The horn echoed for a long time.
Its deep call rolled across the mountains and valleys, fading only to return again moments later.
A warning.
Or a summons.
Perhaps both.
Amara stood motionless, staring toward the distant horizon.
The world knew.
Whatever had happened at the fractured seal was no longer hidden.
The secret was out.
And now everyone was moving.
Kael slipped the silver compass back into his coat.
"We leave immediately."
The young man groaned.
"Do you ever stop saying that?"
"No."
"Just checking."
Despite everything, Amara almost smiled.
Almost.
But the weight in her chest remained.
The Seventh Lock.
The First Ruin.
The prison.
The three prisoners.
Every answer seemed to uncover something even worse.
They began traveling east as the sun climbed higher.
The mountains gradually gave way to rolling hills covered in ancient forests.
For the first few hours, nobody spoke much.
Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.
It was Amara who finally broke the silence.
"You said there were three prisoners."
Kael's expression tightened.
"I did."
"And?"
A long pause followed.
Then he sighed.
"The first was the Hollow King."
"The second?"
"The prison itself."
The answer made little sense.
Amara frowned.
"How can a prison be a prisoner?"
Kael glanced at her.
"That's a very good question."
Which meant he wasn't going to explain.
The young man rolled his eyes.
"I swear he enjoys this."
"A little."
"Unbelievable."
For the first time in hours, Kael actually looked amused.
Then his expression darkened again.
"The third prisoner is the one nobody remembers."
A chill ran down Amara's spine.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly that."
The forest around them seemed quieter suddenly.
The birds had stopped singing.
Even the wind felt hesitant.
Kael continued walking.
"There are records of the Hollow King."
"There are records of the prison."
"But every mention of the third prisoner was erased."
"By who?"
"I don't know."
That answer bothered Amara more than the others.
Kael usually avoided questions.
But when he truly didn't know something, there was a different look in his eyes.
And she saw that look now.
Hours later, they reached the edge of the forest.
The trees abruptly ended.
Beyond them stretched a massive plain.
Golden grass swayed beneath the afternoon sun.
Ruins dotted the landscape.
Broken towers.
Collapsed walls.
Fragments of forgotten civilizations.
Amara stared.
"How old is this place?"
"Older than most kingdoms."
The young man frowned.
"Are we already near the First Ruin?"
Kael shook his head.
"Not even close."
That answer was somehow unsettling.
If these ruins weren't ancient enough...
How old was the First Ruin?
A sudden movement caught Amara's attention.
She froze.
Someone was standing ahead.
Far across the plain.
Watching them.
A lone figure dressed in black.
Motionless.
The young man immediately noticed.
"So much for traveling quietly."
Kael stopped walking.
His eyes narrowed.
The figure remained still.
Then another appeared.
And another.
And another.
Four in total.
Spread across the plain.
Watching.
Waiting.
The same feeling Amara had experienced on the ridge returned.
The Watchers.
"They found us," she whispered.
Kael nodded.
"Faster than I expected."
The young man cracked his knuckles.
"Can we outrun them?"
"No."
"Fight them?"
"No."
"You're really helpful."
Kael ignored him.
The four figures suddenly began walking.
Not rushing.
Not threatening.
Simply approaching.
The distance between them slowly shrank.
Amara felt her pulse quicken.
Something about their movements felt wrong.
Too smooth.
Too synchronized.
Like puppets controlled by the same hand.
Then the one in front stopped.
The others stopped simultaneously.
A voice drifted across the plain.
"We seek the Key."
Amara's stomach tightened.
Kael stepped forward.
"Then keep seeking."
The figure tilted its head.
"The fracture has begun."
"We noticed."
"The Seventh Lock must not open."
For the first time, genuine surprise crossed Kael's face.
The Watcher continued.
"If the lock breaks, all paths end."
Silence.
Amara looked at Kael.
Something wasn't right.
The Watchers weren't demanding she surrender.
They weren't attacking.
They sounded... concerned.
The realization clearly bothered Kael too.
The young man noticed.
"You didn't expect that."
"No."
The lead Watcher took another step.
"We do not serve the darkness."
Another surprise.
Amara frowned.
"Then who do you serve?"
The figure's silver eyes focused on her.
And for a moment, she felt something strange.
Not hostility.
Sadness.
"We serve the last promise."
The words hung in the air.
Before anyone could ask what that meant, the ground suddenly shook.
Once.
Twice.
Then violently.
A massive crack split the plain.
The earth erupted.
Everyone jumped backward.
Dust exploded skyward.
The Watchers instantly turned toward the disturbance.
Their calm demeanor vanished.
For the first time, Amara saw fear.
Real fear.
Something was emerging.
A colossal black structure slowly rose from beneath the earth.
Stone groaned.
Ancient mechanisms turned.
Golden light erupted from cracks along its surface.
Amara stared in disbelief.
It looked like part of a city.
No.
Part of a fortress.
An impossibly ancient fortress buried beneath the world.
Kael's face lost all color.
"No..."
The young man looked at him.
"What?"
Kael took a step backward.
His voice barely above a whisper.
"It woke up."
The fortress continued rising.
Tower after tower emerged from beneath the plain.
Ancient walls stretched toward the horizon.
Golden symbols ignited across its surface.
The entire landscape trembled.
The Watchers immediately dropped to one knee.
Not in fear.
In reverence.
Amara's pulse hammered in her ears.
"What is it?"
Kael stared at the fortress.
At the symbols.
At the gates slowly opening.
Then he gave an answer that made the blood drain from her face.
"The First Ruin."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Impossible.
The First Ruin.
The place where the world broke.
The place where the Seventh Lock was hidden.
And somehow...
It had just awakened.
As the massive gates opened wider, darkness filled the entrance.
A deep voice echoed from within.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Awake.
"At last."
The words rolled across the plain like thunder.
And every person present immediately understood one terrifying truth.
Something inside the First Ruin had been waiting for them.