Yun's quest to find Kaelos leads him to the vast Pacific Ocean. With his private chopper, he soars above the waves, then takes the plunge, jumping into the depths below. Activating the Ichthyosaurus's Aquatic Dominance ability, he descends rapidly, unfazed by the crushing water pressure.
Reaching the seabed, Yun utilizes his digging ability, burrowing deep into the earth. In just one hour, he reaches an astonishing 10,000 feet below the ocean floor.
As he pauses, three mystical objects emerge from storage: Phoenix's White Feather, Kurodos's Kokoro, and Zephyr's Akira. They begin to orbit around Yun, their energies building in anticipation.
Suddenly, a shimmering dimensional door materializes before him. The entrance is adorned with ancient runes, and the name written on the door was "The Clavcrest Castle."
With a deep breath, Yun steps forward, ready to face whatever secrets and challenges lie beyond the threshold of this mystical portal.
As Yun stepped through the shimmering dimensional door, he felt a strange sensation, like being pulled apart and put back together again. The runes on the door seemed to glow with an otherworldly energy, and the name "The Clavcrest Castle" echoed in his mind. On the other side of the door, Yun found himself in a grand hall, with high ceilings and walls lined with ancient artifacts. A figure stood at the far end of the hall, cloaked in shadows.
"Welcome, Yun," the figure said, its voice echoing off the walls. "I have been waiting for you. My name is Erebus, and I am the guardian of this castle."
Yun approached Erebus, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. "What secrets lie within this castle?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Secrets of the ancient ones," Erebus replied, his voice mysterious. "Secrets of the elements, and the balance of the world. But first, you must prove yourself worthy."
Yun steeled himself, ready for the challenges ahead. "I'm ready," he said, his determination clear.
Erebus nodded, and with a wave of his hand, the room began to shift and change. The walls dissolved, revealing a vast underground chamber filled with ancient ruins. "Your first trial awaits," Erebus said, his eyes glinting with a hint of mischief.
Yun's eyes widened in surprise as Erebus transformed into a magnificent dragon, its scales glinting in the dim light of the hall. The dragon's roar echoed off the walls, and Yun felt a tremor beneath his feet.
"Haha, gotcha!" the dragon exclaimed, its voice like thunder. "I am Kaelos, the Dragon King! I was just kidding about the test, Yun!"
Yun's initial shock gave way to relief and then to laughter. "Well, I guess I passed the test of surprise!" he chuckled.
Kaelos chuckled, his dragon form radiating warmth and friendliness. "Indeed, you did! I must say, I'm impressed by your bravery and sense of humor. Come, let us talk, and I shall reveal the secrets of the Clavcrest Castle."
The Dragon King Kaelos towered over him, his enormity making Yun seem like an insignificant ant. Yet, Kaelos assumed a humanoid form, his voice booming with a gentle warmth.
"Child Yun, you have come," Kaelos said, his words resonating through the chamber.
Yun's voice trembled, "K-Kaelos, I mean, Dragon King, how do you know my name?"
Kaelos's expression turned benevolent, "Child, don't be afraid. I won't harm you."
Yun's trembling subsided slightly, "I-I'm not afraid of you, but your presence is so majestic that I can't help but tremble."
Kaelos's eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement, "Oh, my apologies. It's been so long since I met anyone that I forgot to limit my powers."
Yun's curiosity got the better of him, "It's okay. Can you answer my questions now?"
Kaelos nodded graciously, "Yes, of course. You shall have answers to every question. How do I know your name? Kurodos must have told you this."
Yun's eyes widened, "How do you know I've met Kurodos?"
Kaelos's smile held a hint of mystique, "As Kurodos told you, I possess a blessing that grants me knowledge of the past and present. I am aware of all that has transpired."
Kaelos's voice resonated through the chamber, his words dripping with a mix of nostalgia and bitterness. "In the aftermath of the battle, a treacherous human secretly summoned me to this place, purporting to reveal the method to destroy the formidable weapons and spaceships - those gargantuan flying vessels. But alas, it was a ruse, and I fell prey to their snare. They ensnared me in these accursed chains, which suppress the prisoner's memories and restrict their powers. Even I, the mighty Dragon King, could not shatter these unyielding bonds."
