Conquering the underworld with my beautiful dragon wives-Chapter 37: Golden Tongue—Bloody Truth

The pages were golden... but not like the shiny pirate treasure kind.

These felt warm. Alive.

When Ethan touched the first page, a tiny shiver ran through his fingertips—like his skin had connected to something living.

Fayra stared at the pages, eyes wide.

"Well? What does it say? A destruction spell? The location of the second key? Or maybe a recipe for Death Cake?"

Selena chuckled.

"If it’s a recipe, I hope it’s chocolate cake. If we’re gonna die, might as well enjoy it."

Alice slapped her forehead.

"Guys, seriously?! Focus!"

Ethan gave a half-smile, but his eyes stayed locked on the pages.

The words were slowly appearing—like golden ink dissolving in water.

"These... are stories. Not prophecies. Things that already happened.

But... they’re not over yet."

Luna said quietly:

"So our story... is a continuation of theirs?"

They all looked at each other.

This wasn’t a game. Not even a simple journey to find a book anymore.

They were stuck right in the middle of a twisted thread of past and future.

And these pages—they weren’t sweet lies or shiny myths.

They were dangerous.

The old man sat quietly, eyes fixed on the torch flame on the wall.

"We all had a choice.

Some of us tried to save.

Some of us... just wanted to survive."

Ethan asked,

"Which one were you?"

The old man paused. Ran a hand over the lines on his face.

"Me? I was the one who saw the truth... but didn’t have the guts to read it."

Suddenly, one of the pages started to shake.

Light burst out from its center, forming a glowing geometric shape on the ground—a summoning circle.

Right in the middle, a symbol of a dragon... with three wings.

Fayra froze. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"That... that’s my family’s mark."

Selena and Luna spoke at the same time:

"Our family had the same one!"

Just then, a ball of light rose from the center of the circle.

Inside it—a picture of a huge castle, deep in a valley of fire and smoke.

And a muffled voice echoed out:

"If you want the truth... come to the depths of Hollow Veli."

Alice gasped.

"Oh no... not again. Hollow Veli... that’s the forest.

The one no one ever comes back from."

Selena put her hands on her hips.

"Great! Just great! Why don’t we just jump into a volcano too? Or play chess with a three-headed dragon?! Way smarter, right?"

Luna laughed.

"Hey, if we’re gonna die, let’s go out in style!"

Fayra spread the map with a serious look.

"We’re going. All of us.

But we need to be ready.

This book showed the way—but just one way.

That place... it’s where we’ll be tested."

Ethan gave a crooked smile.

His voice now firmer, more sure.

"Then let’s go...

To the place no one dared to go.

And find out who we really are."

Everyone got moving.

The book closed, but it still glowed faintly.

Behind them, the old man watched.

A single tear rolled down from the corner of his eye.

"Maybe... this time, fate will be rewritten."

And now...

The hour to move was getting close.

Toward the darkest point on the map.

It was early morning. The sun hadn’t fully come up yet.

But Fayra’s voice, shouting to wake everyone up, was more terrifying than a thousand alarm bells.

"Get up! Or I’ll wake you with a kick!"

Selena groaned from under the blanket.

"Please let it be the kick... ’cause your voice is scarier than an earthquake."

Luna, her eyes still puffy with sleep, mumbled:

"I was marrying a chocolate dragon in my dream.

Now why the hell am I waking up to head into the death forest?"

Alice, always the ready one, neatly folded her blanket and said:

"If we’re not prepared, that forest will eat us alive.

Let’s be the ones doing the biting first."

A few hours later, with backpacks full of gear, protection spells, and a suspiciously large stash of snacks (mostly added because Luna threatened to stay behind if they didn’t), the group arrived at the main gate of Velisa.

The old man was waiting for them, wrapped in a long cloak.

He looked like he hadn’t slept.

His eyes were red—but determined.

"From here on... no map’s gonna help you.

That forest... chooses what it wants to show."

Selena strapped her sword to her waist.

"Well, I hope it chooses to greet us with a smile and a hot cup of coffee."

The old man gave a bitter smile.

"If you make it back... if you survive...

then maybe—just maybe—you can change everything."

Entering Hollow Veli felt like stepping into another world.

The trees were tall and twisted, like they were breathing.

A thick gray fog covered everything.

Whispers—soft and strange—floated through the air.

It was like the forest itself was talking.

But not with words. With feelings. With fear.

Fayra whispered:

"This place... it’s alive."

Luna whistled.

"Alive, dead—whatever. I just wanna know if there’s anywhere in here to pee. Anyone got info on that?"

Alice, checking her magical spells, spoke up:

"Based on the mental map from the book, we head east first. That’s where the trail of spell-signs leads."

Selena narrowed her eyes.

"Mental map? You mean the book told you where to go?"

Alice smiled.

"Well... not exactly.

But when I touched the golden pages, I just felt... a direction."

Ethan was quiet. Eyes closed.

It looked like he was talking to someone inside his mind—maybe that glowing voice from before.

And then... he stopped.

"Wait. Something’s here..."

Everyone froze.

A faint clicking—no, tapping—came from the trees.

And then—

A creature jumped out.

Part deer, part spider.

Tall, twisted horns, thin hairy legs, and a mouth full of long, sharp teeth.

It shrieked—and charged straight at them.

Fayra, Luna, and Selena all screamed at once:

"WHAT the hell is THAT?!"

Fayra shifted into her dragon form and blasted fire at the creature.

Luna threw a spell to trap its legs.

Selena raised her sword and struck the beast’s head with one clean slash.

But the thing... got back up.

Alice shouted:

"Physical attacks won’t work! Only pure magic can hurt it!"

Ethan opened his eyes.

A green light burst from his hand.

For the first time, his inner magic truly came alive.

His movements were smooth, precise—like the power had been waiting for this exact moment.

With a flick of his hand, a glowing chain of green light wrapped around the beast.

There was a loud crack—

and the monster didn’t just die...

it turned to dust.

Everyone stared at Ethan in shock.

Selena muttered:

"You’re looking a lot hotter today."

Ethan smiled, but something heavy still weighed on him.

He knew this was only the beginning.

If that thing was just the first guardian...

what kind of hell was waiting deeper in the forest?

They regrouped.

And with one more step, they moved forward

into the heart of Hollow Veli.

Where the truth... was waiting for them.