Putting back on his clothes, Darius took his way to follow the serpent beasts. Making sure to keep moving under cover. He will take cover by the pillars, plants, and architectural decorations along the wall. Making his way through the courtyard, he saw the long shadows of serpents from a distance. He followed the shadows into the hallway.
The hallway was dimly lit, leading it's way into a main hall. The majestically large rectangular room, having doors at left side for entrance of other areas which Darius doesn't know what. And stairs at the right side, going to the upper floor. The corridors were visible from this distance. Straight across the hall room, was a great archway, the serpents slithered fast hissing through the way. Darius kept following keeping him undercover.
When Darius peaked through the side of archway to see where the serpents went, the site in front of him was dazzling. He can't even count the amount of serpents present there.
"Are the going to have their festival ritual here?" He pondered looking at the tribe of beast.
"Wouldn't there be any other place where I can see them, while keep hiding?" As the thought came to his mind, he make his way back to the hall room, and looked at the stairs.
"Maybe I can found a spot up there." He moved towards the stairs in believe. Climbing the stairs up, he reached the corridors. He walked past the corridor, in search of a window, from where he could saw what's going to happen there. He came across a balcony at the far end of the corridor. Standing in the balcony upfront would cause the danger of being caught. When he take a look inside, he was relieved by finding the fence over his height. He could easily stand behind them, and see through the gaps of the fence.
He step into the balcony, and sat at the corner, from where he can have a clear vision of the area. It looks like an immense courtroom. He could see many giant serpent beneath him. Some like the guards who caught him. The others half human like Saarfi and princess. But he couldn't find them in this crowd.
"His highness is arriving." Some one announced from far away. All the crowd get attention. Everyone moved to either side leaving a clear path in between. A gaint serpent, greatest of them all, showed up. He was bigger then the princess. And half human as her. Having same navy blue skin colour. His beak was bigger then the rest. Accompanied by his left hand and princess. They both proceeds towards the throne slithering the ground. Which was carved through stone.
The king of serpents, moved his tail in air, over the throne. Then he coiled around it, and rested in it like a snake would on its nest. His left hand and the princess stay standing by his side.
"All hail to the Serpent King!" All of them greeted in unison.
"Welcome to the cazador festival my friends. The festival when the serpentine constellation takes over the cazador festival. The moment of taking over, showers it's blessings on us, and increase our power. Today I want all of you to increase your power as much as possible." The king announced, his voice heavy, rough, and loud.
He held his hands in air, and performed the gesture of opening the curtains. The moonlight enters in the courtroom. Darius eyes followed the light, which was coming from the large window type hole created by the hand gesture of the serpent king, in the roof at the opposite side of throne. The two moons were visible, similar as he saw them when he landed in the forest. One new Cresent, the other half moon. The violet night sky was full of shimmering stars. And the moonlight was equally lightning everyone in the court.
"So this whole palace is made underground. Is it a borrow of snakes? What ever it is. This is the only way I can get out of here." Darius got a hope of life again.
"I will make sure, you all can receive the blessings. Don't lack in your cultivation tonight. Have the offerings brought to the festival?" King ended with the enquiry.
"Yes! My highness." The left hand answered. And gestured his hands towards the crowd. Seven serpent instantly came forward, with seven type of species in their hands. Which Darius can't determine what they are. All alive, but captured.
"Do you want to use that new intruder too, your highness?" One of the serpent asked.
"Leave that one. I want to confirm if he is the spy of dragon clan. He could be of our use in future plan." King commanded "Let's begin the festival, until the time of cultivation came." He announced, and a joy was felt in the air.
Some young serpent came forward, who hadn't achieved their human form until now. Gave a performance of entertainment, which Darius thought could pass to be called as snake dance. The will coil, roll, slither, jump in air, in different patterns. In Darius mind, these have quite put a show, for a festival as important as this one.
"Silence! The time begins.!" The left hand announced. Suddenly a shower which looks like a meteor shower, falls through the window over the ground. The king waved his hands, and all the species which were brought for sacrifice, went in air on seven different locations of the courtroom.
"Begin your cultivation." The king ordered. And the everyone went to cultivating state. Darius saw the shower providing them with energy, and they all draw the power from the fresh blood of the sacrifice. Threads of fresh blood river flowing from the live body of sacrifice species to the every serpent, giving the look of web, weaved from blood thread all over in the air. The sacrifice animals were screaming in pain. Their voice echoing the courtroom.
Darius got terrified at the site, but then decided to find a way to reach the window. His mind continuously diverted by the scary site. He thought, if the astronomical phenomenon will help him the same way to increase his magical power or not. The answer was only one. Going to dragon den and see the scroll. If it tells him anything related to it.
He extracted a splinter from the fence. Opened his dairy to the page he has marked as dragon scroll. He pricked his finger with the splinter, and dropped his blood. The blood moved all over the engrossed writing and absorbed, giving him the same golden arch passage in front of him as he found in the dungeons.
He entered it, in the same manner as last time. Same hall room, same granite stone henge. He moved towards the centre. The moment he stepped by the granite stone, a voice came.
"The evil is about to rise.
Dragon Warrior should came to power.
Awaken the sacred dragon beast.
Restore the balance of BANAFSHI."
"How am I supposed to restore the balance of a land I didn't know. I am just a student, who learns through books for knowledge. I am no warrior, yet alone a Dragon Warrior. Never seen a dragon in my life. I haven't even fight with the students who bullied me. How am I going to subdue an evil, which giving the circumstances is definitely some magical non human specie." Darius mind was stormed with questions, and he was blabbing in confusion.