THE LAST BLOOD SOVEREIGN

CHAPTER 6: THE VALLEY OF FALLEN KINGS

 

Darkness.

An endless, suffocating darkness surrounded Kael as the crimson light carried him through an unknown void.

He could neither move nor breathe.

The only thing he could hear was the steady beating of his own heart.

Thump...

Thump...

Thump...

Then, without warning, the light disappeared.

Kael crashed onto solid ground.

"Argh!"

Pain shot through his body as he rolled across rough stone before finally coming to a stop.

For several moments, he lay still, catching his breath.

When he finally opened his eyes, he froze.

He was standing in a valley unlike anything he had ever imagined.

The sky was blood-red.

There was no sun.

No moon.

Only crimson clouds drifting slowly overhead.

Jagged black mountains surrounded the valley like prison walls.

Broken weapons littered the ground—rusted swords, shattered shields, cracked spears, and giant battle axes half-buried beneath the earth.

Scattered among them were countless skeletons.

Some belonged to humans.

Others were far too large to be human.

Kael even spotted the skeleton of a dragon stretching across an entire hillside.

"So this is..."

"The Valley of Fallen Kings."

A cold wind swept across the battlefield.

It carried thousands of whispers.

Some sounded like prayers.

Others like cries of despair.

Kael tightened his grip on the dagger Arkan had secretly slipped into his hand before he disappeared.

It was the only weapon he possessed.

"I have to survive..."

"Three days."

He had barely taken ten steps when the ground beneath him trembled.

Crack...

A skeletal hand burst from the earth.

Then another.

Then dozens more.

Kael's heartbeat quickened.

Bones began assembling themselves into warriors clad in ancient armor.

Empty eye sockets ignited with eerie blue flames.

Each skeleton carried a rusted weapon.

They turned toward Kael in perfect unison.

One word echoed from every mouth.

"Alive..."

Kael slowly backed away.

"No..."

More skeletons emerged.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Fifty.

Soon, hundreds surrounded him.

The nearest one raised its sword.

Without thinking, Kael ducked.

The blade sliced through the air where his head had been a moment earlier.

He rolled forward and stabbed the skeleton in the ribs.

Clang!

The dagger bounced off harmlessly.

"What?"

The skeleton swung again.

Kael barely avoided the strike.

He kicked the creature away, but it didn't even stumble.

"They don't feel pain..."

He looked around desperately.

There were too many.

Running was his only option.

Kael turned and sprinted across the battlefield.

Behind him came the relentless march of hundreds of skeletal warriors.

Their footsteps echoed like drums of war.

Hours passed.

Kael never stopped running.

His lungs burned.

His legs trembled.

Yet the undead never grew tired.

Just as despair threatened to consume him...

He noticed a ruined stone tower standing alone atop a nearby hill.

With the last of his strength, he raced toward it.

The entrance was narrow.

Too narrow for many skeletons to enter at once.

Kael slipped inside just as the first undead reached the doorway.

The skeleton swung its sword.

Kael dodged and shoved it backward.

It collided with several others, creating a bottleneck.

Only one could enter at a time.

"This... I can manage."

Using the cramped entrance to his advantage, Kael smashed loose stones onto the skeletons' heads, forcing them back repeatedly.

He fought desperately for what felt like an eternity.

Finally...

As suddenly as they had appeared...

The skeletons stopped.

Without warning, they turned around.

One by one, they walked back into the valley until they disappeared into the crimson mist.

Kael leaned against the wall, exhausted.

"They're gone..."

Before he could relax, an ancient voice echoed through the tower.

"Not bad..."

"You survived the first test."

Kael spun around.

An old man sat quietly in the corner.

His white robes were spotless despite the dust.

His long silver beard reached the floor.

Most strangely...

His body was transparent.

Like a ghost.

"You..."

"Who are you?"

The old man smiled.

"I have carried many names."

"But long ago..."

"I was called..."

"The First Blood Sovereign."

Kael's eyes widened in shock.

The legendary founder of his bloodline...

Was standing before him.

Or rather...

His spirit had been waiting here all along.

The old man's smile slowly faded.

"Tell me, child..."

"Are you truly prepared to bear the weight of the Blood Sovereign...?"

Before Kael could answer, the ghost raised a single finger.

A wave of crimson energy exploded through the tower.

The world around Kael vanished.

And he found himself standing in the middle of a battlefield...

Facing an exact copy of himself.

Only this version had blazing crimson eyes—and a terrifying smile.

"Defeat yourself," the mysterious double said.

"Or remain weak forever."