The old man's voice echoed across the underground city before gradually fading into silence. For several moments, nobody moved. The vast cavern remained illuminated by countless lanterns while thousands of motionless figures continued staring toward the observation platform.
The sight was deeply unsettling.
Not because the people appeared hostile.
Because they didn't.
The old man standing below looked calm. Respectful, even. His silver hair drifted slightly in the warm air flowing through the underground city while the elegant black robes hanging from his shoulders appeared untouched by age or dust.
Nothing about him seemed threatening.
And yet every instinct Kael possessed was screaming that something was wrong.
General Caelan stepped forward.
The military commander studied the old man carefully, his silver eyes revealing nothing.
"Who are you?"
The old man smiled.
The expression looked natural.
Too natural.
Almost practiced.
"A caretaker."
The answer did not help.
Several officers exchanged glances.
Aren immediately looked suspicious.
"A caretaker of what?"
The old man slowly turned his gaze toward the city behind him.
For the first time, genuine emotion appeared on his face.
Pride.
"This place."
Silence followed.
The city stretched endlessly beneath the lantern light. Towering structures rose into darkness while rivers of glowing crystal flowed between districts older than recorded history.
The old man's answer somehow felt inadequate.
This place wasn't merely a city.
It was a civilization.
An entire world hidden beneath the continent.
General Caelan folded his arms.
"What is this city called?"
The old man's smile weakened slightly.
For the first time, he seemed uncertain.
Not fearful.
Sad.
"The name has been forgotten."
The answer hung heavily in the air.
Several scholars frowned immediately.
A city of this scale should have been legendary.
Remembered.
Recorded.
Yet nobody had ever heard of it.
The old man looked upward toward the distant ceiling hidden beyond sight.
"Time takes many things."
A pause followed.
"Names are among the first."
The silence that followed felt strangely uncomfortable.
Because the sadness in his voice sounded genuine.
Aren apparently noticed too.
The boy looked conflicted.
Which was unfortunate.
Whenever Aren became conflicted, it usually meant reality was about to become more complicated.
The old man returned his attention to the expedition.
"You have traveled far."
His gaze moved across the gathered soldiers and students.
"You must be tired."
Aren immediately pointed.
"There."
Nobody understood.
The boy folded his arms.
"That."
The old man blinked.
"That?"
"The creepy hospitality."
Silence.
Several soldiers looked embarrassed.
Selene looked exhausted.
The old man simply smiled.
"I assure you, no harm is intended."
That statement somehow made Aren even more suspicious.
The boy lowered his voice.
"That's exactly what harmful people say."
The old man laughed softly.
The sound echoed through the city.
And for a brief moment, the atmosphere became even stranger.
Because the laughter sounded real.
Not forced.
Not sinister.
Real.
The contradiction bothered Kael.
Everything about this city felt wrong.
Yet nothing openly threatened them.
The old man bowed his head slightly.
"My name is Theron."
The introduction seemed simple.
Normal.
Almost ordinary.
Which only made the situation feel more surreal.
General Caelan remained unmoved.
"How many people live here?"
The question caused a subtle shift in the old man's expression.
He looked toward the silent crowds filling the streets below.
For several moments, he remained quiet.
Then:
"Enough."
Nobody liked that answer.
Especially not the military officers.
General Caelan's gaze hardened slightly.
"That's not a number."
Theron smiled faintly.
"No."
The old man looked toward the motionless figures.
"But numbers stopped mattering a very long time ago."
A chill passed through the expedition.
The answer wasn't threatening.
Yet it felt wrong.
Deeply wrong.
One of the scholars stepped forward.
Unlike the soldiers, the elderly researcher looked almost excited.
The discovery of the city had clearly overwhelmed his fear.
"How old is this civilization?"
Theron looked at him.
Then laughed quietly.
Not mockingly.
Almost fondly.
"Older than your kingdoms."
The scholar froze.
Theron continued.
"Older than your races."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Several researchers stared.
Others looked skeptical.
The old man merely smiled.
"Older than memory."
Silence spread across the observation platform.
Because nobody knew how to respond to that.
The claim sounded impossible.
Absurd.
Yet they were standing inside an impossible city beneath an impossible temple.
Reality had already stopped making sense.
Aren slowly rubbed his forehead.
"You know..."
Nobody wanted to hear this.
The boy sighed.
"Every answer somehow creates three new questions."
Nobody argued.
The old man looked toward him.
Then smiled.
"A wise observation."
Aren immediately looked offended.
"Don't encourage me."
To everyone's surprise, the old man laughed again.
The reaction caught several people off guard.
Even Kael felt momentarily confused.
Theron didn't behave like a villain.
He didn't behave like a cult leader.
He didn't behave like a madman.
He behaved like a grandfather welcoming guests.
And somehow—
That felt even worse.
The mark beneath Kael's glove pulsed suddenly.
A sharp sensation spread through his hand.
The change was so abrupt that he nearly winced.
Immediately, his vision blurred.
The city vanished.
Darkness consumed everything.
For a single heartbeat, he saw something else.
An enormous throne.
A sea of bells stretching endlessly into the horizon.
Countless figures kneeling beneath a black sky.
And on the throne—
Someone sleeping.
The figure's face remained hidden.
Its body remained motionless.
Yet even sleeping, its presence felt immeasurable.
Ancient.
Endless.
Terrifying.
The vision shattered instantly.
Reality returned.
Kael inhaled sharply.
The world stabilized.
The underground city appeared once more.
The lanterns.
The crowds.
The platform.
Everything returned.
Except one thing.
Theron was staring directly at him.
The old man's smile had vanished.
For the first time since meeting him, his expression looked serious.
Very serious.
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
Yet somehow Kael understood.
The old man knew.
Whatever connection existed between the mark and the city—
Theron knew about it.
The moment lasted only seconds.
Then the smile returned.
The old man bowed politely.
The illusion of normality returned with it.
But Kael had already seen the truth.
Theron wasn't surprised by their arrival.
He wasn't curious about them.
He had been expecting them.
Perhaps expecting him specifically.
General Caelan noticed the exchange immediately.
The military commander missed very little.
His gaze shifted between Kael and the old man.
Then narrowed slightly.
Before anyone could speak, a deep vibration suddenly rolled through the city.
The ground trembled.
Not violently.
Not enough to throw anyone off balance.
Just enough to be felt.
The entire cavern became silent.
The motionless citizens remained still.
The lantern flames flickered.
Far below the city, hidden somewhere beneath layers of ancient stone—
Something moved.
The vibration came again.
Stronger.
Longer.
This time everyone felt it.
Aren's face immediately lost all color.
"Please tell me that's normal."
Theron didn't answer.
The old man's gaze slowly drifted downward.
Toward the depths hidden beneath the city.
And for the first time since meeting him—
His smile disappeared completely.
The silence that followed was infinitely more frightening than any warning.
Because suddenly the caretaker looked worried.
And if the caretaker of an ancient city buried beneath the world was worried—
Then everyone else should be terrified.