Chapter Fourteen – The Blood Crown
The chamber remained silent.
Kwaku slowly looked at his empty palm.
"The fragment…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"It's gone."
Kwesi stepped forward, sword raised.
"Where did he go?"
Their father stared into the darkness where the stranger had disappeared.
"He didn't take it."
Kwaku turned toward him.
"Then what happened?"
Their father hesitated.
"The Crown Fragment chose him."
Adwoa frowned.
"Why?"
Their father looked at her.
"Because the Blood Crown recognizes blood."
Kwaku's eyes narrowed.
"What blood?"
Before their father could answer, Nana Kofi struck his golden staff against the ground.
The sound echoed through the chamber.
"You still intend to hide everything from them?"
Their father turned sharply.
"You know nothing about what happened."
Nana Kofi laughed.
"I know more than you think."
Kwesi stepped between them.
"Enough."
He pointed his sword toward Nana Kofi.
"We want answers."
Nana Kofi looked at the twins.
"Then you must first understand what your father has been hiding."
Their father shook his head.
"Don't."
Kwaku looked at him.
"No more secrets."
Their father lowered his eyes.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he finally spoke.
"The Blood Crown was created before Bonoman existed."
Kwaku listened carefully.
"It belonged to the First King."
Adwoa's eyes widened.
"Akwasi."
Their father nodded.
"Akwasi was not always the First Blood."
"What happened to him?" Kwaku asked.
Their father looked toward the ancient throne.
"He sacrificed his own life to protect the crown."
Kwesi frowned.
"From whom?"
Nana Kofi answered.
"The Second Kingdom."
Everyone turned toward him.
Nana Kofi continued.
"They wanted the power contained within the crown."
"What power?" Adwoa asked.
Nana Kofi looked at her.
"The power to awaken all three Bloodlines."
Adwoa looked down at the glowing circles on her skin.
"The Two Suns…"
"The First Blood," Nana Kofi said.
"The Third Blood," their father continued.
"And the Blood Crown," Nana Kofi finished.
Kwaku's expression hardened.
"So the crown connects all of us?"
Their father nodded.
"But it can also destroy us."
Suddenly, a deep sound echoed beneath their feet.
Boom.
Everyone froze.
Boom.
The floor trembled.
Adwoa placed her hand over her chest.
Her heartbeat was becoming faster.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Her three circles suddenly began glowing.
"It's calling me."
Their father immediately grabbed her arm.
"We have to leave."
Adwoa pulled away.
"No."
"Adwoa."
"I've spent my whole life being told nothing."
She looked at him.
"If this place knows who I am, I'm going to find out."
Kwaku stepped beside her.
"She's right."
Kwesi raised his sword.
"We came here for answers."
Their father looked at the three of them.
Then he slowly nodded.
"Then stay close to me."
They moved deeper into the temple.
The passage opened into an enormous chamber.
Hundreds of golden statues stood on both sides.
Each statue had two suns carved into its forehead.
At the center was a massive stone altar.
But there was something else.
A golden crown floated above it.
Kwaku stopped.
"The Blood Crown."
Their father shook his head.
"No."
Kwaku looked at him.
"What?"
"That is only its shadow."
The crown suddenly disappeared.
A figure stepped out from behind the altar.
The black-cloaked stranger.
He held the Crown Fragment in one hand.
Kwaku immediately released a wave of crimson energy.
"You!"
The stranger smiled.
"You came exactly where I knew you would."
Kwesi raised his sword.
"Give us the fragment."
The stranger looked at him.
"You still don't understand."
"Understand what?"
The stranger slowly lifted the fragment.
"The crown doesn't belong to me."
The temple shook.
"It belongs to the blood."
Adwoa stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The stranger turned toward her.
For the first time, his smile disappeared.
"You really don't remember."
Adwoa stared at him.
Something moved inside her memory.
A little girl.
A golden tree.
Two boys standing beside her.
And a young man holding her hand.
She gasped.
"You…"
The stranger's eyes softened.
"You remember."
Their father suddenly stepped in front of her.
"Stay away from her."
The stranger looked at him.
"You lied to her for years."
"I protected her."
"You erased her."
"I had no choice."
Adwoa looked between them.
"What are you talking about?"
The stranger raised the Crown Fragment.
"Ask him who I was."
Kwaku turned toward their father.
"Who is he?"
Their father remained silent.
The stranger answered for him.
"I was the fourth child of the First King."
Silence filled the temple.
Kwesi lowered his sword slightly.
"Fourth child?"
The stranger nodded.
"I was there when the kingdom burned."
Adwoa's eyes widened.
"I remember you."
The stranger smiled.
"My name is Kojo."
Their father closed his eyes.
"Kojo…"
The temple suddenly shook violently.
A crack opened beneath the altar.
Golden light burst from the ground.
Kojo looked down.
"It has begun."
Kwaku stepped backward.
"What has begun?"
Kojo looked at the three of them.
"The awakening."
The golden statues around the chamber suddenly opened their eyes.
Adwoa's three circles blazed brightly.
Kwaku's crimson energy erupted.
Kwesi's golden energy surrounded his body.
Then a voice echoed throughout the temple.
"Two Suns."
The walls shook.
"Three Bloodlines."
The golden light grew stronger.
"One Crown."
Kojo raised the Crown Fragment.
"Now the blood remembers."
A massive roar came from beneath the temple.
The ground split apart.
Something ancient began rising from the darkness.
Their father stared into the opening.
His face went pale.
"No…"
Kwaku looked at him.
"What is it?"
Their father whispered:
"The Guardian of the Blood Crown."
The creature's enormous golden eyes opened beneath them.
