Chapter 54: The Path Beneath the World

The winds of Antarctica howled like ghosts across the frozen expanse, biting into the scales of every dragon present. But none of us flinched. We had endured far worse. We had grown from prey to apex predators—no longer hiding, no longer running. And now, we stood on the brink of another world.

In the distance, the massive ice-encrusted ridge cracked open like a wound in the earth itself. The entrance to the Hollow Earth was not a portal of magic—it was raw nature, forged by ancient forces beyond even our memory. A storm brewed above it, but what stirred inside felt even more ancient… a forgotten realm waiting to be reborn.

Kong stood at the edge of the chasm. Snow clung to his fur, his breath rising in visible clouds. Beside him was the last surviving Iwi girl—Jia. She was silent, but even we could feel the way her presence anchored him. His eyes stared deep into the tunnel, his massive form still and heavy with memory. He wasn't just looking into the earth.

He was looking into the past.

I landed on a jagged outcrop nearby, my wings folding behind me. Behind me, the five elders of the Dragon Clan followed—each powerful in their own right. We had come this far not just out of loyalty, but because I knew something. Something the others didn't.

This place... this Hollow Earth... would become the new home of the Dragon Clan.

Jia moved closer to Kong. She gently placed her small hand against his massive knuckle and began to speak with her hands, signing words in the Iwi language.

"Your family… they're down there."

The change in Kong was instant. His eyes flared with emotion—grief, hope, something deeper. He looked once more into the chasm… then stepped forward. One step, two—and with a powerful leap, he fell into the Earth.

The humans panicked. Lights on their consoles blinked red. "Kong has entered the shaft!" someone yelled over the comms. "Engage the HEAVs—launch now!"

Two sleek Monarch ships fired their thrusters and descended after him, their engines crackling with plasma. Snow and ice spiraled around them.

I looked at the elders. "It's time."

They nodded without question.

Together, we launched into the air, our massive wings splitting the frozen winds as we dove headfirst into the Hollow Earth shaft. Gravity twisted almost instantly. The walls glowed with ancient energy, and a storm of swirling colors danced around us.

Everything felt wrong, then suddenly—right.

We shot through the wormhole tunnel, lightning lashing at our scales. I felt the world tilt beneath me. My wings folded instinctively, and for a moment, we were falling—not in space, not in time, but through reality itself.

And then—

Light. Blinding, golden light.

We burst into a realm unlike anything any of us had ever seen. The Hollow Earth opened around us like a dream.

There were mountains floating upside-down, rivers suspended in the air, ancient trees the size of castles. Bioluminescent plants pulsed with life. Massive beasts roamed freely, as if untouched by time.

Kong landed with a thunderous impact, shaking the ground. He rose to his full height and let out a low, deep roar—one of awe, of belonging. This was his home.

The two Monarch ships floated overhead, stunned by what they were seeing. Scientists inside scrambled to capture data, take samples, record the impossible.

We dragons flew above it all, our eyes wide.

"This… this is where we belong," I murmured.

The second elder flew beside me. "This land is pure. Unscarred. No cities, no machines."

The third elder let out a rumble. "No humans… except for them."

I turned to them. "This is where the Dragon Clan will rise. We'll carve our future from these skies and valleys."

The fifth elder—my son, wise and strong—glanced at me. "Is this the place you spoke of in the old stories?"

I nodded. "The Hollow Earth. The cradle of all titans. This world is alive."

Below, Kong walked across the land with cautious reverence. Strange creatures stirred at his presence—some massive, others hiding from the sky. He wasn't just walking into a new home.

He was walking into his destiny.

And we—we were right behind him.