The chamber trembled violently.
Dust rained from the ancient ceiling while massive chains groaned under unbearable pressure around the First Seal.
Deep within the darkness behind the black door—
something enormous moved.
Not quickly.
Not violently.
Slowly.
And somehow, that made it far more terrifying.
Leo stood frozen.
The girl's words still echoed inside his head.
"You really don't know what you are, do you?"
The whispers screamed louder afterward.
Not random anymore.
Excited.
"…HE APPROACHES…"
"…THE BROKEN LINE…"
"…THE LAST NAME…"
Leo's breathing became unstable.
The black veins spreading beneath his skin pulsed visibly now beneath the dim blue light of the chamber.
The silver-haired girl continued staring directly at him.
Unblinking.
Calm.
Almost unnaturally calm.
That irritated Leo immediately.
Everyone else here looked terrified.
The enforcers were struggling to stand.
The council member had completely lost composure.
Even the instructor looked deeply shaken.
Yet this girl—
looked like she had expected all of this.
The instructor stepped slightly forward.
"You know something."
She glanced toward him briefly.
"Yes."
"Then explain. Now."
For several seconds, she remained silent.
The chamber echoed with distant metallic groans while the ancient seal continued destabilizing.
Finally, she looked back toward the black door.
"My family were Keepers."
The council member's expression immediately darkened.
"You were forbidden from discussing that lineage."
"That was before the First Seal started opening."
Her answer came coldly.
Leo frowned slightly.
"Keepers?"
The girl crossed her arms calmly.
"Long before this academy existed, certain bloodlines were tasked with monitoring the vessels connected to the Watchers."
Her eyes slowly shifted toward Leo again.
"Your kind."
Leo's jaw tightened instantly.
"My kind?"
"You heard me."
Something about her tone irritated him deeply.
Not mocking.
Not hateful.
Matter-of-fact.
As though she genuinely viewed him as something separate from ordinary people.
The instructor noticed Leo's reaction immediately.
"That's enough."
But the girl ignored him completely.
"For centuries, vessels always followed the same pattern."
She spoke while calmly observing the seal.
"Whispers."
"The marks."
"Heightened perception."
"Psychological collapse."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then complete synchronization."
The whispers inside Leo's head suddenly became violent again.
"…SHE SPEAKS TOO MUCH…"
"…SILENCE HER…"
"…BREAK THE KEEPER…"
Pain shot through Leo's skull instantly.
He grabbed the side of his head sharply.
The instructor immediately stepped closer.
"Leo."
"I'm fine."
The answer came too quickly.
Too tense.
The girl noticed anyway.
"You hear them constantly now, don't you?"
Leo didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
The chamber suddenly shook harder.
A massive crack spread across the stone floor beneath the First Seal.
One of the remaining chains snapped violently apart.
The sound echoed like thunder.
Several enforcers stepped backward instinctively.
Fear was completely visible now.
The human hand gripping the opening behind the seal trembled weakly again.
Blood continued dripping from the fingers.
"…Leo…"
The voice sounded weaker now.
More desperate.
Leo looked toward the opening immediately.
The instructor grabbed his shoulder sharply.
"Do not approach the seal."
"There's someone alive in there."
"We don't know WHAT that thing is!"
The argument echoed through the chamber.
But Leo barely listened.
Because the voice behind the door sounded human.
Terrified.
Alone.
And somehow—
he understood that feeling too well.
The silver-haired girl suddenly spoke again.
"The First Vessel was never confirmed dead."
The chamber went silent.
The council member stared at her sharply.
"That information was erased."
"Clearly not well enough."
Leo slowly looked toward her.
"What do you mean… First Vessel?"
For the first time since arriving—
the girl hesitated slightly.
Only slightly.
But Leo noticed.
Then she answered quietly.
"The first person who synchronized with the Watchers."
Cold unease spread through the chamber.
Even the whispers inside Leo's mind briefly softened.
Listening.
"The academy wasn't built to train students," she continued.
"It was built over the original containment site after the First Vessel nearly destroyed half the eastern continent."
One of the enforcers muttered softly under his breath.
"…Impossible."
The girl ignored him.
"The Watchers cannot fully exist in our reality naturally. They require anchors."
Her eyes fixed directly onto Leo.
"Human minds capable of carrying their consciousness."
Leo felt his chest tighten slowly.
"So you're saying I'm just some container?"
The girl answered immediately.
"No."
That single word carried unusual weight.
The chamber became quiet again.
Then she continued softly.
"You're worse."
The whispers exploded instantly.
"…YES…"
"…HE UNDERSTANDS…"
"…THE DOOR OPENS…"
Leo staggered backward.
Pain flooded through his awareness.
The black marks across his arm spread farther upward suddenly.
Darkness flickered briefly around his fingers.
Several enforcers immediately raised their weapons.
The instructor stepped protectively in front of Leo.
"No one touches him."
Tension filled the chamber instantly.
The council member's expression hardened.
"You saw what happened earlier. We cannot allow further instability."
"He is resisting."
"For now."
The silver-haired girl quietly observed the argument.
Then finally—
she walked directly toward Leo.
The enforcers looked shocked.
Even the instructor frowned immediately.
"What are you doing?"
She ignored him completely.
Leo instinctively stiffened as she stopped directly in front of him.
Closer than anyone had willingly stood near him in weeks.
Her gray eyes studied the black marks beneath his skin carefully.
Not fearfully.
Not sympathetically.
Carefully.
"You're unstable."
Leo glared slightly.
"I noticed."
To his surprise—
her lips twitched faintly.
Not quite a smile.
But close.
"That sarcasm means your mind hasn't fractured completely yet."
The strange response caught Leo off guard for a moment.
It was probably the most normal interaction he had experienced in a long time.
And somehow—
that felt unfamiliar now.
The realization disturbed him more than he expected.
The girl suddenly reached toward his arm.
Several enforcers reacted immediately.
"Don't touch him!"
But she ignored them.
The moment her fingers lightly touched the black marks—
the whispers inside Leo's mind screamed.
"…KEEPER…"
"…THE BLOODLINE…"
"…KILL HER…"
Pain surged violently through Leo's skull.
But at the same time—
he saw something.
A memory.
Not his own.
Ancient ruins burning beneath a crimson sky.
Massive black doors.
Countless chained figures kneeling in darkness.
And standing among them—
a woman with silver eyes holding a blade covered in black blood.
Then the vision vanished instantly.
Leo staggered backward breathing heavily.
The girl stepped away slowly.
But for the first time—
her calm expression had cracked slightly.
"You saw it too…"
The whisper escaped her mouth unconsciously.
The instructor immediately noticed.
"What did you do?"
She looked toward him silently for several seconds.
Then finally answered:
"Our bloodlines are connected."
The chamber froze.
The council member's face darkened completely.
"You should not have revealed that."
"It no longer matters."
Her gaze slowly returned toward Leo.
And for the first time—
her expression no longer looked cold.
It looked troubled.
As though she had just confirmed something she desperately hoped was untrue.
Then suddenly—
the gigantic eye carved into the First Seal widened fully.
The entire chamber shook violently.
Every remaining chain snapped simultaneously.
And from deep within the darkness behind the door—
something began laughing.
Not human laughter.
Something ancient trying to imitate it.