The Heir Of The Last Dragon

10. The Heir's Trial and Hidden Betrayal

The Valtherion Valley did not welcome them with birdsong or the peace Ethan had imagined. Instead, the air here was so thick with magical energy that every breath felt like inhaling shards of cold glass.

Towering crystal trees refracted a strange purplish light, creating shadows that seemed alive, watching their every move.

Ethan walked with heavy steps, his rusted sword still stained with the black blood of the commander he had felled at the gate. Beside him, Isyra walked warily, her left hand pressing against a wound on her ribs. Rion, now the size of an adult wolf, paced with a constant low growl emanating from his throat.

"There," Isyra pointed toward an ancient temple carved directly into the wall of the highest mountain in the center of the valley. "The Altar of Holy Water. The antidote for your father is at the summit of that temple."

"Why is this place so quiet?" Ethan asked, his eyes scanning the surroundings with his golden instinct still ablaze. "I thought this place was guarded by the Elders?"

"Elders are not always human, Ethan," Isyra answered mysteriously. "The trial is not about who you fight, but what you are willing to let go of."

As they stepped onto the first step of the temple, the atmosphere suddenly shifted. Gravity felt as if it had doubled, forcing Ethan to his knees. Rion shrieked in pain, his blue scales glowing wildly as if being forcibly pulled by a massive magnetic force from within the temple.

"Rion!" Ethan tried to reach for his dragon, but a wall of transparent energy separated them.

From the darkness of the temple door, a light projection emerged in the shape of an old man with robes made of clouds. His eyes had no pupils, only deep swirling stars.

"Heir of Eldravar," the man’s voice echoed not in the air, but directly within the marrow of Ethan’s bones. "You come bringing the last dragon, yet your soul is stained with stains of anger and doubt. This antidote is not given to those who seek power for revenge."

"I don't need your lecture!" Ethan shouted, trying to stand even though his bones felt as if they were about to break. "My father is dying! Give me the antidote, or I will tear this place down!"

"Anger again," the Elder hissed. "To save one life, you must prove that you can control the monster within yourself. Enter the pool of reflection. If you survive, the antidote is yours. If not, the dragon will stay here forever as the guardian of the valley."

Isyra grabbed Ethan’s arm.

"Be careful. That pool will show you your worst fears. If you surrender to the vision, your heart will stop beating."

Ethan looked at Isyra, then at Rion, who was now trapped in a cage of energy. Without further hesitation, he stepped into the main hall of the temple, which contained a pool of pitch-black water that stood frozen and still.

As soon as his feet touched the water, the world around Ethan vanished.

He was no longer in the valley. He was back in the Lumireth market. But this time, he was not being insulted. He stood atop a pile of Axandra’s soldiers' corpses. In his hand, he held the head of King Axandra, severed from its body. A terrifying sense of satisfaction washed over him. However, when he turned around, he saw Bryan and his father staring at him in fear.

"You have become him, Ethan," his father’s voice sounded hoarse. "You are not a savior. You are just a new monster of a different color."

Ethan trembled. His sword, glowing with blue fire, began to burn his own hand. He realized that his strength all this time had not grown from love, but from pure hatred for those who had trampled upon him.

"No," Ethan whispered. "I did it for you all!"

"Did you?" Bryan’s shadow approached, his chest pierced by a fire arrow at the border. "Or are you just happy because you finally have the power to trample others?"

Ethan screamed, plunging his sword into the black water beneath his feet.

"Enough! I am not a monster! I am Ethan Eldravar!"

Suddenly, the golden glow in his eyes shattered, merging with the blue fire in his sword. He stopped fighting the shadows and instead dropped his weapon. He let his pain and guilt flow out, not as anger, but as acceptance.

The fantasy world shattered into pieces.

Ethan jerked back to reality. He was in front of the altar, gasping for breath, cold sweat drenching his body. Before him, a small crystal vial containing a glowing silver liquid had been made available.

"You have passed the first trial," the Elder’s voice weakened, and the cage confining Rion vanished. "Take this antidote. But remember, every time you use the dragon’s power for hatred, the seeds of darkness within you will grow faster than any shadow poison."

Ethan snatched the vial with a trembling hand.

"Thank you."

He immediately ran out of the temple toward Isyra, who was waiting for him.

"I got it, Isyra! We have to get back to the Eldertree now!"

But Isyra did not move. She stood with her back to Ethan, staring toward the entrance of the valley, which was now filled with unnatural black smoke.

"Isyra?" Ethan called out, his steps slowing as he sensed something wrong.

Isyra slowly turned around. Her usually cold face looked crushed by sadness, yet her hand held a magical compass emitting a bright red signal, a long-distance communication device.

"Forgive me, Ethan," Isyra whispered.

Suddenly, the earth shook violently. From the sky of the valley that should have been protected by the mantra, massive cracks appeared. It wasn't Axandra’s army that emerged, but a colossal portal of darkness.

From within the portal, a voice very familiar to Ethan echoed, the voice of Kaelen.

"Good job, Princess Isyra," Kaelen’s voice sounded triumphant. "Without your help leading the heir to the heart of the valley and unlocking it from within, I would never have been able to summon The Great Devourer to this sacred place."

Ethan was aghast. His heart seemed to stop beating.

"Isyra ... what is the meaning of this?"

Isyra dropped her compass to the ground.

"Axandra holds the lives of my entire clan, Ethan. He doesn't want the dragon, he wants the gate that lies beneath this valley. And only the pure blood of an Eldravar could open it once the temple trial was completed."

In the distance, a giant three-headed dragon of darkness began to emerge from the portal, each flap of its wings toppling the crystal trees around it.

Ethan stared at the antidote vial in his hand, then at Isyra, who was now pointing her sword at him with trembling hands. At the same time, Rion growled wildly, his body suddenly swelling to twice its size, his eyes turning blood-red as he felt the immense betrayal from Ethan’s soul bond.

"You betrayed me?" Ethan roared.

"Run, Ethan! Run if you want your father to stay alive!" Isyra screamed, tears falling down her cheeks, but behind her, thousands of shadow warriors began to emerge from the sacred ground of the valley.

Ethan was cornered. In front of him was the woman he had just begun to trust, above him was an apocalyptic monster capable of destroying the world, and in his hand was the only hope for his father, whom he might never get to see again.

Then, a massive explosion struck the temple where they stood. Everything went pitch black as Kaelen’s laughter filled the valley, which had now turned into hell.