"Elias."
The voice drifted through the endless void like a whisper dragged across an old scar.
Soft.
Almost gentle.
And somehow—
that made it far more terrifying.
Ethan felt Elias freeze beside him instantly.
Not physically.
Completely.
The blue light surrounding him flickered violently before dimming unevenly, as though something inside him had forgotten how to breathe. The darkness reacted immediately. Shadows thickened. The air grew heavier. The endless void seemed to lean closer, listening.
Ethan's pulse hammered painfully inside his chest.
Slowly, he turned toward Elias.
For the first time since meeting him—
he looked afraid.
Not cautious.
Not worried.
Afraid.
Real fear.
The kind that came from recognition.
"…you know it," Ethan whispered.
Elias didn't answer.
But his silence spoke louder than any confession.
Far beyond the shared consciousness, another crack spread across the sealed sky.
The sound echoed through the sanctuary like glass breaking beneath deep water.
Every survivor heard it.
Every Watchman looked up.
The fracture stretched slowly through the blue barrier overhead while a faint red glow pulsed beneath its surface like veins hidden beneath skin.
A younger Watchman swallowed hard.
"That shouldn't be happening…"
The older Watchman never looked away from the sky.
His expression darkened.
"…something is weakening the seal from inside."
Silence followed.
Not because nobody had a response.
Because nobody wanted to hear the answer.
Nearby, Eli remained standing through sheer determination. His injured body shook occasionally when pain surged through his side, but he refused to sit down.
Not yet.
Not while Ethan was still struggling.
Not while Sam was hurt.
Sam still held tightly onto Ethan's sleeve.
His fingers trembled.
His face had grown pale.
The blood beneath his bandages continued spreading slowly despite his efforts to hide it.
"…Ethan," he whispered quietly.
No answer came.
Only another unstable pulse of blue-red light beneath Ethan's skin.
Inside the darkness, the figure took another step forward.
The sound echoed endlessly.
One step.
Then another.
Slow.
Measured.
Patient.
Like it already knew nobody could stop it.
The shadows around its body shifted and peeled away slightly, revealing more of its silhouette.
And Ethan's stomach tightened immediately.
Because it looked familiar.
Too familiar.
A shoulder.
A posture.
The tilt of a head.
Pieces of someone he recognized.
His throat suddenly felt dry.
"…who are you?"
The figure didn't answer immediately.
Instead, it tilted its head slightly.
The movement was subtle.
But Ethan felt cold race down his spine.
Because it looked like Elias.
Not exactly.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough to make his chest tighten.
Enough to make Elias immediately step in front of him.
"Stop looking at it."
His voice cracked.
Actually cracked.
The sound startled Ethan more than the figure itself.
Elias never sounded weak.
Yet now his fading blue frame trembled visibly. Tiny fragments of light drifted from his body like pieces of a dying star being carried away by the darkness.
"…why are you scared?" Ethan asked quietly.
For a moment, Elias closed his eyes.
Pain crossed his face.
Not physical pain.
Something older.
Deeper.
Then finally—
he spoke.
"…because it shouldn't exist anymore."
The words settled heavily between them.
Outside, the sanctuary groaned softly.
Dust fell from fractured ceilings.
Weak seal markings flickered along damaged walls.
Healers hurried wounded survivors deeper into the structure while Watchmen reinforced barriers with glowing chains of blue light.
Nobody spoke above a whisper anymore.
Even footsteps sounded careful.
As though the sanctuary itself feared attracting attention.
Sam finally lowered his head against Ethan's shoulder.
Only for a second.
Only because he was exhausted.
His breathing shook unevenly as pain continued spreading through his body.
Eli noticed immediately.
His expression tightened.
"Sam."
Sam forced himself upright again.
"I'm okay."
The lie barely escaped his lips before pain twisted across his face.
His hand immediately pressed against his side.
His breathing stuttered.
And for a brief moment—
he looked frighteningly fragile.
Ethan finally reacted.
His eyes focused again.
"Sam?"
The word sounded rough.
Distant.
But real.
Relief flooded Sam's face so quickly it almost hurt to witness.
His lips trembled.
A weak smile appeared.
"You're back…"
Ethan stared at him for a moment.
Then nodded slowly.
But something remained wrong.
His eyes looked different now.
Unsettled.
Haunted.
Because he could still hear the voice.
Still feel the presence.
Still see those eyes waiting in the darkness.
Inside the void, the figure stopped moving.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then softly—
it spoke again.
> "You left me alone."
The words struck like a blade.
Not Ethan.
Elias.
Ethan felt it immediately.
Elias's shoulders dropped slightly.
His breathing stopped.
The blue light around him dimmed.
And for the first time since Ethan met him—
he looked small.
Not powerful.
Not ancient.
Not the guardian who fought the Eye.
Just…
hurt.
Like someone standing before a memory they had spent years trying to bury.
A memory that had finally found its way back.
"…Elias…" Ethan whispered.
But Elias slowly shook his head.
His voice barely existed now.
"…don't listen to him."
Another step echoed through the darkness.
Closer.
The void trembled.
The shadows surrounding the figure began to twist unnaturally.
Stretching.
Growing.
Taking shape.
Long fingers emerged first.
Then another hand.
Then another.
Dozens of shadowy hands slowly unfolded from the darkness behind it like branches growing from a dead tree.
Waiting.
Reaching.
And somewhere within the endless black—
something smiled.