The laughter echoed through the abyss.
Cold.
Ancient.
And identical to Zeal's own voice.
BOOOOOOOOM.
Black and gold energy erupted endlessly from his body, splitting the crater beneath Eryndor Academy even further apart while ancient chains trembled violently across the prison below.
Students across the academy collapsed from the pressure.
Several buildings cracked down the middle.
And above the ruins—
the storm itself began spiraling around the crater.
Like the world was reacting to Zeal's awakening.
Kyle could barely breathe.
"…Okay… nope… this is officially the worst day of my life."
Lightning exploded around Lucius as he resisted the pressure through sheer force.
Even then—
his knees nearly buckled.
Because the aura flooding the abyss no longer felt like Zeal.
It felt older.
Something standing above dragons and kingdoms alike.
The dragons beneath the prison lowered themselves fully.
Not out of respect now.
Fear.
Real fear.
And in the center of it all—
Zeal stood clutching his head while the black scales spread farther across his body.
The whispers inside his mind had become unbearable.
Thousands of voices.
Thousands of memories.
The Monarch.
The King of Calamities.
The Dragon Throne.
Every title echoed endlessly inside him.
Then—
another voice cut through them all.
His own.
"You finally hear us clearly now."
Zeal's eyes widened.
The abyss around him vanished instantly.
Darkness.
Endless darkness stretched in every direction.
No crater.
No dragons.
No academy.
Only silence.
Zeal stood alone in the void while distant golden lights flickered far above like dying stars.
Then footsteps echoed behind him.
Slow.
Calm.
Zeal turned immediately.
And froze.
Someone stood there wearing black royal armor covered in golden dragon patterns.
Dark scales wrapped around one arm.
Golden eyes glowed beneath silver-black hair.
The man looked older than Zeal.
Sharper.
More terrifying.
But unmistakably—
it was him.
The Monarch.
Or rather—
what Zeal would become.
The figure stared at him silently for a few moments.
Then smirked slightly.
"You look disappointed."
Zeal stepped backward instinctively.
"…You're not real."
The Monarch laughed softly.
"I am the real one."
The words echoed unnaturally through the void.
Zeal clenched his fists.
"You're just memories."
"No."
The Monarch slowly stepped closer.
"I am what remains after the world tried to erase us."
The pressure surrounding him was overwhelming.
Even here—
inside his own mind—
Zeal could barely stand near him.
The Monarch stopped a few feet away.
Golden eyes studied Zeal carefully.
Then quietly—
he asked:
"Do you hate me?"
The question caught Zeal off guard.
Because deep inside—
he didn't know the answer.
The Monarch noticed immediately.
His expression softened slightly.
"That confusion is why you're still human."
Silence filled the void.
Then Zeal finally asked the question burning inside him.
"…Did we really destroy the world?"
The Monarch's eyes darkened.
For the first time—
pain crossed his face.
Not rage.
Regret.
"No."
A pause.
Then:
"We saved it."
Memories exploded around them instantly.
The void transformed.
Zeal suddenly stood inside the First Age again.
But this time—
he saw everything clearly.
Cities burned beneath black flames.
Dragons corrupted into monsters.
Humans slaughtered by creatures twisted beyond recognition.
And at the center—
the Devourer.
Larger than mountains.
Swallowing entire kingdoms in darkness.
Zeal watched himself—
the Monarch—
fighting endlessly against it while armies collapsed around him.
Then another memory.
The noble families.
Kneeling before the Monarch while silver chains covered the sky.
The first bloodlines receiving authority powers directly from him.
The lightning bloodline.
The smoke clans.
The wind houses.
All created to protect the seals after the war ended.
The vision shifted again.
Seraphine crying while the Monarch created the prison beneath the world.
And finally—
his death.
Not from battle.
From sacrifice.
Using his own soul as the final seal.
The memories vanished.
The void returned.
Zeal stared silently at the Monarch.
"…Then why does everyone call you a traitor?"
The Monarch looked upward quietly.
"Because history fears monsters."
A pause.
Then:
"Even the ones that save it."
Silence stretched between them.
Then suddenly—
cracks spread through the void.
The Monarch's expression changed instantly.
Serious.
"He's breaking through faster."
Zeal frowned.
"…Who?"
The darkness behind them twisted violently.
And suddenly—
a gigantic black eye opened within the void.
The Devourer.
Even inside Zeal's mind—
it had found them.
Its voice echoed everywhere at once.
"Your soul weakens."
The void shook violently.
The Monarch immediately stepped in front of Zeal.
Golden energy exploded outward.
"You do not belong here."
The Devourer laughed.
"This body already belongs to me."
BOOOOOOOM.
Darkness surged across the void.
The Monarch's eyes sharpened instantly.
Then for the first time—
Zeal saw his true power.
Black and gold flames erupted around the Monarch while enormous dragon wings unfolded behind him.
The void itself shattered under his presence.
And suddenly—
Zeal understood why the world feared him.
Not because he was evil.
Because he was overwhelming.
The Monarch raised one hand.
"Kneel."
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
The Devourer's eye cracked violently.
The darkness recoiled instantly.
Even the void bent beneath the command.
Zeal stared in shock.
The Monarch didn't even look at the Devourer again.
Instead—
he turned toward Zeal.
And his expression became strangely calm.
"Listen carefully."
The cracks across the void spread faster.
Reality was collapsing around them.
"You cannot stop what's coming anymore."
Zeal's chest tightened.
"…What are you talking about?"
The Monarch stepped closer.
Then quietly—
he revealed the truth.
"The seals were never meant to last forever."
Silence.
The Devourer laughed again from the darkness.
"At last… the king understands."
The Monarch ignored it.
His golden eyes stayed fixed on Zeal.
"The world you know was built on borrowed time."
The void trembled harder.
Zeal felt something pulling him back toward reality.
The Monarch noticed too.
Then suddenly—
his expression softened.
Not like a king.
Like an older brother.
Or someone carrying endless exhaustion.
"Protect them better than we did."
Before Zeal could answer—
the void shattered completely.
Reality returned violently.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
Zeal's eyes snapped open beneath the abyss.
The crater around the academy was collapsing further.
Black lightning ripped through the sky.
The dragons remained bowed.
And directly ahead—
the Devourer smiled.
"So… he finally spoke to you."
Zeal breathed heavily.
The black and gold energy around him stabilized slightly now.
Not gone.
Controlled.
Lucius immediately noticed.
"…He changed."
Chloe looked toward Zeal nervously.
"Zeal?"
Slowly—
Zeal lifted his head.
His eyes still glowed faint gold.
But they were his eyes again.
At least for now.
Then—
far beneath the abyss—
another chain shattered.
CRAAAAACK.
Everyone froze.
Even Seraphine's expression changed instantly.
The Devourer smiled wider.
And deep below the prison—
something enormous began moving.
Something even the Devourer feared.
Then Seraphine whispered one name.
A name that made the entire abyss tremble.
"The First Dragon…"
END OF CHAPTER 20Next Time on Path of the Calamity Monarch…The legendary First Dragon begins awakening beneath the prison.
Zeal learns the true purpose of the Monarch authority.
Cain prepares the academy for war.
And Lucius finally asks the question nobody wants answered.