The Last Dragon Heir

The Road to Destiny

After resting for a moment, they continued walking. The forest in front of them began to change. The trees that were once green were now black, the ground was filled with cracks.

Even the air felt much colder. Kaelan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"What is this place?"

The old man answered without turning his head.

"The border of the Forbidden Mountains."

Kaelan's steps stopped. The Forbidden Mountains, the place Garrick had mentioned before sacrificing his life.

Unconsciously, he tightly clutched the old map under his clothes.

The old man glanced at him.

"You finally took it out."

Kaelan froze. "How did you know I had a map?"

The old man smiled faintly. "I know more than you imagine."

That answer made Kaelan even more wary, he took a step back.

"Sir… Who exactly are you?"

For the first time, the old man wasn't joking, his gaze turned sharp.

"Now… You don't deserve to know my name yet, but there's one thing you should remember."

He pointed towards the mountains shrouded in black mist.

"Once you step inside, there's no turning back."

Kaelan lifted his head, his gaze following the old man's finger.

Beyond the mist was a giant stone gate, nearly crumbling with age.

Ancient dragon carvings covered its entire surface, the gate exuding an ancient aura that made his chest tighten.

But what was most shocking was not the gate itself, but the dozens of human skeletons scattered in front of it, some still holding swords.

Others knelt facing the gate, as if they had died before they could enter. Kaelan swallowed.

"They…"

The old man nodded slowly. "They all came to seek their inheritance. Not a single one made it back."

A cold wind blew through the gaps between the bones, and the atmosphere was so quiet that Kaelan's breathing could be heard clearly. The old man stepped closer to the gate.

"Look carefully."

On the stone gate, several sentences were written in ancient characters that began to erode as Kaelan tried to read them. Although some were damaged, one sentence was still clearly visible.

"The weak, retreat. The greedy, die. Only the chosen may step forward."

Kaelan's heart beat faster without him realizing it, he felt the old map beneath his clothes begin to warm.

Slowly the map emitted a faint light and at the same time the giant stone gate before him let out a rumbling sound that shook the entire mountain range.

GRRRR...

The old man's eyes immediately narrowed.

"Interesting... after eighteen years, the gate finally reacts again."

GRRRR...

The sound of the stone gate continued to echo, shaking the entire Forbidden Mountains. Dust that had stuck for hundreds of years fell from between the ancient dragon carvings. The faint light coming from the old map in Kaelan's hand grew brighter, as if it was summoning something that had been sleeping for a very long time. Kaelan's eyes widened.

"What happened...?"

The old man didn't answer, his gaze fixed on the stone gate with an expression that was hard to decipher for the first time, his always relaxed face showing a hint of surprise.

"So it's true… Garrick didn't make the wrong choice."

Kaelan turned his head. "Master knows Elder Garrick?"

The old man immediately fell silent, as if realizing he had said something he shouldn't have.

"You ask too many questions." He took another sip of his wine. However, before Kaelan could ask again.

BOOM!

The stone gate emitted a powerful blast of energy, waves of wind crashing in all directions. Kaelan was thrown several meters and fell rolling on the ground. Meanwhile, the old man remained standing where he was, as if the gust of wind had meant nothing at all. Cracks began to fill the surface of the gate.

Slowly the gate opened, only a small gap no wider than a human body. From within came a chill that pierced to the bone. Simultaneously, a deep voice sounded as if it came from ancient times.

"Who woke me?"

The voice made Kaelan's entire body tense. He had never heard such a heavy voice, as if every word carried a pressure capable of crushing the soul.

The old man smiled faintly. "You're awake, apparently."

The voice from inside the gate sounded again.

"You're not the heir."

The old man nodded casually. "I know."

"Then... why did you come?"

"Not me." The old man pointed at Kaelan who was still standing a few meters behind him.

"Him."

The atmosphere was silent again for a few seconds. Suddenly, a pair of giant red eyes appeared from behind the darkness of the gate, staring straight at Kaelan. In an instant, Kaelan felt like all his secrets were being read, his body froze, even breathing felt difficult.

"Humans... Don't have a Spiritual Core, yet..." The voice stopped.

A few moments later it sounded again, this time with a tone full of astonishment.

"Seal?"

Kaelan's eyes widened. "Seal? What does that mean?"

The old man narrowed his eyes.

"Hm... so you can see it too."

The voice from inside the gate turned cold.

"Who sealed the blood?"

The old man shrugged. "If I knew, I might have broken the seal."

Silence fell again.

"Come in."

The gate opened slightly wider. Kaelan unconsciously took a step forward. But only one step.

BOOM!

An incredible pressure hit his body.

"Aaaagh!"

Kaelan immediately fell, all his bones felt like they were being squeezed by a mountain. He tried to get up but his knees hit the ground again.

No!

The sound of bones rubbing together made his face pale.

"So strong..."

He hadn't even entered the tomb yet, this pressure almost made him faint. The old man just watched from a distance.

"Come on, if you can't even get through this kind of pressure, forget about the inheritance."

Kaelan gritted his teeth and forced one foot forward, only one step.

Bang!

His body fell again, blood flowing from his nose. His breathing became heavier, but he stood up one more step.

Crash!

Fall, get up, fall again, get up again, and so on and so forth. Every step felt like risking his life.

Kaelan's body began to be covered in wounds, blood dripping along the path to the gate. The old man silently nodded.

"His determination is stronger than I thought."

On the other side, the voice from inside the gate was heard again.

"Why are you still standing?"

Kaelan raised his head, blood flowing from his forehead until it covered one eye. But his gaze remained firm.

"Because..." He took a deep breath. "I have nowhere to go back to, I've lost my family, lost my home. Lost the only person who considered me family if I give up here, Elder Garrick's sacrifice will be in vain."

The voice from inside the gate did not immediately answer. A few moments later all the pressure that was pressing on Kaelan's body disappeared, he fell down gasping for breath. His body was almost devoid of strength, then the ancient voice echoed again, this time not as cold as before.

"You may enter, but you are not necessarily worthy of being my heir."

A moment after the sentence was finished, the stone gate opened wider. Thick darkness greeted Kaelan, from within came the sound of chains rubbing, followed by heavy footsteps slowly approaching. The old man who had seemed relaxed suddenly turned serious.

"Boy... that is not the voice of the tomb's owner."

Kaelan's heart was beating fast.

"Then... Whose voice is that?"

Before anyone could answer, tw

o golden eyes slowly lit up from behind the darkness followed by a low growl that made the entire Forbidden Mountains tremble. The first creature guarding the tomb had finally awakened.