Valyria – Three Days Before the Doom, The Hidden Vault
Night cloaked the estate in velvet shadows, but inside the inner sanctum, pale candlelight flickered against walls lined with ancient relics and arcane texts. The air was heavy with incense—dragonsbane mixed with the bitter tang of burning sage. A faint hum vibrated through the floor, resonating from Kaelarys's space ring resting on the carved obsidian table.
He paced, every footstep deliberate, mind racing as the system's quest log glowed faintly before him.
System Notification:Final Optional Quest Activated: Betrayal at Dawn
Objective: Discover the hidden Dragon Egg and secure it before rival factions.
Risk Level: Extreme
Reward: Mythic Title: Wyrmking, Unlock Legendary Dragon Trait, System Evolution to Stage 3.
Warning: Trust is a liability. Allies may betray.
Kaelarys exhaled sharply. Trust had been a weapon and a weakness since his rebirth. But betrayal? That was the only certainty left in these last days before doom.
Outside, the night was unnervingly still. Even the dragons, chained by magic, seemed restless, their immense bodies coiled like titans awaiting release. Kaelarys's thoughts drifted to his enemies—those who would kill to seize the last dragon egg rumored to remain hidden within the ancestral vault of House Volarys, buried beneath the capital city itself.
"The last egg…" Kaelarys murmured, fingers brushing the cold stone surface of the table. "The one no one knows about. The secret that could tip the scales."
Lyanna entered, her eyes sharp beneath a hood, carrying a worn parchment.
"I found this," she said, handing it over. "A map drawn in cipher, hidden within an old Valyrian hymn. It leads to the vault."
Kaelarys studied the map carefully. The symbols glowed faintly with enchanted ink, pulsing like a heartbeat. He traced a path beneath the city—a network of catacombs forgotten by all but the oldest Dragonlords.
"Good. We move at dawn. But only a few will go. No mistakes." His voice was low, steel threading through every word.
Varyn stepped forward, nodding. "I volunteer for the escort. I know the tunnels well."
Lyanna's gaze flickered toward him. "This will be dangerous. Betrayal is likely. We can't trust even the shadows."
Kaelarys smiled thinly. "Which is why I need you both."
System Update: Quest Accepted
Team Assigned: Kaelarys, Lyanna, Varyn
Equipment: Soulbound Daggers, Shadow Cloaks, Enchanted Runes for Silence and Detection
Time Remaining: 18 Hours Before Departure
Environmental Hazards: Magical Traps, Ancient Curses, Rival Agents
As dawn broke, the trio slipped into the labyrinth beneath Valyria. The air grew cold and heavy with centuries of dust and forgotten memories. Their footsteps echoed softly on cracked stone as the glow of Kaelarys's space ring illuminated glyphs etched into the walls—warnings left by ancestors and curses designed to kill the unwary.
"Stay alert," Kaelarys whispered. "The Doom is coming, but so is our reckoning."
Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught Lyanna's eye.
"Shadow."
Before anyone could react, a figure emerged—cloaked, agile, and armed with twin curved blades shimmering with dark magic.
Kaelarys's heart tightened.
A rival.
Action Sequence: Ambush in the CatacombsThe shadowy assassin lunged, blades slicing through the stale air. Lyanna rolled aside, dagger flashing in response. Varyn drew his sword, parrying a deadly strike and countering with a swift riposte. Kaelarys reached into his ring, summoning the Soulburn Cage spell.
Chains of spectral flame erupted, ensnaring the attacker mid-air.
The assassin snarled, flames licking flesh but no pain came. Instead, agony burned deep within the soul.
Kaelarys stepped forward, voice cold: "Who sent you?"
The prisoner's eyes burned with hatred. "You'll never stop the rise of the Wyrm."
A cryptic warning, but Kaelarys had no time for riddles.
He tightened the cage.
The fight left them shaken but alive. Deeper into the vault, ancient traps awaited—glyphs that ignited in cursed fire, floors that crumbled into shadowed pits, and statues that whispered maddening secrets.
At last, they reached a grand chamber. A single, ornate pedestal rested beneath a shaft of golden light. Upon it lay a single dragon egg—large, pulsing with a deep sapphire glow, veins of fire crawling beneath its shell.
Kaelarys felt the weight of destiny pressing upon him.
He reached out, fingers trembling as he touched the egg's surface. The system pulsed.
System Alert:Dragon Egg Acquired: Mythic Grade
Dragon Trait Unlocked: Shadowfire Wyrm
Legendary Title: Wyrmking Initiate
System Evolution: Stage 3 Activated
Bonus: Unlock New Magic Tree – Wyrm Sorcery
Suddenly, the chamber shook violently.
The Doom was no longer distant—it was here.
Internal Monologue:The world I knew is ending. The Doom will wash away everything. But I will rise from the ashes—stronger, more terrible than any before me. This egg, this power, will be my legacy. I will bend fate itself and rewrite the history of Valyria.
As they fled the collapsing vault, Kaelarys's system flashed a final warning.
New Quest: Escape the Doom – Time Limit 72 hours
Objective: Reach the secret fleet and evacuate all key assets.
Threat: Rival Dragonlords' forces mobilizing.
Companion Loyalty Check: Critical.
The race against time had begun.
End of Chapter 21