Chapter — The Forgotten Kingdom
The next morning arrived quietly.
The soldiers woke one after another beneath the shelter of the ancient ruins. The night had been unusually peaceful. There had been no attacks from the Demonic Beasts, no strange movements in the surrounding forest, and no sudden increase in the Demonic Energy.
Yet the silence itself felt unsettling.
They had travelled deep into territory that once belonged to a civilization that had disappeared from history.
A civilization of Dragons and Giants.
And somewhere ahead of them stood the source of the Demonic Energy.
Henry stood outside his tent, looking toward the distant temple.
He had barely slept.
The structure was still visible beyond the dead forest.
Even from this distance, the commanders could feel the oppressive presence surrounding it.
Lucian approached him.
"Uncle"
Henry turned.
"Yes?"
"You've been staring at that place since yesterday."
Henry remained silent for a moment.
"I believe that is where the Demonic Energy is coming from."
"We already know that."
Lucian frowned.
"Then why do you look as though you've seen it before?"
Henry's expression remained unchanged.
"I have never seen it."
It was an answer.
But somehow, Lucian didn't believe him.
Before he could ask anything else, Irene approached.
"Lucian."
He turned toward her.
"The commanders are ready."
She then looked toward Henry.
"We should discuss the next move."
Henry nodded.
The three entered the command tent.
The Forgotten Ruins
A map was spread across the table.
Most of the surrounding area had already been explored.
The army had secured the lands behind them, while the main force remained within the ruins.
But the area ahead was different.
The deeper they went, the stronger the Demonic Energy became.
The soldiers who had accompanied them were already struggling.
Even with Light Mana Crystals attached to their armor, their bodies were beginning to react.
Some complained of headaches.
Others felt their limbs becoming heavy.
A few had already fallen unconscious.
The commanders exchanged worried glances.
"We cannot take the entire army forward," one commander said.
Another nodded.
"The Demonic Energy is too dense."
"And if we send more soldiers, we'll only increase the number of casualties."
Irene looked at Henry.
"What do you suggest?"
Henry pointed toward the map.
"We leave the main army here."
"And proceed with a small group?"
"Yes."
Lucian immediately understood.
"A group capable of resisting Demonic Energy."
Henry nodded.
"There are very few who can."
Lucian looked at Irene.
Then at himself.
Then back at Henry.
"And you?"
Henry gave a faint smile.
"I can withstand it."
Lucian sighed.
"I knew you were going to say that."
The Ancient Temple
The final decision was made.
The main army would remain behind and secure the ruins.
A smaller party would enter the region surrounding the temple.
The party consisted of Henry, Irene, Lucian, and several soldiers who had demonstrated unusually high resistance to Demonic Energy.
They would investigate the temple.
If possible, they would identify the source of the Demonic Energy.
If the source could be destroyed...
They would destroy it.
If it could not...
They would return immediately.
Nobody knew what waited inside.
The soldiers prepared their weapons.
Light Mana Crystals were attached to their armor.
Healing potions were distributed.
The few remaining Light Cannons were positioned around the ruins in case the temple released something dangerous.
Finally, Henry stepped forward.
"Ready?"
The soldiers nodded.
Irene looked toward the temple.
Her hand tightened around her sword.
Lucian took a deep breath.
"Let's go."
And the small party began their journey.
Into the Dead Forest
The forest was strangely quiet.
There were no birds.
No insects.
No wind moving through the branches.
The trees were dead.
Their bark was blackened, and their branches reached toward the sky like skeletal hands.
Yet there was no Demonic Miasma covering them.
That was what disturbed Lucian.
The land was dead...
But not corrupted.
He looked around.
"This place is strange."
Irene nodded.
"Very."
Henry continued walking.
His eyes moved from one ruin to another.
There were fragments of enormous structures scattered throughout the forest.
Some were larger than houses.
Others looked like pieces of towers.
One particular stone wall caught Lucian's attention.
He approached it.
There were markings carved into the surface.
They were unlike any human language.
"Dragon script?"
Irene asked.
Lucian nodded.
"I think so."
Henry stopped.
He looked at the markings.
