At the Temple of Katrex[II]

After my push, the old-looking doors creaked open.

I walked through the dark corridors in the direction of the voice calling me. After a while, it led me to the only lighted room in the temple.

The moon shone brightly through the dome, flooding every corner of the room with its light. The walls of the room were decorated with numerous frescoes depicting dragons floating in the sky. In the center of the room on a pedestal was a gemstone that shimmered in the light of the moon. It inexplicably beckoned me to come and take it.

A satisfied smile appeared on my face. This was the very thing that had made me brave this night's journey. 

Although the novel didn't mention that the gemstone could attract its owner on its own, I figured it was because I had come for it much earlier than in the original story.

I confidently took a step towards the treasure. As soon as I entered the room, a sharp pain pierced my mind. When I wanted to turn around and walk out, I realized that my body didn't want to do that, forcing me forward.

"Shit!"

Gritting my teeth, I headed straight for the center. With each step, my mind was plunged into more and more chaos, causing the surrounding space to gradually fade from my sight, leaving only the gemstone.

I kept walking, no matter what, until I reached the center of the room. Following the ritual described in the novel, I bit my finger and dripped blood on it.

One, two, three... 

I counted in my head, striving to stay conscious. 

But neither the gem showed any change, nor did my condition show any sign of improvement.

Deciding that the blood wasn't enough, I pulled out my sword and made a wider cut on my palm with a trembling hand. After a while, my skin turned pale and the stone was already bathed in blood, but nothing changed.

Despair was growing inside me with each passing second.

Will I end my journey here?

It rushed through my fading mind. As soon as the question arose, my mind seemed to rebel against the thought.

Not a chance.

With that thought and the madness growing ever more intense, I made one last desperate attempt. I grabbed the artifact and shoved it into my mouth, swallowing it.

After that, unable to fight my condition any longer, I sank into darkness.

°°°°

"Congratulations, you have a boy."

An unfamiliar voice brought me to my senses.

I looked around at my surroundings. I stood in a spacious room with a bed, surrounded by a group of people. It was hard to call them humans, though, at least because of the horns that adorned their heads.

Dragons.

That was the first thing that came to my mind at the sight of them.

But how did I end up here?

I distinctly remembered how Kelly and I had gotten to the ruins, but everything after that was like a haze.

Many congratulations similar to the previous one reached my ears.

Trying to figure out what was going on, I moved closer. Even so, no one reacted to me, as if I wasn't even here.

On the bed I saw a beautiful haggard woman with a pair of horns larger than the others. Despite her condition, a warm smile appeared on her face as she looked at the baby in her arms.

After thinking for a moment, she said in a gentle voice.

"From this day forward, you will be called Katrex."

With those words, my surroundings swirled and took on a different appearance.

I was no longer in a room, but in a large open area where there was noise on all sides.

"Katrex has won again!"

"Damn, he's too strong."

"Is he really only nine years old?"

"I protest, he was definitely cheating!"

A multitude of young voices echoed from the stands surrounding the court.

No one was still paying attention to me.

I could already tell that I was definitely in someone else's memories. And judging by the name I heard, could I now be watching God's past?

With these thoughts, I shifted my gaze to the battle ground.

It was strewn with a pile of bodies that were either lying motionless or moaning, trying to cope with the pain. Only one young warrior stood proudly on his feet.

His horns were pointing proudly into the sky and his black hair fluttered in the wind as he looked at his defeated opponents, creating a majestic scene.

Behind the stands, on a high pedestal, sat a group of dragonmen, whose mere presence radiated a commanding aura.

"Ghahahaha, what did I tell you, he's the future star of our clan."

Laughing loudly, the dragonman with the big belly stated.

"He can definitely make our clan famous."

Another, who looked slimmer, expressed a similar opinion.

One by one, they all expressed their opinions, until there was only one who remained silent the whole time. Everyone turned their eyes to him, waiting for his words.

Unlike the others, he had a long beard that hung almost to the floor and deep eyes filled with wisdom.

"Yes, he is the hope of our race to regain greatness."

His eyes, fixed on the young warrior, expressed hope.

My surroundings have changed again.

