Chapter 186: Moving
Denzel kept walking.
He had learned a long time ago that stopping every time something terrifying happened was a good way to let the terrifying thing catch up.
Unfortunately, Eldoria seemed determined to make that strategy difficult.
The staircase stretched upward through darkness, its ancient stone walls illuminated only by the faint blue glow coming from Sophia’s pendant and the occasional pulse beneath Denzel’s shirt.
[Royal Bloodline recognized.]
[First Seal: Broken.]
[Second Seal: Awakening.]
The words remained suspended in his mind.
Denzel frowned.
’That’s not ominous at all.’
Behind him, Sophia’s footsteps were uneven.
The Knight walked last, her sword still drawn.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
That was probably for the best.
Denzel had just discovered that his father was apparently a king, his brother was a magical murder weapon, and something ancient was waking beneath his family’s bloodline.
Small talk would have been difficult.
They climbed another flight.
Sophia finally broke the silence.
"Denzel."
"Yeah?"
"What exactly did the voice say?"
He glanced over his shoulder.
"The system?"
She nodded.
Denzel looked at the Knight.
She was watching him carefully.
Apparently, she hadn’t missed the word.
"How do you know I heard a voice?"
Sophia hesitated.
"You stopped."
"That’s your evidence?"
"You don’t usually stop."
Denzel considered that.
Fair.
"It said something about the Royal Bloodline."
The Knight’s steps slowed.
Sophia looked at her.
"You know what that means."
The Knight didn’t answer.
Denzel stopped walking.
She nearly walked into him.
He turned.
"You’ve done that twice now."
Her expression remained guarded.
"Done what?"
"Known something and decided silence was the safer option."
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"You knew my brother."
Her jaw tightened.
"You knew about the king."
She said nothing.
"And you knew about the seals."
The Knight’s eyes shifted toward the pendant.
Denzel pointed at her.
"That one."
"What?"
"That look."
She frowned.
"What look?"
"The one people make right before they say, ’It’s complicated.’"
Sophia covered her mouth.
A tiny laugh escaped.
The Knight looked at her.
Sophia immediately straightened.
"Sorry."
Denzel folded his arms.
"Well?"
The Knight exhaled.
"The royal family wasn’t just a royal family."
"That’s usually how these stories go."
She ignored him.
"The bloodline carried power."
Denzel glanced at the pendant.
"I noticed."
"Not ordinary magic. The first king of Eldoria was said to have made a pact with something beneath the kingdom."
Sophia’s expression changed.
"Something beneath?"
The Knight nodded.
"The records called it the First Crown."
Denzel waited.
She didn’t continue.
"That’s it?"
"The records never described what it was."
"Convenient."
"They described what it did."
Denzel’s amusement disappeared.
"What?"
"It protected the royal bloodline."
The staircase suddenly felt colder.
"From what?"
The Knight looked upward.
"Everything."
Denzel stared at her.
"That’s not an answer."
"It is when you understand what Eldoria was built on."
A crack appeared across the wall beside them.
Sophia jumped.
Denzel instinctively reached for her arm.
The stone settled.
Nothing came through.
He released her.
"Please tell me that was normal."
The Knight shook her head.
"No."
"Great."
A second crack appeared.
This time, blue light leaked through it.
Denzel’s pendant immediately responded.
THUMP.
His chest tightened.
The light behind the wall intensified.
Then the entire staircase shook.
"Move!"
The Knight grabbed Sophia and pulled her upward.
Denzel followed.
Stone broke loose behind them.
He sprinted up the stairs as chunks of ancient masonry crashed down.
"Why is the dungeon collapsing now?"
"Because the seal is awakening!"
"That doesn’t explain anything!"
"It doesn’t have to!"
A massive piece of stone fell directly ahead.
Denzel stopped.
Sophia slammed into his back.
"Sorry."
"You stopped!"
"I noticed."
The Knight stepped forward and swung her sword.
A crescent of silver energy cut through the falling stone.
It split in half and crashed against opposite walls.
Denzel stared.
"Okay."
She looked back.
"What?"
"That was actually impressive."
