Chapter 121 - Tombs Of Kings Of Old

"Well, that's interesting." Zell said as he examined the flows of magic in the chamber to discern what sort of spell achieved what had just transpired. He found the threads of magic that controlled the flaming torches, but he could not find any magic that explained the door.

The room itself was massive, they had craved deep into the mountain and created a massive tomb inside. From where he was standing, he could see down into the core of the mountain that had all been cleared out. A long staircase descended from the platform he was standing on and it branched out to stone buildings decorated in ornate golden designs. From his count there were eight. Then at the bottom of the chamber Zell could see a trance to another level below.

An eerie fog originated from the entrance and hovered around the floor of the chamber. Strange noises could be heard from below.

"Alright, I just need to find my grandfather's tomb and get the key." Zell said to himself as he started down the stairs. He reached the first stone structure and looked for a plaque on the wall. He scanned what it said, this tomb was of the founder of Neuval. Knowing that it was not his grandfather's tomb he moved on to the next one.

This one the plaque had been broken and Zell could not make out the words from the shattered stone. He doubted it was his grandfather's tomb since the previous had been of the founder. He decided to move on and come back to it if none of the others were the tomb he was looking for.

He continued to descend, checking each tomb as he passed until he reached the ground floor. The fog was waist high, and he walked to the final stone building. This one was it, his grandfather's tomb. Zell reached over for the door to the structure and opened it gently. The door was slightly shorter than his new tall frame and he had to duck to go inside.

As he entered the room more torches began to burn and lit up the structure. In the center being covered by the fog that was now entering the room was a single sarcophagus made of white marble. "This must be my grandfather." Zell said as he walked over to it.

He had never met his grandfather of this world; he had already passed on before he was born. He wondered what kind of king he was, what kind of man he was. He opened the lid to the sarcophagus and dust flew up into the air as the lid slid off onto the ground of the tomb. Inside was a skeleton clad in golden armor with a golden crown atop his head. Its hands were crossed over its chest and a key was lodged under them.

"Sorry grandfather, I need this key." Zell said as he reached down to take it.

"Why…?" He heard a soft whisper from the fog. "Why do you need the key?"

Zell quickly scanned the area for magic but could not see the source of the voice. A bit confused he decided to just take the key and leave, there was no need to answer strange, disembodied voices, whispering from the fog. As he grabbed the key the fog inside the room began to swirl, forming into the shape of an older man.

"For what need is the knowledge of our kingdom?" The figure asked. "If you were a son of my blood this would be unnecessary, so why stranger? Why do you need my kingdom's knowledge?"

"Grandfather?" Zell questioned. He was confused, as his grandfather was dead, his soul should have returned to the cycle. He should have been cleansed and reincarnated. But here his soul was, fully aware and sentient. "How are you here?"

"You call me grandfather, yet you do not share my blood?" The old king asked. "A bastard child perhaps, to think one of my son's wives would do this to them. The shame of it all is almost too much to bear."

"No, nothing like that." Zell said. "I am the son of Kelbor and Elenore, I just have been through a great deal in my life and have transcended to the status of divine dragon. That being said, my blood no longer matches your own."

"That is an interesting tale stranger." The old king said. "But just knowing the names of my son and his wife is not enough to sway my thoughts. A human becoming a dragon god is simply ridiculous, there is no way that is even remotely possible. Not even if it was one of my descendants."

"Grandfather, I have a question for you." Zell said. "How are you here like this? Why did your soul not go to the cycle?"

"Still calling me grandfather, even after I did not believe your tale." The old king complained.

"I don't really know how to prove it to you." Zell said. "But the truth is the truth. I am Zell Neuval, and I am your grandson. Can you please tell me how it is that you are here?"

"I shall choose to believe you for now." The old king said. "I am an excellent judge of character, and I am not sensing any deceit from you. Perhaps you are my grandson, and you really did become a dragon god. If so, I am proud, and you are a chip off the old block. Neither of my sons were the warriors I had wished them to be. I am glad my grandson's power was so great that he became a god.

As to how I am here, well that is somewhat of a long story. You see when I was a young man, I angered an old witch with ties to the gods. Her curse upon me was to suffer for all eternity and to never find peace. I have been trapped here, next to my body since I died. Come sit I will tell you my story since you want to know.. It has been years since I have had anyone to talk to."