"No, I don't believe it!"

A furious scream pierced my ears.

I looked at the scene in front of me. A young dragonman with long horns, looking like a more mature version of the protagonist of the last scene, pinned a woman in a dark robe against the wall, piercing her with a fierce stare.

Despite the danger of the situation, the mysterious woman didn't even lift a finger to defend herself. There wasn't even a hint of fear in her eyes. In a calm and unwavering voice, she said.

"Killing me won't change anything. I'm not in charge of fate, I'm just telling you what I see."

"The fate of your race is to be totally annihilated."

She repeated her earlier statement.

"No! You're lying!"

With a new fit of rage, he pressed her even harder into the wall. 

After that, there were many scenes describing his life. 

In some he flew across the vast skies in his dragon form, in others he engaged in countless battles, destroying all in his path. 

Over time, he rose to great heights in his clan, taking the place of the patriarch and leading the clan to the peak of their glory. He married the woman he had been in love with since childhood and who later gave him many children. He lived happily and truly enjoyed life.

At least until the next scene appeared.

In the blazing ruins, a dragonman sat on his knees, clutching the breathless body of a woman in his arms. Even though she looked deathly pale, he saw in her the woman he had once loved.

He looked up, looking at all that was left of his home and those he cared for.

For some reason, the words of a crazy woman he'd heard years ago popped into his head.

'The fate of your race is to be totally annihilated.'

His fists clenched involuntarily as he whispered in a fit of impotent rage.

"If fate is against me... then I will destroy it!"

With these quiet but incredibly determined words, the scene in front of me began to change rapidly again.

The protagonist who participated in them was somewhere brave, fighting hordes of enemies, somewhere joyous, taking another step towards his goal, and somewhere despairing at the futility of his attempts.

Only one thing remained unchanged - his gaze, expressing infinite hatred and determination to change fate.

A new scene appeared in front of me.

This time the dragonman was surrounded by numerous tattered scrolls, ancient looking books, and a large number of precious artifacts that were lying on the floor like trash.

"Yes, yes, today I will finally succeed! If I become a God, even fate won't stand a chance against me!"

His hoarse, insane voice cut through the space.

Finally, a grand battle scene materialized in front of me.

A dragonman with purple tinted skin, large wings behind his back and powerful horns on his head, who had almost lost resemblance to his past self, fought in the air against three cloaked figures.

With each of their collisions, space vibrated violently and the ground crackled as if ready to be torn apart at any moment.

After a few dozen rounds, the dragonman's body was covered in a large number of wounds, and one of his arms dangled pitifully at his side.

One of his opponents was in even worse condition, but the other two, though injured, were in better shape than him, still maintaining a numerical advantage.

"Katrex, surrender!"

The leader of the trio shouted loudly while looking at his enemy.

"It's over, you have no future!"

Another of them shouted, urging him to surrender.

"GHAHAHAHAHAHA"

A loud laugh, which mingled madness and despair, made the three figures crinkle up in distasteful.

"No future?"

With a mad grin, he repeated, pulling out a purple stone.

As soon as the main one of the three figures noticed it, his face contorted.

"Stop him at all costs!"

Shouting to his comrades, he emitted a powerful pillar of light that reached the injured dragonman in a matter of moments. 

But it was too late, he had already shattered the stone by clenching it in his fist, after which his body instantly disappeared.

Teleporting to an unknown space, dragonman fell to his knees.

The wounds he had been holding back all along simultaneously began to bleed, causing his body to shake in unbearable agony. Despite that, he didn't even change his facial expression as he thought about the words he heard.

"Maybe they're right and I really have no future."

He realized that with wounds like these, even if he survived, he wouldn't live more than a couple of years.

"But that doesn't mean I've failed."

He said with obvious obsession in his voice, turning his head.

At that moment, goosebumps ran down my spine. I could have sworn he was looking in my direction. No, not just my direction, but me. 

Can he see me?

Feeling his gaze on me made me uncomfortable. 

Looking at me, he only smiled weakly.

In the next moment, everything around me, like a broken mirror, disintegrated into countless pieces, plunging me into darkness. 

***

Thanks for reading, everyone!