The air beyond the gate was thick—like stepping into a dream carved from ancient stone and fevered breath. Kael felt the ground shift beneath his feet, not solid earth but something alive, pulsing gently as though the world itself had a heartbeat.
The emperor followed him inside, his footsteps slow and deliberate.The twenty shadow-soldiers halted at the entrance, refusing to enter, as though they understood something Kael did not.
Ahead lay a vast cavern lit by a sunless glow, its ceiling lost in swirling darkness. The air was warm, almost humid, and the walls were not stone but something smoother—something grown.
"This place…" Kael whispered. "It's not natural."
"It predates nature's rules," the emperor replied.
In the center of the cavern stood a colossal structure—a monolith of black crystal, pierced through by a single golden spike that hummed with ancient power. Around it floated fragments of stone tablets, spinning slowly like planets around a sun.
Each tablet glowed, and on each was engraved a different civilization—some Kael knew, many long forgotten, some entirely alien.
Kael stepped closer.
His finger brushed one tablet.
Instantly, visions slammed into him.
Cities made of blue fire. Armies marching across oceans. Towers reaching into constellations that no longer existed. A throne carved from the spine of a dragon the size of mountains. A young king standing alone, holding a banner of black silk.
He staggered back, breathing hard.
"What… was that?"
The emperor walked toward the monolith, his hand trembling as he touched it—with reverence, regret, and terror.
"This crystal," he said softly, "is the memory of the world. The first archive. Every empire rises from its whispers… and falls because of its truths."
Kael frowned. "You destroyed your empire to stop it from spreading?"
"I destroyed my empire," the emperor answered, "because I listened."
He turned to Kael.
"This monolith speaks. And what it tells you… changes you."
Kael felt a faint whisper brush his ears. A voice neither male nor female, but endless.
Welcome, heir of sun and ruin.
Kael shivered. "Why is it calling me heir?"
The emperor lowered his gaze.
"Because this place… chose you long before you were born."
Kael felt the world tilt. "Explain."
The emperor approached the golden spike piercing the monolith.
"Long ago, when my empire was at its height, this monolith awakened. It showed me visions—visions of a kingdom born from my bloodline, but not ruled by me. A kingdom that would shine brighter than mine ever did. A kingdom whose ruler would see what I failed to see…"
Kael stepped closer. "My kingdom?"
The emperor nodded.
"Yes. Yours. The Kingdom of the Forgotten Sun. It was prophesied here before time remembered itself."
Kael stared at the glowing monolith.
"Why me? I never asked—"
"Leaders are chosen by opportunity," the emperor cut in. "But legends… are chosen by history."
Kael clenched his jaw. "Then what does this prophecy want from me?"
The emperor hesitated—then pointed to the far wall.
A mural began to glow.
Kael saw himself—older, hardened, wearing a cracked crown of obsidian. Behind him were the bodies of kingdoms. At his feet, the world burned. Above him, a serpent swallowed the sun whole.
"No…" Kael whispered.
"It does not predict a peaceful reign," the emperor said quietly. "It predicts the end of empires—through you."
Kael felt the temperature drop.
The monolith pulsed.
Choose, Kael, it whispered. Retreat, or rewrite destiny.
Kael stepped forward until the glow reflected in his eyes.
Then—
The golden spike began to crack.
The cavern trembled.
The tablets spun violently.
"What's happening?!" Kael shouted.
The emperor's face twisted in horror. "No… it's reacting to you—your anger! Step back!"
But Kael did not move.
The monolith split open, revealing a hollow core of swirling light and shadows—inside it, a single glowing seed, burning like a miniature star.
"That," the emperor whispered, "is the first fire. The power that built every empire, every civilization. Whoever holds it… shapes the future of worlds."
Kael reached for it—
But the cavern roared, the shadows lunged, and the emperor tackled him to the ground as the monolith shattered into a storm of blinding gold.
A voice thundered through the cavern:
The heir has awakened.
Kael's vision faded.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
To be continued…