The secret exit of the Living Library led us through a narrow corridor, where the walls bore circular marks, as if they had been scratched by something that had crawled there long ago. The light guiding us came from bluish crystals embedded in the stone, pulsing as if mimicking heartbeats. With each pulse, a faint vibration traveled through the ground, and it was impossible not to feel that something, somewhere beneath us, was truly breathing.
Rai'kanna walked at the front with her wings slightly open, alert to any irregular movement. Vespera followed right behind, trying to keep her hand steady on the bow, despite the fact that tremors like these always ruined her aim. Elara came next with a worried expression, controlling her limited mana as best she could to keep a small shield active. Liriel, paler than usual, held her grimoire tightly.
Lyannis stayed at my side, gripping the spear carefully. She glanced at me now and then, as if expecting me to know what was about to happen. But I didn't. I only felt the flame inside me reacting differently, as if it were restless and curious at the same time.
With every step, the ground seemed to pulse more strongly.
Vespera glanced at the walls of the corridor. "Is it just me, or does the floor sound like it's got… trapped air?"
"It's breathing," Liriel murmured. "That's not a metaphor. The underground is alive."
Rai'kanna frowned. "Or something down there is waking up."
Elara took a deep breath. "The entire city feels it. Even my mana is reacting strangely."
Lyannis looked around. "And it feels like… like it's coming from all directions at once."
A deep rumble echoed. The ground shook, and a low sound reverberated through the corridor, as if a gigantic creature had shifted its body in its sleep. The walls vibrated, releasing dust that drifted down slowly, like gray snow.
"That came from below," I said, feeling the flame intensify.
"From WAY below," Vespera added, taking two steps back.
The corridor ended in a massive archway that opened into an imposing underground chamber. The ceiling was so high it vanished into darkness. The uneven floor was split by wide cracks glowing with deep blue light. The walls were formed of interwoven layers of stone and metal, with gigantic gears partially exposed, some still moving with slow, clicking sounds.
When we fully entered the chamber, a wave of hot air rose from the floor, followed by another wave of cold. It was as if the environment had lungs.
Liriel ran her hand over an exposed gear. "This is working… but it's broken at the same time."
Rai'kanna approached the cracks. They were deep, but they didn't look like voids; they were like veins. "The underground is distributing energy. The giant beneath the city must be somewhere within this structure."
"You're saying we're walking on top of…?" Vespera swallowed hard. "On his body?"
Elara tried to suppress her horrified expression, failing miserably. "If that's the case, I hope he's in a very deep sleep."
I knelt beside one of the cracks and touched its edge. The flame within me reacted immediately, creating an audible crack in the air. The fissure glowed brighter, responding to my touch.
Lyannis took a quick step toward me. "Takumi, don't touch that!"
"I… just wanted to see if the flame would react."
And it did. A lot.
A wave of energy surged across the floor. The gears began to spin faster, as if something were receiving renewed power. Clicking sounds echoed throughout the chamber. Blue light climbed the walls, reaching the ceiling and disappearing into the darkness.
Liriel snapped the grimoire open. "This is not good! You activated some ancient energy route!"
"But I didn't even do anything!"
Vespera pointed at the floor. "I think just EXISTING is enough for this thing to react to you!"
Rai'kanna beat her wings and moved closer to me. "Step away from that. Now."
The flame kept pulsing, restless. I tried to retreat, but the ground began to move. Slowly, as if awakening from a deep sleep, the metallic layers separated, revealing an opening that descended far deeper.
From within it, a deep sound rose, almost like a groan.
Lyannis' eyes widened. "Was that… a breath?"
"Or a warning," Elara whispered.
Liriel shook her head. "No. That was recognition. It felt the flame."
Rai'kanna pulled me away from the opening. "This is getting far too dangerous. The underground is responding to your presence."
The ground shook again. The cracks widened, and for a moment we saw something shining down below. A curved surface, made of metal and ice at the same time. The light reflected so intensely that it illuminated the entire chamber.
It was a fragment of the giant's structure.
Vespera stumbled backward. "Okay, I don't want to look at that again!"
Elara gripped my arm. "Takumi… that's part of him. Part of what the city was hiding."
Another wave of energy surged up through the cracks, stronger this time. The air grew heavy, vibrating as if charged with electricity. The flame inside me responded, burning fiercely. I felt a pull, as if something were calling to me.
Liriel stepped forward. "The city knows we're here. The giant knows. And it's trying to connect with you."
"I don't want any kind of connection with that," I replied.
"But you don't have a choice."
Rai'kanna stepped between us, firm. "We have to leave now. Before that thing wakes up more."
The sound grew louder. The floor began to rise in some places, as if something were pressing from below. The gears screeched. The blue light became murky, like unstable energy.
"Now!" Rai'kanna shouted.
We ran.
The ground behind us began to split apart, revealing more parts of the structure. The air burst in alternating waves of heat and cold. A muffled roar echoed through the chamber walls, deep enough to rattle our bones.
I looked back for just an instant.
And I saw it.
A gigantic eye, white and luminous, slowly opening beneath layers of ice and metal.
It didn't fully see us.
But it FELT us.
And the flame inside me responded as if it recognized it.
Rai'kanna yanked my arm with all her strength. "Takumi, don't look back!"
We exited the chamber at the exact moment another vibration rippled through the underground, causing the ceiling to crack slightly. The corridor began to close behind us, as if the city itself wanted to prevent us from seeing any more.
When we finally stopped, everyone was breathing heavily.
Liriel closed the grimoire slowly. "The giant isn't awakening. It's… searching."
Elara wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Searching for what?"
I already knew the answer.
"The flame."
Rai'kanna placed a hand on my shoulder. "And that means we have less time than we thought."
Behind us, the underground breathed again.
This time, stronger.
As if it had just caught the scent of something it wanted to find.
And it would not stop until it did.