Kaelos's gaze seemed to pierce through the veil of time, his eyes burning with intensity. "These chains may have held my physical form captive, but my memories remained unshackled. Yet, even if I were to break free from this seal, I would be unable to escape this dimensional door, for the space here has been hermetically sealed. Thus, I chose not to squander my energy on futile attempts to shatter these chains."
His voice took on a contemplative tone, "Do you know why we suffered defeat? Was it due to our weakness or human strength? No, it was neither. Humans have never been, nor are they now, capable of rivaling our might. So, why did we succumb to their inferior forces? The answer lies in their weapons and technology - the very tools that tipped the scales in their favor."
In the silence that followed, Yun sensed the weight of Kaelos's words, the gravitas of a warrior-king who had witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations. The Dragon King's tale was a sobering reminder that even the most formidable powers can be toppled by the ingenuity and cunning of their adversaries.
Kaelos continued, "The weapons forged by human ingenuity and technology proved formidable enough to shatter the defenses of even the most ancient and powerful beasts. A single, weak specimen of these primordial creatures, were it to roam the earth today, could effortlessly annihilate humanity in its entirety. Consider, then, the sheer might of the weapons capable of slaughtering such a beast with ease.
Yet, despite their potency, these weapons could not readily dispatch me and the three other Beast Kings. Thus, our captors opted to restrict our powers and seal us away. Our enigmatic disappearance precipitated a catastrophic decline in the morale of the beast armies, who, leaderless and demoralized, proved incapable of withstanding the onslaught of human weaponry. The consequences were devastating: approximately 90% of our kind fell to human hands, while the remaining 10% were subjected to unrelenting experimentation.
This grim saga persisted for millennia, as humans continued to manipulate and exploit the dwindling beast population. The aftermath of these experiments led to a gradual decline in the bloodline of the beasts, their descendants evolving into the animals that inhabit the world today. The legacy of a bygone era, these creatures stand as a testament to the enduring impact of human ambition and the indelible mark left on the natural world."
Yun's curiosity sparked as he recounted his discovery, "I stumbled upon your existence within a dimensional door, where I had ventured in search of treasures. To my astonishment, I encountered numerous giant and formidable beasts."
Kaelos's expression turned somber, "The powerful creatures you encountered within the dimensional doors are, in fact, products of human experimentation. That realm serves as a laboratory, where humans have tampered with the essence of intelligent beings, stripping them of their rationality and reducing them to mere beasts."
Yun's eyes widened as Kaelos continued, "Humans have attempted to experiment on me as well, but my prowess proved too great for them to manipulate. They resorted to sealing my powers, hoping that I would eventually succumb to defeat and submit to their will. But I refuse to yield, and never shall."
Yun's inquiry flowed naturally, "Did humans not already inhabit the earth, and did they originate from elsewhere?" His words hung in the air, awaiting Kaelos's response, as the mysteries of the past beckoned to be unraveled.
Kaelos's voice resonated with a hint of mystique, "Our ancestral records, dating back 10 million years, reveal that since the first beast roamed the earth, no other creature besides the beast species has ever been seen or born on this planet. In essence, only animal species have inhabited the earth." He paused, his gaze piercing through the veil of time. "The humans, however, arrived on earth 1 million years ago, originating from beyond this world, from outside our universe."
Yun's curiosity was piqued, "Is there truly another world beyond our universe, and if so, how can we reach it?" His questions hung in the air, seeking answers to the mysteries of the cosmos.
Kaelos's expression turned enigmatic, "Regarding other universes, I cannot claim any knowledge. The existence of another universe is a possibility, but I am uncertain. If it does exist, I am unaware of how to reach it." His words trailed off, leaving Yun to ponder the secrets of the multiverse.
Yun's curiosity led him to inquire, "Are there other planets in this universe, apart from Earth, that harbor lifeforms? And do these lifeforms possess intelligence?"