THE LAST BLOOD SOVEREIGN

CHAPTER 24: THE GATE OF SACRIFICE

 

The silver eagle circled above the mountain.

No one spoke.

The colossal crimson doors seemed alive.

Ancient runes crawled across their surface like rivers of molten light, and every few seconds the mountain itself released a deep, echoing heartbeat.

THUMP...

THUMP...

Kael placed a hand over his chest.

His own heartbeat had begun to match it.

"The shrine is responding to you," Selene whispered.

Kael nodded.

"It feels... familiar."

The eagle landed on a wide stone platform before the giant gate.

As soon as Kael stepped onto the platform, the crimson mark on his palm blazed.

The mountain shook violently.

Dust rained from the cliffs.

Then, with a thunderous groan, the enormous doors slowly began to open.

RUMBLE...

A freezing wind rushed out from the darkness within.

It carried an ancient scent of stone, steel...

...and blood.

The group cautiously entered.

The doors slammed shut behind them.

BOOM!

The sound echoed endlessly through the mountain.

Suddenly, thousands of crimson crystals embedded in the walls lit up at once.

The chamber stretched farther than any of them could see.

Towering statues lined both sides of the hall.

Each depicted a Blood Sovereign kneeling before ordinary people—not kings, not nobles, but farmers, healers, blacksmiths, and children.

Caelan looked around in amazement.

"I expected warriors."

Selene smiled.

"These statues tell the truth."

"The Blood Sovereigns ruled by serving."

Kael remained silent.

Each step he took made the crystals glow brighter.

At the end of the hall stood a solitary figure.

An old man in crimson robes leaned on a wooden staff.

His silver beard reached his waist.

His eyes shone like polished rubies.

He smiled gently as Kael approached.

"I have waited..."

"...for many centuries."

Kael bowed respectfully.

"Are you the Third Blood Sovereign?"

The old man chuckled.

"No."

"I am merely his Keeper."

"My name is Eldros."

"The Third Sovereign left me to judge every heir who seeks his inheritance."

He tapped his staff against the floor.

Three stone doors rose from the ground.

Each bore a single word.

Strength.

Wisdom.

Sacrifice.

Eldros looked directly at Kael.

"The first two trials test ability."

"The third tests the heart."

He pointed toward the door marked Sacrifice.

"Only one path leads to the Third Sovereign."

Kael stepped forward without hesitation.

"I choose Sacrifice."

Caelan blinked.

"You didn't even think about it."

Kael smiled faintly.

"My strength isn't enough."

"My knowledge isn't enough."

"But if becoming stronger means protecting others..."

"Then I already know my path."

For the first time, Eldros laughed with genuine delight.

"Excellent."

"The Third Sovereign chose wisely."

The stone door slowly opened.

Instead of a corridor...

There was only white light.

Kael stepped into it.

When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in Black Hollow.

His village.

The same broken houses.

The same dusty streets.

His heart raced.

"This isn't possible..."

Children laughed nearby.

His mother stood outside their home, hanging freshly washed clothes.

His father repaired a wooden fence, humming softly.

They were alive.

His mother's eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Kael!"

She ran toward him and embraced him.

He could feel her warmth.

Hear her heartbeat.

Smell the familiar scent of lavender.

Tears filled his eyes.

"Mother..."

His father smiled proudly.

"You're home."

For one perfect moment...

Everything was as it should have been.

No war.

No Abyss.

No Blood Sovereign.

Just a family.

Then the sky darkened.

A voice echoed across the village.

"Choose."

Everyone froze.

Before Kael appeared two doors of light.

Above the first door were the words:

Remain Here.

Above the second:

Save the World.

The voice returned.

"If you remain..."

"Your parents will live."

"You will know peace."

"But the world beyond this illusion will fall."

"If you leave..."

"You will never see this life again."

His mother gently held his hand.

"Stay."

His father smiled sadly.

"We've missed you."

Kael closed his eyes.

Every part of him wanted to remain.

To forget the burden.

To forget the battles.

To simply be their son.

Then he remembered the little girl in the City of Ashes.

The people of Black Hollow.

Arkan.

Selene.

Elara.

Caelan.

All those still fighting.

Slowly...

He stepped toward the second door.

His mother began to cry.

His father's shoulders trembled.

Kael's own tears fell freely.

"I love you."

"But if I stay..."

"...someone else's child will lose their parents."

He looked at them one last time.

"I can't allow that."

He walked through the door.

The village dissolved into crimson light.

Silence filled the chamber.

Eldros stood waiting.

There were tears in the old Keeper's eyes.

"You are the first heir..."

"...in five hundred years..."

"...to choose the world over your own happiness."

The mountain trembled.

Deep beneath the shrine...

Ancient chains began to break.

A powerful laugh echoed through the darkness.

"So..."

"Another worthy Sovereign has arrived."

Eldros's smile vanished instantly.

His face turned pale.

"He has awakened."

Kael frowned.

"Who?"

The old Keeper slowly turned toward a gigantic stone staircase descending into the depths of the mountain.

"The Third Blood Sovereign..."

"...has been waiting for you."

But hidden far below...

A pair of glowing crimson eyes opened.

They were not the eyes of a guardian.

They were the eyes of a prisoner.