Facing the newly born wyverns, Kael felt a surge of satisfaction wash over him like warm honey.
Though these creatures hadn't inherited the legendary wisdom of true dragons, and their magical power and physical capabilities fell far short of their ancient ancestors, they remained dragonkind nonetheless. Their potential shouldn't be underestimated.
More importantly, every part of a wyvern's body possessed tremendous magical value, making them living treasure troves of alchemical components.
For these precious specimens, Kael planned to establish a comprehensive dragon breeding facility hidden deep within the Misty Mountains behind Isengard. Each wyvern would be raised in carefully selected territories throughout the mountain range, ensuring optimal growth conditions while maintaining security.
This ambitious project required his personal attention. Kael ventured deep into the treacherous peaks, wielding magic like a sculptor's chisel to carve out vast territories. He systematically eliminated the scattered orc tribes that had made their homes in shadowy caves and hidden valleys, their crude weapons no match for his evolved magical arsenal.
Around the sprawling dragon farm, he wove layer upon layer of protective enchantments, each spell more complex than the last. The magical barriers hummed with power, creating an invisible fortress that would keep intruders out and his precious dragons safely contained.
Using the Ring of Power's reality-bending abilities, Kael accomplished what should have been impossible. He literally erased the breeding facility from existence, making hundreds of square miles of mountain territory completely invisible to outside observation.
This monumental undertaking consumed a full half month of continuous effort, draining his magical reserves so completely that he felt like a wrung-out cloth. The golden cup's restorative powers became essential, its healing essence flowing through him like liquid starlight to restore his depleted strength.
But the results spoke for themselves. The dragon farm had effectively vanished from Middle-earth's map, becoming a pocket dimension hidden in plain sight. Anyone looking from outside would see nothing but ordinary mountain slopes and rocky peaks, their eyes sliding past the concealed territory without registering the massive blank space.
Travelers approaching the area would find themselves affected by powerful Confundus Charms, their minds automatically redirecting them away from the hidden sanctuary. Even the fire dragons living within the facility couldn't leave its boundaries, contained by invisible barriers that felt like home rather than prison.
Having invested such tremendous effort into establishing this secret dragon farm, Kael naturally wouldn't limit himself to raising just a handful of specimens.
His ambitions expanded rapidly. Kael began systematically collecting various creatures suitable for crossbreeding: massive giant lizards with armor-like scales, enormous pythons that could swallow a horse whole, even prehistoric crocodiles from hidden swamps. Each species offered unique genetic material to blend with dragon essence.
The hidden facility soon buzzed with new life as increasingly diverse wyvern varieties began emerging from their shells. Fire dragons resembling oversized lizards breathed flames hot enough to melt steel. Emerald green dragons wielded poison gas attacks that could fell entire armies. Sleek gray dragons moved with serpentine grace, their elongated bodies perfect for aerial maneuvers. Black dragons bore the crushing jaws and armored hides of their crocodilian ancestors.
Of course, this represented future development. The current hatchlings were merely the first generation of what would eventually become a dragon army.
After establishing the crossbreeding program's foundation, Kael temporarily set aside this long-term project to focus on another crucial task that had been weighing on his mind for months.
With year's end approaching like an inevitable tide, the time for creating the Resurrection Stone had finally arrived.
As the old year prepared to surrender to the new, Third Age 2944 was ending while 2945 waited to make its entrance. The cosmic alignment necessary for this forbidden ritual occurred only once per year, at the precise moment when time itself balanced on a knife's edge.
Kael had lived in Middle-earth for nearly four years now, with the legendary Lonely Mountain expedition already three years in the past. How quickly time flowed when filled with adventure and purpose.
As the witching hour approached, Kael stood atop Orthanc Tower like a dark priest preparing for an unholy ceremony. Magical formations drawn in precious mithril ink spread beneath his feet, their intricate patterns reflecting starlight like captured lightning. Ancient runes of power surrounded him in concentric circles, each symbol pulsing with barely contained energy.
Kael had chosen Orthanc specifically for its amplification properties. The tower had been designed by the ancient Númenóreans as a focus for magical power, and Saruman's centuries of modifications had only enhanced its capabilities.
Around him, carefully arranged supplies waited like surgical instruments. Besides the obsidian bottle containing precious death essence, two enchanted space bags sat ready to provide the sacrificial materials this dark ritual demanded.
At the formation's heart sat a familiar furnace, the same one Kael had used to smelt mithril for his previous magical creations. Tonight it would serve a far darker purpose.
