Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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The news of one of the Paragons sacrificing himself to save his comrades spread through the entire camp. It even extended beyond it because of the dead man's background.

How he died was a mystery to most; the other paragons kept a tight lid on it to not spread any more unrest within the camp.

Of course, the ones who were the most affected by this death were the people he was with and the Wise Dragon Clan as a whole. The guiltiest, however, were the former party.

And it's precisely because of this that they had to bear the wrath and sorrow of the Wise Dragon Clan's Chancellor by themselves.

At the very least, they didn't cower on this part.

"We are willing to accept any punishment you'll sanction to us. It is, after all, our negligence that caused this to happen."

"If only we were more alert and quicker, we could've left with the Young Patriarch and not forced him to save us at the last minute to cover our retreat."

The voices and expressions of the team who went with the Young Dragon Patriarch were filled with sorrow, self-blame, and shame.

"He saved you all willingly. He wouldn't want to see you all being like this, so get up, all of you. You are not to blame for any of this."

Except the Patriarch of the Wise Dragon Clan absolved them of their sins just like that. Sure, he's angry, upset, and sorrowful. How can he not be? The most promising child he's been grooming to take his place as the next Chancellor and Patriarch of the clan just died!

That child was a blessing to their clan. Everybody had already acknowledged that he was to be their next leader; some were even already calling him the Young Patriarch of the clan! Yet, he died here, just like that. He died saving his comrades, willingly, at that.

There was no foul play here. The entrance to the void was sealed with the power of the Wise Dragon Sacrifice, one that the Chancellor himself recognized. No living being can undo that seal. It will release itself in time, and according to what these people said, that would be a month from now.

Additionally, if there was truly any foul play here, the Chancellor would know immediately. He didn't live up to his current age and reach this level of strength to not notice even the tiniest hints of that. And he had sensed nothing.

So, this was well and truly a voluntary action from the Young Patriarch of the clan. He chose to sacrifice himself to contain the threat, whatever it was. And the Chancellor was almost certain that that child had taken everything into consideration before making his decision. That's why these people couldn't be blamed.

However, saying that this is a huge loss to the clan was a severe understatement. The Wise Dragon Clan, as strong and as nigh-omnipotent as they are as a race, had always been plagued by their weak reproduction.

Even he, as the Chancellor, doesn't know how long it would take for them to raise another candidate for the succession. Which means that he'd have to hold on for longer.

But, despite his sorrow, anger, and loss, the Chancellor must stay clearheaded. At the very least, he must see through the reason why this child was forced to do this; otherwise, he'd never be able to rest easy in his life ever again.

'The Reverse Heart Scale of that child should hold on strong after a month. That child was confident enough, so he must've planned for this.'

'Still...to force that child to go this far. Just what manner of horror did he see?'

The Young Dragon Patriarch wasn't weak. Hell, all Paragons aren't, because at minimum, all of them were cosmic-level experts. Moreover, the Young Dragom Patriarch was only a step away from becoming a Cosmic Lord. In a few more years or decades, he could've stepped onto that stage and fully inherit the position of the Wise Dragon Clan's Patriarch and Chancellor.

That child was armed to the teeth; he's also experienced and smart enough to get out of hairy situations. He has roamed the void at least hundreds of times throughout his entire tenure and came out just fine.

So, for a creature in there to force him to a dead end... just what in the world is happening in there?

In the next following days, the Dragon Chancellor made his own research and discovered some really alarming news.

Now, he's feeling a little regretful of his inaction.

He discovered the recent reports of Chief Blackwood and his little team of occult decoders, warning the Paragons about the alarming movements within the void. He discovered that so-called 'prophecy' translated by that human child with golden hair and eyes. He also heard the speculations, theories, and everything that led the Paragons to feel the need to scour the void themselves for confirmation.

But see, everything that he discovered here had already reached his desk. These reports have been compiled and sent to everyone that should be concerned about it, and of course, that includes him. Hell, the last e-mail he received from the Young Patriarch was something about this.

However, the Chancellor had been too occupied with things. He remembered glazing over this and tossing it aside, thinking that the Paragons could handle it on their own. Well, look where that got him.

Had he been a little more sensible and attentive, he could've prevented the child from participating in this little excursion turned tragedy.

But like many said before, it's too damn late for regrets.

The death of the successor didn't just alarm the Wise Dragon Clan. It also alerted his fellow Chancellors, prompting them all to arrive here.

They all expressed their condolences and shared his grief, even more so the Ancient Titan Chancellor, because his people too were cursed with slow reproduction. The titan could understand just how big of a loss this was to the Wise Dragons.

But them being here also paved the chance to better understand the threat they're facing.

The death of the Young Dragon Patriarch was truly a big deal, making everybody pay attention to the movement of the void.

To this extent, they worked with Chief Blackwood, compiling all reports and discoveries they had so far. They even visited the secret lab where the test subject was kept.

They brainstormed for ideas, shared their theories and conclusions, and started making preparations for the worst.

This continued for a month, up until the Dragon Chancellor himself felt the seal dissipating on its own.

Without any further ado, and certainly feeling the most anxious out of anybody here, he was already at the gates even before the seal completely dissipated.

His movement wasn't a secret to the rest, so they followed him too. Even the other Paragons were alerted of the movements.

The Dragon Chancellor didn't care. His focus was on what's on the other side; that's why as soon as the seal was gone, he unhesitatingly stepped through the gates to see what happened. Of course, he was followed by his fellow Chancellors and the Paragons.

What they saw on the other side stunned them. Especially the Dragon Chancellor himself.

The very first thing they saw was a massive skeleton of a gigantic reptile. Its body spanning for hundreds of miles, easily. Even the tiniest bone it has was taller than most of the creatures that could be found on the alliance as a whole.

The carcass was fresh; they could still feel some traces of heat and vitality in it, even though most had been withered by the void.

Everything around and in front of the carcass was devastated. The heat of flames and the traces of elements that living beings could recognize were still around.

But what truly stunned them was the pools of dark waters, ones that invoked a strong sense of repulsion from the very depths of their being, scattered everywhere. The color itself was a stark difference from the usual bleak and colorless world of the Void.

"Oh... oh, you foolish child..." He bitterly wept as he stared at the withering remains of the Young Dragon Patriarch. Stay updated with empire

Others might not see it, but he could. From a single touch, the patriarch could almost see the final moments of this child.

He died heroically, that's for sure. And whatever it was that he was fighting, suffered just as much as this child was. Whether it lived or not, though, was unknown for now.

With a tap of his foot, he arrived at the caved-in hole on the chest of the young patriarch's remains. There, he saw a stone hovering silently. The moment he looked at it, the stone vibrated and shot out towards him.

The patriarch caught it gently and immediately kept it secured. This was the very thing that he was here for, the Young Patriarch's Reversed Heart Scale, the one thing that will reveal everything that happened.

And as soon as the Reversed Heart Scale was secured, the remains of the Young Patriarch finally gave way and crumbled to dust, unable to endure the withering of the void anymore.

While the sight caused everyone to feel sorrow, especially since they couldn't even give him a proper burial, at the very least, they all knew that the Young Patriarch died fighting for their cause.

He will be remembered as a hero.