The air within the sanctum was thick with a palpable energy, a force that both weighed down on Kael and lifted his spirit. The Heart of the Storm had been awakened, but its true purpose remained a mystery. The cryptic words spoken by the sanctum lingered in Kael's mind, gnawing at him. The darkness that stirred beneath the earth was no ordinary evil—it was something far older, far more insidious.

As Kael stood before the pedestal, his fingers still tingling from the power he had absorbed, Zarek’s voice broke through his thoughts. “The sanctum has given you a glimpse of what’s to come, but it will not give you the answers you seek so easily,” the cursed swordsman said, his eyes narrowed. “The darkness below is ancient, and it has left scars on this world. We are walking on the remnants of something long gone, something that even the dragons could not defeat.”

Kael took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing thoughts. “So, what are we supposed to do? The sanctum has revealed nothing but riddles and whispers.”

Zarek stepped forward, his hand resting on the edge of the pedestal. “It has given us something more than that,” he said, his voice low. “The Heart of the Storm is a conduit for the power of the Dragon Lords, but it also holds their memories—echoes of those who fell before us. To truly understand what lies ahead, you must first understand what happened to them.”

Kael’s gaze flickered to the carvings on the wall, depicting the ancient dragons in various stages of battle and sacrifice. He stepped closer, tracing the lines with his eyes. They told a story—a story of grandeur, of power, of a time when dragons ruled the skies and the land was theirs to command. But beneath that glory was a darker tale. The dragons had not fallen in battle, as Kael had once believed. They had fallen in a betrayal, a betrayal that had come from within their own ranks.

The voice of the sanctum echoed again, sending a shiver down Kael’s spine. “The Dragon Lords were undone by their own kind. A singular betrayal tore the fabric of the world. The one who sought power above all else awoke something ancient—something that should never have been.”

Kael swallowed, the weight of those words sinking into his soul. A betrayal, one that had fractured the Dragon Lords and set in motion the fall of the dragons. “Who did this?” Kael whispered, more to himself than to Zarek.

Zarek’s eyes darkened. “Zeraphor,” he said softly. “He was once one of the greatest of the Dragon Lords—your ancestor. But his ambition led him to make a deal with something far darker. He sought to resurrect the Draconic Cataclysm, a force that could burn the world to the ground. It was only by the combined might of the other Dragon Lords that he was stopped.”

Kael’s heart pounded. Zeraphor. His own bloodline had once harbored such darkness, such power. And now, it seemed that Kael himself was destined to face the consequences of that betrayal. The weight of his heritage pressed heavily on his shoulders.

“There must be more,” Kael said, determined. “What happened to Zeraphor? Where is he now?”

Zarek’s expression was grim. “Zeraphor vanished after the Cataclysm was sealed. But his influence has never truly gone. The Order of Ashes seeks to resurrect him, to bring about the same destruction he once wrought. You must stop them, Kael. If they succeed, the world will burn, and the dragons will never return.”

Kael clenched his fists, his resolve hardening. “I won’t let that happen,” he said, his voice steady.

Zarek nodded. “Then we have no time to waste. The trials have begun. We must awaken the remaining sanctums before the Order can reach them.”

The chamber fell silent, the weight of their task settling in. Kael knew the journey ahead would be fraught with danger, but he also knew that he couldn’t turn back now. The dragons had fallen, but their legacy still lived on in him. And if Kael was to prevent the rise of Zeraphor and the return of the Draconic Cataclysm, he would need to embrace the power within him—and confront the ghosts of the past.

Chapter 10: Echoes of the Fallen

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