Chapter 2746: Story 2747: The Awakening Below

The mountain trembled again.

Darian stood frozen beneath the violet glow of his crown, staring into the enormous eyes of the creature.

“First Son...”

The voice rolled through the chamber like thunder beneath the earth.

Ronan raised his sword.

“Stay away from him!”

The creature ignored him.

Its gaze remained fixed on Darian.

Then the ground beneath the four brothers cracked.

A deep fissure opened between the ancient stones.

Black mist poured upward.

Lyra grabbed Darian’s arm.

“Move!”

Darian did not move.

He was staring into the darkness.

Something was speaking to him.

Not through words.

Through blood.

He suddenly saw a vision.

A vast black chamber.

Four infants lay inside four ancient cradles.

But behind them stood something else.

Something far larger.

Something without a face.

Its hands rested on the cradles as if it had created them.

Then a fifth cradle appeared.

Empty.

Darian gasped.

“What was that?”

Cael stepped forward.

“You saw the beginning.”

Kael’s face turned pale.

“No...”

Cael looked at him.

“You knew there were five.”

Kael shook his head.

“I knew there was something buried beyond them.”

The fissure widened.

Elias released black energy and struck the ground.

The stone shattered.

“Enough secrets!”

His voice echoed.

“Tell us what is down there!”

Cael looked at him.

“The reason our blood was created.”

Aren’s silver light spread across the floor.

“Then we destroy it.”

Cael gave a bitter smile.

“You cannot destroy what created the blood.”

Ronan stepped toward him.

“Then we kill its vessel.”

Cael’s expression changed.

“You still don’t understand.”

The enormous creature suddenly screamed.

Every corpse in the chamber collapsed.

Then their bodies began twisting.

Bones cracked.

Flesh stretched.

Thousands of dead soldiers rose again, but they were no longer human.

Black armor grew across their bodies.

Violet fire burned inside their skulls.

Lyra drew her bow.

“There are too many.”

Ronan lifted his shield.

“Then we make a path.”

The four brothers moved together.

Ronan struck first.

His red sword carved through the nearest creature.

Elias unleashed black energy.

Aren sealed three corpses beneath silver chains.

Darian raised his hand.

The violet army suddenly stopped.

Every creature turned toward him.

Darian stared in disbelief.

“I didn’t command them.”

Cael whispered,

“You don’t need to.”

The ground exploded.

A gigantic hand emerged from beneath the fissure.

It was larger than the mountain itself.

The creature beneath the chamber suddenly bowed its enormous head.

For the first time, fear appeared in its eyes.

Cael stepped backward.

“That...”

Ronan looked at him.

“What is it?”

Cael’s voice trembled.

“The thing that made Father afraid.”

The hand gripped the edge of the world beneath them.

Stone shattered.

Something began pulling itself upward.

Darian’s crown burned violently.

A voice came from below.

Not ancient.

Not dead.

Hungry.

“FOUR BLOODS...”

The brothers froze.

The voice continued.

“ONE BLOOD MISSING.”

Darian looked at Cael.

“What does that mean?”

Cael stared into the abyss.

His face turned white.

“It means...”

The darkness below opened like a second sky.

“...we were never the complete bloodline.”

A gigantic eye opened beneath them.

And it was looking directly at Ronan.