Chapter 2707: Story 2708: The King Within

Ronan stood beneath the ancient crown.

It hovered inches above his head.

The entire chamber seemed to hold its breath.

The Beast remained bowed before him, while thousands of dead soldiers outside waited in absolute silence.

Elias stared at Ronan with hatred and fear.

“Take it,” he whispered.

Ronan looked at him.

“You want me to?”

Elias smiled coldly.

“I want to see what you become.”

Kael stepped forward.

“Ronan, listen to me. The crown was never created to protect the kingdom.”

Ronan looked at him.

“Then what was it created for?”

“To control it.”

The crown suddenly pulsed.

A wave of red energy exploded through the chamber.

Ronan fell to one knee.

Images flashed through his mind.

An ancient battlefield.

Thousands of warriors stood beneath a red sky.

At the center stood a man wearing the same crown.

The First King.

He raised his hand.

Every corpse on the battlefield rose.

Ronan watched in horror as an entire army of dead soldiers obeyed one man’s command.

Then the vision changed.

The First King stood before two young boys.

One carried a sword.

The other stood beside a mass of dead warriors.

The King placed his hand on the sword-bearing boy.

“Ronan.”

Ronan gasped.

The vision shattered.

He opened his eyes.

Lyra was kneeling beside him.

“Ronan!”

He looked around.

The crown was still above him.

Kael stared at his face.

“You saw them.”

“The First King.”

Kael nodded.

“And the two sons.”

Ronan slowly stood.

“They were us.”

Elias stepped closer.

“You finally understand.”

Ronan looked at his brother.

“You remember too?”

Elias’s eyes darkened.

“I remember everything.”

He pulled back his sleeve.

Black veins covered his arm.

“I died because of this kingdom.”

Ronan stared at the veins.

“What happened to you?”

Elias looked toward the crown.

“The First Kingdom chose me first.”

Kael’s face tightened.

“That isn’t possible.”

Elias laughed.

“It happened.”

He pointed toward Ronan.

“Then they found him.”

Ronan’s sword suddenly lifted from his hand.

It floated in the air.

The red symbol on its blade transformed into the shape of a crown.

The dead soldiers outside began chanting.

FIRST SON.

FIRST SON.

The crown descended another inch.

Kael shouted:

“Ronan, fight it!”

Ronan grabbed the crown before it could touch his head.

Pain exploded through his body.

He screamed.

The entire underground kingdom shook.

Cracks raced across the palace walls.

The Beast roared.

Elias fell backward.

Lyra covered her ears.

Then Ronan heard another voice.

Not the crown.

Not the dead.

Something deeper.

Something ancient.

“YOU ARE NOT THE KING.”

Ronan froze.

The voice continued.

“YOU ARE THE KEY.”

The crown shattered in his hands.

A massive shockwave destroyed the chamber.

When the dust cleared, Ronan stood alone.

The crown was gone.

But a red mark now burned across his forehead.

Far beneath the First Kingdom, something began climbing toward them.

And from the darkness came a sound that made even Elias tremble.

A heartbeat.

THUMP.

THUMP.

THUMP.

Kael whispered:

“The First King isn’t dead.”

Then the palace doors slowly opened.

Something was coming.