Kaecilius felt strange. He had thought he would grow more excited as he neared his goal, but instead, he only grew calmer. It was odd—but he wasn't unhappy.
How could he be? Everything seemed to be falling perfectly into place these days.
After leaving Arthuria, he had gained not only the information he needed but also a mission—a kind of payment. He wasn't the only one who had lost someone he loved; another had suffered the same pain and lost his wife. Kaecilius knew there were countless such people, but clearly this one was special. And so, he had to help him as well. Apparently, there was a risk the man would do something foolish in trying to get his wife back.
He could understand that. Desperate people did desperate things. He himself had been desperate once—desperate enough to risk his life by seeking out Arthuria, a being so powerful that even his own master dared not make an enemy of her.
He hadn't expected much from the mysterious warlord he was told to find and help, but he quickly realized that Xu Wenwu was anything but simple—a man of immense strength, and possibly even older than Kaecilius's own master. A truly ancient being.
He soon understood why Arthuria had taken notice of the situation. A man with such power could wreak terrible harm. Even if it would never reach Camelot itself, someone as kind as the King of Knights would not stand idly by while innocents suffered.
Meeting Wenwu had been… tense. The man's history with the Ancient One meant they started off on the wrong foot, but the mention of a way to bring back the dead made Wenwu pause his assault long enough for Kaecilius to explain himself.
Naturally, Wenwu had been suspicious—how did Kaecilius know about his dead wife? Even Kaecilius himself was curious how Arthuria had learned of it. But given that his own master could see the future, it wasn't hard to believe another could do the same.
Once Wenwu calmed down and they finally began speaking as reasonable men, Kaecilius was surprised to learn that Wenwu had originally harbored no desire to bring his wife back. That confused Kaecilius even more—why, then, had Arthuria insisted on this mission?
But a deal was a deal.
To honor his agreement with Arthuria, Kaecilius struck a new bargain with Xu Wenwu, leader of the Ten Rings. Together, they would bring back their loved ones. Kaecilius would prepare the bodies to be infused with the Elixir of Immortality, and Wenwu would ensure that the Hand surrendered the elixir itself.
No matter how powerful Wenwu was, however, he couldn't squeeze blood from a stone. The Hand was running out of the elixir. They had one remaining dose, but they weren't sure it was strong enough to revive someone who had been dead for a long time.
That suited Kaecilius well enough. He had worried that once Wenwu got what he wanted, their partnership might collapse—but now they remained bound by mutual need. They had to find more of the elixir.
Their search led them along the same trail Arthuria had once followed—the Hand's operations in New York. She had spoken of the need for a dragon, or rather, a dragon's bones. And from how highly she had regarded such creatures, Kaecilius was eager to see one, even in death.
Still, the Hand didn't know exactly where the dragon was buried. Only that it lay somewhere beneath an area of New York known as Hell's Kitchen. Naturally, given how deep it rested, unearthing it would take years.
But once Wenwu felt even a flicker of hope that he could return his wife to life, patience became impossible. While the Hand moved in shadows, Wenwu pushed forward boldly. Using his immense wealth and criminal influence, he bought vast tracts of land—bribing officials to invoke eminent domain when owners refused to sell.
Under the guise of urban improvement projects, the digging began.
Kaecilius was astonished by Wenwu's resources, though it made sense; the man had been accumulating power for centuries. The effort that might have taken years was completed in months. At last, they found what they had been searching for.
-----
Kaecilius stepped out of a portal and was met by a chill very different from the fresh mountain air of Kamar-Taj.
"There you are, Kaecilius. One would think that with magic like that, you'd be the first to arrive," Xu Wenwu said, rising from the chair where he'd been sitting.
Kaecilius looked back at the ancient warlord and wisely chose not to rise to the provocation.
"As a wise man once said, a wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
He turned to the gathered crowd—members of both the Ten Rings and the Hand. In fact, nearly the entire Hand was present: the so-called Fingers, centuries-old beings trying to put on a tough act. Kaecilius knew Wenwu had already cowed them.
"Cute," Wenwu said. "But I didn't call you here for book quotes. We found it—or so they believe." He gestured toward the Fingers.
Alexandra Reid cleared her throat, nudged forward by the others.
"Yes, thanks to the resources so generously provided, we've been able to locate it faster than expected. However…" she hesitated, "there's still the issue of reaching it."
"Out with it," Wenwu snapped.
Reid bowed her head, her fear obvious. "According to our information… one cannot reach the dragon's bones. They were sealed, entombed—and only the Iron Fist can break that seal." She hesitated again. "But, well…"
"Which is why you're here, Kaecilius," Wenwu said, taking over. "They need a key. You, on the other hand, can open doors anywhere. So I say you open one right past the lock."
