The world reeked of dust and splintered wood.
Morning light spilled across the clearing where Pine's cabin had once stood. Now, only ruins remained—shattered beams, crushed walls, and the ghost of a home scattered across the grass like bones.
Volow sat in the wreckage, knees drawn to his chest, Suki curled tightly against his leg. His throat still ached from the stranger's grip.
Pine stood a few paces away, silent, unmoving. He hadn't spoken since dawn. Hadn't touched his cane. Just stared at the forest's edge, where the man had vanished into the trees.
Volow couldn't take the silence anymore.
"Old man," he said, voice hoarse. "What did he mean? 'The tunnels are awake'? Why did he come for me? What's happening?"
Pine didn't answer.
He brushed dust from his coat, exhaled slowly, and said, "Volow… it's time you knew what lives beneath our feet."
Volow blinked. "What?"
"There are worlds below ours," Pine said. "Three of them. Real ones."
Volow burst out laughing. "Old man, are you sure you didn't hit your head last night?"
He leaned in, grinning. "Just say 'I'm concussed.' It's okay."
But Pine didn't smile. Didn't even blink.
And that silence—unnatural, weighty—made Volow's laughter die in his throat.
Pine tapped his cane once against the broken earth. The sound echoed like a warning.
"We are Crustfolk," he said. "Surface dwellers. Soft. Slow. Breakable."
He turned toward Volow, eyes sharp.
"Beneath us lies the Mantle District. Endless caverns. Stone cities. Civilizations shaped by heat, darkness, and pressure."
Volow raised an eyebrow. "So… like super-strong cave dudes?"
"Try seventy times stronger than any Crustfolk," Pine replied. "They crush stone with their hands. Leap and crack the ground. Their bodies survive heat that would melt us in seconds."
"Seventy?!" Volow's eyes widened. "Not seven? Not seventeen? You added a zero just to scare me, didn't you?"
Pine ignored him.
"Deeper still is Netherheart. Their warriors manipulate pressure, gravity, and force like muscles. They're faster than falling rocks. Their skin can endure magma winds."
Volow's throat tightened. "Magma… winds?"
"Yes. The deeper you go, the harsher it gets. Heat. Pressure. Crushing force. A Crustfolk wouldn't last minutes. Your bones wouldn't break—they'd fold."
Volow swallowed hard. "And the guy from yesterday?"
Pine's jaw clenched. "He was Netherheart."
Volow's stomach dropped. "That monster was only middle level?!"
"Barely middle."
Volow nearly choked.
Pine's voice dropped lower.
"The third layer… the deepest… is Solum. Their bloodlines are ancient. Their rulers are the strongest beings beneath the earth. They command pressure like we breathe air. A single step from a Solum elite can flatten caverns."
Volow stared. "And we can't even go down there?"
"We'd die before reaching the entrance," Pine said. "The heat. The gravity. The atmosphere. It's not made for us."
Volow exhaled. "So each layer has a king?"
"More than kings," Pine said. "Each level has a ruler powerful enough to command the entire district."
Volow's eyes narrowed. "So who rules Solum?"
Pine paused—not for drama, not for mystery, but because the truth hurt to say.
"That," he said quietly, "is someone whose shadow alone could crush you. Someone tied to everything that's happening. Someone you will face—whether you want to or not."
A chill ran down Volow's spine.
"They're coming for you," Pine said. "Because something in Solum woke up. Someone important. Someone dangerous."
Volow frowned. "But why me? I haven't done anything."
"You were born," Pine said softly.
Volow's heart skipped.
"What does that even mean—?"
Suki jolted upright.
Its fur bristled. Its body trembled.
It stared at the ground.
Volow froze. "Pine… why is the dirt moving?"
The soil pulsed beneath them—a slow, thunderous thud, like a heartbeat buried deep in the earth.
Cracks split the clearing.
"Behind me," Pine ordered.
Volow grabbed Suki and stumbled back.
The ground bulged. Rose. Arched.
Then exploded.
A shaft tore open in the earth, wide and circular. Dust spiraled into the air. The tunnel was smooth, carved, unnatural. Its walls shimmered with faint ember-like markings.
Volow's skin prickled.
Symbols. The same ones etched into Pine's cane. The same ones glowing on the shard he carried.
"Someone's coming," Volow whispered.
Pine's grip tightened.
"No," he said. "Someone's already here."
A soft tapping echoed from the tunnel—light, rhythmic, almost melodic.
A silhouette emerged. Small. Thin. Moving with impossible grace.
Volow squinted.
A girl. Younger than him. Dressed in layered dark cloth, her hair braided with metal rings that caught the emberlight. Her eyes glowed orange.
She climbed out effortlessly. Landed without a sound.
And looked straight at Volow.
Not at Pine. Not at the ruins.
At him.
Her expression was unreadable—sad, curious… afraid?
"You're late," she said.
Volow blinked. "Late for what?"
She stepped closer, ignoring Pine.
"Late for your awakening."
Volow stiffened. "What awakening? I don't even know you."
She studied him. Then whispered, "You don't know me. But I know you, Volow Arikson."
His heart pounded.
"Everyone keeps saying that! Why?! Who am I to you people?!"
She swallowed. "You're the one they've been searching for. The one the Solum fears. The one your father warned them about."
Volow staggered back.
His father. A name he couldn't reach. A shadow he couldn't remember.
"What about my father?" he demanded. "What did he warn them about?"
The girl took a breath.
"Your existence."
Pine stepped forward, voice sharp. "That's enough."
The girl flinched, as if his words struck her.
"You shouldn't be here," Pine growled.
"And you," she said softly, "can't stop what's already coming."
She turned back to Volow.
"Before the Solum arrives… before the next hunter breaks the surface… I came to warn you."
Volow clenched his fists. "Warn me about what?"
She hesitated.
"They're not coming to capture you anymore," she said. "They're coming to kill you."
Volow's breath caught. "But… why?!"
"Because yesterday… when that man touched you—he cracked the seal around your name."
Volow's stomach twisted. "What seal?"
She leaned in, voice barely a breath. "The one hiding who you really are."
Silence.
Volow swallowed. "And who is that?"
Her answer was a whisper that seemed to darken the air.
"The heir of two worlds. The child the Solum fears most."
She looked at him, eyes trembling.
"The one destined to bring down their king."
Dust fell from above.
A rumble shook the tunnel.
Her face twisted in fear.
"They're coming," she whispered. "They felt me open the tunnel."
Pine stepped in front of Volow, his cane glowing faintly.
"Volow," he said. "Take Suki. Back away. Now."
Volow obeyed, heart racing.
The girl turned toward the tunnel.
"We're out of time."
A voice echoed from below. Deep. Cruel. Close.
"Found you."
Volow froze.
The girl's hand snapped toward him, glowing.
"Volow Arikson—run."
The tunnel roared.