The Last Celestial Tamer

Chapter 8

Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the mountains, sending powerful vibrations through the earth beneath everyone's feet.

Every head turned toward the northern sky.

Far above the clouds, several enormous dragons appeared. They belonged to the Royal Dragon Knights, the elite guardians who constantly patrolled the skies around the capital. Moments earlier, the mighty beasts had been soaring through the heavens without interruption.

Now, every one of them had stopped.

The dragons hovered motionless in the air, their massive wings beating in slow, steady rhythms that echoed across the valley. 

Then, one after another, the ancient creatures lowered their enormous heads toward the arena. Toward Lucien.

A royal knight stared at the unbelievable sight, his face draining of color. "Impossible," he whispered. "Our dragons bow to no one."

Another knight tightened his grip on his reins as he watched the impossible unfold. "They're not bowing out of respect," he said quietly. "They're afraid of something."

Cassian's chest burned with rising fury. "No. This is my ceremony! My Divine Griffin should obey me!"

Desperate to reassert his authority, he yanked harder on the griffin's neck. The magnificent creature let out a weak, pained cry, but it still refused to stand. Its entire body trembled as its golden eyes remained locked on Lucien.

Confused, Cassian slowly followed the direction of its gaze.

For the first time in his life, a small spark of fear crept into his heart.

Above them, the heavens continued to transform.

The eclipse reached its final stage, and complete darkness spread across the land. Only the glowing cracks inside the Sacred Crystal illuminated the arena with an eerie silver light.

Then the clouds began to move.

At first, the motion was subtle. Within moments, however, it became clear that this was no natural wind. 

The clouds rotated in perfect circles, spinning faster and faster until the sky resembled an enormous whirlpool swallowing the heavens.

A wave of terrified murmurs swept through the crowd.

"What is happening to the sky?"

The swirling clouds gathered into a colossal ring directly above the capital. Black, silver, and violet lightning flashed within the storm, illuminating the darkness in violent bursts. The very air seemed to split apart as strange cracks of light spread across the heavens.

Then a deep rumble rolled across the world. It did not sound like thunder. It sounded like unimaginably massive doors slowly opening after remaining sealed for countless ages.

Without warning, the center of the vortex cracked open.

A thin line of brilliant silver light appeared high above the kingdom. The glowing crack widened little by little until it became something far beyond human imagination.

A gigantic gate emerged from the heavens.

It floated above the clouds as though it had always existed there, waiting to be revealed. Endless golden pillars stretched upward beyond sight, while ancient doors covered with glowing symbols slowly swung inward.

The gate looked older than history itself.

An overwhelming silence settled across the kingdom. No one dared to speak. No one even seemed willing to breathe. Even the wind had vanished.

Children, soldiers, nobles, farmers, priests, and kings all stared upward in complete disbelief, their eyes fixed upon the impossible gateway hanging in the heavens.

Near the front of the royal platform stood an elderly man dressed in simple gray robes. Unlike the frightened nobles surrounding him, he had remained quietly observant throughout the entire ceremony.

His silver hair rested neatly upon his shoulders, and his sharp blue eyes missed nothing. Around his neck hung an ancient pendant engraved with symbols that few scholars alive could still recognize.

His name was Professor Orion Vale.

He was one of the kingdom's oldest scholars and the greatest living authority on ancient summoning magic. For more than fifty years, he had devoted his life to studying forgotten civilizations, forbidden records, and relics that history itself had tried to erase.

As everyone else watched the heavens in terrified confusion, the color slowly drained from Orion's face. "No..."

The word escaped his lips as little more than a breath. His hands began to tremble uncontrollably. "It cannot be."

A younger scholar standing beside him frowned in confusion. "Professor?"

Orion did not answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed upon the celestial gate as memories flooded through his mind.

He remembered forgotten libraries buried beneath ruined temples. He remembered scrolls hidden behind sealed vaults.

He remembered ancient books that kingdoms had ordered burned because their contents were considered too dangerous for mankind to know.

Among those forbidden records, one sentence had haunted him for decades. It was a prophecy he had desperately hoped was nothing more than a myth.

His lips moved almost involuntarily. "A gate that appears only when heaven refuses to claim...and hell refuses to reject."

The younger scholar stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Professor Orion slowly stepped backward, unable to tear his eyes away from the gate. His breathing became uneven. "No...It isn't possible."

His gaze shifted toward Lucien before returning to the celestial gate. Then realization struck him with terrifying certainty. His voice was barely audible. "A Forbidden Celestial..."

The younger scholar blinked. "What?"

Professor Orion looked at him with frightened eyes unlike anything the young man had ever seen. "You don't understand. No one alive should ever witness this. That gate...was erased from history."

Meanwhile, the enormous celestial doors continued to open with slow, deliberate movements, as though whatever lay beyond them had waited through countless ages for this single moment.

Brilliant silver light poured from the opening, yet it did not blind those who looked upon it. Instead, it awakened emotions no one could explain.

Some people felt overwhelming sorrow.

Others were consumed by indescribable fear.

Several collapsed to their knees as tears streamed down their faces, unable to understand why they suddenly wished to weep.

The atmosphere itself grew unbearably heavy, making every breath feel like a struggle.

Beneath the Sacred Crystal, Lucien remained trapped inside the pillar of light. The humming within the crystal had become almost unbearable, vibrating through his bones and echoing inside his very soul.

His heart pounded wildly against his chest. "What is happening to me?"

No answer came.

The celestial gate opened wider.

Dark mist drifted from the endless sea of silver light beyond the doorway.

Then something moved.

At first, it was only a distant shadow concealed within the brilliance.

Gradually, the outline became clearer. It was tall. It was motionless. And although it resembled a human figure, something about it defied all understanding.

The blinding light behind the figure concealed every feature. No one could see its face, and no one could tell whether it truly belonged to this world.

Every summoned beast lowered itself even closer to the ground.

High above the arena, the ancient dragons trembled.

Professor Orion slowly closed his eyes, his expression filled with despair. "We're too late..."

The mysterious figure reached the threshold of the celestial gate and paused for only a brief moment.

Then it lifted one foot.

With calm, deliberate purpose, it stepped beyond the gateway and crossed into the world of mortals.