Chapter 214 - 209 — Beneath the Mountain
The stone floor gave way with a deep crack.
John immediately stepped back.
A section of the ground collapsed, sending chunks of rock into the darkness below. The sound of falling stone continued for several seconds before finally disappearing.
Darius moved closer to the edge and looked down.
"That’s deeper than I expected."
Aerion raised his lamp.
The light barely reached the bottom.
"We’re going down there?"
John looked at him.
"Eventually."
"Eventually?"
John crouched beside the opening and examined the broken stone.
"This wasn’t a natural collapse."
Lythriel frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The stone underneath was hollow."
John touched the edge of the opening.
"Someone built something beneath this mine."
Darius exchanged a glance with Aerion.
"So we’re back to ancient ruins."
John shook his head.
"No."
He paused.
"At least, I don’t think so."
The distinction mattered.
John had encountered enough ancient structures during his journey to recognize the difference between an abandoned ruin and something that had been deliberately constructed beneath a functioning mine.
This place had been hidden.
And recently, someone had been using it.
John stood.
"We’ll go down carefully."
Sylvara looked into the darkness.
"How?"
John smiled faintly.
"I have an easier way."
Black scales began spreading across his skin.
His body expanded, clothes disappearing into the transformation as his wings unfolded.
Within seconds, the black dragon stood in the tunnel.
The cramped mine suddenly felt much smaller.
Aerion stepped backward.
"I still haven’t gotten used to that."
John lowered his head.
"Get on."
Darius climbed onto his back first, followed by Sylvara and Aerion. Lythriel settled behind them, gripping the ridge of his scales.
John looked down at the opening.
"Hold on."
He jumped.
The group dropped into darkness.
Wind rushed around them.
John spread his wings.
The fall slowed immediately.
They descended through the massive shaft, passing broken layers of stone and old wooden supports. Several tunnels opened along the walls, but John ignored them.
The resonance was stronger below.
Much stronger.
His Dragon Core pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
The second fragment was close.
Then something caught his attention.
A light.
Far beneath them.
Not magical lamp light.
Something warmer.
Golden.
John slowed his descent.
"What is that?" Lythriel asked.
"I don’t know."
They reached the bottom.
John landed heavily enough to shake dust from the ceiling.
Everyone climbed down.
The chamber was much larger than expected.
Stone pillars supported the ceiling, but unlike the abandoned mine above, these pillars were in good condition.
Someone had maintained them.
Darius approached one.
"There are markings."
John changed back into humanoid form.
He walked over.
The markings were strange.
Not a language he recognized.
But he could understand one thing.
They weren’t instructions.
They were warnings.
Lythriel ran her fingers near the symbols without touching them.
"Do you recognize them?"
"No."
John stared at them.
"But I’ve seen something similar."
"Where?"
"On the first fragment."
That caught everyone’s attention.
John hadn’t expected the connection.
The symbols weren’t identical, but there was something about their structure that felt familiar.
The same sense of age.
The same presence.
The same connection to the Great Dragon.
John stepped away.
"Whatever this place is, it was built by people who knew about the Legacy."
Darius looked around.
"Then why hide it under a mine?"
"Maybe they didn’t want anyone to find it."
Aerion gave him a tired look.
"That usually means we’re about to find something unpleasant."
John smiled.
"Usually."
They moved deeper into the chamber.
The golden light became brighter.
Eventually, they reached a wide corridor.
At the end stood a massive stone door.
There were no handles.
No hinges.
Only a circular mark in the center.
John stopped.
His Dragon Core reacted immediately.
The second fragment was behind it.
Lythriel looked at him.
"That’s it."
"Yes."
John approached the door.
The circular mark began glowing faintly.
He placed his hand against it.
Nothing happened.
He frowned.
Then the glow disappeared.
Darius raised an eyebrow.
"That didn’t work."
"I noticed."
John tried again.
Nothing.
He stepped back.
The fragment was clearly responding to him, but the door wasn’t opening.
John studied the markings around the circle.
Then he realized something.
"This isn’t a lock."
Aerion looked confused.
"What is it?"
"A test."
The chamber suddenly trembled.
Everyone turned.
The stone door began to change.
The circular symbol split into two halves.
One side became black.
The other became gold.
John’s expression hardened.
