"I challenge you to rock, paper, scissors, Ate Tan! Whoever loses has to feed Hydra."
"Challenge accepted, Kael," Tania agreed confidently.
They raised their hands, chanting in unison: "Bato! Bato! PICK!"
Kael's excitement instantly vanished. His hand remained a solid fist—rock—while Tania's palm was spread wide—paper.
"Ha! You lost, dummy!" Tania cheered.
"Well, well, we have a winner," Summeria chuckled, her voice echoing. "Servant 21!"
The mechanical servant appeared instantly, bowing.
"Kindly escort our honored guest to the kitchen, then to the chambers of Hydra." Summeria leaned forward, whispering something to the machine that neither Kael nor Tania could catch. The servant nodded, standing tall before gesturing for Kael to follow. Kael watched them both with a mix of disbelief and growing dread.
"Hurry on, Kael. You don't want Hydra to get too hungry, or he'll tear this place down."
Kael followed the machine toward the kitchen. As they entered, his jaw dropped. Towering furnaces were embedded into golden walls, radiating intense heat. Above, countless utensils hung in perfect order. At the center sat a massive rectangular marble island, and beyond it, two enormous refrigerators.
Suddenly, a thick tentacle whipped out, flung a refrigerator door open, and snatched several ingredients. Kael's gaze followed the limb—and froze.
An enormous octopus stood before him, its eight tentacles working in a blur of motion as it prepared eight different dishes simultaneously. A chef's hat sat precariously atop its massive head.
The creature noticed Kael's gape. "Close your mouth," it said dryly. "I don't want to be burned by your flame."
Kael snapped his mouth shut, still stunned. The octopus glanced between the boy and the servant. "It's over there," it mutt
ered."You… you look amazing!" Kael stepped forward. "An octopus chef? How do you even survive here without water?"
The octopus paused, letting out an annoyed sigh. "You're joking, kid. I am Kraken—the monster that destroyed countless ships before being tamed by my master."
"Kraken!? THE Kraken!?"
"Yes. Now move along before Hydra starts another tantrum," Kraken replied irritably.
The mechanical servant casually hoisted a fifty-ton slab of meat as if it were a feather. Kael followed as they descended deeper into the dimension, the light fading into an oppressive gloom. They stopped before a massive gate carved with the image of a ten-headed Hydra. Its eyes seemed to track Kael's movement, sending a chill down his spine.
"Before we enter, my lord, be cautious," the servant warned. "Hydra induces hallucinations—visions of your most painful memories. Keep your heart strong."
Kael blinked. "I didn't know you could talk!"
The servant tilted its head. "Of course I can speak, my lord."
The gate began to rumble, swinging open with a heavy groan. A freezing wind rushed out, making Kael shiver violently.
"Summeria didn't say it would be this cold!"
"Stay focused. We are entering the domain."
Kael summoned Durandal. They stepped inside, and after only a few meters, the gate slammed shut behind them. The darkness felt alive.
"Do not listen to it," the servant's voice echoed. "Maintain your aura, Lord Kael."
Then, a softer, more insidious voice hissed through the void. "I sense a powerful aura… yet sorrow has pierced its foundation."
The words cut Kael like a blade.
"Did you lose someone, my dear?" the voice whispered. "Someone you loved? And you still cannot take revenge?"
How does it know? Kael thought, the cold seeping into his marrow.
"LORD KAEL!" The servant dropped the meat and rushed to his side. Kael's skin was turning blue as he collapsed.
"Lord Kael! Stay with me!" The servant's voice became a muffled hum.
Suddenly, the runes on Kael's body began to glow. A surge of warmth flooded his veins, steadying his breath. He forced himself up, eyes narrowing.
"I'm sorry… I won't fall for such a petty trick again."
He stood tall, his aura flaring. With a sharp swing of Durandal, the illusion shattered. The darkness split to reveal a vast chamber of obsidian. Baybayin runes glowed along the walls, connecting the heavy chains that bound the beast.
Before them stood the Hydra. It was as tall as the Eiffel Tower, its black scales camouflaging against the obsidian. Ten heads hissed in unison, their bloodshot eyes fixed on Kael. At the center of its chest was a jagged, X-shaped scar.
The servant dropped the meat. The Hydra hissed, a sound like grinding stone. "Vaeyrdrassilssss… Every time I see a descendant of Vaeryn, this scar burns."
Kael looked up, his heart heavy with questions. "Who are you?"
"I AM VRITRA! Dragon of Orpheus!" the beast roared, straining against its chains. The Baybayin runes flared, burning Vritra's skin back into submission. "I was the first Monarch of Dragons! Second in power to the gods! But VAERYN AND THAT BOY DRAGON… joined forces, cut off my wings, gave me this scar and chained me in this prison!"
"You sided with the Mordrens during the war," Summeria's voice echoed as she walked toward them. "It is fate that led you here, Kael. Your ancestor was the one who defeated him. During the apocalypse. I was there "
Vritra let out a thundering laugh, then lowered one of its heads to look Kael in the eye. "Blue eyes, ash-brown hair… the reincarnation of Vaeryn. Kael? What a common name. Is that how his descendants name their kin now?"
Vritra's sixth head looked down and looked straight at Kael, its pressure making Kael's hand tremble. "Only a glare and you shake? You are a disappointment. I don't know what Luna sees in you. You are a weakling, a little lamb."
Vritra turned his gaze to Summeria. "Is this the end of the line? Weak, feeble, and without resolve? When Vaeryn entered my domain, my whole body trembled and that recent heir to the clan; I forgot his name... But this boy? HA!"
"Kael, don't listen," Summeria warned. "He's testing you."
"I DON'T CARE!" Kael's voice cracked through the chamber. A blue aura erupted from his arms. He gripped Durandal until the blade turned a fiery blue.
"Yes… let that anger boil!" Vritra taunted. "You aren't Vaeryn. You aren't Vaedros. And you will never be like them!"
"Shut your mouth, Vritra!" Summeria commanded.
But Kael was already gone. Blue holographic dragon horns emerged from his forehead, and his pupils narrowed into slits. Baybayin runes lined his eyelids.
"I am my own person!" Kael lunged, aiming a strike intended to sever all ten heads at once.
Summeria moved faster. She intercepted him, her right hand erupting in a concentrated, holy flame.
"Suntok ng Langit!" (Heavenly Punch!)
She struck. Kael managed to parry with Durandal, but the impact sent a shockwave through the obsidian hall. Static energy and blue flames crackled against the walls.
"KAEL, CALM DOWN! IF YOU CUT THEM, THEY MULTIPLY!"
Using a fraction of her true strength, Summeria pushed through. Kael was sent flying, crashing into the obsidian wall. The impact knocked him unconscious; his aura flickered out, and Durandal clattered to the floor.
Summeria landed softly and sighed. "I might have overdone it." She knelt to check his pulse. "Servant 21!"
The machine rushed over.
"Take Kael to Tania for healing. I'll stay here and have a little chat with our 'friend' Vritra."
"Yes, my lady." The servant sheathed Durandal, hoisted Kael onto its back, and vanished into the tunnel.