As the prince stood before the towering skeleton, he could feel it—a deep, vibrant connection to this place. The chamber, with its shimmering waters and the dormant bones of the dragon, seemed to harbor mysteries beyond comprehension. Secrets woven into the very fabric of the world, waiting for the right moment to unravel.

While Lilith and the prince examined the colossal remains, the young mage knelt before the ancient bones, her fingers tracing the deep scars and fractures etched into the fossilized remnants. Her touch was delicate, yet something within her stirred, as though a long-buried memory was surfacing.

—I know this creature... — Lilith whispered, her voice heavy with an eerie, ancestral weight.

The prince turned to her, curiosity and suspicion flickering in his eyes.

—What are you talking about? — he asked, his gaze scanning the chamber for any lurking danger.

Lilith’s eyes remained fixed on the skeleton, her expression a blend of sorrow and reverence.

—This dragon... — she paused, as if searching for the right words to convey the gravity of her revelation. — It was the last of the great dragons from the civil war between the mighty dominions. An age of chaos and ruin, where kingdoms crumbled and death ruled supreme.

The prince’s brow furrowed, his confusion deepening.

—Civil war between dominions? — He shook his head, trying to piece together anything that might connect to this tale. — And what does this have to do with me?

Lilith rose slowly, her eyes still locked on the dragon’s remains.

—This dragon was ridden by none other than your great-grandfather. His name was Vaelgorth, the Immortal. A majestic and fearsome creature that fought alongside your ancestor until his final breath. — Her gaze shifted to the prince, her eyes burning with the weight of her lineage. — Vaelgorth was gravely wounded in his last battle, as was your ancestor, who perished in the skies. Wounded and alone, Vaelgorth must have fled here, seeking a final refuge. And here, he died... far from the war and suffering he once knew.

The prince’s eyes returned to the skeleton, struggling to absorb the implications of her words.

—Vaelgorth... — he murmured, testing the name on his lips. — And how...

Before he could finish, a sudden jolt of pain struck him, and he instinctively clutched his chest, feeling his heart hammering in an irregular, almost unnatural rhythm. It was as if something deep within him was awakening, pulling at his very core.

—My heart... — His voice was strained, his eyes narrowing as he fought to focus through the discomfort. — It’s... beating differently.

Lilith turned to him, her sharp gaze assessing him with a mix of concern and intrigue.

—This might mean there’s more to this place. — Her eyes scanned the chamber, suspicion shadowing her features, as though the very stones pulsed with dormant energy. — Dragons are cunning creatures, Your Highness. They guard their greatest treasures fiercely. Something else might still be here, hidden... waiting to be awakened.

He took a deep breath, struggling to steady the growing unease within him. The connection he felt to this place, to the dragon, to something far greater than himself, was undeniable. It pulsed through him like an ancient current, as if Vaelgorth’s legacy was reaching out to him across the ages.

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—Whatever is hidden here... — he said, his voice low and resolute as his eyes locked onto Lilith’s. — We need to find it.

The chamber, with its luminous waters and ancient bones, seemed to hum with a long-dormant secret. A secret that was finally ready to be unearthed.

As the two ventured deeper into the cavern, the air grew heavier, thick with an oppressive mystery. With every step, the prince felt a primal call, as though something ancient and powerful was aware of his presence. The darkness enveloped them like an impenetrable shroud until Lilith, sensing his struggle to see, cast a spell to illuminate their path. The light revealed a colossal altar ahead, and resting at its center was an object unlike anything they had ever seen.

It was an egg, but no ordinary egg. Its surface was black and glossy, reminiscent of obsidian, radiating an almost supernatural aura. Entranced by the discovery, Lilith hurried forward, eager to uncover its meaning.

She reached out, and the moment her fingers touched the egg, a scream of agony tore from her lips. Her hands were instantly seared with a blistering heat, as though the egg itself had rejected her. Staggering back, she clutched her burned hands, her face twisted in pain and shock. She turned to the prince, her expression grim.

—Touch the egg, — she commanded, her voice a mix of pain and urgency.

Hesitant, he stepped forward. When his hand made contact with the egg, nothing happened. No burns, no rejection. Instead, it felt as though the egg had been waiting for him all along. A strange connection formed, and as he stood there, the egg began to crack.

Fissures spread rapidly across its obsidian surface, revealing its true form. Beneath the dark shell was an egg covered in shimmering silver scales, as sharp and polished as the finest blades. The metallic sheen reflected the light in dazzling patterns, almost as if the heart of the cavern itself was pulsing in unison with the egg.

—What... is this... — Lilith murmured, her voice filled with reverent awe.

The prince stared at the egg, sensing that something far greater was about to reveal itself. The glow of the silver scales seemed to pulse with an ancient, powerful energy, as though the cavern had been waiting for this very moment. The air around them grew thick with anticipation, promising a revelation that had been buried for centuries.

Turning to Lilith, he spoke, his voice laced with disbelief.

—A dragon’s egg?

Lilith, still processing the magnitude of the discovery, glanced at an ancient mural on the wall. The mural depicted the majestic dragon in all its glory, silently affirming what the prince had just realized. Her eyes gleamed with excitement, as if a crucial piece of her plans had finally fallen into place.

With a satisfied smile, she turned to him, her voice brimming with anticipation.

—This... — she began, her tone heavy with intent, — this is the beginning of my designs.

But the prince, feeling the weight of the urgency awaiting them outside the cavern, gripped the egg firmly and replied with resolve.

—We must leave for Volcrist. Cedric’s coronation must already be underway. If we delay, we won’t stop the subdomains’ army in time.

As they prepared to leave, the cavern seemed to thrum with an ominous presence. The discovery of the dragon’s egg had set a new chapter into motion, but the looming threat of Cedric’s coronation cast a long shadow. Driven by determination and urgency, they both knew the stakes had never been higher.

The prince, already moving toward the exit, suddenly stopped when he realized Lilith wasn’t following. He turned, his face a mixture of confusion and alarm.

—Lilith! What are you doing? We don’t have time; Volcrist is at stake!

She stood motionless, her dark eyes fixed on him as if weighing a pivotal decision. Her response came, cold and sharp.

—Be silent, Your Highness. I am not going with you.

He took a few steps toward her, the tension between them thickening.

—What do you mean? — His voice was laced with disbelief. — We can’t waste time! Cedric will take the throne, and everything we’ve worked for will be for nothing!

Lilith cut him off, her voice firm and tinged with frustration.

—I will not let you squander all my years of work on a foolish cause. To hell with Volcrist! Kingdoms rise and fall every day, prince. That’s not reason enough to risk everything I have built.