The Forbidden Element

The temple walls groaned as cracks spread across the golden throne. A low hum reverberated through the chamber, the air thick with an ancient presence—as if something long buried had awakened.

Surya stood frozen, his newly awakened power still flickering around him. His hands trembled, but not from fear. From anticipation.

What is this throne? Why does it react to me?

Before he could take another step, a deep, ancient voice boomed through the chamber.

"Unworthy."

The ground shook violently.

A surge of black energy burst from the throne, twisting into a spectral form—a towering figure in battle-worn armor, its face obscured by a cracked golden helmet.

Rudra tensed. "This presence... it's unlike anything I've felt before."

Kiran unsheathed his daggers, though a nervous chuckle escaped him. "Why does every ancient temple have a haunted relic trying to kill us?"

Saria's hands clenched around her staff. "Surya, this thing... it's different from the First King. It doesn't feel like a guardian."

Surya knew she was right. This being wasn't here to test him.

It was here to destroy him.

"You bear the sigil of kings, yet you lack the weight of a throne." The armored specter's voice echoed like a dying storm.

It lifted its rusted sword—black flames licking the edges of the steel.

Surya's heartbeat pounded in his ears.

This thing wasn't just powerful.

It was angry.

Then—

The specter moved.

Faster than thought.

Surya barely raised his sword in time—

CLANG!

The impact sent him flying back, slamming against the temple wall. His ribs screamed in pain.

"Surya!" Saria called out.

He pushed himself up, but before he could react, the specter was already there—

SLASH!

A dark arc of energy ripped through the air.

Surya rolled to the side, the attack carving a deep trench where he had been standing.

Rudra lunged forward, flames bursting from his fists. "We fight together!"

He unleashed a blazing punch, but the specter merely swiped a hand through the fire, snuffing it out as if it were nothing.

Kiran and Saria moved at the same time.

Kiran flickered behind the entity, daggers flashing—

Saria whispered an incantation, her staff glowing with blue energy—

But the specter didn't even flinch.

With a single motion, it unleashed a shockwave of pure force—

BOOM!

Saria was blasted back, crashing into a pillar.

Kiran barely avoided the brunt of the attack, skidding across the stone floor. "Okay—not a fan of that move."

Surya's fingers dug into the ground as he stood up. His golden aura flared violently.

"A king does not share his throne." The specter raised its blade.

Surya wiped the blood from his lip. His vision blurred for a moment, but his mind was sharper than ever.

He could feel it.

This wasn't just a fight.

It was a battle for dominance.

His golden aura flickered again, but now... now he understood something crucial.

This entity—this specter—wasn't testing him.

It was rejecting him.

It was the throne itself.

And it refused to bow.

Surya's grip tightened around his sword. His father's words echoed in his mind.

"A king does not beg for power. He takes it."

His golden energy ignited—shimmering brighter than before. The spectral figure paused for the first time.

It sensed it too.

Surya charged.

Their blades met once more—

And this time, the temple walls shattered.

TO BE CONTINUED...