Episode 19 — The Fall of the Temple
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire cavern shook violently.
Ancient pillars cracked.
Crystal rivers erupted from their channels.
Dust and ice rained from the ceiling.
Far above, crimson light pierced through the darkness.
The Void King was breaking through.
Kai stumbled backward.
"What do we do?"
The golden Dragon King Solaryn stared upward.
His radiant eyes narrowed.
"The temple has been hidden since the First War."
"Yet the Void King has found it."
Another impact struck the cavern.
A section of the ceiling collapsed.
Thousands of tons of ice crashed into the temple floor.
Nyrax growled.
The Heart of Winter pulsed beneath his chest.
Blue energy spread across his scales.
The young dragon could feel it too.
Something terrible was approaching.
Then Solaryn turned toward Kai.
"Listen carefully."
The cavern became silent.
Even the distant battle seemed to fade away.
"The Void King does not seek victory."
"He seeks the Emperor."
Kai frowned.
"The Dragon Emperor?"
Solaryn nodded.
"The lost Eighth King."
Images appeared around the chamber.
Ancient memories.
Ancient truths.
Kai saw the Dragon Emperor again.
The colossal black dragon crowned in blue crystal fire.
The ruler of all Dragon Kings.
The guardian of the world.
Then he saw something new.
Something history had forgotten.
The Dragon Emperor wasn't destroyed.
He was sealed.
A prison.
Deep beyond reality.
Beyond time.
Beyond death.
Solaryn's expression darkened.
"The Emperor sacrificed himself."
"To imprison the Firstborn forever."
Kai's eyes widened.
"The Void King..."
"Is only part of the Firstborn."
The cavern suddenly became silent.
"Its true body remains imprisoned."
A terrible realization hit Kai.
"If it escapes..."
Solaryn slowly nodded.
"Everything ends."
BOOOOOOOM!
The ceiling exploded.
A gigantic claw tore through the cavern roof.
Black scales.
Crimson energy.
Void corruption.
The Void King had arrived.
Its enormous eye peered through the opening.
Larger than a house.
Burning with crimson hatred.
The monster smiled.
"Found you."
The temple trembled.
Ancient dragon statues shattered.
Crystal thrones cracked.
The entire structure began collapsing.
Nyrax stepped in front of Kai.
Growling.
Ready.
The Void King laughed.
"Little king."
"Do you finally remember?"
The Heart of Winter exploded with light.
Suddenly—
A vision flashed through Nyrax's mind.
And through Kai's.
A battlefield.
Ancient.
Forgotten.
The Dragon Emperor standing before the Firstborn.
Then—
The impossible happened.
The Emperor turned.
And his face became visible.
Kai froze.
Because the Dragon Emperor looked exactly like Nyrax.
Not similar.
Not related.
Exactly.
The same eyes.
The same horns.
The same black scales.
The same blue crystal veins.
The vision vanished.
Nyrax stumbled.
Confused.
Terrified.
The Void King's smile widened.
"Now you understand."
"You are not his descendant."
Silence.
"You are his reincarnation."
The entire world seemed to stop.
Kai couldn't breathe.
Solaryn closed his eyes.
As if he had feared this truth for centuries.
The Void King roared.
"The Emperor returns."
"And this time..."
"I will finish what I started."
The monster slammed through the cavern ceiling.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The Temple of Seven Kings began collapsing completely.
Ancient pillars shattered.
Crystal rivers exploded.
Massive stone blocks crashed from above.
Solaryn spread his golden wings.
"Kai!"
"Take Nyrax and run!"
"What about you?!"
Kai shouted.
The Dragon King smiled.
A sad smile.
"Somebody must hold the gate."
Golden light erupted across the cavern.
The Second Dragon King launched himself toward the Void King.
The two ancient titans collided.
A sun of gold.
Against an abyss of darkness.
The resulting explosion illuminated the entire underground world.
Meanwhile—
Kai and Nyrax raced toward the collapsing exit.
Behind them—
May you like
The Temple of Seven Kings was dying.
And the truth of Nyrax's identity had finally been revealed.
