Chapter 118 — What Remus Buried
The prisoner stood in the center of the ruined courtyard.
No one moved toward him.
No one wanted to.
The chains around his wrists dragged against the broken stone as he slowly turned, studying the city around him.
Remus.
His eyes moved across its towers.
Its walls.
The people watching from windows and rooftops.
Then he smiled.
"They're still here."
Hades's expression remained cold.
"Leave."
The prisoner looked at him.
"You built a city on top of my grave."
"I built nothing."
"No."
The prisoner glanced around the courtyard.
"You inherited it."
Brook stepped forward, keeping himself between Sera and the stranger.
"Who are you?"
The prisoner looked at him.
For a moment, his attention moved away from everything else.
His eyes studied Brook.
Michael.
Lucifer.
Death.
Not physically.
But somehow, the man knew they were there.
His smile faded.
"You really don't know."
Brook's jaw tightened.
"I asked you a question."
The prisoner nodded.
"And you deserve an answer."
Hades moved.
"Enough."
The prisoner looked at him.
"You've spent centuries saying that."
The ground shook.
This time, everyone felt it.
The man lifted his chained wrists.
"You should ask your king why I'm still here."
Brook looked at Hades.
Hades's silence was answer enough.
Crowley stepped closer.
"You said you knew me."
The prisoner turned.
Crowley held his gaze.
"From where?"
The prisoner smiled.
"You were different."
Crowley's expression hardened.
"That doesn't answer the question."
"No."
The prisoner nodded.
"But it will bother you."
Crowley's eyes narrowed.
Henry looked between them.
"Can someone please start answering things properly?"
No one acknowledged him.
Henry sighed.
"Of course."
Sera suddenly coughed.
Brook immediately turned.
"Sera."
She was still weak.
But she had managed to stand.
Brook grabbed her arm.
"You shouldn't be moving."
Sera looked past him.
At the prisoner.
Her expression changed.
"He's not human."
The prisoner looked amused.
"Neither are you."
Sera froze.
The courtyard went quiet.
Crowley turned toward her.
"What does that mean?"
The prisoner looked at Sera's chest.
Her Ancient Source pulsed.
Once.
The chains around his wrists tightened.
His smile disappeared.
Hades noticed.
Brook noticed too.
The prisoner slowly raised his eyes.
"Ah."
Sera took a step backward.
"What?"
The man stared at her.
"You have no idea what you are carrying."
Hades stepped forward.
"Don't speak to her."
The prisoner laughed.
"Now you care?"
Hades's hand tightened.
Brook had seen Hades fight.
He had seen the cold king use magic without wasting movement.
But this was different.
For the first time, Hades looked personal.
Not afraid.
Angry.
The prisoner saw it too.
"Still pretending."
Hades's voice lowered.
"You are beneath my city."
The prisoner looked down.
Then back up.
"That is your greatest mistake."
The chains around his wrists moved.
Not breaking.
Moving.
The metal slowly tightened against his skin.
Blood ran down his arms.
Henry frowned.
"Why is he doing that?"
Crowley didn't answer.
Brook watched the prisoner carefully.
The man's face twisted slightly.
For the first time, there was pain.
Then—
a word appeared above him.
OPEN.
Sera froze.
Her Source reacted.
The word wasn't hers.
She knew that immediately.
The prisoner smiled through the pain.
"Word Magic."
Sera whispered.
The man looked at her.
"Older."
The word disappeared.
The chains stopped moving.
Hades raised his hand.
A circle of symbols formed around the prisoner.
He looked down at them.
Then laughed.
"You still use the old language."
Brook looked at Hades.
"Old language?"
The prisoner answered instead.
"Magic."
Hades's eyes hardened.
"Silence."
The prisoner smiled.
"See?"
He looked at Brook.
"This is why I stayed."
Brook frowned.
"Stayed?"
"Yes."
The prisoner looked around Remus.
"I could have escaped."
Hades's expression changed.
That caught everyone's attention.
Henry slowly looked at the chains.
"Then why didn't you?"
The prisoner smiled.
