By morning, the storm clouds had drifted away, leaving the sky a soft orange.
Aizen limped along a narrow path beside Lyra, his ribs bandaged using torn fabric and strips of tree bark soaked in healing sap. Every breath still stung, but he refused to complain. The memory of the battle—the heat, the lightning, the rage—still burned fresh in his chest.
They'd survived.
But Lyra was right.
Next time, it would be worse.
> "There's an abandoned shrine a few miles ahead," she said. "Hidden. No patrols go there anymore. It's where I first learned about… your kind."
> "You've been looking into the Black Lions for a while, haven't you?" Aizen asked.
She nodded. "There were rumors. Pieces of forbidden scripture. But most of it was erased by the Empire. Even among the Dragonkin, speaking your clan's name is… dangerous."
They moved in silence for a while after that. The forest began to thin, revealing rocky hills and broken ruins half-swallowed by nature.
The shrine came into view.
It was ancient—stone pillars cracked by time, moss crawling over the walls, runes faded with age. A large lion statue stood at the center, weathered but proud. Its mane had once been gilded in gold, now dulled to bronze.
Aizen stopped, breath catching in his throat.
> This place… feels familiar.
He walked forward slowly, his fingers brushing over the runes. His hand began to glow faintly. A pulse echoed through the ground beneath his feet.
> "Aizen?" Lyra said cautiously.
The stone beneath the lion statue trembled.
A circle of symbols lit up, and a soft hum filled the air—like a song trapped beneath the earth.
Then—click—a hidden stairway opened.
Dust exploded into the air. The scent of old books, rust, and sealed magic rushed out.
> "What is this?" Aizen whispered.
Lyra's eyes widened. "This wasn't here before… it only opened because of you."
> Because of my blood…
They descended slowly into the underground chamber. The walls were lined with forgotten murals—scenes of Black Lion warriors battling gods, taming lightning, walking with beasts of thunder.
A mural showed one particular lion figure—black mane, golden eyes, standing atop a broken mountain as lightning raged behind him.
> "That one…" Aizen said.
> "Looks like you," Lyra finished.
Aizen didn't speak. He stepped closer.
Carved beneath the mural were ancient words, glowing faintly as he read them aloud.
> "He who inherits the storm shall bear the wrath of heavens and the roar of kings. The fallen blood shall rise again… when betrayal repeats."
> "Betrayal…?" Aizen murmured.
> "The Empire betrayed your people," Lyra said grimly. "But… it might have started before that."
A low rumble echoed through the chamber.
From a nearby pedestal, a glowing stone floated up—pulsing with lightning energy. Aizen reached out, and it flew into his hand.
Immediately, he felt a surge. His vision blurred. And then—
He was standing in another world.
A battlefield of clouds and fire.
Hundreds of beastmen in black armor fought winged soldiers beneath a shattered sky. Screams. Thunder. Magic. A lion roared so loud, the heavens split.
Then—
Silence.
He fell backward, gasping, the stone pulsing in his hand.
> "Are you okay?" Lyra rushed to him.
> "I… I saw them. My people. Fighting the Empire. But there were… others."
> "Others?"
> "Beastmen who betrayed the Lions."
Lyra's expression darkened. "A civil war…?"
Aizen stood shakily. "That's why the Empire won. We were betrayed from the inside."
He looked at the glowing stone in his hand.
It was a memory core, preserved by ancient magic.
And it had chosen him.
> "We need to find more of these," he said. "If I want to understand what really happened… if I want to become strong enough to stop them…"
> "Then this is only the beginning," Lyra said.
They stood in silence beneath the ancient lion statue, as dust drifted gently through the air like falling stars.
Outside, the wind shifted.
Unseen eyes were already watching.
---
End of Chapter 6