Chapter 26: The crater
The warm glaze of the sun shone high in the sky, and all around were the uneven sounds of chatter and noise from one part of the Gathering to another.
It was expected, after all — there were about a hundred people there, or more appropriately, awakened.
Some of them were the new graduates from the ALCRAN Academy — the ones who had displayed their fearless skills in battle.
None of them had an idea why they had been called, or why so suddenly.
After all, it was a rare occurrence that had never happened before — a gathering of newly trained awakened.
The usual procedure was that everyone got stronger at their own pace, or rather, if they wanted, they could enjoy the privileges of being awakened for as long as they wished.
So this call surely came to them as a shock, which led to the uproar of murmurs as many questioned each other for the reason behind it.
Drake, on the other hand, stood silent within the crowd, unapproached by anyone but Luna — who remained loyal by his side, her expression dark and foreboding, one that surely spelled death.
She looked menacing, and extremely dangerous.
But the reason Drake wasn’t approached was something else entirely — he looked different. Not just from his old self, but from a human altogether. He now wore a dark mask on his face, one that resembled a demon’s head — or rather, the head of a beast — with two horns protruding from its temples and a grotesque snarl carved into its visage.
To match it, he chose a rather dark outfit, exposing little to no skin aside from his neck and hands.
This appearance frightened many awakened and even became the popular topic of the crowd for several minutes.
Many asked, "Who is that?"
"He seems so weird."
"Why is he wearing a mask?"
Of all the questions, the one about his mask became the most popular tag of the moment. However, with time, the topic slowly dimmed — though every now and then it lingered for a few moments.
"This is working far better than I thought," Drake spoke in a low tone, his voice sounding muffled and monstrous through the mask.
Luna let her eyes sway to the side to glance at Drake, and for a moment she lingered — as though trying to convince herself he was truly just wearing a mask.
Then, after a short silence, she cleared her throat and asked, "If I may ask... why the mask?"
Drake lingered for a moment, his hands rubbing the chin of the mask. "The Drakon family is one of the most targeted Original families. I can’t have myself being targeted if we’re going on a hunt..."
That’s if this gathering is for a hunt.
"Another reason," he continued, "is that I’m trying to make a name for myself instead of relying on the Drakon identity. No special privileges or people drawing closer to me for the sake of their interests."
Luna nodded hurriedly. She had no words to oppose him — after all, she cared little if he decided to hide his entire appearance or not.
Drake, meanwhile, scanned through the crowd, shifting his head only slightly and using his eyes to do most of the looking.
In the crowd, he spotted Tessa — the lone red-haired girl wearing a bold sleeveless top and blue trousers, with a pair of dual blades strapped to her hips.
Not to forget, she was holding a large nylon bag of chips which she mercilessly tore apart.
’Classic Tessa, I guess,’ Drake shrugged.
Searching further, there seemed to be no sign of either Kyle or Gary.
His best friend and companion was probably still training and couldn’t respond to the call, while Gary — Drake was sure — was too scared to answer it. After all, Gary’s ability was not suited for battle.
"Hello all — newly Awakened and senior Awakened alike."
The voice that called for attention belonged to a man standing on top of a large stone boulder, making it easier for everyone to see him — Professor Kresha.
The dashing man was no longer in the Academy’s uniform. No, rather, he was clad in armor from chest to toe, and on his back rested a large warhammer that suited his taste.
"I am Lord Kresha..." he continued with a short bow.
Drake’s gaze lit up slightly at the revelation. ’He’s a Lord, not a Knight.’ Originally, Kresha had introduced himself during their academy days as a Knight — and now, all of a sudden, he was a Lord?
Could this be a bluff... or the truth?
Kresha took his time scanning the multitude before him as if he were some higher being staring down at his subjects. "What I am about to share with you is something strange — something that hasn’t happened in a long time."
"There is a threat in our lands — the continent of Astra. And the citadel of ALCRAN might be under threat from a phenomenon we are yet to fully understand. That is why you have all been summoned here."
Tension immediately coiled up in the air as everyone wondered what was happening.
"Right now, many Knights are investigating other phenomenons, so it is up to us — under my leadership — to do our best to clear every threat here."
Kresha never hesitated to emphasize his leadership whenever he mentioned it, and that disgusted Drake a little.
The other awakened there were also infuriated. Even if he was a Lord, his tone carried an arrogance that made others disgusted with him.
"Hey Blondie, you mind telling us the real problem here? Your words are hurting my lobes," one man in the crowd yelled.
Kresha gritted his teeth briefly before fixing his demeanor. "Fine."
"Up in the forest, a large crater has been formed — a small dungeon maybe — but different. It appeared from nowhere, and we have no idea what it is. Just theories. From deep within it, we’ve detected a reading confirming that there are living organisms inside — but unlike anything we’ve ever seen. That is why we must investigate."
