Chapter 225: Dragon Of Storm And Lightning

Creak...

Creak...

The aged wooden floor groaned beneath his footsteps. His gaze slowly swept across the abandoned shrine.

Dust covered nearly every surface. Spider webs stretched between the pillars.

The faint scent of damp wood lingered in the air.

Everything suggested the shrine had long since been abandoned.

There was no offering table.

There was no incense. there was no worshippers.

No signs that anyone had prayed here for generations.

At first glance it appeared to be nothing more than a forgotten ruin.

Cassian continued walking until he reached the main hall.

His eyes finally settled upon the object standing at its center.

There was no statue of a god.

Instead...

Mounted within an enormous metal frame was a magnificent relief carved directly into black steel.

A dragon. the being worship by people in past.

Its scales shimmered with an intricate dark-blue pattern despite the passage of countless years. Its enormous wings spread proudly behind it.

Its jaws were opened in a silent roar toward the heavens.

Even carved from lifeless metal. The dragon radiated overwhelming majesty.

Cassian gazed at it silently.

"...The Dragon of Lightning and Storm."

His voice echoed softly through the empty shrine.

For several moments...

He simply stood there.

Then he lowered his gaze toward the old wooden offering counter before the dragon. Ordinary visitors would have assumed it served only as a place for offerings.

Cassian knew better.

He placed both hands against the heavy wooden structure.

Then he slowly pushed it aside.

Rumble...

The entire counter slid effortlessly across the floor.

Hidden beneath it. A narrow stone staircase descended into darkness.

Without hesitation Cassian stepped inside.

The stairs spiraled deep underground. The deeper he descended, the colder the air became.

Several minutes later he arrived before a plain stone wall.

There was nothing unusual about it.

There was no carvings. There was no doorway.

There was nothing.

Cassian calmly placed his right palm against the stone. Then he began chanting several unfamiliar words in an ancient language.

Mana flowed steadily from his body into the wall.

Moments later a massive magic circle slowly spread beneath his hand.

Ancient runes illuminated one after another.

The entire wall trembled.

Then it vanished. In its place appeared a heavy metal door covered with intricate symbols.

Cassian pushed it open.

Beyond it lay a small underground chamber. Unlike the abandoned shrine above...

This room had been carefully preserved.

Shelves lined every wall.

Dozens of ancient scrolls rested neatly upon them. Several wooden boxes sat undisturbed beneath thick layers of dust.

Cassian slowly exhaled.

"...It’s been years since I last visited this place. I don’t even remember exactly how everything was arranged."

He walked directly toward one particular shelf. His destination was obvious.

A small wooden box rested there. He picked it up carefully.

Then opened it. Then there was silence for a moment. His eyes remained fixed on the empty interior.

It was as if the thing that was supposed to be inside was gone.

His expression darkened instantly.

An icy killing intent spread throughout the room.

"...Someone took it. They took the scroll."

His voice became frighteningly calm. Then his brows slowly knitted together.

"Damn it... I never thought that scroll would become important."

His fingers tightened around the wooden box.

"It was only after Malrick urgently requested it that I realized its value."

He slowly closed the lid.

"...Who entered this place?"

His mind raced rapidly.

’Only Malrick and I know how to open the hidden chamber. No one else should even know this shrine exists. Then... Who did this?

For the first time in many years. Cassian felt genuinely disturbed.

He immediately left the underground chamber. The moment he stepped outside...

The hidden metal door disappeared. The stone wall returned to normal as though nothing had ever existed there.

Without wasting another second Cassian rushed back through the abandoned shrine.

He leaped onto its weathered rooftop in a single bound. Standing atop the ancient building...

He slowly closed his eyes.

Then—

Boom!

An overwhelming wave of mana erupted from his body. Invisible pressure spread across the surrounding forest in every direction.

Trees bent violently beneath the force. Birds scattered into the sky.

Small beasts fled in panic.

Cassian extended his senses as far as possible.

He searched every corner of the forest.

Every living presence. Every lingering trace of mana. He hoped whoever had stolen the scroll had only recently escaped.

But after several long moments. He found nothing.

Not a single clue. His eyes slowly opened.

Cold fury burned within them.

"...Fuck."

The curse echoed across the silent forest.

---

Two cloaked figures finally emerged from the dense forest.

The moment they stepped onto the old dirt road, both of them bent forward, breathing heavily.

"Haah..."

"Haah..."

Their cloaks were covered in dust, and small scratches marked their clothes from forcing their way through the thick undergrowth.

Their faces were hidden by the hood.

"Damn... We actually did it."

A relieved grin spread across his face under the hood.

"We managed to get out without getting caught."

The second man let out an exhausted sigh.

"Fuck... I’m never coming with you again."

"You dragged me into the middle of some suspicious abandoned shrine in the middle of nowhere."

The first man laughed.

"I didn’t have a choice."

"You’re the best person I know when it comes to locating hidden chambers and breaking ancient seals."

The second man rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Keep flattering me."

He stretched his aching shoulders before glaring at his companion.

"But seriously..."

"Where did you even learn about that place? That hidden mechanism wasn’t something ordinary."

He shook his head in disbelief.

"It took us nearly an entire day just to analyze those ancient runes and dismantle the protective formation. If even a single sequence had been wrong...that place would’ve probably buried us alive."

The first man simply shrugged.

"But we succeeded. That’s all that matters."

The second man folded his arms.

"Fine. We got what we came for."

He looked toward his companion with narrowed eyes.

"So... Care to explain what exactly is inside that scroll?"

The cloaked man smiled faintly. He reached into his storage ring.

A moment later, an ancient scroll appeared in his hand.

Its dark-blue bindings were covered with faded golden runes, while an unfamiliar dragon emblem had been engraved into the seal.

He slowly examined it.

"What’s inside..."

He chuckled softly.

"I honestly have no idea."

The other man blinked.

"You stole something without knowing what it was?"

The cloaked man nodded casually.

"Pretty much."

His fingers traced the dragon emblem on the scroll.

"But... I have a feeling it’s related to the Dragon of Lightning and Storm. Or maybe... multiple dragons."

His companion stared at him for several seconds before rubbing his forehead.

"...Sometimes I seriously wonder how you’re still alive."

The cloaked man merely smiled as he tucked the ancient scroll safely back into his storage ring.

"I suppose... We’ll find out soon enough."