The Box: Fate
Chapter 37 — The Dragon Sacrifice and the Hidden Village
The Whispering Woods stood frozen in time The Demon Lord a silhouette of pure obsidian moved his hand and the very fabric of space began to tear Facing him Zanaki felt the Dragon Sovereign heart in his chest beat with a violent rhythmic fury
Hina Anastasia! Get back! Zanaki roared his eyes glowing with a terrifying sapphire light This isn't a Commander This is the End itself!
Zanaki slammed his palms against the earth MANIFEST: THE STORM BORN AZUREUS!
A pillar of blue lightning struck the clearing From the smoke emerged a figure that made the girls gasp It wasn't just a beast a tall regal man with long silver hair and scales of midnight armor stepped out of the rift Azureus had taken his Humanoid Form—the Dragon King in his warrior state
You summoned me for a god little hatchling? Azureus's voice sounded like grinding stones. He looked at the Demon Lord and for the first time the Demon Lord eyes narrowed
A remnant of the First Age the Demon Lord hissed Interesting
The clash was cataclysmic. Azureus shifted between his Humanoid and Full Dragon forms his claws clashing against the Demon Lord's shadow blade Every shockwave leveled trees for miles Zanaki poured every ounce of his Level 35 mana into Azureus but the strain was immense His nose began to bleed and his skin cracked from the sheer pressure of holding a Dragon King manifestation
I can't... hold him for long! Zanaki screamed He looked at Hina and Anastasia RUN! Go back to the hotel! Tell Kataki he here!
We aren't leaving you! Anastasia cried her Spear of Destiny glowing with desperation
GO! Zanaki used a burst of Dragon Breath to create a golden barrier physically pushing the two girls toward the city path If you stay we all die! Tell them... tell them I'll find a way back!
The Demon Lord unleashed a Void Collapse—a black sphere that swallowed everything Azureus roared shifting into his massive Dragon form to shield Zanaki but the explosion was too great The cliffside they were standing on shattered
Zanaki felt his connection to Azureus snap as his mana bottomed out As the smoke cleared the Demon Lord vanished satisfied with the destruction Zanaki broken and unconscious tumbled off the jagged cliff falling into the dark river hundreds of feet below
Two hours later
Back at The Sleeping Griffin hotel in Liya the atmosphere was suffocating Hina and Anastasia had returned battered and weeping telling the group of the encounter Kataki Akira Axel and the rest had searched the woods for 48 hours but the river had swept everything away
He not dead Kataki said his blindfold glowing a dim flickering silver The Dragon heart still beats... but it's far away
Deep in a hidden valley miles downstream from the battle the sound of rushing water was the only noise Zanaki lay on the riverbank his clothes torn to rags his body covered in deep bruises
A pair of soft calloused hands touched his forehead A girl with dark hair tied back and dressed in simple reinforced traveler gear looked down at him She didn't look like a player; she looked like a survivor of this world
She dragged his heavy body toward a small camouflaged village hidden behind a waterfall For two days she stayed by his side using rare herbs and local medicine to stitch his wounds and break his fever
On the third morning Zanaki eyes fluttered open He tried to sit up but a sharp pain in his ribs forced him back down
Careful stranger the girl said handing him a wooden bowl of broth The river almost claimed you You're lucky my traps were set nearby
Zanaki looked at her his memory of the Demon Lord slowly returning Where... where am I? Who are you?
The girl gave a small weary smile You're in the Village of the Hidden Stream My name is Hanzoe I'm a local tracker You've been out for a long time Dragon-marked
Zanaki looked at his hand The scales were gone but the card was still there dormant He was alive but he was lost And while his friends searched the city of Liya in grief Zanaki realized he had just found a different side of this real world—one that Hanzoe was prepared to show him