Chapter 76 — The Lake of the Dead Dragon
We Continue ;
The armory was nothing more than a chaotic field of ruins. The cracked walls still trembled from the repeated impacts, hundreds of legendary weapons lay scattered across the floor in pools of mixed water and blood. Thick black smoke crept along like a living creature, choking the flickering light of the magical torches. The air was heavy and toxic; every breath burned Alma's lungs a little more. Her water magic was becoming unstable, disturbed by the poisons saturating the atmosphere.
Yet despite the pain, despite the deep cuts on her arms and the blood running down her left leg, she kept her guard up. Her eyes shone with fierce determination.
Facing her, Caster was smiling.
A smile that no longer had anything human about it.
Ever since he had truly seen her face, something had broken inside him. His gaze had turned mad, unstable, as if an old ghost had resurfaced from the depths of his memory. The blood flowing from his wounds no longer even touched the ground—it floated around him in living red filaments, vibrating to the rhythm of his growing hatred.
"I understand now…" he murmured slowly.
His voice echoed through the ruins, heavy with memories.
"That resemblance… that look… it irritates me…"
He stared at Alma as one would observe a specter returned from the past.
"You really are from her family…"
Alma frowned, breathing raggedly.
"What are you talking about?!"
Caster let out a short, nervous laugh, running his bloodied hand through his hair.
"Your brother…"
Silence fell like a blade.
Even the smoke seemed to freeze.
Caster raised his eyes toward the cracked ceiling, his gaze distant, almost haunted.
"Two years ago… Dominus sent us to the Eneger Mountains in the kingdom of Atlantis to retrieve a relic. Me, Luppy, several others… and Dominus herself was there."
The blood around him slowed, as if paying respect to the memory.
"At first, everything was going well…"
The Eneger Mountains were a white, silent hell.
Endless snowstorms swept across colossal cliffs. A supernatural cold gnawed to the bone even the most powerful mages. This place was cursed, avoided by all.
That day, several silhouettes advanced with difficulty through the blizzard. Dominus walked at the front, her long black coat snapping in the wind, a faint smile on her lips despite the violence of the elements.
Behind her, Luppy was shivering.
"I'm sick of this place… it's too cold."
Caster scanned the surroundings with suspicion. Then, abruptly, the wind stopped.
The snow froze in mid-air.
The silence became absolute, oppressive.
In the distance, a solitary silhouette stood upright in the frozen storm.
A man. Around him, the world seemed to die. The cold was not natural. It was something deeper… the very absence of heat, as if space itself refused to exist near him. Caster still remembered that visceral terror. His body had frozen. Breathing became torture.
Luppy had stepped back, sensing death approaching.
"Dominus… We should leave."
For the first time, Dominus's smile had vanished. She stared at the silhouette without blinking.
"Yes."
Then, in a calm voice,
"This man is not dangerous."
She had turned on her heels.
"He is monstrous…"
They had fled without another word. No one had protested. They all knew they would have died if they had stayed.
The memory faded. Caster looked at Alma with a twisted, almost painful smile.
"When I saw you… I knew immediately. You have exactly the same scent…"
Suddenly, blood exploded from his arms. SHLAAAAAAAAACK!
Dozens of gigantic red scythes hurtled toward Alma.
She dove to the side. The wall behind her was sliced like paper. The attacks chained together, unpredictable, bouncing off the walls, skimming the ground. Caster disappeared and reappeared behind her. A blade pierced her shoulder. Then another opened her thigh. Alma fell to her knees, panting.
Caster laughed, excited and unstable.
"Show me how far you can go…"
The fight became a deadly dance. Water against blood. Alma's blue torrents crashed against the red blades in explosions. Columns shattered, walls collapsed, the ground cracked beneath their feet. But Caster was gaining the upper hand. One mistake. Just one.
A fist reinforced with compressed blood struck her in the stomach.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Alma shot through several layers of rock like a cannonball, plunging ever deeper into the bowels of the kingdom.
She crashed heavily at the bottom of an immense cavern. The silence there was almost unreal after the fury of the battle.
Thousands of blue crystals covered the walls and ceiling, diffusing a soft, soothing light that reflected on a vast lake in the center of the grotto. The water glowed with an inner, pure, ancient light. Alma weakly lifted her head, her body broken.
A calm voice echoed behind her.
"A human…?"
She turned around. A tall man, almost transparent, stood there. His long blue hair floated gently, and his ancient eyes shone faintly.
"It's been a long time since anyone came down here…"
Alma coughed up blood.
"Who… are you?"
The spirit placed a hand on the surface of the lake. Luminous ripples spread outward.
"My name is Anchor. I was once a dragon."
He looked at the lake with profound nostalgia.
"I died nearly a century ago in these underground tunnels. My body slowly dissolved… and this water is all that remains of me."
Alma felt her heart beat faster. This lake… was not a simple body of water. It was the living tomb of an ancient dragon. Anchor continued, his voice soft but carrying immense weight:
"You know… I was born in an era long before the modern kingdoms were formed. Dragons and humans were still waging an endless war. Entire kingdoms burned. I was one of the sea dragons who ruled the southern oceans. Unlike most of my kind, I hated this absurd war… To me, humans were not the malevolent beings we were told they were… I saw too many human villages razed, too many dragons fall for nothing. I even secretly protected several human communities… which earned me the label of traitor."
A sad smile crossed his lips.
"Finally, gravely wounded in a battle against my own brothers, I came here to die alone. Over time, my magic and essence gave birth to this lake. Pure water, capable of preserving the memories and emotions of those who touch it… which allows me to read into your mind, Alma…"
He looked at her with intensity.
"Just as your mother taught you."
Alma felt memories rising. The necklace around her neck shone violently, resonating with the lake.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Caster landed heavily in the cavern, shattering the sacred calm.
"Shit…" he muttered upon seeing the crystals, before his gaze settled on Alma. "Finally found you."
Billions of blood needles appeared behind him, turning the grotto into a red hell.
"You're out of mana. No one is coming to save you."
Anchor observed the scene in silence. Caster could not see him. Only Alma perceived his presence.
A memory of her mother returned quickly, clear and warm.
"The water holds memories… It always answers those who wish to protect someone."
Alma plunged her hand into the lake of the ancient Atlantis—before it became a kingdom of snow. With tears in her eyes, she spoke:
"Mom… Seth…"
She clenched her teeth and cried out in a broken but determined voice,
"I'M GOING TO USE THIS WATER!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A colossal blue light exploded throughout the cavern. The entire lake rose into the air, answering her call with primordial power. Anchor smiled one last time.
"Then use me, little one. Down to the last drop."
To be continued….