A strange crater... what did that mean?
Everyone was bewildered by the information shared.
Many were skeptical, wondering if this was a lie, while others had no belief at all — wanting to see it with their own eyes.
But Drake, on the other hand, had a strange sense of belief in it. He had no idea why, but deep in his heart, he felt as though he was being drawn to something ever since he entered the forest on his way to the meeting site.
It was his draconic sense — faint, almost too weak to take seriously — but now, it pulsed stronger.
"Right now, the world powers — the Originals, the Government, and even the Monarchy — are in a meeting, waiting for our discoveries before making their final decisions. So they are counting on us to go into the unknown. Whether it be fame, money, power... women — anything you want can be achieved now. If you won’t do it for humanity, then do it to etch your name into the reality of humanity itself."
At this, the entire crowd grew eerily silent, most of them receding into their inner thoughts.
’Do it for humanity, my foot. What a sick excuse.’ Drake turned his head to the other awakened, who were evidently getting motivated by the speech.
It was amusing to the young Drakon. "It’s always funny how the words of others are more motivating to people than one’s own voice," he muttered under his breath — his words drowned out as the crowd erupted into a flurry of yells, hailing Kresha’s name.
The cheers erupted from pure impulse — a desperate attempt to fill their greed to the brink. Truly, humans knew nothing but themselves.
---
Meanwhile;
In a large, aged room — one that looked like a place where knights of old once met with kings and queens — royal tapestries hung from the walls, and chandeliers shone with a golden glow that illuminated the hall magnificently.
Present in the room were all the world powers — from the eight Originals, the Monarchs (kings and queens of Astra), and the Government, led by the Military Commander.
The kings and queens of Astra were as follows: the Dwarf King and Queen, the Elf King and Queen, and the Human King and Queen.
Despite the civilization of their world, these three powerhouses had chosen to remain separate because of the discrimination among their kingdoms — their appearances too different, their beliefs too conflicting. Because of this, there had once been a great war between all three races... until the formation of the Military, which somehow managed to unite the kingdoms and create Astra’s main citadel — ALCRAN.
However, that was a story for another day.
Darion Drakon placed his hand just below his lips and sighed as he watched his peers, all seated at the round table just as he was — each waiting for information from the expedition teams.
Everyone was left to their thoughts, some glaring across the room, others mingling quietly.
It wasn’t often that people of such high authority had an opportunity to slack off without being buried under duties.
So this gathering without a definite topic felt... awkward.
Darion kept his mind focused on recalling the information they had gathered about the strange craters, trying to piece together what they truly were.
Many questions lingered in his mind — questions that only grew more restless by the second.
The same went for the others; curiosity gnawed at them, each passing second feeling heavier.
It was unbearable.
And the worst part — the part that made them all anxious — was the surreal finding one of their research heads had decoded while the portal had been tearing open.
It was a single word, yet it carried enough weight to crush their chests with dread.
The word was—
"Death."
---
Who would have known that word would decide the fates of so many in a single moment — such as this:
...Death...
Is that what this is?
Am I really dying?
His eyes twitched with every movement he saw. His ears were deafened by the high-pitched screech echoing all around. His gaze followed the red fluid flying ceaselessly through the air — bodies collapsing one after another like flies.
It was the west side of the ALCRAN forest, inside one of the craters already being investigated by a team of awakened and knights — or, more appropriately, what remained of them.
Again and again, he watched as his comrades died effortlessly before his eyes. He could do nothing but tremble where he sat, his breath hitched and uneven. Whenever he tried to move, his gaze dropped down to his body — his legs torn brutally from the knees, his left arm dismembered.
He was useless.
’How is this possible?’
’I am a Knight... this is an army of awakened... why are we getting killed so easily?’
At the thought, his eyes began to well with tears, his face pale and streaked with red lumps beneath his eyes.
’What sort of power is this...?’
He tried to raise his remaining hand — as if to reach out toward the monstrous being that was tearing through his companions — but his arm, trembling violently, failed to obey his will.
At that moment, his body convulsed violently, forcing blood to spill from his lips. His vision blurred... grew cold.
He was dying.
As his sight drifted away from the humanoid beast and down to his mangled body, his final thought came softly:
’I—we never did get those kids, did we, Ella...?’
That was his only regret as he slipped into unconsciousness.
One thing was certain from the way this fight had turned out — the other teams had no idea what they were dealing with.
***Author’s note***
With a 2000 word final Chapter to Volume 1. Thanks for following up to this moment, save the book and pls drop a good review.
Gifts and votes are also accepted.
The next volume will be much faster paced with enough twists to form a rope. (Laughs weirdly)
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