For a brief moment, something changed in his expression.
Recognition.
Then it disappeared.
Irene noticed.
"Henry?"
He turned.
"Nothing."
"You recognized it."
"No."
Irene stared at him.
Henry continued walking.
She didn't follow the argument.
But she remembered it.
The City of Giants
As they moved deeper into the ruins, the remains became larger.
The party eventually reached an enormous open area.
Lucian stopped.
Before them stood the remains of what appeared to have once been a city.
Massive stone pillars rose from the ground.
Some were taller than the trees.
Buildings had collapsed around them.
Broken statues lay scattered across the earth.
And among the ruins stood enormous footprints carved into stone.
Lucian walked toward one.
It was larger than his entire body.
"A Giant..."
The soldiers stared in silence.
The stories had suddenly become real.
The Giants had not merely existed.
They had built cities.
They had lived here.
They had fought alongside Dragons.
And they had eventually disappeared.
Irene looked toward the distant mountains.
"Why would an entire civilization disappear?"
Nobody answered.
Henry continued forward.
His expression became increasingly serious.
The Temple
After several hours, they finally reached the temple.
It was enormous.
Unlike the ruined city, the structure had survived.
Its walls were dark stone.
Two massive statues stood on either side of the entrance.
Both statues faced the entrance.
But something had been carved into their chests.
A strange symbol.
Lucian looked at it.
"What is that?"
Henry stared at the symbol.
His expression changed.
"Don't know"
Irene looked at him.
The party continued toward the entrance.
The closer they came, the stronger the Demonic Energy became.
The Light Mana Crystals began flickering.
One soldier suddenly collapsed.
Another grabbed the wall.
"I can't breathe..."
Irene immediately ordered the others to retreat.
But Henry stepped forward.
"Wait."
He raised his hand.
Demonic Energy flowed around his body.
The soldiers froze.
Lucian's eyes widened.
Henry's Demonic Energy expanded outward.
Instead of attacking them, it pushed the surrounding Demonic Energy away.
A small region of clear air formed around the group.
The soldiers could breathe again.
Irene stared at Henry.
"You can actually control it."
Henry lowered his hand.
"Only a little."
He didn't answer.
The Entrance
They reached the massive doors.
There was no handle.
No mechanism.
No visible way to open them.
Lucian examined the stone.
"Maybe there's another entrance."
Henry stepped forward.
He placed his left hand against the door.
Nothing happened.
He waited.
Then—
Click.
Everyone froze.
Something moved inside the ancient temple.
The doors slowly opened.
A wave of cold air escaped.
The soldiers raised their weapons.
Irene looked at Henry.
"You said you had never been here."
Henry stared into the darkness.
"I haven't."
The doors opened completely.
Inside was a massive corridor.
At its end, a faint red light could be seen.
The Demonic Energy was coming from there.
Henry walked inside.
Lucian followed.
Then Irene.
The others entered behind them.
The doors slowly began closing.
BOOM.
The entrance sealed shut.
The Hall of the Ancients
The corridor was enormous.
The walls were covered with carvings.
Dragons.
Giants.
Humans.
And something else.
A dark figure.
Lucian stopped.
"Uncle."
Henry turned.
Lucian pointed toward the wall.
The carving showed a Dragon and a Giant standing together beside a dark creature.
Behind them stood humans and elves.
The scene looked like not war.
The scene portrayed Dragons and Giants standing along with the Dark creature.
But one thing that stood out was that they were protecting a black orb.
This orb emitted the dark mana.
A thought occured in Lucian's mind.
"What if the Dragons and Giants didn't knew the dark mana."
That would explain why the dragons and giants went extinct.
From where ever the dark orb came from, It became a object of experiment.
And before they could understand its danger it engulfed them.
Henry sensed something and he began to walk towards a large door.
And again he opened the door somehow.
Behind it was a lift that seemed to go underground.
"Let's go", Henry urged.
As the lift descended, the dark mana began to thicken.
Even Irene's mana pendant began to fade.
But Henry shrouded his dark mana around her.
The lift came to a stop.
The doors opened.
And what they saw was overwhelming.