David, along with Flani, Boma, Araban, and Richard, continued roaming about through the tunnel, moving deeper and deeper into it, with David still wondering where they were headed but sick and tired of hearing the exact same, ‘You’ll find out soon enough,’ and just chose to remain silent and keep walking.

  They eventually made it to what seemed to be an entrance of some kind shaped like the massive gaping mouth of a dragon made entirely out of solid gold.

  “Whoa,” David gasped, both in shock and in awe at the massive golden dragon head.

  David then moved forward to take a closer look at it only to discover that the mouth, which was meant to be the way through, was sealed shut by a golden door with strange slots resembling dragons on it.

  “It closed,” said David.

  “Araban, Boma, Flani, shall we?” said Richard before walking to the door along with Flani, Araban, and Boma.

  They each then placed a hand on the slots on the door, Richard on the one that looked like a dragon emerging out of the earth below, Flani on the one that resembled a dragon emerging from a raging inferno, Boma on one that looked like it was bursting out of the sea, and Araban on one that looked like it was flying freely in the open sky. They then each poured their elemental power into the slots, with Richard using the power of earth to form a piece of earth that took the shape of the slot his hand was placed on, Flani focusing her flame into her own slot, Boma allowing water to flow out of her hand into the slot, and Araban channeling a gust of wind into his slot.

  The ground then began to shake as the sounds of internal gears shifting and turning with the door could be heard before it finally opened up, revealing a pitch-black path with it.

  “Come along, David,” said Richard as he, Flani, Boma, and Araban stepped into the darkness.

  David, seeing as he didn’t really have any other option but to follow even though he knew very little of what was going on, let out a sigh before following them in.

  There within the shadow of the darkness David stood, his eyes blinded by the thick shroud of darkness that surrounded him, but luckily Flani conjured up a fireball that produced enough light to dispel most of the darkness, but it was still hard to make out their surroundings from the darkness. David, using the power of the earth, was able to sense that they were in some kind of underground chamber of sorts with multiple rooms from the ground below; on top of that, he was able to sense a bunch of what he believed to be massive irregularly shaped pillars he could not quite make out using his senses, with the biggest being not too far away from where he stood.

  “Flani, would you be so kind as to shed some light in this dreadfully dark room?” said Richard.

  Flani then smirked before using her powers to make her fireball grow even more until it was big enough to light the entire chamber, revealing what was hidden in the dark.

  “Oh my…” David was left speechless and in awe upon seeing what was hidden within the shadow of the now cast-out darkness.

  Flani then allowed the flames from her fireball to spread and lit all of the torches that lay on the surrounding walls, illuminating the entirety of the chamber.

  David, now able to see more clearly, marvelled at the magnificent and awe-inspiring sight before him. The entire place, from the walls to the ground below, looked as though it was encased in solid gold. David then glanced at what he once believed to be irregular sharp pillars only to now see that they were none other than golden statues, statues of…

  “Golden dragon warriors,” David utters out loud.

  “That’s who they are, right?” asked David with his gaze still fixed on the statues before him.

  “Yes, each and every single statue here is of a golden dragon warrior, your ancestors,” said Richard.

  David, upon hearing what Richard said, looked around at each and every single statue that surrounded him, eyes scanning through each and every one of them before bowing his head in sadness.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “She’s not here,” David said with head bowed in sadness.

  Richard, along with Araban, Boma, and even Flani, wore a sad expression on their faces, knowing exactly who he was looking for and how he would not be able to find her there.

  “I’m afraid that’s my fault,” said Richard with his head bowed down.

  “Don’t be too arrogant to place all the blame on your shoulders, Richard. I too am responsible for failing to maintain our sacred tradition,” said Araban.

  “Tradition? What tradition?” asked David.

  Richard, upon hearing David’s question, let out a deep sigh before saying, “Before the Dark Dragon Lord arrived, they lived in a village, a village that represented harmony and unity where both dragon warriors of all kinds and humans lived together in harmony and peace.”

