Conquering the underworld with my beautiful dragon wives-Chapter 31: Footsteps in the Dark

Ethan couldn’t trust anything anymore—not even his own senses. Hours had passed—or maybe just minutes?—since the whispers had stopped. Silence had wrapped around him like a heavy blanket. The only thing he could hear was his own breathing... and the occasional drip of water hitting the stone floor from above.

He stood in front of a flat, cold stone wall. But... something felt off. He ran his palm across it. The stone was cold... except for one spot. One strange spot that felt warm—like it was beating. Like it had a heart.

A whisper stirred in the back of his mind:

"Only you can enter."

Ethan stepped back. The sword in his hand started to tremble, like it was reacting to the wall. A faint light wrapped around the blade, and at that same moment, a thin line appeared on the wall—like a silver crack splitting it from top to bottom. A low rumble followed as the wall began to slowly open.

"What the...?" Ethan whispered, gripping the sword tighter.

Behind the wall, there was a narrow, pitch-dark hallway. The only thing visible inside was a faint green glow coming from somewhere far down. Like... something was waiting for him at the end.

But just as he was about to step forward, a voice came from behind him:

"You finally found the path."

Ethan spun around fast, eyes wide.

A man in a black cloak, face completely hidden, stood there. His hands were locked behind his back. His voice was calm, but filled with authority.

"We’ve been waiting for you, Keybearer."

Ethan frowned.

"Keybearer? Seriously? Why does everyone keep calling me that?! And who the hell are you?!"

The man stepped forward. The glow of the sword lit up part of his face, but even then, his features stayed hidden in shadow.

"You don’t know it yet... but that sword? It belongs to the ones chosen to unlock the next gate. The ones who’ve been marked."

Ethan scoffed.

"Oh great, I’ve been ’chosen’? Awesome. But for what exactly? To fight? To die? Or just to survive?"

The man replied quietly,

"No... to awaken something that’s been sleeping for a long time."

Ethan opened his mouth to ask more, but the man disappeared. Not like smoke. Not with magic. Just... gone. Like he was never there at all.

The only thing left behind was a golden emblem. Gear-shaped, with a closed eye carved into its center.

Ethan picked it up—and the moment he did, something clicked. The wall behind the hallway slammed shut with a deep, loud thud.

No turning back now.

Just one way to go... forward.

He took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the sword, dropped the golden emblem into his pocket, and slowly stepped into the hallway.

⸻

At that exact moment, on the other side of the forest, fayra sat on a tree branch. Her eyes burned red, brighter than usual. She could feel it—they were getting closer to ethan.

alice moved up behind her.

"If that emblem really activated... then ethan’s already entered the next phase. And that phase? It’s only for the ones who are... different."

selena spoke in a serious tone,

"Then we need to hurry. If he went in there alone... whatever he wakes up might go after him first."

luna added with a strange calm,

"Or worse... maybe he’ll become part of that thing himself."

The group went silent. A soft breeze rustled through the trees. And in each of their minds, the same chilling thought echoed:

"Do we still have time?"

Ethan’s breaths were sharp and heavy.

Every step he took through that dark hallway felt like it was draining a bit of his energy. The walls were damp, the air thick, and that green light at the end... it was getting closer now.

His sword was still glowing in his hand—but not like before. Now it felt like it was waiting. For a choice. For a move. Something.

From the shadows, voices started echoing. Maybe crying... or whispers, speaking right into his head.

They weren’t his thoughts. But they felt like they came from inside him.

"Keep going... don’t turn back... just one more step... it’s there... your power... it’s waking up..."

Ethan gritted his teeth and stepped forward. He squeezed through a narrow passage, just barely fitting through... and then suddenly, the hallway opened into a massive stone chamber.

Tall pillars. A ceiling too high to see. And right in the center

A glowing circle of light, and floating inside it... something.

A green crystal, shaped like a heart but cracked.

With each pulse of light it gave off, Ethan felt something stirring deep inside him. It was strange. Like power... mixed with danger.

But just as he was about to step into the circle

"That’s enough!"

A loud voice boomed through the chamber. The whole place seemed to shake.

At the same time, back in the forest, luna growled in frustration.

"He’s here. I can feel it stronger than before."

fayra, now in her dragon form, flew down fast and landed hard. She changed back into her human form and said,

"There’s something weird going on below that hill. I’m sure ethan’s down there."

selena placed her hand on a tree and closed her eyes.

"Not just him... there’s something else with him. Something ancient."

alice frowned.

"Then let’s go. We can’t wait around anymore."

But just as they were about to head toward the cave, that same cloaked man appeared at the entrance.

No sound. He just stood there, the wind playing with his dark cloak.

His eyes, now visible under the shadow of his hood, glowed red.

"You’re not allowed to enter."

fayra stepped forward. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Who do you think you are to stop us? He’s in there alone! We need to help him!"

The man spoke calmly,

"If you help him... he’ll never wake up."

luna snapped,

"What the hell are you talking about?! He’s human! He’s facing something even we don’t understand!"

The man took a step closer. His breathing was calm, but heavy.

"He’s being tested. This path... it’s the path of awakening. If you interfere, it’ll all fall apart. He has to figure it out himself... choose on his own... awaken his power alone."

selena hesitated.

"And what if he can’t? What if he fails?"

The man went quiet. He looked down at the ground.

"...Then he never comes back."

No one said a word. A cool breeze came from inside the cave. The air around them felt heavy threatening, and full of mystery.

fayra clenched her teeth.

"If even a single hair on his head is hurt... I swear, I’ll throw myself into that cave. Even if I have to fight you."

The man said just one thing.

But that one line hit all of them like a hammer:

"If you go in... you’ll lose him forever."

Inside the chamber, Ethan still stood, frozen.

The voice had stopped. His sword had started to glow green.

The light around the crystal pulsed harder now—its beat matching his own heartbeat.

He was just one step away from choosing.

One step away...

From becoming who he was meant to be.