Legendary Guardians: Mad Emperor

Buzz!

Blue ripples moved like a wave across the surface of the dragon scale shard, illuminating the dark room. In mere seconds, the scale shard was engulfed in blue flames. Kael's hand caught in the fire, but he didn't seem to notice.

Professor Lysandra and Eric saw the stunning phenomenon happening from the tablet, their eyes dilating in shock. They watched Kael, gently return the scaled shard before stepping out of the room.

"How did I do?" He asked, thrown off by the confused expression etched on Professor Lysandra's face.

"Amazing!" Eric ran up and gave Kael a high-five, before putting his hand over his shoulder. "I knew you weren't as useless as you looked."

Professor Lysandra blinked, her eyes fixated on the numbers written on the screen of her tablet.

[Compatibility: 99%]

'How is this even possible?' Professor Lysandra mumbled in disbelief.

Humans are not demi-beasts, yet people misunderstand the purpose of the compatibility rate test.

Even in death, the will of a demi-beast lingers. By taking a piece of it and reciting the words 'Ka'torr Vey'lah' correctly, one can revive the demi-beast's will temporarily.

Since it's only a small piece of the beast's corpse, its will is weak. The better the student can resist its attempt to control them, the better their compatibility rate score.

This test was dangerous amongst demi-beasts with higher bloodlines. Even with just a small piece of their corpse, their will is still strong enough to seize control of a human.

It usually ends in suicide.

Most of these beasts were resentful of the horrors humanity has committed. Once they take control of a human's body, commit suicide.

Getting a 99% compatibility rate was akin to saying Kael could completely suppress Ra's will.

'How can a coward suppress the will of a three-thousand-year-old dragon?' Professor Lysandra mumbled in disbelief.

Unknown to her, Kael didn't suppress Ra's will. Instead, Ra suppressed Kael's will. He simply had no reason to kill the boy so he completed the test for him.

She watched Eric ruffle Kael's hair, the duo laughing heartily as if they had already won a big prize.

"Compatibility rate doesn't necessarily mean the ritual will go right. It simply means you will face lesser resistance from the demi-beast's will."Professor Lysandra said in a rare stern tone.

Kael and Eric quickly stopped fooling around, nodding like obedient puppies. Seeing their cute expressions, Professor Lysandra's heart melted and her stern expression crumbled.

"Prepare for the ritual of resonance!" She turned to soldiers stationed at the entrance.

— Eastern Region, Resonance Arena —

The resonance arenas were located in the underground section of the massive spherical building. They were built from black obsidian stone and veined quartz, both naturally imbued with spirit energy to amplify mystical connections.

Carvings of demi-beasts and ancient runes line the walls, glowing faintly in sync with the ambient energy during rituals.

Walking through the lonely corridors of the resonance area, Kael couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. He couldn't shake off the deep hum sound that was barely audible, yet he felt it in his chest.

It felt like he was going through the corridors of a haunted castle. The walls were lined with torches flickering under the cool breeze. This was completely different from the modern structures that dominated the empire.

"Everything is ready?" The words of a soldier snapped Kael out of his reverie as they were sent into one of the chambers.

The chamber was dimly lit with a faint azure glow emanating from the massive shard of a dragon scale suspended in the air. The scale glowed with contrasting hues of azure and crimson swirling like lava trapped within.

Bam!

Kael flinched, he turned only to realize heavy steel doors had been shut behind them, leaving him alone with Professor Lysandra.

"Go over there." She ordered, pointing at the center of the stone platform at the center of the room.

Kael glanced in that direction, instantly noticing the core of the platform was inscribed with a vast circular array of runes, forming concentric patterns.

Kael simply nodded, timidly walking to the center of the circular stone platform. His hands trembled, his eyes locked on the scale shard of Ra above.

'What if it falls and I get crushed? Gosh, this is too dangerous' Kael shuddered, shutting his eyes while praying silently.