A voice echoed through the chamber.
Not from a person.
From the walls.
**"Bearer of the Legacy."**
Everyone froze.
The voice was old.
But it wasn’t weak.
**"State your purpose."**
John looked toward the door.
"I want to understand the Legacy."
Silence.
Then:
**"Incorrect."**
John’s eyes narrowed.
Lythriel stepped closer.
"What does it want?"
"I don’t know."
The voice continued.
**"State your purpose."**
John thought carefully.
"I want its power."
The chamber shook.
**"Incorrect."**
Aerion whispered, "Maybe don’t try to guess."
John ignored him.
He looked at the door.
"I want to know why the fragments were scattered."
Silence.
This time, there was no rejection.
The golden light brightened.
**"Acceptable."**
A heavy sound echoed through the chamber.
Something unlocked.
But the door didn’t open.
Instead, a thin line appeared across the floor.
A circle formed around John.
Lythriel immediately stepped forward.
"John."
The line stopped her.
"Don’t."
John stared at the circle.
The voice spoke again.
**"The Legacy does not belong to strength."**
The symbols around the room began glowing.
**"It belongs to those who understand what strength cannot accomplish."**
John felt the Dragon Core respond.
Not with power.
With memory.
For a brief moment, he saw flashes of countless dragons.
Some fighting.
Some ruling.
Some protecting.
Some destroying.
Then the images vanished.
John clenched his fist.
He understood.
The test wasn’t asking whether he was strong enough.
It was asking whether he understood what the Great Dragon had left behind.
The voice spoke one final time.
**"Enter alone."**
The stone door opened.
Beyond it was a chamber filled with golden light.
John looked back at the others.
Lythriel didn’t look happy.
"You’re going alone?"
"For now."
"John."
He smiled.
"I’ll be fine."
She stared at him for a moment before sighing.
"That’s what you always say."
"Because it’s usually true."
Aerion laughed quietly.
"Unfortunately, he’s got a point."
Sylvara stepped forward.
"Come back."
John nodded.
"I will."
He turned toward the doorway.
Before stepping inside, he felt something.
A presence.
Not from the chamber.
From somewhere far above.
Someone was standing in the mine.
Watching.
The same presence from Greyford.
John’s expression became serious.
So they had followed them.
He didn’t say anything.
There was no point in causing a panic.
He stepped into the golden chamber.
The door closed behind him.
Outside, Lythriel stared at the sealed entrance.
"Do you think he’s really alone?"
Darius shook his head.
"No."
Aerion looked at him.
"What makes you say that?"
Darius looked toward the dark tunnel behind them.
"Because I heard footsteps."
Everyone turned.
For several seconds, there was nothing.
Then a quiet voice came from the darkness.
"You should not have followed him."
A figure stepped into the edge of the lamp’s light.
Lythriel immediately drew her spear.
Aerion reached for his weapon.
Sylvara stepped back.
The stranger raised both hands.
"I’m not here to fight."
Lythriel didn’t lower her spear.
"Then who are you?"
The stranger looked toward the sealed door.
"I am someone who has been waiting for the Legacy to awaken."
Inside the chamber, John heard none of this.
He stood alone before a massive golden structure.
At its center floated a small fragment of crystal.
It looked almost exactly like the first piece.
But there was something different about it.
The second fragment wasn’t simply resonating with his Dragon Core.
It was responding to it.
John took one step forward.
The crystal pulsed.
His Dragon Core answered.
And somewhere deep inside the Legacy, something opened its eyes.
John stopped.
For the first time since finding the fragment, he felt a sensation he couldn’t explain.
Not power.
Not danger.
Recognition.
As if something had finally realized that he had arrived.
Then a message appeared before his eyes.
**[Great Dragon Legacy — Second Fragment]**
**[Resonance confirmed.]**
**[Synchronization cannot proceed.]**
John frowned.
"Why?"
A second line appeared.
**[Requirement incomplete.]**
John stared at the message.
"What requirement?"
The answer appeared slowly.
**[The Bearer must first understand the first Legacy.]**
John’s expression changed.
He had thought finding the second fragment would bring him closer to the truth.
Instead, it had given him another question.
And somewhere beyond the chamber, the stranger waiting outside already knew the answer.
Or at least, they believed they did.
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