The beat grew louder.
Not just audible.
But felt in the bones.
In the breath.
In the soul.
Aurelia stood at the front line, now so close to that figure that the red light from the creature's body reflected in her eyes.
But the light within her.
Did not waver.
The figure slowly stepped out of the massive heart structure.
Each movement made the space around them tremble.
As if this place… bowed to it.
"It has been so long…"
Its voice echoed.
But not wild.
Rather… controlled.
Calm.
Dangerous.
Aurelia stared straight ahead.
"Who are you really?"
The figure stopped.
Tilted its head slightly.
As if considering the question.
"The wrong question."
It smiled faintly.
"What you should ask… is who you are."
Ragnar scoffed.
"I hate types like this."
He stepped forward.
But Aurelia raised her hand slightly.
Stopping him.
"He's not an ordinary enemy."
Ragnar grinned.
"Good. More fun."
Kael crossed his arms.
His eyes never left the figure.
"He's not attacking."
Orion added,
"He's waiting."
Aurelia nodded slowly.
"Because he's certain."
The figure smiled wider.
"Yes."
It stepped forward again.
Now only a few steps away from Aurelia.
"I don't need to attack."
It spoke softly.
"Because you will come to me."
Silence.
But no one moved.
Aurelia took a slow breath.
The Blood Pact bond still felt present.
But the farther they were from the center.
Instead—
The power within her continued to rise.
The closer they got.
The stronger it became.
"All of this…"
Aurelia spoke up.
"…you arranged it."
The figure did not deny it.
"Partly."
It raised its hand slightly.
The red lines around them trembled.
"This world has been cracked for a long time."
It continued.
"I merely… awakened it."
Ragnar clicked his tongue.
"Then we'll put it back to sleep."
He shot forward.
Fast.
Without hesitation.
His fist aimed straight at the figure's head.
But.
There was no impact.
His body passed through.
Like a shadow.
Ragnar landed.
Spun around quickly.
"What…"
The figure still stood in the same spot.
Unmoved.
Uninjured.
"This isn't a body."
Orion spoke softly.
"It's a manifestation."
Kael sighed.
"Great. So we can't beat him up directly."
Ragnar grinned.
"No problem. I'll still try."
But Aurelia raised her hand again.
"No."
Her voice was firmer.
She stepped forward.
Approaching the figure.
"If you're not a body…"
She spoke softly.
"…then you are the center of everything."
The figure stared at her.
More deeply.
"And you… are the gate."
Aurelia did not deny it.
But she did not agree either.
"I don't belong to you."
The figure smiled.
"I never said that."
It took another step forward.
Now only a few inches apart.
"But you are a part of me."
Silence.
But this time.
Heavier.
Deeper.
Aurelia felt something.
Within herself.
There was a vibration.
Resonance.
As if something inside her… recognized the creature.
Not as an enemy.
But as… something once connected.
Aurelia furrowed her brow.
"What are you doing?"
The figure did not touch her.
But its presence.
Was enough.
"Nothing."
It spoke softly.
"This isn't about what I do."
It stared deep into Aurelia's eyes.
"This is about what you remember."
A flash appeared.
Brighter than before.
Aurelia saw.
Not a battle.
Not a seal.
But the past.
She saw figures.
Wolves.
Humans.
Other creatures.
All gathered.
Surrounding something.
Light.
And darkness.
They were not fighting.
They were… creating something.
A seal.
Great.
Strong.
And in the middle of it.
There was one figure.
Glowing.
In control.
Aurelia jolted.
Her breath became ragged.
"That…"
Orion stepped forward.
"What do you see?"
Aurelia stared at the figure before her.
Her eyes trembled slightly.
"That's me…"
Silence fell.
Kael did not smile this time.
Ragnar did not joke.
Orion stared more deeply.
The figure nodded slowly.
"Finally."
It said.
"Some of the memory has returned."
Aurelia stepped back.
Her mind spun.
"No…"
She shook her head.
"That's impossible."
The figure stepped forward again.
Not giving any space.
"The seal wasn't created by many people."
It spoke softly.
"The seal… was created by you."
The light within Aurelia trembled violently.
The Blood Pact bond resonated along with it.
Unstable.
Ragnar stepped forward.
"What is he talking about?"
Orion answered softly,
"If that's true…"
He stared at Aurelia.
"…then she's not just the key."
Kael continued,
"She's the creator."
Aurelia clenched her fists.
The light on her body began to rise.
But it was unstable.
"If I created it…"
She said in a low voice.
"…why don't I remember?"
The figure smiled faintly.
"Because you chose to forget."
Silence.
But this time.
Like an abyss.
Aurelia stared sharply at it.
"Why?"
The figure lowered its head slightly.
Its expression changed.
Not a smile.
Not a threat.
But something deeper.
"Because you knew…"
It spoke softly.
"…that one day you would have to choose again."
The light around them trembled.
The heart structure beat faster.
Aurelia felt everything.
The pressure.
The power.
The choice.
"Choose what?" she asked.
The figure lifted its face.
Its eyes glowed red.
Deep.
Bottomless.
"To keep it closed…"
It paused for a moment.
"…or to open it."
Silence.
Ragnar clenched his fists.
"No choice needed. We destroy him."
Kael did not speak.
But his gaze was serious.
Orion remained calm.
But his eyes never left Aurelia.
Aurelia stared at the figure.
Deeply.
Without hesitation.
"I won't open it."
The figure smiled.
This time.
Wider.
More satisfied.
"The same answer…"
It spoke softly.
