The ground trembled again.
Not from explosions.
Not from demons.
From below.
A deep vibration pulsed through the courtyard stone, shaking the battlefield. Students stumbled. Instructors steadied themselves. Creatures shrieked and backed away instinctively, sensing something far more dangerous awakening beneath them.
Kane's expression darkened.
"That wasn't you."
Aren swallowed hard.
"I know."
Because this time, the pulse wasn't pulling at his mind.
It was warning him.
Or… calling him.
A violet crack formed across the courtyard floor — thin, glowing faintly, barely visible.
But Aren felt it like a scream.
Kane grabbed Aren's shoulder.
"We need to retreat to the inner barrier. Now."
A higher-ranking instructor rushed over, breathless.
"Kane! The underground mana sensors just spiked four times — FOUR! The system is reading it as a potential Catastrophe-level breach!"
Kane cursed.
"That's impossible. Catastrophe spikes only come from—"
He stopped.
His eyes drifted slowly to the crack beneath Aren's feet.
"…Ancient-tier entities."
The instructor paled.
Aren's stomach twisted.
He didn't want this.
He didn't ask for any of it.
But he could feel it—
A massive presence pushing upward, testing the foundations, testing the chains—
Testing him.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
A deafening roar split the air.
Not human.
Not demon.
Something deeper.
Older.
Raw.
The courtyard shook violently, sending debris flying. Students screamed. Barriers flickered. A massive piece of stone cracked apart near Aren's boots.
Mutated Nightwatch creatures scattered and screeched, retreating toward shadows.
They weren't attacking anymore.
They were fleeing.
Kane's eyes widened.
"…They're terrified."
A violent shudder ripped through the ground, nearly knocking everyone over.
The crack widened—
just a little—
but enough for a faint purple glow to seep through like liquid light.
Aren's vision flickered.
His heartbeat synced with the vibrations.
BA-DUM.
BA-DUM.
BA-DUM.
The dragon's voice slithered up through the stone:
"At last…
another chain breaks."
Aren staggered backward.
"No… stop… don't come closer…"
Kane caught him before he fell.
"Aren! Stay with me!"
But Aren barely heard him.
Because the void inside him surged uncontrollably, responding to the dragon's roar.
His vision blurred—
his arms glowed—
the violet markings pulsed like burning brands—
A deeper pulse erupted beneath the courtyard.
CRA—AAAAACK!
A sound like a thousand bones snapping at once echoed upward.
A chain snapped.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
Something ancient broke free beneath the Academy grounds.
A vortex of violet mana exploded from the crack, spiraling upward like a small cyclone.
Students screamed.
Instructors shielded them.
Kane threw up a barrier, teeth gritted.
But Aren—
Aren was pulled forward.
The void inside him responded.
It reached for the vortex.
Like magnet to metal.
Like hunger to prey.
Aren fought it — but it dragged him one step.
Then another.
Then another.
"Aren, STOP!" Kane roared.
Aren planted his heels, trembling.
"I'm… trying…"
But the void wasn't listening.
The vortex swelled — growing, shaking the courtyard.
Then it whispered to him:
"Heir… you heard the warning…
but you still resist."
Aren's breath caught.
It wasn't the dragon.
It wasn't the Herald.
It was a third voice.
Higher.
Clearer.
Sharper.
A feminine tone — ancient, cold, and echoing through layers of space.
Kane froze.
Aren froze.
Everyone froze.
Even the mutated creatures collapsed in terror.
The voice continued:
"The king stirs.
The city weakens.
And you… Void-bearer… are being twisted by his hunger."
Aren's pulse raced.
"Who are you?"
The vortex flared.
"A prisoner.
A watcher.
A rival of the king chained far below."
A second entity.
Another ancient being.
And it wasn't speaking like the dragon.
It wasn't calling him an heir.
It wasn't demanding he come closer.
It was warning him.
"Do not free him.
If the king rises… humanity falls."
The dragon's roar boomed from the deep, shattering the ground beneath their feet.
The entire courtyard buckled.
Kane shoved Aren behind him, aura blazing.
"GET STUDENTS OUT OF HERE! MOVE!"
Instructors scrambled, herding panicked students away as debris rained from broken walls.
Aren stared at the crack — glowing brighter, widening, pulsing violently.
The dragon roared again.
The rival entity's whisper cut through the noise:
"You must choose, Void-bearer.
His heir… or my shield."
Aren clenched his fists painfully tight.
He didn't want either choice.
He didn't know enough to choose.
But the courtyard cracked again—
BOOOOOM!
A massive chunk of stone collapsed into the glowing void beneath.
Aren staggered.
Kane pulled him back.
"Move, Aren! The ground is collapsing!"
But Aren didn't move.
Not yet.
The rival voice spoke one last time:
"Choose.
Before the king breaks the final chain."
The vortex snapped shut.
The crack dimmed.
Silence hit the courtyard.
Then distant alarms blared—
"EMERGENCY! Under-city mana barrier collapsing! Evacuation mandatory!"
Aren's breathing shook.
Kane grabbed his shoulder tightly.
"Aren. Look at me."
Aren did.
Kane's voice softened, barely above a whisper.
"…What did you hear this time?"
Aren stared at the broken ground.
"A warning."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Deep beneath the Academy, the chained dragon lifted its head through dust and darkness.
A second chain shattered.
Only one remained.
Its eyes burned with anticipation.
"Soon…
my heir."