All Chapters of THE KINGDOM OF VALERIS : Chapter 21 - Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTYThe Forgotten TempleThe bell kept echoing through the Veil Order.GONG!Kevin stood beneath the massive magical clock hanging above the courtyard, his new black robe fluttering in the wind. On his shoulder sat a tiny black dragon.Veyr.Kevin glanced sideways. “You heard the bell too, right?”Veyr yawned. “I heard it three times.”“And?”“And I was hoping you’d pretend you didn’t.”“Finally,” Kevin said. “Someone who understands me.”Veyr flicked his tail against Kevin’s neck. “Unfortunately, your survival instincts are terrible.”“I survived the trial.”“You were unconscious.”“I still survived.”“You were carried away.”“Details.”“Large details.”Kevin ignored him.Around them, the new recruits streamed toward the Central Hall. Some looked excited. Others looked nervous. One was already praying.Kevin stared at him. “That’s probably not a good sign.”Veyr’s crimson eyes narrowed. “Neither is the smell of fear coming off him.”“You can smell fear?”“I am a dragon.”“

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWOThe First RelicThe treasure chamber went silent.Not quiet.Silent.Every sound vanished. The researchers stopped moving. Kael was frozen mid-stance. Liora stood with one hand raised, water suspended around her fingers. Damon’s blade hung halfway out of its sheath. Even the dust drifting through the air had stopped.Kevin stared. “What…”He slowly turned his head. No one moved.“Kael?”Nothing.“Liora?”Nothing.“Damon?”Still nothing.Kevin swallowed. Then he looked at the figure in the center of the chamber.The stranger was no longer smiling. His dark cloak stirred faintly in the frozen air. His eyes were fixed on Kevin.“You can move.”Kevin stepped back. “Apparently.”The stranger tilted his head. “That should not be possible.”Kevin glanced at his Codex. The five-point symbol on its cover glowed faintly. Veyr was perched on his shoulder, and the little dragon’s expression had changed. No sarcasm. No smirk.Only suspicion.“Veyr?”“Don’t.”“Don’t what?”“Do an

Chapter 24: The Temple That VanishedThe ground began to tremble.Kevin barely had time to react before the stone beneath him crumbled away, sending him sliding toward a gaping hole in the earth. His injured arm screamed in protest as he clawed at the ground, searching for anything to hold on to."KEVIN!"A hand shot out and caught his wrist.For one terrifying moment, he hung above the darkness, legs dangling over a pit that seemed to have no bottom. Loose stones tumbled past him and vanished into the depths.They never made a sound."Pull me up!" Kevin gasped through clenched teeth."I'M TRYING!"Another teammate threw himself forward to help. Together, they hauled Kevin over the edge, and he collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving, his injured arm clutched against him."Wonderful," he wheezed. "We survive a temple full of monsters, only to get buried alive on the way out.""Can you stop complaining for five seconds?" someone snapped."Can you stop saving my life in the most painfu