"Because I was waiting."
Sera's face went pale.
"For me."
The prisoner looked at her.
"No."
Everyone went silent.
The prisoner turned toward Brook.
"For him."
Brook froze.
Michael stirred.
Lucifer laughed.
Death remained silent.
Brook felt all three.
The prisoner watched his reaction with fascination.
"You have no idea."
Brook's hand moved toward his weapon.
"About what?"
"How close you are."
Brook's eyes narrowed.
"To what?"
The prisoner looked upward.
"The beginning."
The courtyard fell silent.
Hades spoke.
"Brook. Ignore him."
The prisoner smiled.
"Yes."
He looked at Hades.
"Tell him to ignore everything."
Brook's patience broke.
"Who are you?"
The prisoner finally looked directly at him.
For several seconds—
no one breathed.
Then he spoke.
"My name has been erased."
Hades stepped forward.
The prisoner continued.
"Not forgotten."
His eyes moved across the city.
"Erased."
Crowley stared at him.
"By who?"
The man smiled.
"The same person who is coming."
Brook's expression hardened.
"The Maker."
The prisoner looked impressed.
"So you've heard the name."
Sera whispered.
"He said the Maker is moving."
The prisoner nodded.
"He is."
Henry crossed his arms.
"And what does that have to do with you?"
The prisoner's expression became strangely calm.
"Everything."
A sound came from beneath the city.
Not another tremor.
A heartbeat.
Once.
The entire courtyard felt it.
Henry's expression disappeared.
"What the hell was that?"
Brook looked toward the ground.
Death appeared beside him.
The lifeline beneath Remus.
Still there.
Massive.
Spread beneath the city like roots.
The prisoner watched Brook.
"You see it."
Brook didn't answer.
"You've always seen them."
The prisoner took a step toward him.
Hades immediately moved.
Magic struck the ground between them.
Stone rose.
The prisoner stopped.
Hades's voice became sharp.
"One more step."
The man looked down at the stone barrier.
Then back at Hades.
"King."
Hades didn't move.
The prisoner smiled.
"You don't understand."
The heartbeat came again.
Harder.
The buildings around them shook.
People screamed in the streets.
Brook turned toward Hades.
"What is connected to the city?"
Hades remained silent.
Brook stepped closer.
"Hades."
Crowley watched him.
Henry watched the city.
Sera watched the prisoner.
Finally—
Hades answered.
"Remus is alive."
The courtyard went silent.
Henry blinked.
"What?"
Brook stared.
Hades looked toward the ground.
"The city isn't connected to something beneath it."
The prisoner began laughing.
Hades's voice remained cold.
"It is built from it."
Brook looked around.
The stone beneath his feet.
The walls.
The towers.
Everything.
His eyes moved slowly.
Death showed him the lifeline again.
It wasn't beneath Remus.
It was Remus.
Henry stepped backward.
"You mean the city is—"
"Not a creature."
Hades interrupted.
The prisoner laughed louder.
Hades ignored him.
"It was once something else."
Sera whispered:
"What?"
Hades looked toward her.
"I don't know."
The prisoner stopped laughing.
"That's a lie."
Hades's eyes turned toward him.
The courtyard became cold.
Crowley stepped between them.
"Then explain it."
The prisoner smiled.
"No."
Crowley stared.
The prisoner tilted his head.
"Ask the King of Remus why his kingdom exists."
Hades's face remained unreadable.
But Brook noticed his hand.
It had tightened.
Sera suddenly whispered:
"The words."
Everyone looked at her.
She stared at the city.
"I can hear them."
Brook moved toward her.
"What are they saying?"
Sera's eyes widened.
Her Ancient Source was reacting.
Words appeared around her.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Faint symbols across the stone.
Sera covered her ears.
"They're all saying something."
The prisoner smiled.
"What?"
Sera looked toward him.
Her face lost its color.
"They're asking me to wake up."
Brook immediately stepped in front of her.
"No."
The prisoner smiled.
"Smart."
Brook looked at him.
"What happens if she does?"
The prisoner didn't answer.
The heartbeat came again.
