The underground city trembled beneath the weight of an ancient reunion.
The creature rising from the abyss stared upward with the darkness of its faceless head focused entirely on the First Son. Around it, countless fragments of shattered stone drifted through the air. Entire districts had already collapsed into the depths below, while the remaining structures groaned beneath impossible pressure.
The city was dying.
Nobody doubted that anymore.
The prison was failing.
The seals were breaking.
And two beings older than history were looking at one another once again.
"Brother."
The creature's voice continued echoing through the cavern.
Every syllable seemed to distort reality itself.
Buildings cracked.
The air trembled.
Several Dreamers collapsed instantly.
The First Son remained motionless.
Then he laughed.
The sound was soft.
Almost nostalgic.
"Still using that title?"
The faceless giant remained silent.
The darkness where its face should have been shifted slowly.
Like a void attempting to smile.
The sight unsettled everyone.
Kael felt the mark burn hotter.
The symbol pulsed beneath his skin like a second heart.
Something was happening.
Something important.
The mark was reacting to both beings.
The realization made his stomach tighten.
The giant continued rising.
More of its body emerged from the abyss.
Dark scales reflected the golden light of the city while ancient symbols flowed beneath them like rivers of molten fire.
Every movement shattered more of the prison.
Every breath shook the underground world.
And somehow—
It still didn't seem fully free.
The First Son noticed.
His smile faded slightly.
"You're larger than before."
The giant answered immediately.
"You left me alone."
The city fell silent.
The words sounded simple.
Yet something about them felt deeply wrong.
Not hatred.
Not rage.
Resentment.
The kind of resentment that required countless years to form.
The First Son sighed.
"A few thousand years."
The giant's response came instantly.
"A few thousand years."
The darkness around its head twisted.
The prison groaned.
Reality itself seemed uncomfortable hearing those words.
The First Son looked upward.
Then toward the city.
Then back toward the giant.
"You broke the Lock."
The giant remained silent.
Then:
"You abandoned me."
The city shook.
The First Son's expression hardened.
For the first time since emerging from the tower, genuine emotion appeared.
Not amusement.
Not curiosity.
Anger.
The temperature throughout the cavern seemed to drop instantly.
Golden light flickered.
The Dreamers became still.
Even the Warden paused.
The First Son slowly stepped forward.
One step.
Reality cracked.
Another.
The underground city groaned.
His golden eyes remained fixed upon the faceless giant.
"No."
The single word echoed across the cavern.
The giant froze.
The First Son continued walking.
The pressure filling the city increased dramatically.
The citizens cried out.
The scholars staggered.
Several soldiers fell to one knee.
The First Son stopped.
Then spoke.
"I saved you."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The giant remained motionless.
The darkness where its face should have been shifted again.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
The First Son's gaze never wavered.
"You wanted the Door opened."
A chill swept through the observation platform.
Kael froze.
The Door.
The same Door he had seen in the visions.
The Door behind the Sleeper's throne.
The ancient seal.
The final prison.
Everything connected instantly.
The giant answered.
"I still do."
The city trembled.
The Warden moved.
The colossal guardian stepped forward.
Golden light erupted from its damaged body.
Ancient chains illuminated.
The prison answered.
Millions of symbols throughout the underground metropolis ignited simultaneously.
The city itself was preparing for war.
The First Son ignored it.
His attention never left the giant.
"The Door remains closed."
The giant laughed.
The sound resembled mountains collapsing.
"Not for long."
The underground city shook violently.
Far below.
Far deeper than the abyss.
Far deeper than the Sleeper.
Something answered.
The reaction was immediate.
The First Son's expression changed.
For the first time—
He looked worried.
Not afraid.
Worried.
The realization terrified Kael more than anything else.
The First Son had laughed at the Sleeper.
Ignored the Warden.
Walked through the collapse of an ancient prison without concern.
Yet whatever had answered from beyond the Door had changed his expression.
The implication was horrifying.
The city trembled again.
The giant spread its arms.
Darkness erupted from its body.
Entire districts vanished beneath black mist.
The Dreamers screamed in joy.
The citizens screamed in terror.
The Warden roared.
The ancient guardian charged.
Golden chains erupted from every direction.
The city attacked.
The prison attacked.
Everything attacked.
The giant simply stood there.
The first chain struck.
And shattered.
The second followed.
Then the third.
Then a thousand more.
The giant remained unmoved.
The First Son sighed.
"I was hoping you had become weaker."
The giant laughed again.
"I was hoping you had died."
The city exploded.
The First Son vanished.
The giant vanished.
A moment later, a shockwave erased an entire district.
Nobody saw the collision.
Nobody could.
The two ancient beings moved beyond sight.
Beyond perception.
Beyond understanding.
The only evidence of their battle was destruction.
Towers collapsed.
Bridges shattered.
Golden light and darkness clashed throughout the cavern.
Reality cracked.
The underground city screamed.
Kael stared.
His mind struggled to process what he was witnessing.
The mark burned.
The symbol pulsed faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Then the world vanished.
Darkness returned.
The throne returned.
The bells returned.
The Sleeper stood before the Door.
Its enormous form blocked the ancient seal.
The chains wrapped around the Door trembled.
The locks shook.
Something on the other side was pushing.
The Sleeper looked toward Kael.
Its golden eyes burned within the darkness.
Then the ancient jailer spoke.
"The heirs return."
The bells rang.
The dream trembled.
The Door shook.
The Sleeper continued.
"The cycle repeats."
Kael stared.
Questions filled his mind.
Thousands of questions.
Yet only one escaped.
"Who am I?"
The Sleeper became silent.
The endless darkness stretched outward.
The bells continued ringing.
Finally—
The ancient being answered.
"You are the last."
The dream cracked.
The Door shook violently.
Something struck it from the other side.
The Sleeper turned immediately.
Its attention shifted away from Kael.
Toward the seal.
Toward the thing imprisoned beyond.
The vision began collapsing.
Reality returned.
The underground city reappeared.
The battle continued.
Golden light and darkness collided across the cavern.
The First Son and the faceless giant were destroying the prison simply by fighting.
Yet nobody on the observation platform was watching them anymore.
Because something else had happened.
The mark on Kael's hand had changed.
The symbol no longer glowed gold.
It glowed black.
Silence spread across the platform.
Lyra stared.
Aren stared.
General Caelan stared.
Even Theron stared.
The old caretaker's face lost all color.
The mark pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then the black symbol began expanding across Kael's arm.
And somewhere beyond the Door—
Something laughed.