To be continued…Chapter Fourteen – The Blood Crown
The chamber remained silent.
Kwaku slowly looked at his empty palm.
"The fragment…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"It's gone."
Kwesi stepped forward, sword raised.
"Where did he go?"
Their father stared into the darkness where the stranger had disappeared.
"He didn't take it."
Kwaku turned toward him.
"Then what happened?"
Their father hesitated.
"The Crown Fragment chose him."
Adwoa frowned.
"Why?"
Their father looked at her.
"Because the Blood Crown recognizes blood."
Kwaku's eyes narrowed.
"What blood?"
Before their father could answer, Nana Kofi struck his golden staff against the ground.
The sound echoed through the chamber.
"You still intend to hide everything from them?"
Their father turned sharply.
"You know nothing about what happened."
Nana Kofi laughed.
"I know more than you think."
Kwesi stepped between them.
"Enough."
He pointed his sword toward Nana Kofi.
"We want answers."
Nana Kofi looked at the twins.
"Then you must first understand what your father has been hiding."
Their father shook his head.
"Don't."
Kwaku looked at him.
"No more secrets."
Their father lowered his eyes.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he finally spoke.
"The Blood Crown was created before Bonoman existed."
Kwaku listened carefully.
"It belonged to the First King."
Adwoa's eyes widened.
"Akwasi."
Their father nodded.
"Akwasi was not always the First Blood."
"What happened to him?" Kwaku asked.
Their father looked toward the ancient throne.
"He sacrificed his own life to protect the crown."
Kwesi frowned.
"From whom?"
Nana Kofi answered.
"The Second Kingdom."
Everyone turned toward him.
Nana Kofi continued.
"They wanted the power contained within the crown."
"What power?" Adwoa asked.
Nana Kofi looked at her.
"The power to awaken all three Bloodlines."
Adwoa looked down at the glowing circles on her skin.
"The Two Suns…"
"The First Blood," Nana Kofi said.
"The Third Blood," their father continued.
"And the Blood Crown," Nana Kofi finished.
Kwaku's expression hardened.
"So the crown connects all of us?"
Their father nodded.
"But it can also destroy us."
Suddenly, a deep sound echoed beneath their feet.
Boom.
Everyone froze.
Boom.
The floor trembled.
Adwoa placed her hand over her chest.
Her heartbeat was becoming faster.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Her three circles suddenly began glowing.
"It's calling me."
Their father immediately grabbed her arm.
"We have to leave."
Adwoa pulled away.
"No."
"Adwoa."
"I've spent my whole life being told nothing."
She looked at him.
"If this place knows who I am, I'm going to find out."
Kwaku stepped beside her.
"She's right."
Kwesi raised his sword.
"We came here for answers."
Their father looked at the three of them.
Then he slowly nodded.
"Then stay close to me."
They moved deeper into the temple.
The passage opened into an enormous chamber.
Hundreds of golden statues stood on both sides.
Each statue had two suns carved into its forehead.
At the center was a massive stone altar.
But there was something else.
A golden crown floated above it.
Kwaku stopped.
"The Blood Crown."
Their father shook his head.
"No."
Kwaku looked at him.
"What?"
"That is only its shadow."
The crown suddenly disappeared.
A figure stepped out from behind the altar.
The black-cloaked stranger.
He held the Crown Fragment in one hand.
Kwaku immediately released a wave of crimson energy.
"You!"
The stranger smiled.
"You came exactly where I knew you would."
Kwesi raised his sword.
"Give us the fragment."
The stranger looked at him.
"You still don't understand."
"Understand what?"
The stranger slowly lifted the fragment.
"The crown doesn't belong to me."
The temple shook.
"It belongs to the blood."
Adwoa stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The stranger turned toward her.
For the first time, his smile disappeared.
"You really don't remember."
Adwoa stared at him.
Something moved inside her memory.
A little girl.
A golden tree.
Two boys standing beside her.
And a young man holding her hand.
She gasped.
"You…"
The stranger's eyes softened.
"You remember."
Their father suddenly stepped in front of her.
"Stay away from her."
The stranger looked at him.
"You lied to her for years."
"I protected her."
"You erased her."
"I had no choice."
Adwoa looked between them.
"What are you talking about?"
The stranger raised the Crown Fragment.
"Ask him who I was."
Kwaku turned toward their father.
"Who is he?"
Their father remained silent.
The stranger answered for him.
"I was the fourth child of the First King."
Silence filled the temple.
Kwesi lowered his sword slightly.
"Fourth child?"
The stranger nodded.
"I was there when the kingdom burned."
Adwoa's eyes widened.
"I remember you."
The stranger smiled.
"My name is Kojo."
Their father closed his eyes.
"Kojo…"
The temple suddenly shook violently.
A crack opened beneath the altar.
Golden light burst from the ground.
Kojo looked down.
"It has begun."
Kwaku stepped backward.
"What has begun?"
Kojo looked at the three of them.
"The awakening."
The golden statues around the chamber suddenly opened their eyes.
Adwoa's three circles blazed brightly.
Kwaku's crimson energy erupted.
Kwesi's golden energy surrounded his body.
Then a voice echoed throughout the temple.
"Two Suns."
The walls shook.
"Three Bloodlines."
The golden light grew stronger.
"One Crown."
Kojo raised the Crown Fragment.
"Now the blood remembers."
A massive roar came from beneath the temple.
The ground split apart.
Something ancient began rising from the darkness.
Their father stared into the opening.
His face went pale.
"No…"
Kwaku looked at him.
"What is it?"
Their father whispered:
"The Guardian of the Blood Crown."
The creature's enormous golden eyes opened beneath them.
To be continued…