The darkness didn't last long.
A low, heavy sound echoed through the sealed portal.
…Thump.
Arin Solis slowly lifted his head.
The beast.
It was standing right in front of him.
Up close, its presence was overwhelming—its size, its aura, the sheer pressure it emitted. Breathing felt difficult, like the air itself was rejecting him.
Arin couldn't move.
Not because he was weak.
But because something deeper… was holding him still.
Then—
The beast spoke.
Not with a roar.
Not with a growl.
But in a voice.
A calm… human voice.
"Follow."
Arin's eyes widened.
"What…?"
"Follow… or you will not survive."
There was no threat in its tone.
No anger.
Just a simple statement.
As if it were stating a fact.
For a moment, Arin hesitated.
Run?
Fight?
Neither was possible.
So… he walked.
The beast turned and moved deeper into the darkness.
Arin followed.
Step by step.
Through a path that didn't feel like a dungeon anymore.
The surroundings began to change.
The walls twisted… the ground shifted…
As if reality itself was being rewritten.
Then—
They arrived.
A massive chamber revealed itself.
Ancient.
Endless.
At its centre—
A throne.
Around it stood countless beasts.
Different forms.
Different sizes.
Some massive. Some small.
But all of them—
Powerful.
Far beyond anything Arin had ever seen.
The moment he stepped inside—
Everything stopped.
Every creature turned.
Their eyes locked onto him.
For a second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
One of them stepped forward.
Its voice is trembling.
"…Master?"
Arin froze.
"…What?"
Another one spoke.
"It… it's him…"
"He has returned…"
Before Arin could react—
Every single beast in that chamber…
Kneeled.
One after another.
The ground shook as even the largest among them lowered themselves.
Not in fear.
Not in submission.
But in something deeper—
Reverence.
Arin's mind went blank.
"This… doesn't make sense…"
Suddenly—
The ground beneath him began to rise.
A massive stone platform lifted him slowly… carrying him upward—
Toward the throne.
"No—wait—"
But his body didn't resist.
It felt… natural.
As he reached the level of the throne, the presence around him grew heavier.
One figure stepped forward.
Different from the rest.
More stable.
More aware.
It spoke.
"Master… you have returned at last."
Arin's voice shook slightly.
"I think you've got the wrong person."
The entity paused.
Then spoke again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"You are the origin."
"The one who created this world… and us."
Silence filled the chamber.
"Long ago… other beings—Masters of different realms—invaded our universe."
"You stood against them."
"You gave everything… to protect what you created."
Arin's chest tightened.
Fragments.
Feelings.
Something… unfamiliar.
"But even that was not enough."
"When you fell… everything began to collapse."
The entity's voice lowered.
"Then… the Overseer appeared."
At that word—
Something shifted.
"It told us… that you would be reborn."
"On a distant world."
"Disguised… among humans."
Arin's thoughts raced.
"Overseer…?"
"Reborn…?"
"Why me…?"
He looked at the entity.
"Who are they? Why did they choose me?"
For the first time—
The entity hesitated.
Its form… flickered.
Its voice… distorted.
"Information… restricted…"
"Gatekeeper of Aethros… cannot disclose—"
Its voice broke.
Glitched.
"You must… awaken—"
Suddenly—
Everything stopped.
The chamber vanished.
The beasts disappeared.
The throne…
Gone.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Silence.
Arin floated in nothingness.
No ground.
No light.
No sound.
Then—
His heartbeat echoed.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
An immense pressure built within him.
Not outside.
Inside.
Something was awakening.
A voice emerged.
Not loud.
But absolute.
"I am… Aethros."
The name itself felt heavy.
Ancient.
Endless.
"What you see… is only a fragment."
"What you are… is unfinished."
Energy surged through Arin's body.
His senses expanded.
His mind… stretched beyond its limits.
"I have given you access… to what lies beyond human potential."
"But power alone is not enough."
A pause.
"To become whole… You must rise."
The darkness trembled.
"I created this power… for one purpose."
"A successor."
Arin's eyes widened.
"Become worthy."
And then—
Everything shattered.
Light returned.
Sound followed.
Arin gasped.
He was standing—
At the entrance of the portal.
As if nothing had happened.
But something had.
Because deep within him—
Something was no longer asleep.