Time crawled forward with agonizing slowness until finally, at the precise moment before the old year gave way to the new, Kael activated the magical formation with a surge of focused will.
Under Orthanc's amplification, the formation's power increased exponentially, becoming something that could reshape reality itself.
Magical energy from heaven and earth responded to the call, converging like rivers flowing toward the sea. The power formed a swirling vortex of raw force that poured continuously into the waiting furnace, making the air itself crackle with potential.
Even moonlight and starlight seemed drawn downward by invisible threads, their celestial radiance flowing into the furnace to fuel the forbidden ritual.
Supernatural flames ignited within the metal vessel, radiating heat so intense that the surrounding air shimmered like liquid glass.
Seeing the magical fires reach the proper intensity, Kael cast dragon blood powder into the furnace with practiced precision.
The flames instantly transformed, turning deep crimson as they absorbed the precious powder. The temperature soared beyond anything natural fire could achieve, and within the supernatural blaze, the flames began manifesting a miniature fire dragon that writhed and danced, breathing tongues of flame with obvious intelligence.
While chanting incantations in the Old Tongue and weaving his wand through complex patterns, Kael opened the obsidian bottle containing the death essence he had risked so much to collect.
The death essence carried winter's chill with it. Pouring the ethereal substance into the furnace dropped the surrounding temperature by several degrees, creating an eerie contrast between scorching flames and bone-deep cold.
The essence appeared as black mist that drifted through the furnace like liquid shadow, constantly scorched by dragon blood flames while maintaining its otherworldly properties. The small fire dragon within the blaze began devouring the death essence with obvious relish, the dark substance condensing into a tiny solid particle within the creature's ethereal body.
"The lives of the sinful, offered in sacrifice, can make the dead live again!" Kael intoned, his voice carrying across dimensions.
With cold determination, he opened the first space bag and poured out seven petrified orcs, their stone forms clattering onto the tower's surface.
Under the orcs' terrified gazes as the petrification wore off, Kael remained as emotionless as death incarnate. Without hesitation, he cast all seven creatures into the hungry furnace, where they burned to ash amid blood-curdling screams that echoed across the night.
After the seventh orc had been reduced to nothing but carbon and memory, time reached exactly midnight. The cosmic balance tipped, officially ushering in the new year.
Having sacrificed seven lives at the moment of transition, a mysterious power from the void stirred to wakefulness. The Unseen Realm, normally existing parallel to the physical world like a reflection in dark water, began manifesting atop Orthanc Tower.
Without needing to prepare a magical circle this time, Kael could see the spectral realm materializing around him like a shimmering mirage. The boundary between life and death grew thin, allowing both worlds to intersect in impossible ways.
Shadowy energy belonging to the Unseen Realm flowed downward like invisible rain, continuously streaming into the furnace to feed the ritual's growing power.
Within the flame dragon's ethereal belly, that black particle smaller than a grain of rice began expanding visibly, transforming into something resembling crystallized obsidian.
"Evil souls lingering in the world, offered in exchange, can resurrect the dead!" Kael continued the ritual, opening the second space bag.
From within emerged thirteen orc spirits, their ghostly forms writhing with malevolent energy. These were Unseen beings he had captured during his dangerous expeditions into the realm of shadows, bound by magical chains that prevented their escape.
He cast the thirteen spirits into the furnace in carefully timed intervals. Each spirit that entered was immediately swallowed by the flame dragon and absorbed into the growing obsidian within its belly.
As each soul merged with the developing stone, the obsidian seemed to become a miniature black hole, drawing spiritual energy from across dimensions and consuming it with insatiable hunger.
For the remaining hours until dawn, Kael maintained the ritual's rhythm. Every hour he sacrificed seven orcs and thirteen spirits from his prepared supplies, alternating between physical and spiritual offerings while regularly adding dragon blood powder to maintain the supernatural flames.
Creating the Resurrection Stone was itself forbidden magic of the darkest kind. The second Peverell brother, driven by desperate love for his deceased beloved, had fallen into complete madness during his attempt. He had directly sacrificed an entire village of innocent people and collected countless spirits to fuel his obsession.
But the final result had been nothing more than a painful, cold soul projection rather than true resurrection. This bitter disappointment had led to the second Peverell's complete emotional collapse and ultimate suicide to join his beloved in death.
Kael naturally refused to follow such a deranged path, using humans for sacrifice. Choosing dark creatures like orcs represented the most ethical compromise possible for such an inherently evil ritual.
To gather sufficient orc subjects, Kael had spent weeks scouring the nearby Misty Mountains, systematically capturing every orc tribe and war band he could locate.