She rolled her eyes.
"Keep moving."
They reached the top of the staircase.
A massive corridor stretched ahead.
Unlike the lower levels, this one wasn’t covered in dust.
The walls were clean.
The torches were burning.
And at the far end stood a pair of enormous golden doors.
Denzel slowed.
"Those weren’t here before."
Sophia looked at him.
"You’ve seen this corridor?"
"No."
"Then how do you know?"
Denzel pointed.
"Because those doors look like the kind of doors that exist specifically to make someone’s life worse."
The Knight stepped ahead.
She studied the symbols carved into the gold.
Her face changed.
Denzel noticed.
"Again."
She looked at him.
"What?"
"That face."
"I don’t have a face."
"You absolutely have a face."
Sophia glanced between them.
Denzel pointed at the doors.
"What are they?"
The Knight ran her fingers across one of the symbols.
"The Hall of Crowns."
Denzel looked at the doors.
"That sounds important."
"It was where the royal bloodline was tested."
Sophia’s voice dropped.
"Tested for what?"
The Knight didn’t answer.
The doors opened.
Not because anyone touched them.
They simply moved inward.
Slowly.
Silently.
A wave of cold air rolled through the corridor.
Denzel’s pendant burned.
[Second Seal: Awakening.]
The message appeared again.
Then another.
[Candidate detected.]
Denzel froze.
"What?"
Sophia looked at him.
"What happened?"
He didn’t answer.
The words remained.
[Candidate detected.]
Then—
[Royal Bloodline: Denzel.]
His stomach dropped.
"That’s new."
The Knight looked toward him.
"What did you see?"
"Apparently, I’m a candidate."
"For what?"
"I’d love to know."
They entered the hall.
The doors closed behind them.
The room was enormous.
Seven stone statues stood along each side, all depicting kings wearing different crowns.
At the center sat an empty throne.
Not golden.
Not decorated.
It was made from black stone.
Chains wrapped around its base.
Denzel stared at it.
Something about the throne felt wrong.
Not dangerous.
Familiar.
He took one step forward.
The chains moved.
Sophia grabbed his sleeve.
"Denzel."
"I know."
He stopped.
A whisper moved through the chamber.
Not from the walls.
From inside his head.
’Come closer.’
Denzel’s expression tightened.
"No."
The Knight looked at him.
"You heard it too?"
Denzel turned.
"You can hear it?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Then how—"
The throne moved.
One of the chains snapped.
The sound echoed through the chamber.
Sophia stepped backward.
The Knight raised her sword.
Another chain broke.
Denzel felt his pulse accelerate.
THUMP.
His pendant responded.
The black throne cracked.
Blue light poured through the fractures.
The statues began turning their heads.
Slowly.
One by one.
Denzel stared.
"Nope."
Sophia swallowed.
"What?"
"We’re leaving."
He turned.
The doors were gone.
The wall behind them was solid stone.
Denzel stared at it.
"Of course."
The Knight moved beside him.
"Don’t panic."
"I’m not panicking."
"You are."
"I’m adapting aggressively."
A third chain broke.
The throne split apart.
Something rose from inside it.
At first, Denzel thought it was a person.
Then it stood.
Too tall.
Its body was covered in black armor, but no face existed beneath the helmet.
Only a single blue eye.
The Knight’s grip tightened.
"That’s impossible."
Denzel glanced at her.
"You know it?"
"No."
"You just said—"
"I know what it is."
The creature lifted one hand.
Every statue in the room knelt.
Denzel’s mouth went dry.
Sophia whispered.
"The First Crown."
The creature turned toward Denzel.
The blue eye brightened.
[Ancient Royal Guardian recognized.]
[Bloodline verification required.]
Denzel looked at the message.
"How do I verify it?"
The Knight grabbed his shoulder.
"Don’t."
"That’s not very helpful."
"Whatever it’s asking for, don’t give it."
The guardian stepped forward.
The floor cracked.
Denzel raised his hands.
"Okay."
It stopped.
Denzel blinked.
"That worked?"
The guardian tilted its head.
Then it spoke.
