The inside of the hidden hermitage was cloaked in ancient energy. Dust floated through shafts of golden light streaming from cracks in the stone ceiling. Intricate carvings lined the walls—dragons, phoenixes, and symbols lost to time.
Elsa paused at one of the etchings. It showed seven figures standing beneath a celestial throne, each holding a seal. At the center was a single figure, cloaked, standing with one palm raised as a blazing sun hovered above.
"What is this place?" she whispered.
Master Tao shuffled ahead, his steps slow but precise. "This… is where the first truth was carved, child. Long before your world wore suits and chased dividends."
Chess followed behind Elsa, his eyes scanning the markings. "I need to know what happens if I find all seven seals."
Tao stopped. "Then you will sit upon the Dragon Throne. But it will not give you power freely—it will test your soul, consume your desires, and expose your truest self. If you're unworthy… it will destroy you."
Elsa's brow furrowed. "Why you, Chess? Why are they bound to you?"
Master Tao turned to her now, his gaze piercing despite his age.
"Because the blood of the Dragon Lord flows through him. He is the last of the direct line."
Elsa's heart skipped.
"You mean—he's royalty?"
Tao chuckled. "Not royalty. Not anymore. The sect fell long ago. Betrayed from within. The Dragon Lord's heir was hidden… raised outside the sect… to survive."
Chess looked away, his jaw clenched. "That's why I was chosen for the Hidden Trial. Why the Sect watched me. Why Hubert trained me so ruthlessly."
Tao nodded. "And why the seals answer to you. They recognize blood, not ambition."
Elsa stepped forward, still processing it. "And the others chasing them?"
"They are echoes. Opportunists. Pretenders. But one among them has blood nearly as pure—tainted, yet strong. A rival descendent."
Chess's eyes narrowed. "Kip?"
"No," Tao said grimly. "Another. A woman. One whose silver eyes were cursed by the stars."
Elsa stilled.
"The woman watching us," she said slowly. "The one I saw back in Valemir. Near the underground vault. The one who disappeared like smoke."
Tao turned back to the wall. "She is Nyra. Once a shadow disciple. Now… she walks a line between vengeance and destiny."
Chess clenched his fist. "And what about Kip Mandari? What's his play in all of this?"
Tao smirked. "Kip is a man who seeks thrones but was never born for them. He allies with forces he cannot comprehend. He may have a seal… but it will burn him in time."
Elsa glanced at Chess. "So what now?"
Tao raised a weathered hand and pointed to the back of the chamber, where a sealed stone door pulsed with faint golden light.
"There lies the Temple of the Third Seal," he said. "You must go alone, Chess. No guards. No weapons. The temple must judge you."
Elsa immediately stepped forward. "Then I'm going with him."
Tao's voice sharpened. "If you do… the temple will test you too. You are not ordinary, child. Your blood carries echoes."
Elsa stared at the old man. "What do you mean?"
Tao's gaze softened, though sorrow flickered behind it. "You are a descendant of the Guardian Line. A bloodline sworn to protect the Seals… or destroy them if they fall into the wrong hands."
Elsa's breath caught.
"That's why the seal reacted to me back in Kavaria," she whispered.
Tao nodded. "You were never meant to be just a pawn in the corporate game, Elsa Jefferson. You were born for something more."
Chess turned to her now, his expression unreadable. "You still want to come with me?"
Elsa met his eyes. "I'm not letting you walk into judgment alone."
He stepped forward and took her hand. "Then we face it together."
Tao watched them quietly. For the first time in decades, hope sparked behind his ancient eyes.
"Very well," he said. "But be warned. The third seal will not test your strength. It will test your love."
Elsewhere – Valemir, Kip's Private Estate
Kip Mandari sat in his sleek, minimalist office overlooking the coastline. A storm brewed in the distance, mirroring the storm building inside him.
Before him, an obsidian box lay open on his desk. Inside, a cold-blue crystal seal hummed with energy—different from the others.
Not a true seal. But a forged one.
"Soon," Kip said to himself, tracing a finger over its edge. "I'll rewrite the game. They think this is about power. About lineage."
He leaned back in his chair, smirking.
"But I've always been a better thief than a king."
Back in the Hidden Hermitage – As Dusk Falls
Chess and Elsa stood before the glowing door.
The stone shimmered, ancient runes lighting up as they approached.
Hand in hand, they stepped forward.
The moment their feet crossed the threshold, a gust of invisible force swept through them, and the chamber darkened.
Together, they vanished into the temple.
Where truth, blood… and love would be tested like never before.