Chapter 2745: Story 2746: The First Brother

Darian stared at the stranger.

His face was familiar.

Not from memory alone, but from something deeper.

A face buried inside his blood.

“You’re lying,” Darian whispered.

The man smiled.

“I waited a very long time for you to remember me.”

Ronan stepped between them.

“Who are you?”

The stranger looked at him.

“Your brother.”

Ronan tightened his grip on his sword.

“I have three brothers.”

The stranger laughed softly.

“You have four.”

Elias moved beside Ronan.

“Darian is the Fourth.”

The stranger’s violet eyes shifted toward Elias.

“Fourth?”

He shook his head.

“No. He is the last.”

Aren stared at him.

“Then what are you?”

The stranger slowly removed the ancient armor covering his chest.

Violet veins pulsed beneath his dead skin.

“I was the first attempt.”

Darian’s breathing stopped.

The stranger continued.

“They called me Cael Draven.”

Kael suddenly stepped backward.

“No...”

Cael looked at him.

“You remember me.”

Kael’s face became filled with horror.

“I watched you die.”

Cael smiled.

“You watched me disappear.”

Ronan turned toward Kael.

“You knew him?”

Kael lowered his head.

“Cael was born before any of you.”

Darian stared at the older brother.

“How old are you?”

Cael’s expression became empty.

“I stopped counting centuries ago.”

The dead army behind him lowered their heads.

Cael raised one hand.

Every corpse obeyed.

Ronan raised his sword.

“Why did you bring them here?”

Cael looked toward the gate.

“I didn’t.”

His voice became darker.

“They followed your blood.”

Darian stepped forward.

“Why do they have my power?”

Cael’s eyes narrowed.

“Because the blood inside you belongs to all of us.”

Violet light began moving through the bodies of the dead.

One corpse after another stood.

Their flesh cracked.

Their eyes changed from red to violet.

Lyra drew her bow.

“How many are there?”

Cael looked toward the endless darkness.

“Enough to bury the living world.”

Elias released black energy.

“Then we’ll bury them first.”

Cael laughed.

“You still think this is a war.”

He looked at the four brothers.

“It isn’t.”

Aren’s silver energy flickered.

“Then what is it?”

Cael pointed toward the creature beneath the mountain.

“A succession.”

The creature roared.

The entire chamber shook.

Its enormous hand reached toward Cael.

Cael bowed his head.

“Father.”

Darian froze.

“That thing is your father?”

Cael nodded.

“And yours.”

Ronan stepped forward.

“You’re saying that creature created us?”

Cael shook his head.

“No.”

He looked directly at Darian.

“It created the blood that created us.”

Darian’s violet crown burned brighter.

Cael’s expression suddenly changed.

“You must leave.”

Ronan frowned.

“Why?”

“Because it has recognized Darian.”

The creature beneath the mountain opened its enormous mouth.

A deep voice echoed through the chamber.

“FIRST SON OF MY BLOOD.”

The dead army bowed.

Cael looked at Darian.

“Now it will call the others.”

A second voice thundered from the darkness.

“SECOND SON.”

Elias stiffened.

Then:

“THIRD SON.”

Aren’s silver energy erupted.

Finally, the mountain shook violently.

The creature whispered:

“FOURTH SON.”

Darian’s crown ignited.

Cael turned pale.

“No...”

Ronan looked at him.

“What?”

Cael stared into the abyss.

“It has remembered all four.”

The creature’s enormous eyes opened.

And beneath the gate, something even larger began awakening.