Chapter 2619: Story 2620: The Call of the Origin

Kael stood frozen beneath the enormous eye in the sky.

The black glow surrounding his sword pulsed like a living heartbeat.

“Kael!” Mara shouted.

He didn’t respond.

The voice inside his mind grew louder.

“RETURN.”

Kael’s vision blurred.

For an instant, the valley disappeared.

He saw an ancient kingdom beneath a blood-red sky. Massive towers rose from the earth, surrounded by armies of armored creatures. At the center stood a black throne.

Someone was sitting upon it.

A figure wearing a crown of bone.

Kael stepped closer.

“Who are you?”

The figure slowly raised its head.

Its face was hidden in darkness.

Then Kael saw the eyes.

The same red eyes that watched him from the sky.

“You know me.”

Kael suddenly woke.

He was back in the valley.

Mara was shaking his shoulder.

“Kael! Wake up!”

He looked around.

The Last March was retreating east while zombies poured across the valley.

Ethan fired toward the nearest creatures.

“We need to move!”

Kael looked at his sword.

The black glow had disappeared.

But something had changed.

He could hear whispers coming from every direction.

The dead were calling his name.

“Kael...”

“Kael...”

“Kael...”

Lena grabbed his arm.

“Don’t listen.”

He looked at her.

“What did you see?”

Her eyes were normal again.

“I saw the same thing you did.”

Adrian approached them.

“The blood connection is becoming stronger.”

Kael frowned.

“Can you stop it?”

Adrian shook his head.

“No.”

“Then tell me how to control it.”

Adrian hesitated.

“We need the First Kingdom.”

Elias suddenly appeared beside them.

“Not yet.”

Kael turned.

“What do you mean?”

Elias pointed toward the eastern mountains.

“The road to the kingdom is blocked.”

Isabella joined them.

“By what?”

Elias looked toward the distant peaks.

“An army that has been sleeping for centuries.”

A horn sounded behind them.

The Last March stopped.

Hundreds of soldiers looked toward the mountains.

The ground began moving.

At first, Kael thought the earth was shaking.

Then enormous stone doors emerged from beneath the valley floor.

Ancient symbols appeared across their surfaces.

Adrian stared at them.

“These aren’t fortress doors.”

“What are they?” Mara asked.

Adrian whispered,

“Gates.”

The doors slowly opened.

Beyond them was a vast underground road descending into darkness.

A cold wind emerged.

With it came the smell of ancient blood.

Elias stepped forward.

“This is the entrance to the First Kingdom.”

Kael looked at him.

“You said it was blocked.”

“It was.”

Elias pointed into the darkness.

“Now it wants us inside.”

Suddenly, a shadow moved behind the gates.

Then another.

Dozens of massive figures appeared.

They wore ancient armor and carried enormous weapons.

The Royal Guards had awakened.

Isabella raised her spear.

“Defensive formation!”

The soldiers formed ranks.

Kael looked at Lena.

“Stay behind me.”

She shook her head.

“No.”

She stepped beside him.

“If the dead want us inside, then we go together.”

Elias smiled faintly.

“Now you sound like the old kingdom.”

A deafening roar erupted from above.

The enormous eye in the sky began descending through the clouds.

Adrian looked upward.

“We’re running out of time.”

Kael raised his shield.

“Then open the gates.”

The ancient doors began closing.

Everyone rushed inside.

Kael was the last to enter.

As the gates slammed shut, the voice returned to his mind.

“WELCOME HOME, MY SON.”

Kael turned toward the darkness.

At the end of the underground road, thousands of red eyes opened.

The First Kingdom was waiting.

And something inside it had been waiting specifically for him.