Chapter 2713: Story 2714: The Army of the First Kingdom

Darkness swallowed the chamber.

Ronan heard nothing except his own breathing.

Then—

BOOM!

A red flash tore through the darkness.

Ronan opened his eyes.

The chamber had changed.

The Beast was gone.

So was Elias.

His father stood beside the broken throne, staring toward the enormous pit.

“Where did it go?” Ronan asked.

His father shook his head.

“It didn’t leave.”

Ronan looked down.

The black stone beneath his feet was moving.

Something was crawling beneath it.

“Father...”

“Don’t move.”

Too late.

A hand burst through the floor and grabbed Ronan’s ankle.

Ronan swung his sword.

The hand disappeared.

But another one emerged.

Then another.

Hundreds of pale hands broke through the stone.

Ronan stepped backward.

His father shouted, “RUN!”

They raced toward the chamber entrance.

Behind them, dead bodies began crawling from cracks in the floor.

Ronan reached the doorway and looked back.

His father had stopped.

“Come on!”

The old man shook his head.

“I can’t leave.”

Ronan turned.

“What do you mean?”

His father pointed toward the throne.

Black chains were reforming around it.

“I was chained here because I was the guardian of this prison.”

Ronan stared at him.

“You said the First King imprisoned you.”

“He did.”

“Then why?”

“Because I refused to let him open the prison.”

The floor shook violently.

His father continued.

“The First King wanted the Beast’s power.”

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

“And Elias?”

“He was the key he used.”

A terrible roar echoed through the kingdom.

Ronan suddenly heard thousands of voices above them.

“FIRST SON.”

His father’s face went pale.

“They know you are here.”

Ronan gripped his sword.

“Then we fight.”

“No.”

His father stepped toward him.

“You don’t understand. The dead are not coming for you to kill you.”

“Then why are they coming?”

“To kneel.”

Ronan froze.

Above them, the entire First Kingdom began shaking.

The ceiling cracked.

A wave of red light spread through the stone.

Then footsteps echoed from the tunnel.

Slow.

Hundreds of them.

Ronan raised his shield.

Kael appeared first.

His armor was damaged, and blood covered his face.

Behind him came Lyra, bow drawn.

She ran straight toward Ronan.

“You’re alive!”

Ronan nodded.

“Barely.”

Lyra looked at the old man.

Her eyes widened.

“Who is he?”

“My father.”

Kael stopped.

For the first time, the old warrior looked genuinely shocked.

“You found him.”

Ronan stared at Kael.

“You knew.”

Kael lowered his sword.

“Yes.”

Ronan’s anger returned.

“You knew my father was alive?”

“I knew he was imprisoned here.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kael looked toward the darkness.

“Because some truths become more dangerous when spoken.”

Suddenly, every sound stopped.

The dead above became silent.

Then thousands of bodies appeared at the edge of the chamber.

They did not attack.

They slowly dropped to their knees.

Ronan stared at them.

One by one, their heads lowered.

Lyra whispered, “Why are they kneeling?”

Ronan’s father’s voice trembled.

“Because the First Kingdom has chosen its king.”

Ronan looked at his glowing sword.

Then a voice echoed from every corpse.

“THE FIRST SON HAS RETURNED.”

And far beneath the kingdom, the Beast began to laugh.