The roar did not fade.
It stayed inside the ground.
Like something breathing beneath reality.
Kael Ardyn stood still, fists clenched. "That sound… it's closer than before."
Jemila didn't answer immediately.
She was staring at the earth beneath their feet.
Not the surface.
Below it.
"…It's not coming closer," she finally said.
Kael frowned. "Then what is it doing?"
Jemila's voice lowered.
"It's waking up."
🩸 THE EARTH THAT CRACKS
The forest floor began to tremble.
Not violently.
Slowly.
Like something was turning beneath them.
Kael stepped back. "Okay… this is definitely not normal Earth anymore."
Jemila grabbed his wrist. "Move."
Kael looked at her. "Where?!"
She pointed ahead.
The ground split open.
A narrow staircase of black stone appeared—descending into darkness.
Cold air rose from below.
Ancient air.
Kael swallowed. "You want us to go down there?"
Jemila didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Kael stared at her. "You're insane."
Jemila looked at him.
"We're already being hunted by immortal creatures from a cursed system."
A pause.
"Down is probably safer than up."
💀 DESCENT INTO THE PRISON
They descended.
Step by step.
The air grew heavier.
The light from above disappeared completely, replaced by faint glowing symbols carved into the stone walls.
Kael ran his fingers across one.
It burned slightly.
"What is this place?" he asked quietly.
Jemila answered:
"A prison."
Kael frowned. "For who?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Because the answer was ahead of them.
🐉 THE SEALED WORLD BELOW
The staircase opened into a massive underground chamber.
Kael stopped walking.
His breath caught.
The space was endless.
Floating chains hung in the air, stretching into darkness that had no end.
And in the center—
A colossal structure.
A cage.
Made of broken suns.
Kael whispered:
"…This is impossible."
Jemila stepped forward slowly.
"This is older than the troll kingdom," she said.
Kael looked at her. "What is inside it?"
Jemila didn't answer.
Because it answered for itself.
A sound echoed.
Low.
Deep.
Alive.
🔥 THE DRAGON WITH NO NAME
The chains moved.
Slowly at first.
Then violently.
The cage shifted.
And from within the darkness—
A massive eye opened.
Kael stepped back instantly. "NOPE. Absolutely not."
The creature inside moved.
Not fully visible.
But its presence filled the entire chamber.
Jemila stood her ground.
"…It's real."
Kael turned to her. "That's what you say after EVERYTHING?"
The creature spoke.
Not aloud.
Inside their minds.
YOU… CARRY THE SUN.
Kael froze.
"…It's talking to me again."
Jemila whispered:
"It recognizes your mark."
The chains tightened suddenly.
The creature roared again—this time shaking the entire chamber.
Kael covered his ears. "What is it?!"
Jemila's voice was steady.
"A dragon."
A pause.
"The first one that survived the Bloody Sun."
🩸 THE TRUTH OF THE PRISON
Kael stepped forward slightly, despite himself.
"Why is it locked here?"
The dragon's voice responded.
BECAUSE I REFUSED TO BOW.
Jemila's eyes narrowed. "To who?"
A new voice entered the chamber.
Cold.
Familiar.
To us.
Kael turned sharply.
A projection appeared in the air.
A figure.
Masked.
Cracked sun symbol.
Hunter Lord.
💀 THE WARNING RETURNS
The Hunter Lord's voice echoed through the chamber.
"You should not have come here."
Kael clenched his fists. "You again…"
The Lord tilted its head slightly.
"This prison is not a weapon."
"It is a seal."
Jemila stepped forward. "A seal for what?"
The Lord looked at the dragon.
"For the only being that ever challenged the origin of the Bloody Sun."
Kael froze.
"…Origin?"
The dragon's chains shook violently.
The Lord continued:
"If it awakens fully… even the system collapses."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Then Kael spoke.
"…So let it wake up."
Jemila turned to him instantly. "Kael—don't."
But Kael stepped forward.
His mark glowed brighter than ever.
"If the system is hunting me anyway…"
A pause.
"Then I want something that can fight back."
The dragon's eye shifted toward him.
Slowly.
Curiously.
🔥 THE CHOICE
The chamber trembled.
The chains tightened.
The Hunter Lord's projection flickered.
"This is your only warning."
Kael didn't move.
Jemila grabbed his arm. "If you free it, you don't control it."
Kael looked at her.
"I know."
A pause.
Then softer:
"But right now… nothing is on our side."
Silence.
Jemila stared at him for a long moment.
Then slowly released his arm.
"…Then do it properly."
Kael turned back to the cage.
The dragon's voice echoed one last time.
FREE ME… AND I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT THE SUN IS HIDING.
Kael raised his hand toward the chains.
The mark burned violently.
And the chains began to crack.