The pulse echoed again.
Slow.
Heavy.
Ancient.
The entire underground chamber trembled faintly with each beat while dust drifted from the fractured ceiling overhead.
No one spoke immediately.
Because the old man's words had changed everything once again.
A Worldheart.
Connected to the planet itself.
Even hearing such a concept felt unreal.
Dev was the first to finally react.
"I would like humanity to stop discovering horrifying ancient secrets for at least one week."
The old man glanced toward him calmly.
"That will likely not happen."
"I appreciate the honesty."
Krishak's gaze remained fixed on the darkness beyond the black doorway.
The Starheart inheritance within him had become increasingly active since entering this chamber. Faint spiritual resonance drifted through his meridians naturally now, reacting to the pulse deep underground.
Not violently.
Like recognition.
The old man noticed.
"You can feel it."
It wasn't a question.
Krishak nodded once.
"What exactly is the Worldheart?"
The chamber fell quiet again.
Even the Keeper's projection remained motionless nearby.
Finally, the old man answered.
"Long before modern humanity..."
His voice echoed softly through the ruined chamber.
Earth possessed natural spiritual convergence points."
He traced one hand lightly across the spiral markings carved into the black doorway.
"Places where planetary spiritual energy gathered naturally over countless ages."
His eyes lifted slowly.
"The Worldhearts were among the greatest of them."
Professor Devika listened carefully.
"So they're ancient energy cores?"
"Not artificial ones."
The old man shook his head.
"They formed naturally alongside the planet itself."
The pulse beneath the mountains echoed again.
"Civilizations merely built around them
later."
Raghav frowned slightly.
"And this one is still active after all this time?"
A faint shadow crossed the old man's expression.
"Barely."
That single word carried enormous weight.
Because if something connected to Earth itself was weakening
The implications were terrifying.
The Keeper suddenly spoke.
"Historical confirmation available."
Everyone looked toward the projection.
Silver light flickered around its translucent form.
"The Tibetan Worldheart Chamber served as a primary stabilization node during late-stage planetary sealing operations."
Professor Devika's eyes widened slightly.
"So the ancient civilizations used these Worldhearts to maintain Earth's concealment?"
"Yes."
The Keeper's voice remained calm.
"Planetary concealment required synchronization between seal formations and natural spiritual convergence systems."
Dev stared blankly.
"Why does ancient history sound increasingly impossible every five minutes?"
Despite the conversation, Krishak's focus remained elsewhere.
On the pulse-
Something about it felt unstable now.
Uneven.
As if the Worldheart beneath the mountains was weakening slowly over time.
The old man suddenly looked toward him directly.
"You noticed it."
Krishak answered quietly.
"It's deteriorating."
Silence filled the chamber.
Then the old man nodded once.
"Yes."
Cold wind drifted outward from the dark corridor behind him.
"The planetary seals weakened for many reasons."
His gaze shifted toward the underground darkness.
"The ancient wars."
"The collapse of civilizations."
"The spiritual dormancy of Earth."
Each sentence echoed heavily through the chamber.
"But the greatest problem"
For the first time, genuine concern appeared in his ancient eyes.
"is that the Worldhearts themselves are dying."
Nobody spoke afterward.
Because instinctively, everyone understood the scale of those words.
If the Worldhearts failed completely
What happened to Earth afterward?
Professor Devika folded her arms tightly.
"Can they be restored?"
The old man remained silent briefly.
"Possibly."
Not reassuring.
Ananya looked toward the black doorway uneasily.
"And the intruder?"
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
The old man's expression hardened slightly for the first time.
"The one who entered before you seeks the same answers.
Raghav's eyes narrowed.
"Who are they?"
"A survivor."
Silence.
Dev blinked.
".A survivor of what exactly?"
The old man looked toward the underground darkness quietly.
"The old world."
The chamber became still again.
Professor Devika spoke carefully now.
"You mean another ancient human survived from before the Sealing Era?"
"Not fully."
The answer came calmly.
"Fragments remain."
That clarified absolutely nothing.
Krishak finally stepped closer.
"The person who entered the archive."
His silver-blue eyes remained steady.
"What are they trying to awaken?"
For the first time since appearing, the old man did not answer immediately.
The pulse beneath the mountains echoed once more.
Stronger now.
More unstable.
Then suddenly-
The entire chamber shook violently.
Formation arrays across the walls flickered erratically while cracks spread further through the damaged floor.
Several Bureau operatives instinctively steadied themselves.
"What was that?" Director Rao shouted sharply.
The pulse came again.
Faster this time.
The air itself became heavier as ancient spiritual energy surged upward from the darkness beyond the black doorway.
And then—
A distant roar echoed from deep underground.
Not human.
Not beast.
Something older.
The old man's expression darkened instantly.
"...Too late."
Every instinct in the chamber sharpened immediately.
Krishak's gaze locked onto the darkness beyond the corridor.
Because for the first time since entering the ruins-
He sensed corrupt energy.
Ancient corrupt energy.