed to be sure…. This was not laughing matter!
The Principal could only wait for their answers… She would neither force them nor advise them… because it’s about life and death.
They were the ones who were facing it.
Victor, meanwhile, was lost in his thoughts.
The mention of the Ancient Era, the symbol of peace—it all seemed too coincidental.
‘Could this place have been created by humans from Earth?’ he wondered, his frown deepening as he tried to piece together the puzzle.
The seed for the first trial had been passed down by the Ancients, and now…
‘Am I… in the future of Earth?’ He thought with a deep frown… he need know if that was the case.
As the group fell into silence, contemplating their next move, the Dragon Emperor’s patience wore thin. He sneered, his voice dripping with contempt, “Are you scared now?” His taunting words cut through the air, making everyone frown. “Do you know… when I told my son about this, unlike you cowards… he agreed immediately!!”
It was then that the group realized someone was missing.
Even Kai, who had been distracted by his flirting with Vespherine, suddenly noticed the absence of a familiar presence.
The Dragon Emperor’s pride swelled as he continued, “Yes, he has already entered the test. By now, I believe he’s close to the end.”
Without hesitation,
“I’m in,” Aqualina declared, her voice steady and resolute, breaking the silence.
“M-Me too!” Kai stammered, though his face was pale, and his hands trembled slightly.
One by one, the others nodded in agreement.
There was no turning back now…. this was the path…. This was what they had been Chosen by the Arcane… They could not step down now!
Except for Aether!
The Dragon Emperor’s grin widened into a triumphant smile as he snapped his fingers. In an instant, a white parchment appeared before each of them, along with a bone pen, ancient and foreboding.
“Sign the contract….” he commanded.
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