Conquering the underworld with my beautiful dragon wives-Chapter 29: He Vanished at Dawn—The Hunt Begins Now

The sun hadn't fully risen yet.

A cool morning breeze slipped through the trees and gently pushed the half-open window of the cabin.

Fayra, who was always a light sleeper, woke up at the sound of a soft rustling.

She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a second.

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Something felt off.

She reached her hand to the side—where Ethan usually slept.

Cold. Empty.

She whispered with worry,

"No way... he went out again? At this hour?"

Quietly, she got out of bed.

The wooden floor creaked under her feet, but she made sure not to wake the others.

She opened the door to the main room.

A bit of soft light was coming from the kitchen... but no sign of Ethan.

She stood still for a few moments, her mind racing through all the possible reasons.

Then she quickly checked the other rooms.

"Selena? Luna?" Her voice was a bit shaky. "Ethan's gone."

Selena, her long silver hair falling over her shoulders, sat up groggily.

"What? You mean... he's outside?"

Luna, who was usually the first to wake up every morning, followed behind her.

"I didn't hear the door at all today. Ethan's never that quiet."

The four of them exchanged glances.

Alice came out of her workroom, wearing a loose shirt, her messy hair sticking out everywhere. She yawned.

"What's going on? I heard voices. Something missing, or is Fayra just hungry again?"

Fayra frowned.

"No. Ethan's gone. He left the house early this morning."

Alice's voice turned serious.

"Oh, great... don't tell me that damn sword got in his head and made him go after it in the middle of the night."

Selena mumbled,

"You think... that monster came back? Or—"

A sudden noise outside the cabin cut everyone off.

Luna rushed over and opened the door.

Right outside, lying on the freshly cut grass, was a scroll tied with a black ribbon.

It looked like it had just been dropped—no dust, no dirt.

Fayra slowly picked it up.

She untied the ribbon and unrolled the scroll.

Her eyes scanned the messy writing, and her face went pale.

Alice leaned in to read over her shoulder.

"Well? What does it say?"

Fayra read softly:

"He's with me now...

If you want to see him again, come to where the nightmare started.

Don't come alone...

Because he's not alone anymore."

Silence.

Selena said angrily,

"So this is a threat? Or an invitation to get ourselves killed?"

Luna took a deep breath.

"What do they mean he's 'not alone anymore'?

Did someone take over his mind? Or... did he go with someone?"

Alice crossed her arms, thinking.

"Where the nightmare started... that could mean where he first touched that sword.

Or maybe somewhere else... something we don't know yet."

Fayra whispered,

"Wherever it is... Ethan's there. And I'm not letting him face this alone."

Selena narrowed her eyes.

"So what's the plan?"

Fayra rolled up the scroll carefully and tied it again with the black ribbon.

"We go after him. Today. But we need to be ready.

Whoever sent this knows us.

And they're definitely not friendly."

Luna gave a crooked smile.

"Well, I guess it's time to spread our wings again, huh?" she said with a wink.

Alice, still half serious, smirked.

"Just let me have a cup of coffee first this time... before some giant monster tries to blow up the ground under us again."

And even though the air still felt heavy, they all smirked a little.

They knew going after Ethan meant heading straight into danger.

But none of them were willing to leave him behind.

Fayra, Selena, Luna, and Alice turned back inside to get ready.

Because whatever was waiting for them... it wasn't going to be easy.

Ethan's breathing was heavy and rough. Everything around him was dark—except for the faint blue flames flickering along the mossy, damp walls. The air smelled like wet earth and... something else. Like dead magic. He stood in the middle of a stone hall, but had no clue when—or how—he got there.

His legs were free, but... something felt off. He couldn't move. Not because something was holding him, but because the air itself felt like rope. Thick. Heavy. Breathing hurt.

A shadow moved behind one of the tall, cracked pillars. Ethan instantly shifted into a defensive stance—only to realize... his sword was gone.

Gone.

He was alone. And unarmed.

A low, dry, inhuman voice echoed through the stone chamber. Not male, not female—just... wrong. And it wasn't hitting his ears—it was inside his head.

"So you've finally woken up, swordbearer. Took you longer than it should've. But there's still... hope."

Ethan shouted, "Who the hell are you?! Where am I?!"

The shadow stepped forward. A dark cloak. A cracked metal mask. Strange glowing symbols on their chest. Nothing about them looked human.

"You're the one the sword chose. But you still know nothing. Not about it... and not about yourself."

A red light flared from the floor. A glowing magic circle formed between Ethan and the shadow. And inside it—a vision.

His home. Fayra. Selna. Luna. Alice.

All of them—searching. Looking for him.

"Leave them alone! What do you want from them?!"

The shadow's voice stayed calm. Too calm.

"Nothing. I just want you to see. To see why you were chosen. You're not just a fighter, Ethan... You're the key. Not to salvation. To balance."

Suddenly, red energy shot up from under Ethan's feet. Magic circles spun around him, pulsing with symbols he'd never seen before. He felt it in his skin. His bones. His mind. Everything was burning.

The shadow whispered like it was a lullaby:

"Wake up... or burn. Your choice. But hurry—because the gates... are opening. One by one."

And just as the pain became unbearable—

Everything went black.

The masked man stood a few steps ahead, holding a small blue flame in his hand. Its glow lit up the walls, which were covered in ancient symbols. Ethan's eyes caught one of them—a drawing of a sword inside a flame, and a person glowing from the inside out.

The masked man turned around, lowered the flame, and held it close to Ethan's face.

"You know why you're still alive? Because there's something inside you... something people out there have been hunting for years."

Ethan's voice came out rough.

"What... what's inside me?"

The man smirked.

"A power even you don't know about. You're a vessel, Ethan. A container."

Right then, the wall behind them let out a strange sound—almost like it breathed. Dust fell from above, and a red light started to shine through a crack.

Without even looking, the masked man said,

"It's time. We're going down. To a place even death's too scared to touch."

Ethan's heart dropped.

And he still had no idea what was waiting for him down there...