Rowan didn't remember running—only the harsh, uneven rhythm of his breath as he pushed deeper into the old mining tunnels with Daniel and Kairen close behind. The air grew thicker, warmer, pulsing like a living thing.
The cave walls had changed. No longer lifeless stone—they shimmered faintly, like veins of light running underneath the rock.
Kairen slowed first.
"Something woke up," she whispered. "Not the Titan… something older."
Daniel pressed a hand to the wall. For once, he looked unsure.
"No. This… this shouldn't be here."
He stepped back. "Or at least, it shouldn't be awake."
Rowan swallowed hard.
"You said Eli wasn't supposed to see what he saw. Is this—connected?"
Daniel didn't answer. He only nodded toward the deeper tunnel.
"Keep moving."
The ground trembled. Dust cascaded from above.
A low hum echoed—like a giant heartbeat.
Kairen moved closer to Rowan.
"This isn't natural. Be ready."
Rowan summoned the Balefire, letting the green-blue flame coil around his hand. Not fully summoned—not enough to drain him—but enough to see by.
They advanced.
The tunnel widened, opening into a cavern that looked more like a cathedral than a mining site. Pillars of polished obsidian jutted upward, spiraling like frozen storms. Rivers of dim light flowed through cracks in the floor.
And at the center—
A floating object pulsed gently, suspended in the air like a trapped star.
A crystal?
A heart?
A memory?
Rowan stepped closer, mesmerized.
Then Daniel moved in front of him—shoving him back so fast Rowan barely registered it.
"Don't touch it."
His voice was sharper than Rowan had ever heard.
Kairen's eyes narrowed.
"You know what that is."
Daniel clenched his jaw.
"I was hoping I was wrong."
Rowan looked between them.
"Someone want to explain before the cave decides to kill us?"
Daniel exhaled, steadying himself.
"That thing isn't a relic. It's a Beacon."
Rowan frowned.
"A beacon for what?"
Daniel turned, eyes hollow.
"For gods."
The cavern fell into a crushing silence.
Kairen stepped back, breath catching.
"A Beacon hasn't appeared in centuries. They were destroyed. Buried. Hidden for a reason."
Rowan stared at the floating object, dread crawling up his spine.
"So this Beacon… what does it do?"
Daniel answered quietly.
"It calls its owner."
Before Rowan could ask anything else, the Beacon pulsed—once.
And something answered.
Not with words.
Not with sound.
But with presence.
A pressure pressed down on Rowan, like the weight of a mountain settling on his shoulders. His knees buckled. The Balefire on his hand sputtered.
Kairen gasped, gripping her chest.
"It's… binding to something—someone."
Daniel's face had gone completely pale.
"No. No no no—this is too soon."
"Daniel," Rowan rasped, "what's coming?"
He didn't look at Rowan.
Instead, he looked at the Beacon—like a man staring at his own worst memory.
"A Sovereign," Daniel whispered.
"And not just any Sovereign."
He swallowed hard.
"One of mine."
The cavern shook violently, cracks spidering through the stone.
Kairen backed toward the entrance.
"We need to move. Now."
Rowan forced himself upright, fighting the pressure trying to crush him.
"Daniel—if this is your… your old world stuff—tell me what we're running from!"
Daniel finally met Rowan's eyes.
And his expression said everything.
"Rowan… I didn't just leave the Sovereign Realm."
He stepped back toward the Beacon—toward the danger.
"I escaped it."
A shockwave burst from the Beacon, blinding and hot.
Rowan was thrown against the cavern wall.
Daniel didn't move.
He stood perfectly still, staring into the approaching light—as if facing something he'd feared for a very, very long time.
The last thing Rowan heard before the cavern went black was Daniel whispering:
"He found me."