This time—
a tower in the distance cracked.
Hades turned.
"Evacuate the city."
Guards immediately moved.
Brook stared at him.
"You're evacuating now?"
Hades looked toward the ground.
"I hoped I was wrong."
Crowley looked at the prisoner.
"And now?"
Hades answered quietly.
"Now I know we're running out of time."
The prisoner lifted his hands.
The chains rattled.
Sera stared at them.
Brook noticed.
"What?"
Sera slowly stepped forward.
Brook grabbed her.
"Sera."
"Wait."
She looked at the chains.
Her breathing became shallow.
"I know those words."
Crowley frowned.
"What words?"
Sera pointed.
Symbols were carved into the metal.
Not visible before.
Now they were glowing.
The prisoner watched her carefully.
Sera whispered:
"One of them says…"
Her voice stopped.
Brook looked at her.
"Sera?"
She slowly raised her hand.
Hades moved instantly.
"Don't."
Sera froze.
The prisoner smiled.
Brook looked at Hades.
"Why?"
Hades's eyes remained on Sera.
"Because if she reads them aloud—"
The prisoner interrupted.
"—I will be free."
The courtyard went silent.
Sera lowered her hand.
Brook looked at the prisoner.
"So this entire time…"
The man smiled.
"I was waiting to see if she would be foolish enough."
Crowley stepped forward.
"You were manipulating her."
"No."
The prisoner looked toward Sera.
"I was giving her a choice."
Sera's eyes hardened.
"Like Elias?"
The prisoner smiled disappeared.
That was enough.
Brook noticed.
Crowley noticed too.
Sera took another step forward.
Brook reached for her again.
She stopped him.
"No."
Brook looked at her.
"Sera."
"I said no."
She looked at the prisoner.
Then raised her hand.
A word appeared.
Not ancient.
Not strange.
Her word.
SILENCE.
The prisoner froze.
His mouth closed.
He tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
Sera stared at him.
The word held.
The prisoner looked genuinely surprised.
For the first time since escaping—
he had lost control of the conversation.
Crowley smiled faintly.
Henry raised his eyebrows.
"Okay."
Sera nearly collapsed.
Brook caught her.
The word disappeared.
The prisoner immediately inhaled.
But before he could speak—
Hades moved.
The stone around him rose.
Chains extended from the ground.
The prisoner was pulled backward.
Brook watched.
"What are you doing?"
Hades didn't stop.
"Putting him back."
The prisoner smiled.
Even as the darkness pulled him down.
Crowley watched carefully.
The prisoner looked directly at him.
"Ask him about Hell."
Crowley's expression changed.
The prisoner sank deeper.
Then looked at Brook.
"Ask him about the first kings."
Brook froze.
The prisoner looked at Sera.
"And ask yourself why the Maker is afraid."
Then—
he disappeared beneath the ground.
The courtyard became silent.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Then Henry looked at Hades.
"That was a lot."
Hades didn't answer.
Crowley stepped closer.
"Ask him about Hell."
Hades looked at him.
Crowley's voice became colder.
"What did he mean?"
Hades remained silent.
Crowley took another step.
"Hades."
Brook watched.
Crowley's expression was different.
Something in him had shifted.
The former king.
Hades looked directly at him.
"I don't know what happened in Hell."
Crowley stared.
"Then why did he tell me to ask you?"
Hades's voice remained calm.
"Because he wants you to remember."
Crowley went still.
Brook looked at him.
"Remember what?"
Hades looked toward the ground.
His answer came quietly.
"Who you were before you became Crowley."
Silence.
Crowley's eyes darkened.
The courtyard trembled again.
But this time—
the prisoner was gone.
Something else had moved.
Far below.
Sera grabbed Brook's arm.
He looked down.
"What?"
Her face was pale.
"The city isn't asking me to wake it."
Brook stared.
Sera swallowed.
"It's asking me to open something."
Brook looked toward the city walls.
"Open what?"
Sera's Ancient Source pulsed.
And somewhere beneath Remus—
something answered.
A door opened.
End of Chapter 118