NOVEL NEXT Chapter 131: Another Sanctum...
The ground beneath the Dragonkin Sanctum trembled faintly as Ethan descended the stone steps carved into the earth itself. A soft glow radiated from the etched glyphs lining the walls, casting flickering shadows that danced along the corridor. The air grew denser the deeper he went—not with heat, but with something more ancient, like the breath of forgotten time.
He had left Kaeryx above, soaring quietly in lazy arcs above the Sanctum, his divine presence maintaining order in Ethan's absence. David, though hesitant, had remained behind to manage the surface. Ethan needed to see this part through alone.
"Beneath every Sanctum," Kaeryx had once told him, back when he still barely understood the dragon god's fragmented thoughts, "lies a breath of the Labyrinth's first echo. What you find there may shape what you build above."
Ethan wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but he intended to find out.
Step after step, the glow of the glyphs grew brighter until the path opened into a wide, underground atrium. Pillars shaped like draconic claws held up a domed ceiling, under which a massive basin of black crystal pulsed faintly with slow, throbbing light. There was a stillness here—not dead, but sleeping.
A presence.
Ethan approached, eyes narrowed. His mana sense prickled along his spine, warning him that whatever this place was, it wasn't just some ancient ruin. It was waiting.
He stepped closer to the basin. The crystal shimmered and rippled like liquid obsidian. Then, as if sensing him fully, a low hum vibrated through the chamber.
A whisper echoed, not from the air, but from within his thoughts:
"Heir of flame and fracture, bearer of an untethered fate... you seek dominion, yet the roots of the Labyrinth run deeper than power."
Ethan's brows furrowed. He didn't recognize the voice, but he knew the weight of it.
He didn't speak aloud, instead pushing his thoughts outward.
"Who are you?"
"I am a remnant. The echo of the first guardian. The Sanctum is yours... but the foundation rests atop secrets you do not yet see."
A vision flared before his eyes—not physical, but seen within the core of his soul. Labyrinths spiraling in impossible geometries. Sanctums hidden in twisted folds of reality. Beasts ancient enough to remember gods before gods.
Ethan clenched his jaw, grounding himself. "Then show me what I need to see."
The basin pulsed.
And then a searing pain lanced through his chest.
His vision fractured, his mind pulled into a blinding stream of light and memories not his own. He saw a war—not between races, but between Wills. Entities that shaped the very structure of the Great Labyrinth itself.
When he gasped awake, moments or hours later, the basin had quieted.
His palm throbbed. Looking down, he saw a symbol etched into his skin—a twisted rune shaped like an eye within a labyrinth.
[You have gained: 'Insight of the Deep Echoes']
[New Quest Updated: Discover the Origin of the Labyrinth]
Ethan stood in silence.
Something was shifting. Whatever this Sanctum was, it wasn't just a fortress or safe zone.
It was part of something vast. Something sentient.
And now... it had started to look back.
He turned, ascending the stairs once more. Back toward the light. Toward David. Toward Kaeryx. Toward the war for the Labyrinth.
And this time, he carried a spark of its secret inside him.
The real conquest was only just beginning.
The air above the sanctum shimmered faintly with ambient mana as Ethan emerged from the ancient subterranean vault. His mind still swam with fragmented echoes of the vision—a throne reforged in flame, a war of sanctums, and the gleaming constellation of runes spinning across the sky like judgment. The message from the Labyrinth had been cryptic, but one thing was clear: he had been chosen for something much greater.
He stepped into the light of the central courtyard, where the stone tiles radiated with the warmth of midday sun. The moment his boots hit the ground, a silence washed over the gathering inhabitants. Orcs, humans, dragonkin—even the usually rowdy beastkin—paused in their work or patrols to glance his way. There was something different about him. They could feel it.
Kaeryx, ever-attuned to Ethan's presence, was already gliding down from a perch atop the eastern tower. He landed in a swirl of heated wind, his golden eyes narrowing with concern and curiosity. Ethan nodded at him briefly, sharing a silent exchange only the two of them could understand.
David was already approaching, dressed in polished leather armor with mana-banded gauntlets strapped to his forearms. He halted just short of Ethan, eyeing him with a mixture of relief and scrutiny.
