At the far east, where the sun rises and the new dawn begins, a pristinely, white temple stood proudly as massive pillars held its splendor. It's stones untouched by time, always clean and never a smudge of dirt to be seen. It withstood hundreds of wars, thwarted the harshest weathers, and witnessed generations upon generations of kings.
The holiest place within the Dragon Realm.
It sat on the precipice of Mt. Kirin, the tallest mountain at the heart of their realm, where thick clouds hid it from undeserving eyes below ground. Only the Elders, the Royal Family and the Overseer could ever set foot on its soil. But the Overseer of the dragons had never once took her place among them, nor did she ever touch Mt. Kirin.
Even now, as the elders and the queen of the dragons gathered together. The Overseer, absent. Her seat, empty and cold as it ever did.
Within the Divine Hall, ten seats formed a wide circle around a burning altar smelt from gold and emerald. The cool breeze danced in and out of the room, passing through the tall pillars that showcased the sea of indigo pink clouds of the horizon—the coming of dawn.
Eight graying elders sat pensively as they stared at the dancing flame as embers sparked and fell down on the tiled floor, then died. The only sound that could be heard was the leisure footsteps of their queen, who took her seat among them. None of spoke, nor acknowledged her entrance. For they were waiting.
When the first ray of the sun landed straight onto the flame, it burst out into a pillar of sizzling fire. It rose into the ceiling and spread into the stones, seeping right into the intricate grooves carved on them. It flowed right through the cracks and filled it with glowing lights, then it stretched towards the humongous pillars until the whole temple lit with golden light.
As the sun wholly rose on the horizon, the pillar of fire vanished as though it had never been there. But the intricate swirls of light was still alive within the stones of the temple.
Only then did someone break the silence.
"Our Overseer has taken the bait." Queen Vassi's sonorous voice was crisp and clear. "But she looked wary as she has always been."
"Asya needs not know," an elder woman said. Her mouth pursed into a tight line. "Our Overseer has no say to any of our decisions. She refuses to join the council, then the least she can do is follow orders. She has all the right to be suspicious. But she does not need to know the truth behind her actions as this is for the good of our race."
"Be that as it may." Queen Vassi raised her palm to calm the growing one-sided argument. "But may we talk about the reason behind this decision? I have sent our most powerful fighter out there into the Demon Realm as everyone has told me to, leaving our territory vulnerable to our enemies. Now, it is my turn to ask."
"Ask," the elders chorused at the same time, as if they had been waiting for her to do so.
"Tell me what you all have seen."
Eight pairs of scrutinizing eyes bore on her, but the queen took it in stride, unperturbed by the weight of it all. Then eight lips spoke in complete synchrony.
"The Heavens have spoken. The wind has sung the song of tomorrow. And the earth has screamed a terrible tune. Our days are numbered, and our years dwindling, for Death has broken free.
"When Death comes from the Prison of Abyss, war shall rage the realms. Gods and kings shall take up armors, and evil will bear no face.
"From tears we toiled, from tears we shall harvest. From ashes we rose, through ashes we shall fall. From nothing came the world, from Death all things are void.
"Wisdom we may have, power of gods we may possess. Still, vengeance of Death devours us all. And through Death's heart this chaos shall reclaim balance, through sacrifice comes freedom."
Queen Vassi narrowed her eyes, staring at the empty altar. The weight of the elders' voices became heavy, as though iron shackles hang around their necks.
"Is this known to all the realms?" Queen Vassi asked.
"It has been known for ages," the same old woman replied. "Our father's fathers, and their father's fathers."
"That is underrated," a wizened old man spoke. "This prophecy has been alive since the making of the Seven Realms. All the temples all over the world has copies of their own."
"Why speak of it again? Why now?" the queen asked.
All eight elders raised their sharp eyes at her. "Because Death has been seen in His mortal form."
"And that will be the Demon King?"
"Yes, and no." The elders must have seen the confusion on the queen's face they continued on. "Thousands of years ago, Death escaped the Prison of Abyss. That was the beginning. The Seven Realms was in chaos and terror had razed the lands because every living thing died with just a touch from him, if he willed it. The only thing written in our history was—genocide. This was his first appearance, and his mortal form was of the dragon race.
"He was an exceptional Wargon. The Elders then knew he would be the next Overseer. But as the years passed, the Heavens never gave him the power to use the Old Magic. Until unexplained deaths occurred. Thousands and millions died. Why did he do it? Nobody knows as our ancestors were confused too, because he was a kind and rational individual. But who could truly understand the thoughts of Death?"
"And why is he the Demon King now?"
"A Hero vanquished him. The gods bestowed power unto a humble human and you may know him as the Dragon Slayer. Even until now, we do not understand why they chose a human instead of the more capable races in the Seven Realms. But the Dragon Slayer did subdue him, through massive luck, if we may say.
"However, thousands years later, Death came again. But no longer as a dragon, but a beast. Then a human Hero was chosen again. From there on, the vicious cycle continued. Death was reborn as a beast, then a magician, a faerie, and now..."
"A demon." The queen finished their sentence. "If all it took was a human champion blessed by the gods, then why would we need to send our Overseer instead of ordering her to protect our realm from the hands of Death?"
"No, that won't do." They shook their heads. "We have reached a conclusion, and no doubt the other races must have noticed it as well. Although the Hero did kill him every time, he always came back. Why? Because we disregarded the most important part of the prophecy."
"And through Death's heart this chaos shall reclaim balance, through sacrifice comes freedom." The queen stated, remembering the words sung by the elders earlier.
"His heart must be offered to the gods. Only then will his cycle of life end."
"Must we be the one to do it?"
"Now that's a naïve thinking, Vassi," they said, "It doesn't have to be the human Hero. Did you know that the reputation of dragons are poor in the eyes of the Seven Realms and in the Heavens?
"They blame us for bringing him here in the mortal realm because he was born as a dragon first. It is now hard for us dragons to earn the respect, and the ticket to godhood we elders needed to cross the Heavens. To restore things back to our former glory, we must take his heart and offer it to the gods ourselves. And we must do it fast or the other races will overtake us, then there will be nothing to restore."
"And if Asya fails, but another succeeds?"
They stared at her.
"If they take hold of Death's heart first, then the gods will answer any wish they desire." As the sun rose higher, the elders began to slip in their slumber, eyes fluttering to a close. "But we know not the desires of our enemies."