The formation operated continuously throughout the night, providing endless magical energy while the furnace burned with supernatural intensity that never wavered.
Finally, as dawn approached and the first ray of rising sunlight painted Orthanc's peak with golden light, the furnace flames naturally extinguished. The formation's power gradually faded, its purpose fulfilled.
Kael approached the cooling furnace with trembling hands and extracted the finished artifact from within its depths.
The completed Resurrection Stone appeared as a perfectly formed gem of crystallized obsidian, no larger than his thumb but radiating power that made the air itself seem heavier. Its surface was flawlessly smooth except for a jagged crack running through its center, resembling a cat's vertical pupil that seemed to peer into unknown dimensions.
Looking at the legendary Resurrection Stone resting in his palm, Kael's face showed a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. After months of preparation and risk, the moment of truth had finally arrived.
Following the ancient instructions, he turned the stone three times in his hand with deliberate precision.
The next second, a tall, imposing elven spirit materialized before him with startling clarity.
The apparition possessed both dignity and scholarly bearing that commanded immediate respect. He wore an ornate elven circlet that marked his royal status, his dark hair bearing the distinctive characteristics of the Noldor lineage. His appearance was outstanding even by elven standards, with gray-blue eyes that held depths of profound wisdom accumulated over millennia.
The spirit seemed genuinely surprised at finding himself in this location, his ancient eyes taking in the tower's surroundings before focusing on Kael with obvious curiosity.
"Did you summon me here?" the spirit asked, his voice carrying the musical quality typical of the high elves. "Who are you, young wizard?"
Looking at the legendary craftsman before him, Kael performed the traditional Noldor salute with deep respect and spoke in flawless Quenya.
"Master Celebrimbor, I apologize for presumptuously disturbing your eternal rest. I am Kael, and I have summoned you here using the Resurrection Stone."
This was indeed Celebrimbor, the master elven craftsman who had forged the Three Elven Rings and numerous other Rings of Power under Sauron's deceptive guidance.
"Resurrection Stone?" Celebrimbor examined the gem in Kael's hand with obvious fascination. "You actually created this legendary artifact?"
Kael nodded, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the limitation of his achievement. "Though it's called the Resurrection Stone, it can only summon soul projections rather than truly resurrect anyone. It's rather limited in scope; please don't laugh at my efforts!"
As Fëanor's grandson and the master craftsman responsible for creating the Three Elven Rings, Celebrimbor possessed incredibly high standards and legendary skill levels. Yet he immediately recognized the Resurrection Stone's extraordinary nature.
His ethereal hand instinctively moved toward the artifact, but passed harmlessly through both Kael's flesh and the stone itself, reminding him of his current state.
The gesture made Celebrimbor pause as the full realization of his death washed over him. Various thoughts and memories flickered across his features before he regained his composure, focusing once again on the remarkable stone.
Looking directly at the Resurrection Stone, he shook his head firmly at Kael's modest assessment.
"Kael, is it? You're being far too humble about this incredible achievement! To summon the dead, even if only as soul projections, represents an extraordinary accomplishment that borders on the divine!"
His voice carried growing excitement. "This touches upon the fundamental laws governing souls themselves. Besides Mandos, Lord of the Dead, I cannot think of anyone else who possesses such capabilities!"
Then Celebrimbor's expression shifted to one of meaningful understanding as he smiled at Kael. "Though it cannot truly resurrect the dead, it can summon those like myself who died long ago, obtaining secrets buried in history or recovering techniques lost to time. I believe this represents its greatest possible value."
"So, Wizard Kael, what knowledge do you seek in summoning me to this realm?"
Kael was about to explain his purpose when suddenly the entire world seemed to freeze in place. Wind stopped moving completely, clouds hung motionless in the sky like painted decorations, and even Celebrimbor before him maintained a perfectly frozen expression as if trapped in crystal.
Kael felt startled by this sudden, impossible change. He discovered that while his consciousness remained active and aware, his body had become completely immobilized, as if it no longer belonged to him.
Just then, an invisible presence descended from realms beyond mortal understanding. The will that touched this reality was sacred, magnificent, and utterly overwhelming in its cosmic authority.
Kael felt his very soul trembling like a leaf in a hurricane, as if he had suddenly encountered the true master of all souls. The presence was so fundamentally powerful that his consciousness was involuntarily overwhelmed by its majesty.
That magnificent, terrible will focused its attention first on the Resurrection Stone, examining Kael's creation with interest that felt like the weight of eternity. Then that cosmic gaze fell upon Kael himself, and he knew his fate hung in the balance.