Every bell in the underground city began ringing at once.
The sound exploded across the cavern like a tidal wave of metal and thunder. Countless voices of bronze and iron merged together into a single deafening roar that shook the ancient city from its foundations. Towers trembled. Bridges vibrated. Lantern flames flickered wildly as the endless ringing surged through streets that had remained silent for ages.
For a brief moment, nobody could hear anything else.
The bells consumed everything.
The screams.
The footsteps.
The distant chaos.
All of it disappeared beneath the overwhelming resonance.
Kael felt his vision blur.
The mark beneath his glove burned.
Not painfully.
Not violently.
But with unmistakable intensity.
It felt alive.
The sensation spread through his arm like liquid fire while fragments of unfamiliar memories flashed through his mind.
He saw an endless plain covered in black stone.
He saw colossal bells hanging from chains that stretched into the heavens.
He saw countless figures kneeling beneath a dark sky.
And at the center of it all stood a throne.
Ancient.
Impossible.
Waiting.
The vision vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Reality returned.
The underground city remained before him.
Only now it was no longer still.
Panic had erupted everywhere.
The silent citizens who had spent hours standing motionless throughout the city were running. Entire streets had transformed into rivers of fleeing people. Bridges became crowded. Lantern-lit plazas filled with terrified figures pushing desperately toward safer districts.
Whatever calm had existed before was gone.
Fear ruled the city now.
And that terrified Kael more than anything else.
Because these people had lived here for centuries.
Maybe longer.
If they were afraid—
Then they had a reason.
A very good reason.
Aren stared at the chaos unfolding below.
Then slowly lowered his head.
"I would like to formally announce that I hate everything."
Nobody disagreed.
The boy pointed toward the city.
"We had mysterious bells."
A pause.
"That was bad."
Then toward the fleeing crowds.
"Now we have ancient civilizations running for their lives."
Another pause.
"That's worse."
Selene rubbed her forehead.
"You're surprisingly observant today."
Aren looked offended.
"I'm always observant."
"No."
"I am."
"No."
The argument died almost immediately.
Nobody had the energy for it.
The colossal shape moving through the darkness had everyone's attention.
It remained partially concealed beyond distant districts where the lantern light failed to reach. Yet each movement sent vibrations through the cavern.
One step.
Then another.
The thing was enormous.
Far larger than any creature Kael had ever seen.
Far larger than the titan-class monsters described in military records.
Entire buildings seemed insignificant beside its silhouette.
And the worst part—
Nobody could see what it actually was.
Only its outline.
Only its shadow.
Only enough to understand that something impossibly large was approaching.
General Caelan's expression had become grim.
The military commander stood at the edge of the observation platform studying the distant figure while officers relayed increasingly chaotic reports through communication crystals.
"The eastern district has been abandoned."
"The southern bridges are overcrowded."
"Civilians are evacuating toward the upper sectors."
"Unknown entities confirmed near the lower tunnels."
Each report made the atmosphere heavier.
Each report confirmed the same truth.
Something had gone wrong.
Terribly wrong.
Theron remained silent throughout it all.
The old caretaker stood motionless beside the platform's edge while the city descended into panic around him.
For the first time since meeting him, he looked helpless.
Not weak.
Helpless.
Like a man watching a disaster he had spent centuries trying to prevent.
Kael found himself staring at the old man.
Something didn't fit.
Theron had known too much.
He knew about the Sleeper.
He knew about the Dreamers.
He knew about the city.
And somehow—
He seemed to know about the mark.
The realization lingered in Kael's mind.
Then another tremor shook the cavern.
This one was stronger.
Several distant towers groaned.
Stone cracked somewhere below.
The bells continued ringing.
Louder.
Faster.
More urgently.
The sound no longer resembled celebration.
It sounded like a warning.
The same realization appeared to strike several scholars simultaneously.
One elderly researcher stepped forward.
His face had become pale.
"The bells..."
Theron slowly turned toward him.
The old scholar swallowed.
"They aren't calling people."
Silence followed.
Then understanding appeared in Theron's eyes.
The old man closed his eyes.
For several moments, he remained silent.
Then nodded.
"No."
A chill spread across the platform.
The researcher looked toward the city.
His voice trembled.
"They're warning them."
Nobody spoke.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
The bells.
The panic.
The evacuation.
The fear.
The bells weren't summoning people toward danger.
They were telling them to run.
Aren immediately looked unhappy.
The boy pointed toward the city.
"You know what?"
Nobody asked.
"If the ancient civilization that has survived for thousands of years starts running..."
