The Legend of The Ara'dos - BOOK 1: Human's Draconic Ascension

Chapter 10 - The Other Side

   A towering man strode with purpose through the expansive chamber, its metallic surfaces gleaming in the dim light. Doors punctuated the walls, revealing glimpses of smaller chambers teeming with mysterious sounds. With a resounding thud, the tall man forcefully pounded his fist against one of the doors.
   "Shut up in there!" he yelled. The roaring inside that chamber stopped, but the roaring from other rooms continued.
   "Shut all of those dragons up!" the man called to the rest of the humans standing around. His voice was loud enough to be heard by everyone. The sounds of pattering and loud banging were a response to his demand.
   The humans continued to bang on the doors until the roaring eventually stopped, only to be left with soft whimpering. The man scoffed as he shook his head. He crossed his arms and glared at all the humans who stood tense by the doors. The man sighed and lowered his arms.
   "Alright everyone, listen up!" he yelled. "We don't have much time so I'll be cutting right to the chase." He cleared his throat. "Our leader is coming with two new dragons!" he announced.
   The rest of the humans gasped in sync. "Our leader? He has returned? Two dragons?" they began to murmur. They questioned the bold man's announcement and started to gossip throughout the entire chamber.
   The man cleared his throat once more. "Excuse me? Since when did I say that means talking? Our leader is arriving here with new dragons, and nobody needs to be fooling around!" he shouted.
   Immediately, all the humans shut their mouths. They stood like statues at their assigned doors. The tall man glanced around and then he turned his back to the humans.
   "You are to not make a scene or provoke a reaction," the man continued.
   "What does that even mean?" one human whispered.
   "This is a big deal if our leader is making his return," says the man. "Especially with two dragons in his hands. There will be other people who will be helping him. There should be no questions asked and you will all remain calm." Then, the man turned back to the humans. "Does everyone understand?"
   The humans that the tall man could see nodded. He had to hope the rest further back were nodding as well. The man sighed.
   "Very well. I will take my leave and our leader will be coming in shortly," the man called. He stood still for a moment and turned away once again. "Good day." He walked away. The sound of his boots clanking on the floor faded away as he exited the chamber.
   One human immediately turned to the other. "Our leader has returned?"
   "It's been months since I've heard of him," another mentioned.
   "He hasn't been year in two years," says another.
   "And he's arriving with two dragons!"
   "Do we even have enough chambers?"
   "What kind of dragons do you think they are? Do you think they're feral?"
   "I don't believe a word that man says. There's no way our leader has come back. Maybe he's coming to tell us that he's given up."
   "You're insane for saying that! He's the one who stole the ancient gemstone. The one in the Ancient Highlands. He would never give up finding the Ara'dos."
   That's true. Their leader, as they spoke, has been searching the Ara'dos for years. In the process, his men have been capturing dragons and holding them in these chambers. The dragons are sent here to be interrogated and if not, they are tortured and extracted from their powers for humans to hold and use against their will. All of these dragons and there hadn't been signs of the Ara'dos.
   But now that the leader's arrival was near, there was hope that the Ara'dos had been found for the humans. Finally, the humans could learn about this ancient gemstone and use the powers of the mighty Ara'dos and rule this realm.
   Just then, the gates leading in and out of the chamber began to rise. The humans gasped once again. Some froze up like structures and others couldn't help but lean over with their curiosity.
   The gates rose to reveal a bright light with a shadow standing inside of it. More humans leaned over to stare at the shadow. A hissing sound was made from the shadow and the sound turned into cracking as the hands of the shadow were lit with a blue hue. Suddenly, a blue flash erupted out from the gate and glowing streaks shot through the chamber until it exploded against a human. The human screamed in agony as he was electrocuted, his body jolting and twitching as everything around him flashed blew.     Other humans screamed or stood in utter shock and silence. The electrocuting human screamed until the flashes stopped. He twitched and slowly dropped onto the ground.