Professor Lysandra replaced her lab coat with a flowing black and gold rob, circling Kael slowly. The runes on her robes glowed faintly as she chanted in the Demi-beast Tongue, her voice deep and resonant.

"Ka'rru Vey'lah Torr'raan... Sha'lorr Ra Vey'keth!" she intoned, her voice carrying both reverence and command.

Kael shivered. The words seemed to burrow into his skin, vibrating in his bones.

Lysandra halted in front of the shard, her piercing gaze falling on Kael's shivering figure.

"Kael," she said, her voice sharp but not unkind. "This is your moment of truth. The shard of Ra is no ordinary artifact. It does not grant power to the weak of the heart. It will test your spirit. It will demand everything from you. Are you ready?"

Kael swallowed hard. His legs felt like lead, and his heart thundered in his chest.

"I... I'm ready," he managed to whisper, though his voice betrayed his fear.

"Good. Then let us begin." Professor Lysandra gave a single nod.

Professor Lysandra raised her hands toward the shard, her fingers curling as if gripping an invisible force.

The shard responded immediately, its glow intensifying. A low, guttural growl echoed through the chamber, though there was no beast in sight.

It was the shard itself, alive with the essence of Ra.

"Sha'lorr Ra Torr'kai... Fai'rah Zor'mir!" Lysandra chanted, her voice rising in volume and power.

The runes beneath Kael's feet ignited, glowing a bright azure that quickly spread outward in concentric circles.

The air around him grew hot, the temperature rising as if he were standing in the heart of a volcano.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Kael cried out as he felt pain.

It felt like claws digging into his very body, threatening to reach his soul.

"Do not resist!" Professor Lysandra warned. "Open yourself to the shard! Let it see you!"

Kael gritted his teeth, his knees buckling under the force, he was just moments away from crumbling.

Buzz!

The shard pulsed, and suddenly, a beam of azure light shot out, striking Kael square in the chest. His body convulsed, his vision going white as he felt something inside him snap, like a barrier breaking apart.

—

In the blinding light, Kael found himself standing on an endless plane of molten gold. He could tell it was hot but he couldn't feel the heat.

"Where is this?" Kael muttered, he glanced around frantically but the air was thick with smoke and ash.

Swish!

A strong dry breeze blew, pushing away the ash. Only then did Kael perceive it; the stench of death he had become familiar with due to his recurring brutal nightmares.

"I just want to go home…" Kael lamented, his voice filled with sorrow as he turned to meet his demise head-on.

Towering above him was a colossal figure, a dragon, its black scales glowing like the sun, its eyes burning with ancient wisdom and fury.

"You have finally arrived, my vessel…" the dragon's voice boomed, shaking the very ground beneath Kael's feet.

It was Ra. The shard had brought him face-to-face with the essence of the Pantheon.

Kael fell to his knees, his body petrified by fear. He parted his lips, but for minutes, he couldn't make a sound.

Fortunately, Ra was patient. It had waited three centuries for this opportunity, so it could hold out for a few minutes.

"Y… You have been giving me nightmares … for four nights." Kael stuttered, unable to lift a finger.

"That was the only way I could make you come to me," Ra answered honestly, his eyes narrowing.

"I... I see…" Kael's voice trailed off, fading as fast as his confidence.

However, he froze, his fear fading as a thought crossed his mind.

'Why would he go through all that trouble to recruit a weak coward like me?'

Kael looked up, his gaze meeting Ra's for the first time.

"Erm… Are you retarded?" Kael asked so politely that Ra didn't even notice he had been insulted.

"What?" Ra blinked, his infinite wisdom unable to process Kael's simple thoughts

"Why would you waste so much effort to recruit a spineless coward?" Kael couldn't help but ask.

"Because you are a spineless coward. I can mold you into whatever I wish. So yes, you are the perfect vessel for me." Ra's blatant honesty left Kael shocked and offended.