Every citizen of the underground city began screaming.
The sound exploded across the cavern with such force that even the ancient stone beneath the observation platform trembled. Tens of thousands of voices cried out simultaneously. Fear. Horror. Despair. Emotions that had remained buried beneath centuries of silence erupted without restraint.
The city had finally broken.
The Dreamers stopped smiling.
The Warden froze.
Theron staggered backward.
Nobody understood what they were seeing.
Because the face emerging from the shattered tower looked completely ordinary.
A young man.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
His features were perfect.
Not unnaturally perfect.
Not divinely perfect.
Simply... perfect.
The kind of face a person might remember years after seeing it.
The kind of face that inspired trust without effort.
The kind of face that felt familiar despite never being seen before.
And somehow—
That made it infinitely more terrifying.
Golden light poured from the widening crack surrounding him while fragments of the tower continued collapsing into the city below. Ancient stone shattered. Entire districts vanished beneath falling debris.
Yet the young man paid no attention.
His eyes slowly moved across the underground metropolis.
The screaming intensified.
Citizens abandoned streets.
Bridges collapsed beneath stampeding crowds.
Panic spread faster than wildfire.
The city was dying.
And the young man merely watched.
His expression remained calm.
Curious.
Interested.
As though observing something mildly entertaining.
Kael felt ice settle inside his chest.
The mark burned.
The sensation had become unbearable.
Every instinct he possessed screamed that he should run.
Leave.
Hide.
Escape.
Yet another part of him couldn't look away.
The young man's gaze eventually reached the observation platform.
The moment it did—
The screaming stopped.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
The underground city became silent.
The sudden absence of sound felt almost violent.
The young man's eyes settled on Kael.
Then he smiled.
The world cracked.
The observation platform shook.
Several students collapsed immediately.
Researchers screamed.
Soldiers stumbled.
Even General Caelan was forced to brace himself against the stone railing.
The smile wasn't an attack.
The realization somehow made it worse.
That simple smile had altered reality by accident.
Like a person disturbing dust simply by walking through a room.
The difference in scale between them was incomprehensible.
The young man tilted his head slightly.
Then spoke.
His voice wasn't loud.
Yet every person in the underground city heard it perfectly.
"Interesting."
Silence followed.
One word.
One simple word.
And yet the underground city seemed to tremble in response.
Theron's face had become completely pale.
The old caretaker looked moments away from collapse.
His lips moved.
No sound emerged.
The young man noticed.
The smile widened slightly.
Recognition appeared in his eyes.
"Theron."
The old caretaker froze.
The simple act of hearing his name seemed to terrify him more than anything else.
The young man laughed softly.
The sound spread across the cavern.
Not malicious.
Not cruel.
Warm.
Friendly.
That warmth felt wrong.
Deeply wrong.
Like finding a smiling face in the middle of a nightmare.
"You are still alive."
Theron slowly shook his head.
The old man looked broken.
"No."
His voice trembled.
"No..."
The young man blinked.
Confusion appeared.
Genuine confusion.
The sight was somehow more unsettling than his smile.
"Strange."
A pause followed.
Then he glanced around the city.
His expression became thoughtful.
"It has been longer than I expected."
Nobody moved.
Nobody dared.
The Warden finally reacted.
The colossal guardian stepped between the tower and the city.
Golden light erupted from its body.
Ancient chains illuminated.
The underground metropolis itself seemed to awaken in response.
Entire districts glowed.
Millions of symbols ignited simultaneously.
The prison was fighting back.
The young man noticed.
His expression brightened.
"Oh."
The word carried genuine excitement.
"The Warden."
The giant guardian raised one arm.
Golden energy gathered around its enormous hand.
The city shook.
The attack hadn't even begun.
Yet everyone could feel the power building.
The young man smiled.
Then waved.
A casual motion.
Nothing more.
The Warden exploded backward.
The entire underground city shook violently.
The colossal guardian crashed through towers.
Bridges.
Districts.
Ancient structures that had survived for thousands of years vanished instantly.
The Warden disappeared into the distance.
Silence consumed the cavern.
Nobody breathed.
Nobody spoke.
The young man lowered his hand.
Then frowned.
"Hm."
The expression seemed almost apologetic.
"I forgot how fragile things became."
The statement settled over the city like a death sentence.
Because the attack hadn't required effort.
No strain.
No concentration.
Nothing.
He had simply waved.
Kael felt the mark pulse violently.
The world vanished.
Darkness returned.
The throne appeared.
The bells appeared.
The Sleeper remained seated.
Its golden eyes watched silently.
For the first time, however, something else existed within the dream.
Another throne.
Far away.
Beyond the endless darkness.
Beyond the sea of bells.
Beyond reality itself.
The second throne stood empty.
Broken chains surrounded it.
Shattered locks covered the ground.
The sight froze Kael.
The young man.
The tower.
The prison.
Everything connected instantly.
The empty throne belonged to him.
Then the Sleeper spoke.
The ancient voice echoed through the dream.
"The First Son."
The bells rang.
The darkness trembled.
The Sleeper's gaze remained fixed upon the distant throne.
Not with hatred.
Not with fear.
With caution.
The realization nearly stopped Kael's heart.
The Sleeper feared him.
The vision shattered.
Reality returned.
Kael staggered.
The underground city reappeared.
The young man remained standing within the broken tower.
The city remained frozen.
The Dreamers remained still.
Everything remained unchanged.
Except now Kael knew.
The Sleeper wasn't the strongest being trapped beneath the world.
Not even close.
The young man suddenly looked toward him again.
The smile faded.
For the first time since appearing, genuine surprise entered his eyes.
The change was immediate.
The city seemed to darken.
Reality seemed to tense.
The young man stared.
Then whispered:
"Ah."
A pause followed.
His gaze settled directly upon the glowing mark.
The ancient symbol burned brighter than ever before.
Recognition appeared.
Then amusement.
Then something far more dangerous.
Interest.
The young man took a single step forward.
The underground city shook.
Not because he was large.
Because reality itself reacted to his movement.
The tower cracked further.
Ancient seals shattered.
The prison screamed.
And the young man smiled once more.
This time the smile was directed entirely at Kael.
"Now that's unexpected."
The city became silent.
Even the Dreamers stopped moving.
The young man continued staring.
As though seeing something nobody else could.
Then he laughed.
Softly.
Genuinely.
And spoke words that froze every soul present.
"My little brother is alive."