   The humans all stared at the one lying motionless on the ground. Then, when they heard footsteps, they retreated to their neutral positions and stood like icicles, not wanting to end up like the breathless human.
   The steps got louder as the shadow grew until it was revealed to be another human. The human held a threatening glare with his purple eyes. A purple cloak laid over his shoulders and his head. His pale face was smooth but well-sculpted. He had a strong jawline as well. But violence filled his eyes underneath his furrowed eyebrows in his fresh face.
   Then, the purple-eyed human smiled. Not a kind smile you would never see on this type of face, but a brutal and murderous smile. He held his arms out as he took in a deep breath.
   "My people!" he began. "As you can see with your own eyes, your leader has returned!"
   Murmurs scattered across the chamber despite the humans standing so still.
   "And your leader has returned with some things that no one else has been able to concur," he announced to his people. "Prepare yourselves for the most successful night for this war and us humans."
   "He's finally done it," one human said to another.
   "But there's another one," the other added.
   "What should we do? How would the dragons react? Do you think they'll know?" another began to question.
   "Silence!" the leader roared. The humans flinched. Some humans could be seen straightening themselves out again.
   The leader cleared his throat before he continued, "I will now bring our new displays into the chamber. They will be brought to the very end of this chamber and into the big room."
   Gasps dispersed throughout the chamber.
   "So, he's finally done it," a human whispered.
   "Shut up, you," another growled.
   "You will not be alarmed and you will not be dared to move at all. No questions asked," the leader spoke.
   With a determined gaze, the boy of amethyst eyes departed the chamber, leaving behind the resounding echo of the closing gate. The humans stood in hushed anticipation, aware that their leader would soon arrive, accompanied by the enigmatic dragons. Excitement mingled with unease, as doubts and theories swirled among them. But only time would reveal the truth, and they eagerly awaited the unveiling before their very eyes.
   As the gates ascended once again, the chamber was filled with gasps of astonishment. Ten more humans entered, accompanied by a dragon ensnared in chains and encased in a net.    The majestic white-scaled dragon with grey feathered wings was placed on a wheeled platform, its pale yellow eyes half-opened. Whimpers escaped the dragon as the humans maneuvered it further into the chamber.    
   Suddenly, another dragon's growls resonated, capturing everyone's attention. A second group of humans brought in the fierce purple dragon. The chamber erupted in gasps and yells, causing the dragons in the smaller chambers to cry and roar once more.
   The humans stood in awe as the purple dragon strained against its chains, prompting them to retreat against the wall. The humans guiding the dragons pressed onward, heading towards the large metallic gate at the end of the chamber.
   The gate rose to reveal two separate chambers. They were confined and filthy with dust, dried blood, and chains. The metal walls were cluttered with scratches and dents. The platforms stopped in front of the chambers.
   The humans gathered and grabbed a hold of the white dragon. They lifted the dragon and rushed it inside the first chamber. The other group of humans did the same with the purple dragon but into the other chamber. The humans backed away and the gates slammed shut, trapping the dragons in the chambers.
   More murmurs scattered across the room. Some humans were shouting to others. Some were whispering and trying to hush others. Others simply stood frozen in shock.
   Then, the sound of simple tapping silenced the humans. They turned their attention to their leader who walked towards the center of the chamber. The leader stopped and stood still, staring at the distant gate.
   "A few days ago, I arrived in the Glacial Range and found the dragons' hideout," the leader began. "The hideout which held the great leader of all dragons." He squinted his eyes. "The Ara'dos stood ontop of a glacier, just within my reach." He paused to listen to the repeating gasps. Then he continued, "We captured the Ara'dos and its guide!"
   Gasps and shouts echoed through the chamber.
   "I knew it!"
   "The Ara'dos has been captured!"
   "And its guide too!"
   The leader cleared his throat, making the chamber silence once more except for the dragons roaring. "With the Ara'dos in our hands... We will win the war!"
   The humans threw their hands up and began to cheer. The purple-eyed boy smiled as he held his hands behind his back. He chuckled as he shook his head.
   "And we still have a long way to go before winning this war..."