Its voice sounded like several people speaking at once.
"Blood."
Denzel’s expression fell.
"Of course."
The Knight moved between them.
"No."
The guardian didn’t even acknowledge her.
"Royal blood."
Denzel looked at the Knight.
She shook her head.
"Don’t."
Sophia stepped closer.
"But if the seal is already awakening—"
"That’s exactly why he shouldn’t."
Denzel looked at his hands.
Then at the guardian.
"What’s going to happen if I give it blood?"
The Knight’s silence answered before her words did.
"You may awaken something you can’t control."
Denzel sighed.
"That’s becoming a recurring theme."
He drew the small dagger from his belt.
Sophia grabbed his wrist.
"Denzel."
He looked at her.
"I need answers."
"You could get hurt."
"I’ve been getting hurt since we entered this dungeon."
He gently pulled his hand free.
"At least this time, I get to choose."
He pressed the dagger against his palm.
The Knight’s eyes narrowed.
"Denzel."
He cut.
A single drop of blood fell.
It never reached the floor.
The guardian caught it.
The moment the blood touched its hand, the entire hall exploded with blue light.
Denzel staggered.
The statues shattered.
The black stone beneath his feet split open.
And somewhere deep beneath the dungeon—
something screamed.
Not the guardian.
Something much larger.
Something alive.
Denzel’s eyes widened.
The voice inside his head returned.
This time, it wasn’t whispering.
[Royal Bloodline confirmed.]
[Second Seal: Opening.]
[Warning.]
Denzel’s breath caught.
[The First Crown has recognized its master.]
The guardian lowered itself.
Then it knelt.
Denzel stared.
"What?"
The Knight went completely still.
Sophia’s mouth fell open.
The guardian bowed its head until it touched the floor.
"King."
Denzel’s blood ran cold.
"No."
The guardian remained kneeling.
"King."
Denzel stepped backward.
"I think you’ve got the wrong guy."
The guardian raised its head.
"Blood does not lie."
The floor shook again.
A crack split the black stone throne.
Then another.
A deep rumble rose from beneath the hall.
Denzel looked down.
The pendant around his neck began glowing so brightly that Sophia shielded her eyes.
A new message appeared.
[Second Seal: 13%]
Denzel stared.
"Thirteen?"
The number changed.
[Second Seal: 14%.]
Then—
[15%.]
The Knight looked toward the floor.
"We have to leave."
"How?"
"I don’t know."
Denzel gave her a flat look.
"Wonderful."
The rumbling grew louder.
The guardian suddenly stood.
For the first time, its blue eye turned toward the ceiling.
"Awakening."
Denzel looked up.
A massive crack appeared across the roof.
Dust poured down.
Sophia grabbed his arm.
"What is awakening?"
Denzel stared upward.
He didn’t know.
But he had a terrible feeling the answer was somewhere above them.
Far above.
In the throne room.
The king.
His father.
And whatever had been sleeping beneath Eldoria.
The crack widened.
Something enormous moved behind the stone.
Denzel tightened his grip around the dagger.
’So much for going straight to the king.’
The guardian stepped forward.
Its armor began changing.
The black metal peeled away, revealing a body made entirely of blue flame.
Denzel stared.
"Please tell me that’s on our side."
The Knight didn’t look at him.
"I don’t know."
The guardian turned toward the staircase.
Then toward Denzel.
"Follow."
Denzel blinked.
"Where?"
It pointed upward.
"The throne."
Denzel’s expression hardened.
Sophia looked at him.
"The king?"
Denzel nodded.
"Looks like it."
The second seal continued rising.
[Second Seal: 21%.]
Another crack tore through the ceiling.
This time, a massive blue eye appeared through the opening.
Denzel looked up.
The eye looked back.
And for one horrible second, he felt something recognize him.
Not as a son.
Not as a king.
As something else.
Something older.
Something that had been waiting for him.
Denzel’s fingers tightened around the dagger.
’Yeah.’
He started toward the stairs.
’We’re definitely not having a normal family reunion.’
Behind him, the guardian followed.
And beneath Eldoria, the second seal continued to open.