The war chamber fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The message remained floating above the map.
> ACCESS REQUEST ACCEPTED.
THE SOVEREIGN OF SOVEREIGNS HAS BEEN SUMMONED.
Kael stared at the glowing words.
A strange feeling grew within his chest.
It felt familiar.
As though something far away had heard his name.
And answered.
Aurelion's face was pale.
"The Gate of Origin should not be opening."
Orion looked at him.
"What exactly is the Gate of Origin?"
The First King remained silent for several moments.
Then he spoke.
"It is the first place ever created."
The room became quiet.
"Before kingdoms."
"Before dragons."
"Before the stars."
"There was the Gate of Origin."
Ancient fear appeared in the guardian's eyes.
"I thought it was only a legend."
"So did most people," Aurelion replied.
"But legends often begin with truth."
Suddenly, Kael's necklace started glowing again.
Golden light spread across the chamber.
A voice echoed from nowhere.
A voice only Kael could hear.
> Come.
His eyes widened.
The voice was ancient.
Yet strangely gentle.
> The gate awaits you.
The light vanished.
Kael immediately stepped backward.
"What was that?"
Aurelion's expression darkened.
"You heard it?"
Kael nodded.
The First King's silence was answer enough.
Something was very wrong.
---
Far beyond reality...
The Gate of Origin slowly opened.
Ancient gears larger than galaxies began turning.
Millions of golden runes illuminated the darkness.
The gate had remained closed since the dawn of creation.
Until now.
A pair of eyes opened within the light.
Watching.
Waiting.
Remembering.
Then a voice echoed through eternity.
> The heir has awakened.
The stars trembled.
---
Back in Elysium...
The countdown clock continued ticking.
67:21:09
Time was running out.
Outside the palace, the invasion grew worse.
Reports arrived every minute.
More cities were under attack.
More soldiers were falling.
The kingdom was losing ground.
A knight rushed into the chamber.
"Your Highness!"
Kael turned.
"What happened?"
"The western defenses have collapsed!"
The room immediately became tense.
The knight swallowed nervously.
"Something appeared among the monsters."
Aurelion frowned.
"What?"
The knight's hands trembled.
"A dragon."
Orion blinked.
"A dragon?"
The kingdom possessed many dragons.
But the knight shook his head.
"No."
His voice became weak.
"This one is different."
The magical map changed.
A new image appeared above it.
Everyone stared.
A gigantic black dragon hovered above a burning city.
Its scales absorbed light itself.
Its wings covered the sky.
Crimson fire poured from its mouth.
Entire armies were being erased.
Kael's eyes widened.
"That's impossible."
Then the dragon lifted its head.
Its eyes glowed silver.
The same silver eyes as the Ninth Sovereign.
Aurelion immediately stood.
"No..."
The guardian looked horrified.
"Could it be?"
The First King slowly nodded.
"The Shadow Dragon."
Silence.
The name alone seemed to carry ancient terror.
"What is it?" Kael asked.
Aurelion's expression hardened.
"The mount of the Ninth Sovereign."
The room froze.
"The most powerful dragon ever born."
The image above the map suddenly changed.
The dragon looked directly at them.
As though it could see through the spell.
Then it spoke.
Its voice echoed across the chamber.
> Kael Arwyn.
Everyone froze.
The dragon smiled.
> The Sovereign is waiting.
Then the image shattered.
BOOM!
The magical map exploded.
The entire palace shook violently.
At that exact moment, the Temple of Eternal Echoes activated again.
Its alarms screamed louder than ever before.
> CRITICAL WARNING.
UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY DETECTED.
LOCATION: TEMPLE OF ETERNAL ECHOES.
Aurelion's eyes widened.
"That's impossible."
Nobody could enter the temple unnoticed.
Nobody.
Then a second message appeared.
> IDENTITY CONFIRMED.
EIGHTH SOVEREIGN DETECTED.
The room went deathly silent.
Kael's heart stopped.
The Eighth Sovereign?
But according to history...
There were only Seven.
A cold laugh echoed throughout the palace.
A laugh that did not belong to any of them.
And deep beneath the Temple of Eternal Echoes...
A sealed throne began to glow.
A throne nobody knew existed.
A throne hidden for ten thousand years.
The throne of the Eighth Sovereign.
To be continued...