The moment that thing pronounced my name,my entire body froze.
Not because it sounded loud.Not because it sounded threatening.
But because its voice felt familiar in the worst possible way.
Like hearing an ancient memory my soul had desperately tried to bury.
"Kael."
The sound echoed softly across the ruins,yet the entire world trembled beneath it.
The sky above us cracked further,enormous black fractures spreading endlessly through the darkness while the ground beneath my feet vibrated so violently it almost threw me off balance.
Beside me,Faye grabbed my hand harder.
Too hard.
Her fingers trembled against my skin while her breathing became uneven.
"What… what is happening?"
I wanted to answer her.
But honestly…
I didn't understand any of this myself.
The silhouette behind the Door remained motionless inside the endless void,its body impossibly tall,almost blending completely into the darkness surrounding it.
Only its eyes remained visible.
Cold.Empty.Ancient beyond comprehension.
Watching me without blinking.
The synchronization inside my body reacted violently again.
Silver light exploded beneath the fractures across my skin while unbearable pain spread through my chest like invisible claws digging into my soul.The glowing lines along my arms burned hotter and hotter with every second those eyes remained fixed on me.
Not with hatred.
Recognition.
And somehow…
That terrified me more than death itself.
I staggered backward immediately.
Faye caught me before I collapsed completely.
"Kael!"
Her voice sounded distant beneath the chaos exploding inside my mind.
Ancient gates.Black oceans swallowing dying stars.Worlds collapsing into endless darkness.
And through every vision…
That same voice.
Calling my name.
The realization made my blood run cold instantly.
This wasn't the first time it had spoken to me.
I just couldn't remember when.
Behind us,the Door groaned violently.
Another chain snapped.
The sound exploded across the ruins like thunder.
The black mist pouring from the opening spread farther now,crawling slowly across shattered stone and broken pillars like living darkness.Everywhere the mist touched,silence followed instantly.
No wind.No sound.Nothing.
Even reality itself seemed afraid to breathe.
Then suddenly—
The figure behind the Door took another step forward.
The moment it moved,the entire world distorted.
The ruins bent unnaturally around us while the sky twisted like shattered glass.In the distance,mountains cracked apart beneath invisible pressure spreading endlessly across the horizon.
Faye gasped softly beside me.
"Oh my God…"
The synchronization inside my chest screamed violently.
Not fear for me.
Fear of it.
And somehow that terrified me even more.
Because the synchronization had survived the prison.It had survived eternity itself.
Yet this thing…
This thing made it panic.
A voice suddenly echoed inside my head again.
Not the entity's voice.
The synchronization itself.
DO NOT LET IT CROSS THE GATE.
Pain exploded behind my eyes instantly.
I dropped to one knee while silver fractures spread farther across my throat and jaw like glowing cracks tearing through flesh.
Faye knelt beside me immediately,panic flooding her face.
"Kael,stay with me!"
I forced myself to look toward the Door again despite the pain ripping through my body.
And that was when I noticed something horrifying.
The thing behind the Door wasn't forcing it open anymore.
The Door was opening for it willingly.
Almost like the ancient seal itself had begun recognizing its creator.
My heart nearly stopped.
Because suddenly…
A terrifying thought crossed my mind.
"What if the First Keeper didn't fail?"
Faye looked at me in confusion.
"What?"
Slowly,I forced myself back to my feet,my entire body trembling beneath the synchronization.
The visions flooding my mind finally began connecting together.
The prison.The abyss.The synchronization.The sacrifices.
None of it was created to destroy darkness.
It was created to delay something far worse.
Cold spread through my chest as I stared toward the silhouette beyond the Door.
"The First Keeper wasn't trying to lock monsters away…"
My voice shook violently.
"He was trying to keep this thing asleep."
Silence crashed across the ruins.
The figure inside the void stopped moving.
Then slowly
It smiled.
Not like a human smile.
Something colder.
Something ancient trying to imitate emotion after forgetting what emotions truly were.
And then it spoke again.
Softly.Calmly.Almost gently.
"I have waited for you… for a very long time,Kael."
Faye's grip around my arm tightened instantly.
But honestly…
The fear inside me no longer came from the Door.
It came from one horrifying realization.
That thing sounded certain.
Certain that one day…
I would come to it willingly.