He paused.
"...I think we should consider running too."
Several soldiers quietly agreed.
Unfortunately, that wasn't an option.
General Caelan remained focused on the distant silhouette.
The military commander had reached the same conclusion as everyone else.
The expedition could no longer leave.
Not now.
Not after discovering the city.
Not after learning about the Sleeper.
And certainly not after whatever was currently emerging from the darkness.
A communication crystal suddenly crackled to life.
Static erupted through the air.
Then came shouting.
The voice sounded terrified.
"Commander!"
General Caelan immediately grabbed the crystal.
"Report."
The response came instantly.
"They've reached the lower districts."
A pause.
Heavy breathing followed.
Then:
"There are thousands of them."
The platform fell silent.
General Caelan's expression darkened.
"The Dreamers?"
"Yes, Commander."
Another pause.
The soldier sounded shaken.
Very shaken.
"We engaged several."
Silence.
Then General Caelan asked the question everyone feared.
"Results?"
The answer arrived immediately.
"We don't know."
Nobody understood.
The commander frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The soldier hesitated.
Then answered.
"We killed them."
A brief pause followed.
Then:
"They kept walking."
The words settled over the platform like ice.
Several people visibly stiffened.
Others exchanged nervous glances.
Aren looked horrified.
"That's illegal."
Nobody corrected him.
Because honestly, it felt illegal.
The crystal crackled again.
The soldier's breathing sounded uneven.
"Commander..."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"They're smiling."
The same word.
Again.
Always smiling.
The journal.
The patrols.
The disappearances.
Everything seemed connected to that smile.
The connection ended moments later.
Static consumed the crystal.
Then silence returned.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The bells continued ringing.
The city continued fleeing.
And somewhere within the chaos—
The Dreamers were coming.
Kael's gaze drifted toward the darkness below.
The mark beneath his glove had not stopped pulsing.
If anything, the sensation was growing stronger.
A strange certainty settled over him.
The city wasn't the destination.
Neither was the temple.
Neither was the Sleeper.
Something else waited below.
Something deeper.
The feeling disturbed him.
Because the mark seemed to recognize it.
And the mark had never recognized anything good.
Theron suddenly spoke.
The old man's voice sounded quieter than before.
Almost lost beneath the ringing bells.
"The first time was worse."
Everyone turned toward him.
The caretaker stared toward the distant darkness.
His expression had become distant.
Haunted.
As though remembering something ancient.
Something terrible.
"The first awakening destroyed kingdoms."
Silence followed.
Several scholars froze.
General Caelan narrowed his eyes.
"What awakening?"
Theron looked toward him.
Then toward the city.
Then downward.
Toward the unseen depths hidden beneath everything.
"The Sleeper turned in its dreams."
A chill passed through the platform.
The old man's voice remained calm.
Yet every word felt heavy.
"The mountains split."
A pause.
"The seas changed."
Another.
"Civilizations vanished."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody interrupted.
The caretaker continued.
"And that was only a dream."
The silence that followed felt endless.
Because suddenly nobody wanted to imagine what would happen if the Sleeper ever truly woke.
The bells rang again.
The cavern trembled.
And far below, hidden beyond countless streets and ancient districts, the colossal silhouette finally stepped into the light.
The entire city froze.
The fleeing crowds stopped.
The soldiers on the platform stared.
The scholars forgot how to breathe.
Even General Caelan remained silent.
The thing emerging from the darkness was not a beast.
Not exactly.
It possessed a humanoid shape.
Two arms.
Two legs.
A head.
Yet it stood taller than the surrounding towers.
Its body appeared carved from black stone and covered in countless cracks filled with pale golden light. Ancient symbols glowed across its surface while enormous chains hung from its limbs like remnants of forgotten restraints.
The giant moved slowly.
Deliberately.
Like something awakening after an eternity of sleep.
Then it raised its head.
And every bell in the underground city fell silent.
Absolute silence descended upon the cavern.
The giant's eyes opened.
Golden light erupted from them.
A moment later—
Every citizen in the underground city dropped to their knees.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands.
Entire districts knelt simultaneously.
The sight was terrifying.
Not because they were forced.
Because they did it willingly.
Theron slowly lowered his head.
The old caretaker's voice became little more than a whisper.
"The Warden."
Nobody understood.
Nobody had time to.
Because the colossal figure had already noticed them.
Its golden eyes rose toward the observation platform.
Toward the expedition.
Toward Kael.
And for the first time since arriving in the hidden city beneath the world—
Something ancient looked back.