  “The Golden Village, the most peaceful and harmonious place in the entire world,” said Araban.

  “And this village home of none other than the Golden Dragon Warrior,” said Richard.

  “What?” David’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing what Richard and Araban said. David then looked at the statues once more, his eyes darting through each and every one of them until they finally reached one in particular, a statue that stood out from all the others.

  “The village was built by a Golden Dragon, one who understood the value of peace and harmony and who ingrained this belief within the very core of this village,” said Richard.

  David then slowly approached the statue.

  “He had seen for himself. A world void of peace and harmony,” said Araban.

  “A world of only war and conflict,” said Richard.

  “And sought to never have to gain within such a cruel and wicked world,” said Araban.

  David then made it to the statue, standing at the very center of the chamber, a statue that showcased the fury of all four elements, with a flaming fist, water gushing out of the ground beside him, the earth cracked with erected spikes where his feet stood, and the wind whirling around him. David noticed something at the center of the statue’s chest that resembled a sparkling star, representing that very power that all shared and connected them all.

  “The Golden Dragon Warrior Tonyi,” said Richard.

  “This is him, right, Tonyi?” asked David, even though he already knew the answer at once he laid eyes on the statue.

  Looking at him, despite the fact that he had been dead for a very long time, David couldn’t help but wonder what kind of man he was and what kind of people they were. The golden dragon warriors are the ones tasked with the duty and responsibility of protecting their world and maintaining peace above all else. Looking at the statue of a man who had lived during an era of war where people constantly fought and killed each other, he lived through all that madness and managed to end that war and bring peace to the world, fulfilling his duty as the Golden Dragon Warrior. Looking at that statue, David couldn’t help but wonder if he was capable of doing what he did, what they did, what she did, and what he was expected to do, especially with the darkness within him.

  Richard simply nodded his head before walking to him and standing next to him in front of Tonyi’s statue.

  “The tradition was that, upon the death of a golden statue, one was to be built and placed here so their memory would always be preserved and so the golden dragon warrior of the next generation and the many generations to come after will forever know of the great legacy they are a part of. Sigh. But sadly with the arrival of the Dark Dragon Lord and the annihilation of our village, this tradition ended with your great-grandfather Menjik,” said Richard while bowing his head in sadness.

  David, upon seeing the headmaster’s head bowed down along with the pain and hurt in his eyes, remained silent and simply fixed his gaze on Tonyi’s statue, understanding the pain of loss well even though he couldn’t recall enough of what he had lost but knew there were no words he could utter to ease his hurt and pain. And so he did nothing but gaze into the legacy he was a part of, wondering how on earth he was going to live up to it.

  “You speak as though we have failed to fulfill all our traditions and duties,” Araban spoke from behind as he joined David and Richard.

  “Have you forgotten as overseers we have a duty to guide the next golden dragon warrior?” said Araban.

  “What?” said David in shock upon hearing what Araban just said?

  “Yes, David, I as well as Araban was chosen to be Overseers, a title bestowed to those who are responsible to help guide and train the golden dragon warrior. After your mother died, I feared I would never have the chance to fulfill my duty as an overseer, but then you arrived, giving me the chance to fulfill my duty,” said Richard.

  “Mine as well,” said Araban.

  “I may not be an Overseer, but after witnessing the crazy things you’re capable of, I figured it would be a lot of fun whipping you into shape,” said Flani.

  “I’m just here because Richard asked me to be here, but it’s an honor to train a golden dragon warrior,” said Boma.

  David, upon hearing everything, just stared at them, seeing the eagerness on their faces all stemming from the fact that they were all honored to train him, the next Golden Dragon Warrior.

  David then took a deep breath before taking another glance at the golden statues that surrounded them, his ancestors, the guardians and protectors of the world, each of them fallen but their memories living on through those very statues and their legacy, a legacy David was now tasked with the responsibility of upholding, but sigh, he feared that he would be unable to, especially with the darkness lurking within. And if we were to fail, then the whole world would be doomed.