The Monster King's Legacy

Following Kaelthara's words, a murmur rippled through the gathered elders. Some growled low, their eyes narrowing in disapproval, while others exchanged skeptical glances. At that moment, eight elders were present. Since the dragons have quite the number of elders, because they were never around all at the same time, only those present would attend to matters.

A red-scaled elder leaned forward, his molten eyes burning with intensity. "You propose a human? To enter the sacred chasm? This is an insult to our traditions, Kaelthara." He said.

Another elder snorted lightly, almost as though she didn't want to be seen snorting. "The Chasm of Life is a gift from the dragon god, meant for dragons to ascend to greater heights. A mortal cannot comprehend, let alone withstand, its power." She said.

Kaelthara met their objections head-on, her voice firm. "Tradition should not blind us to potential. Lance is no ordinary mortal from what I've seen. He may one day rival our kind, or even more. This is not just sentiment, this is destiny."

The red-scaled elder sneered. "Destiny? Compared to us, he is not more than a speck of dust. The chasm would destroy him."

Kaelthara's eyes flashed with anger as she heard the dragon's words. Immediately, Elder Thoryx calmed things as a ting of fear rose in the red-scaled dragon's heart.

"My apologies, Kaelthara, I was too harsh with my words." He said.

Kaelthara didn't give a response, but she let it slide. "You underestimate him." She continued. "Have you forgotten that the chasm's purpose is to unlock potential? Lance has already exceeded the limits of his mortal body, yet his true limit is yet to be reached. With the chasm's power, he could become even greater, perhaps an even greater ally to us."

The golden-scaled elder, whose calm demeanor often belied his sharp tongue, spoke next. "Even if what you say is true, Kaelthara, there is one glaring flaw in your argument: the chasm amplifies not only physical strength but magical aptitude. From what I've heard, this human possesses no significant magical abilities. The chasm would reject him outright."

Kaelthara's voice remained steady. "It is true that he lacks magical prowess. But whoever said those were no exceptions to the rule?"

The golden-scaled elder scoffed behind his tone. "That is meaningless if he cannot endure the chasm's energy. Do you propose we waste a sacred resource on a gamble?"

Kaelthara took a step closer to the council, her voice calm with conviction. "This is no gamble. I have trained him myself, pushed him to the brink and beyond. He has survived challenges that would break even some of you seated here, had you gone under me in your youth. And let me set it clear, most of you did not even dare? If you cannot see his worth, then you are blinded by your own arrogance."

The room fell silent, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air. For a moment, the council seemed taken aback by Kaelthara's intensity. As for what she said, it was true, she was far older than all the dragons present, her presence a constant right from their very inceptions. Under normal circumstances, she should be the ultimate voice to make decisions, and that was how it mostly was, but in cases such as this, tradition mandated for a unanimous agreement.

Following her words, the council fell silent for a while as each elder deliberated in silence. After what felt like an eternity, Elder Thoryx spoke.

"Kaelthara," he began, "your proposal has merit, but it also carries great risk. Allowing a human to enter the Chasm of Life is unprecedented. If he fails, it will tarnish the sanctity of our most sacred treasure."

Kaelthara met his gaze unflinchingly. "If he fails, the blame falls on me. But if he succeeds, we get to witness something of legends, and besides that, gain a stronger ally."

The elder's eyes narrowed, his expression contemplative. After a long pause, he finally nodded. "Very well. The council will allow Lance to approach the chasm, but only if he swears an oath to the dragon god and undergoes a trial to prove his worth. I'm sure you understand the significance of this?"

"I will relay the conditions to him." Kaelthara said.

…

When Kaelthara emerged from the hall, her expression was a mix of triumph and caution. Lance and Aelyndra hurried to meet her.

"Well?" Lance asked, his heart tightening with suspense.

Kaelthara's golden eyes met his. "The council has agreed. You will be allowed to enter the Chasm of Life. But there are conditions. You'll need to swear an oath to the dragon god and prove your worth through a ritual trial. Fail, and you won't survive the experience."

Lance nodded, his resolve unwavering. "I'll do whatever it takes… but, what kind of trial?"

Kaelthara's lips curved into a faint smirk. "You'll find out soon enough. For now, rest. You'll need every ounce of strength for what's to come."

"Wait… and the oath? I won't become some sort of slave, will I?" Lance asked bluntly.

"Hahaha! Don't worry about that. All dragons swear this oath after reaching a certain level in power, it is not some kind of slavery, just a measure to make sure that you don't go using the strength you have gained against the dragons." Kaelthara explained.

"Oh I see… that makes sense, I guess."

As the three of them walked back to their camp, Lance felt a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. The path ahead would be his most challenging yet, but he was ready to face it, no matter the cost. For the time being however, he was going to stuff himself up with food. As the only thing he could eat here were the strange fruits that filled him up for weeks, though he would normally eat one, he sort two of them, finishing everything in one sitting.

Kaelthara also gave him permission to take off the weighted gears on his body, which he did. With the weight coming off him, Lance felt as though he could even fly. His body felt so light that it felt as though his attacks would feel like paper.

That aside, Lance used his magic on himself, bringing himself to peak form, ready for what was to come.

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