"…as before."
The red light around it began to intensify.
The heart structure trembled violently.
"Then…"
It raised its hand.
"Prove it."
BOOOOM.
Energy exploded.
The space changed.
Pressure multiplied several times over.
The ground cracked deeper.
The sky trembled.
And for the first time.
The figure no longer just stood there.
It attacked.
The war at the heart of the world.
Finally truly began.
The explosion did not just shake the ground.
It tore through space.
Red waves swept in all directions, pressing like a directionless storm.
Aurelia stood her ground.
The light in her body burst out reflexively.
Gold and white mixed.
Holding back.
Balancing.
The collision of the two powers created a large vortex between them.
Ragnar did not wait.
He pushed through the pressure.
His muscles tensed, each step shattering the pulsing surface.
"Now this is a real battle!"
He struck straight toward the figure.
But this time.
It was different.
His fist did not pass through.
CRASH!
A real impact occurred.
Ragnar was pushed back half a step, but his eyes blazed with excitement.
"He's solid now!"
Kael appeared immediately on the other side.
His attack was fast, sharp, piercing through the gaps in the energy.
But the figure moved more smoothly.
Dodging effortlessly.
As if it already knew the direction of the attack before it happened.
Orion stepped in.
Not in a hurry.
Not forcing it.
His attack came at the right moment.
When the figure dodged Kael.
But.
Still failed.
The figure raised its hand.
Orion's attack stopped in midair.
Held back by something invisible.
"This isn't just power…"
Orion murmured.
"…it's complete control."
Aurelia stepped forward.
Not in a hurry.
But steady.
Her eyes never left the figure.
"He is the center."
She spoke softly.
"As long as he stands…"
She raised her hand.
"…this place will always be on his side."
The figure smiled.
"True."
It stepped slowly forward.
Each step increased the pressure.
"And you still choose to fight here."
Aurelia did not back down.
"Because this is the only place to end it."
The figure stopped.
Its gaze was deep.
As if reassessing.
"Then…"
It opened its hands.
Red energy gathered.
Denser than before.
More… alive.
"Prove it."
BOOOOM!
The next attack was far larger.
The red wave struck directly.
Aurelia raised both hands.
The light in her body exploded.
But this time.
She did not just hold back.
She split it.
The gold-white energy sliced the red wave in two.
Creating a gap.
"Now!"
Ragnar charged in immediately.
His punch struck harder.
Kael moved quickly from the right side.
A flurry of attacks gave no room to breathe.
Orion closed in from behind.
Locking down movement.
For a moment.
The figure was truly cornered.
But only for a moment.
It lifted its head.
And smiled.
"Good…"
The red energy around it suddenly pulsed wildly.
Faster.
More chaotic.
Stronger.
BOOOOM!
An explosion erupted from within.
Ragnar was thrown back.
Kael retreated quickly.
Orion held his ground, but was still pushed back.
Aurelia remained standing.
But her body shifted slightly.
The figure was no longer calm now.
Its aura changed.
Wilder.
More… free.
"You pushed too hard…"
It spoke softly.
"…and I'm starting to wake up."
Aurelia narrowed her eyes.
"That's our goal."
The figure laughed quietly.
"A mistake."
It raised its hand.
The red lines throughout the space began to move.
All paths.
All connections.
Leading to it.
"The more you push…"
It continued.
"…the faster I become complete."
Orion understood immediately.
"He's using our pressure to speed up his awakening."
Kael muttered softly.
"So every attack just helps him."
Ragnar grinned.
"Then we destroy him faster before he's done."
Aurelia shook her head.
"No."
Everyone turned.
Aurelia stared at the figure.
Her eyes were calm.
But deep.
"We're not attacking him…"
She spoke softly.
"…we stop the source."
Silence.
Orion understood immediately.
"His heart."
Kael nodded.
"That structure."
Ragnar laughed.
"Finally a clear target."
The figure narrowed its eyes.
There was a change.
"Ah…"
It smiled faintly.
"You're starting to understand."
Aurelia did not wait.
She shot forward.
Straight toward the heart structure.
Ragnar followed without hesitation.
Kael moved quickly to the right.
Orion closed in from behind.
The figure raised its hand.
Trying to stop them.
But.
Too late.
Aurelia had already reached the edge of the structure.
The red light pulsed strongly.
As if rejecting her.
But Aurelia did not stop.
She raised her hand.
Gold-white light gathered.
But this time.
Not to attack.
But to… enter.
"If this is your heart…"
She spoke softly.
"…then I will take control of it."
Her hand touched the surface.
BOOOOM!
An energy explosion occurred.
But not outward.
But inward.
Golden light spread throughout the structure.
Filling it.
Flowing through it.
The figure froze.
Its expression changed drastically.
"What are you doing.."
Aurelia opened her eyes.
The light within them shone brightly.
Brighter than ever before.
"I remember."
Silence.
But not ordinary silence.
But something that… awoke.
Inside the structure.
The red light began to change.
Mixed.
Affected.
The figure stepped back.
For the first time.
Not attacking.
Not smiling.
But… surprised.
"That's impossible…"
It whispered.
Aurelia did not turn around.
But her voice was clear.
"If I created it…"
She spoke softly.
"…then I also know how to stop it."
The light throughout the space trembled.
The heart structure beat erratically.
The red lines began to lose their pattern.
And in the middle of everything.
The figure stood.
No longer fully in control.
But not yet defeated.
The battle was not over.
But one thing was clear.
The balance was starting to shift.
Victory no longer felt impossible.