The training grounds did not return to normal after Aethrion's announcement.
Even as the demigods continued their exercises, something had changed. The usual energy—the drive to compete, to improve, to prove strength—was still there, but now it was mixed with something else.
Unease.
Heron could feel it in every movement around him.
Every strike carried more weight.
Every glance lasted a little longer.
No one said it aloud, but everyone understood.
Something was coming.
Heron stood at the center of the field once more, his breathing steady as he adjusted his stance. The faint dust beneath his feet shifted slightly as he moved, the marks of earlier training still fresh across the ground.
Across from him stood Draven.
Again.
Draven rolled his shoulders slightly, a faint smirk on his face. "Looks like we weren't finished."
Heron didn't respond immediately. His gaze was calm, but focused.
"This is training," Heron said. "Not a fight."
Draven chuckled. "Same difference."
Kaelion stood off to the side, watching silently. His eyes moved between the two, sharp and observant.
Something about this felt… important.
"Begin."
The signal came from one of the overseeing warriors.
And instantly—
Draven moved.
Fast.
His foot struck the ground with force as he closed the distance between them in a single burst of speed. His fist came forward, surrounded by a faint glow of heated energy.
Heron reacted immediately.
He stepped to the side, avoiding the strike, his movements precise and controlled. His counter came just as quickly—a sharp strike aimed at Draven's side.
Draven blocked it.
The impact echoed faintly.
They separated.
Then moved again.
This time faster.
Their movements became a blur of motion—strikes, blocks, counters—each testing the other's skill without fully unleashing their power.
But even within the control…
There was pressure.
Draven's attacks grew more aggressive, his strikes sharper, heavier.
"You're holding back," he said.
Heron narrowed his eyes slightly. "So are you."
Draven smirked. "Maybe."
Then—
He pushed forward harder.
A sudden burst of energy flared around him as his next strike came faster than before.
Heron barely blocked it.
The force pushed him back slightly, his feet sliding across the ground.
A few demigods nearby turned to watch.
The tension was rising.
Heron steadied himself.
Then—
He moved.
Faster than before.
His movements sharpened, his focus narrowing completely. He stepped into Draven's range, deflecting another strike before delivering a clean counter that forced Draven to step back.
For a moment—
They stopped.
Both breathing evenly.
Both watching each other carefully.
Kaelion's gaze sharpened.
Now they were serious.
Draven wiped a small trace of dust from his shoulder. "Not bad."
Heron didn't respond.
But something inside him stirred again.
That feeling.
It returned suddenly.
Stronger.
His grip tightened slightly.
Not now…
Draven noticed the shift immediately. "What's wrong?"
Heron shook his head. "Nothing."
But it wasn't nothing.
The ground beneath him felt strange again.
Unstable.
Like before.
Then—
It happened.
A faint tremor.
So small most would miss it.
But not them.
Heron froze.
Draven paused.
Across the field, a few others hesitated mid-movement.
Kaelion's eyes widened slightly.
They all felt it.
Again.
The tremor stopped.
Silence followed.
For a brief moment, everything seemed normal again.
Then—
Heron's chest tightened suddenly.
The energy inside him surged.
Stronger than ever before.
He staggered slightly.
"What…?"
Draven stepped back instinctively. "Hey—what's going on?"
Heron didn't answer.
His vision blurred for a moment.
And then—
He saw it.
Darkness.
Endless.
Moving.
Deeper than before.
Closer.
And within it—
Something shifted.
Heron gasped.
The vision vanished.
But the feeling remained.
Stronger.
Closer.
Real.
Across the training ground—
The earth trembled again.
This time—
Stronger.
Cracks.
Small at first.
Appeared beneath the surface.
A low sound echoed faintly.
Deep.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
The demigods froze.
"What is that?" someone whispered.
Kaelion stepped forward slightly. "It's happening again…"
Draven looked around, his earlier confidence fading just slightly. "This isn't normal."
Heron didn't move.
He couldn't.
That pull—
It was overwhelming now.
Like something beneath the ground was calling directly to him.
High above—
The gods felt it too.
Aethrion's gaze sharpened instantly.
"It's spreading," Solvyn said.
Veyra's expression darkened. "The earth can't hold it much longer."
Ignivar stepped forward. "Then we act now—"
"Wait."
Thalor's voice stopped him.
All eyes turned.
Thalor's gaze was fixed downward.
Through the palace.
Through the ground.
"To move now…" he said slowly, "…may be too late."
Back on the training grounds—
The cracks spread slightly wider.
Dust fell into them.
The low sound beneath the earth grew louder.
Not enough to shake the world.
But enough to be heard.
Enough to be felt.
Heron took a step forward.
Without thinking.
"Heron!" Kaelion called.
But Heron didn't stop.
His eyes were fixed on the ground.
That pull—
It was calling him.
Stronger.
Clearer.
Then—
The ground beneath him shifted.
A single crack widened.
And for the briefest moment—
Something moved beneath it.
Not fully visible.
But there.
Watching.
Heron's eyes widened.
His body reacted instantly.
A burst of energy surged from him—
Stronger than before.
Uncontrolled.
The air around him rippled violently.
Draven stepped back quickly. "What is that?!"
Kaelion shielded his eyes slightly. "Heron—stop!"
But Heron couldn't.
The energy kept rising.
Responding.
Answering something below.
Then—
Everything stopped.
The tremors.
The sound.
The energy.
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence fell across the training ground.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Heron stood still, breathing heavily.
His hands trembling slightly.
"What… was that…?"
Kaelion stared at him.
Draven stared at him.
Everyone…
Was staring at him.
Far beneath the earth…
In the endless darkness…
Something stirred.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
And this time—
It did not return to sleep.