"You're back. And... different," David said, his brow furrowed. "Did something happen down there?"
Ethan exhaled slowly, nodding. "The Labyrinth spoke. Not just a system prompt or a vision... it was more like a calling. It showed me a throne, broken and reforged. And runes... I couldn't understand them, but I felt their weight."
David blinked. "Sounds... ominous. And familiar."
Ethan gave a half-smile. "It always is."
They walked side by side through the sanctum grounds, observing the daily activities. Smiths hammering out armor pieces forged from drake-hide. Scouts refining route maps with glowing mana quills. Several younger recruits were being drilled by older warriors under the guidance of one of the human captains.
"We need to accelerate everything," Ethan said after a moment. "Training, resource gathering, expansion. The message was clear. This isn't just about survival anymore. It's about dominion."
David frowned. "You mean... claiming more sanctums?"
"All of them," Ethan said simply. "We unify this place, or we die fragmented when the next major force sweeps through."
David didn't argue. He could see it in Ethan's eyes—this wasn't ambition. This was inevitability.
Later that evening, Ethan stood atop the sanctum's overlook, gazing out across the horizon. A breeze stirred his cloak. The stars were beginning to appear, and with them came a strange sense of stillness.
Kaeryx padded up beside him and let out a low, almost purring sound.
"You saw it too, didn't you?" Ethan asked.
Kaeryx didn't respond with words, but the swell of his mana spoke volumes.
They were both aware that something was coming. Something old. Something vast.
Ethan narrowed his eyes at the distant flickers on the horizon. Sanctums yet unconquered. Secrets yet unraveled.
He turned away from the edge, cloak fluttering behind him.
"Tomorrow," he murmured, voice calm but resolute. "We begin again."
And so the wheel turned.
The dim light of early morning filtered through the carved stone windows of the Dragonkin Sanctum. Thin wisps of steam curled lazily from the heat vents embedded in the walls, powered by the forge deep within the heart of the mountain sanctum. The air hummed faintly with mana, tranquil for once, as if the entire sanctum had paused to breathe.
Ethan stood near the training grounds, his hands behind his back, eyes narrowed as he watched a pair of orcs spar under the early sun. Sweat dripped down their muscular frames, their movements precise and methodical. A few dragonkin, observing from the sidelines, whispered quietly among themselves, their tone more curious than confrontational. Progress.
Kaeryx lounged nearby atop a smooth slab of obsidian, tail curled around the base like a lazy feline, his glowing eyes watching everyone with mild amusement. His golden scales gleamed under the sunlight.
Ethan turned as David approached, carrying a rolled parchment and a small mana recorder. "Morning report," David said simply.
Ethan took the scroll, unrolling it and scanning the contents. "No incidents overnight. Patrols returned without conflict. The forge completed another batch of armor. Scouts marked three new safe zones."
David nodded. "And the food stores are stable. Dragonkin farmers are starting to cooperate with orc laborers. It's not smooth, but it's working."
"We need it to work," Ethan murmured, rolling the parchment back up. He took a breath. "Today, I want us to start organizing the sanctum's internal structure more formally. Military, logistics, education, communication. If this is going to be a true stronghold, it needs to run like one."
David grinned. "You want divisions?"
"Exactly. Start with patrol commanders. Assign a second-in-command to each. Then set up an education unit. We have mixed races, mixed languages—we need to teach them to understand each other. Use magic glyphs if we must. And pull the dragonkin smiths and engineers into a unified craftsman's guild."
David scribbled notes, nodding along. "What about the humans from Grosh'ka?"
"Have them oversee the formation of a civilian council. People need representation beyond just military order. If they feel included, they're less likely to rebel."
From above, Kaeryx shifted, his gaze settling on Ethan. A low, thoughtful growl vibrated in the air, almost like approval.
"That dragon god look is starting to suit you," David said, half-joking.
Ethan smirked, then turned serious. "Kaeryx is still recovering strength. But once he stabilizes, I want him to scout further regions from the air. We need to know what's out there."
"Another sanctum?"
Ethan nodded. "I won't wait for them to come to us. We move first. This sanctum isn't the end. It's the beginning."