The ground shook again.
Aric slammed his shoulder against the stone wall and dragged himself away from the glowing runes.
"Move," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Move!"
His injured leg refused to cooperate.
The wound throbbed with every pulse of heat radiating from the cavern floor. Blood soaked through the fabric of his trousers and dripped steadily onto the ancient carvings.
Each drop made the runes glow brighter.
Above him, faint voices echoed from the collapsed pit.
"Did you see that surge?"
"Something triggered the ruins!"
"Pull him out!"
Another voice cut through the noise.
"Hold position."
Aric froze.
He knew that voice.
Sir Caldor.
Aric forced himself upright, pressing one hand against the cavern wall for balance.
"Sir!" he shouted upward. "The ruins are active!"
A pause.
Then Caldor's voice drifted down, calm and amused.
"So they are."
Aric stared upward.
"You need to get me out of here."
"Why?"
The question landed like a stone in Aric's chest.
"Because something is waking," Aric said. "You sealed this place for a reason."
Silence stretched above the pit.
Then Caldor spoke again.
"Yes," he said. "We did."
Aric's stomach tightened.
"Then pull me up!"
"No."
The word echoed down the shaft.
Aric felt the world tilt.
"No?" he repeated.
"You were sent to confirm whether the ruins remained dormant," Caldor said. "You have confirmed they are not."
"Sir, listen to me—"
"Your duty is complete."
The meaning struck hard.
"You're leaving me here."
"Yes."
Aric's hands curled into fists.
"You can't be serious."
"Containment protocols are clear," Caldor replied. "If the ruins awaken, the area must be resealed."
Aric felt cold despite the heat rising from the glowing floor.
"You're sealing me inside."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Caldor's answer came without hesitation.
"Because you are expendable."
The voices above shifted uneasily.
Someone muttered, "Sir, maybe we should—"
"Silence," Caldor snapped.
Aric leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
"Seven years," he said quietly.
"What?"
"I gave this Academy seven years."
"And what did you gain?" Caldor asked.
Aric laughed weakly.
"Apparently," he said, "a grave."
The ground trembled again.
This time the vibration came from below.
The runes flared brighter.
Aric looked down.
The glowing lines had spread across the cavern floor, connecting into a massive circular pattern.
A seal.
And it was breaking.
Stone cracked.
A deep rumble rolled through the chamber like distant thunder.
Aric's breath caught.
"Sir," he said, voice tight. "You might want to reconsider."
Caldor sounded bored.
"Why?"
"Because whatever is down here," Aric said, "isn't dead."
Another rumble answered him.
Dust fell from the cavern ceiling.
One of the knights above shouted.
"The magic surge is increasing!"
Another said, "Sir, we should evacuate!"
Caldor's voice hardened.
"Begin sealing procedures."
Aric felt his chest tighten.
"You're not listening!" he shouted upward.
The runes erupted in blinding light.
The stone beneath Aric's feet split open with a sharp crack.
He jumped back just as a fissure tore through the center of the seal.
From the darkness below came a long, slow sound.
Not a roar.
Not a growl.
A breath.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Awake.
Aric stared into the widening crack.
Something moved in the shadows.
A shape too large to fit inside the cavern.
A single golden eye opened in the darkness.
Aric's heart stopped.
"Sir," he whispered.
Above the pit, Caldor said, "Proceed with the seal."
Stone blocks began sliding across the opening.
They were sealing the entrance.
"Wait!" Aric shouted.
No one answered.
The stone gates slammed shut overhead.
The last sliver of light vanished.
Darkness swallowed the cavern.
Aric stood alone with the glowing seal and the massive eye staring up at him.
For a long moment neither moved.
Then the voice returned.
Not from the air.
From inside his skull.
"Interesting."
Aric staggered.
"What?"
"You are not like the others."
Aric swallowed.
"Who said that?"
The golden eye narrowed slightly.
"I did."
Aric's mouth went dry.
"Great," he muttered. "Now I'm hallucinating."
A low chuckle echoed through his mind.
"You are not hallucinating, little knight."
The ground trembled again as the creature shifted beneath the broken seal.
Aric forced himself to stand straighter.
"What are you?"
The answer came slowly.
"Asleep," the voice said.
Aric blinked.
"That's not an answer."
"It is the only one you deserve."
Aric exhaled slowly.
"Fine. New question."
"Yes?"
"Are you going to kill me?"
The creature was silent for a moment.
Then it said something unexpected.
"No."
Aric frowned.
"That's… surprising."
"You are already dying."
Aric looked down at his leg.
Blood continued to seep from the wound.
"Fair point."
The voice continued.
"Your heart will fail within the hour."
"That's comforting."
"But," the creature added thoughtfully, "you are interesting."
Aric stared into the darkness.
"Why?"
"Because the seal rejected your blood."
Aric blinked.
"What?"
"The runes did not burn you."
He glanced at his hand.
The glowing symbols still crawled across his skin.
But they did not hurt.
"They should have turned you to ash," the voice continued.
"Good to know," Aric said.
"Instead," the creature said slowly, "they awakened me."
Aric swallowed.
"So… sorry about that."
The golden eye studied him carefully.
"What is your name?"
"Aric."
"Aric," the creature repeated thoughtfully.
Then the voice deepened.
"Tell me, Aric."
"Yes?"
"Do you wish to live?"
Aric laughed weakly.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"On the cost."
Silence.
Then the creature laughed.
It was not a cruel laugh.
It was ancient.
And amused.
"The cost," it said, "is everything."
Aric closed his eyes briefly.
Figures.
"Define everything."
"Your life," the creature said.
"Already losing that."
"Your future."
Aric shrugged.
"Didn't have one."
"Your freedom."
Aric hesitated.
"That one might be a problem."
The creature's voice lowered.
"In exchange," it said, "I will give you power."
Aric opened his eyes.
"What kind of power?"
The golden eye burned brighter.
"The kind that crowns kings."
Aric stared into the darkness.
"You're serious."
"Yes."
"And why me?"
The answer came quietly.
"Because you are empty."
Aric felt something twist inside his chest.
"That's rude."
"It is also true."
The creature shifted beneath the seal.
Stone cracked louder.
"Empty vessels," it said, "can be filled."
Aric took a slow breath.
"And if I refuse?"
The golden eye blinked once.
"Then you die."
Aric nodded.
"Honesty. I respect that."
The creature waited.
"So," it said.
"What is your answer?"
Aric looked at the broken seal.
Then at his bleeding leg.
Then at the darkness where the ancient eye watched him.
Above the ruins, the Iron Phalanx completed the final seal.
North Ashfall fell silent.
Buried.
Forgotten.
Aric exhaled slowly.
Then he said the only thing left to say.
"Fine."
The golden eye brightened.
"But if this turns out to be a bad deal," Aric added, "I'm blaming you."
The creature laughed again.
"Oh, little knight," it said.
"It already is."
The seal shattered.
And the dragon beneath North Ashfall finally woke.