Kaecilius took a deep breath and nodded, finally understanding. They were close.
"Very well. Let's get down there and assess the situation," he said, peering over the ledge that dropped into a massive pit.
He was genuinely impressed that such a hole had been dug without magic. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a shimmering portal leading down into the abyss.
"Come along," he said, stepping into the darkness.
The air on the other side was colder still—a place untouched by the sun. Harsh spotlights illuminated the damp stone walls and the steel beams that held everything together. It was a monument to human engineering, carved straight into the earth.
Wenwu followed him through the portal, trailed by the Fingers. Together they stared up at a vast white wall that rose into the dark above.
"This is it," Reid said. "The dragon bones should be behind this seal. But nothing can damage it—every tool we tried failed to even scratch the surface."
Kaecilius's curiosity was piqued. Few things could truly resist a determined attempt to break them. He could think of a few materials that were difficult to damage, but not to this extent.
Wenwu snorted and extended a hand toward the wall. One of the thick metal rings on his arm flared to life, shooting forward like a bullet. It struck the wall with tremendous force. The sound reverberated through the cavern, forcing Kaecilius to step back and raise a spell to dispel the shockwave.
The ring snapped back to Wenwu's arm. The wall remained unmarked.
"Impressive," Wenwu muttered, flexing his fingers. "But hardly a proper test."
He clenched his fists, and the Ten Rings began to whirl around his arms, spinning faster and faster until their light turned the shadows to gold.
Kaecilius stepped back, keeping a portal ready behind him—just in case Wenwu brought the entire cavern down.
Then came the storm.
Each strike landed like thunder—a golden tempest of power as the Ten Rings slammed into the wall again and again. Shockwaves tore through the ground. The floodlights flickered, steel supports groaned, and dirt rained down in choking clouds.
Kaecilius shielded himself with a glowing sigil, watching the warlord unleash centuries of rage upon a single obstacle. It was a breathtaking display of power—each blow strong enough to shatter tanks or level mountains—and yet, when the echoes finally died, the wall still stood.
Cracked, but unbroken.
A faint fissure ran across the white surface—barely visible, but proof that even this could be damaged. Still, it was far too resilient to be natural stone.
Wenwu's breathing steadied, his fury cooling into curiosity.
"Kaecilius," he said, "what is this thing? How can anything be this strong?"
Kaecilius stepped closer, golden sigils spinning around his fingertips as he studied the crack.
"It's stone," he said slowly, "but not native to this place. Something has changed it. A force flows through it—it's been transformed."
Wenwu frowned. "Speak plainly, sorcerer."
"You struck it with kinetic energy, with brute strength," Kaecilius said. "Long ago, that might have worked. But now… another kind of energy fortifies it. Only something of the same nature could break it."
Wenwu narrowed his eyes. "And what would that be?"
Kaecilius smiled faintly. "Something alive. Not power born of mastery—but of essence." He gestured to the fissure. "It responds to life energy. To chi. That's why only the Iron Fist can open it. His power comes from the dragon itself."
A tense silence followed. Water dripped from the cavern ceiling, echoing in the dark. The Fingers whispered among themselves, but none dared interrupt.
Wenwu finally spoke. "Which fits with what those fools said," he said, jerking his thumb toward the Fingers. "We're not getting through by normal means. Even I can't find the Iron Fist until the gate opens—and that's a matter of timing."
Kaecilius nodded and placed his hands on the cold surface, feeling its resonance.
"I think there's a space behind it," he murmured, "but I want to be sure."
He lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs. The cavern fell silent except for the hum of the floodlights and the steady drip of water. Kaecilius closed his eyes, letting his breath slow until his mind sank beneath the noise of the physical world.
His astral form slipped free from his body. He drifted toward the wall, passing through it, and after only a moment returned.
"There's a room," he said, opening his eyes. "Let's go."
He rose, conjuring a portal that shimmered against the stone.
He was close—so very close.
All-consuming darkness greeted him on the other side. Only the light from his portal revealed his feet and the rough stone floor beneath them.
"Guess we'll need some light in here before we can see anything," Wenwu said, stepping through behind him.
"No need." Kaecilius flicked his wrist, conjuring spheres of light that floated outward and illuminated the chamber.
The space was narrow but stretched high above them. What drew every eye, however, was the massive skeleton embedded in the stone—a vast set of white bones jutting from the earth like the remains of a god.
Kaecilius stared in quiet awe.
"Well," he murmured, "we found it."
(End of chapter)
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