With the Dragon King slain, Rein expected to feel relieved - perhaps even find some peace. Yet, as days drifted into each other, he found none. The more he killed, the hollower he felt. His mind clouded, and his heart darkened. What was once the crystal's power as strength now felt like a burden too heavy for him to bear.
One night as he wandered the lifeless remains of the fortress, something drew him towards a hidden chamber deep within the earth. An ancient tome lay on an altar in a dark chamber-whose edges were orange with time, around the strange-signed covering. Flipping it open, he found something about a dark pact: a covenant between the dragons and the gods of old. The pact had bound the dragons to their rule over the world but tied them to something far more sinister- an ancient force that could be awakened only through blood and death.
The Spirit of Revenge hissed through his mind- an insistent voice: "You are the key, Rein. You were brought back to break the pact. You are the one who will destroy the gods themselves."
Rein's heart twisted painfully within his chest, eyes glaring with deathlight fury. He had hardly paused to consider the reality of the war in which he fought, mysteries so far beyond what he could understand. The dragons were merely pawns in an immense game-himself, the gods, ancient forces, and powers far beyond his comprehension.
Not that it mattered. Rein had sacrificed too much already to be able to turn back. The spirit had forged him into a weapon, and weapons did not ask questions but merely obeyed orders. With grim resolve, he closed the tome. "Then if I am the key, I will destroy it all."