The moment those eyes appeared inside the Door, something inside me broke.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
Something human.
A violent pressure crushed against my chest while the synchronization beneath my skin spiraled out of control. Silver light spread through the fractures across my arms like veins of fire, burning hotter with every second those eyes remained fixed on me.
Watching me.
Recognizing me.
And somehow…
That terrified me more than death itself.
The sky above the ruins had completely darkened now. The sunlight from earlier was gone, swallowed by a massive veil of shadow stretching endlessly across the horizon. The air itself felt wrong. Heavy. Distorted. Every breath tasted colder than before.
Beside me, Faye grabbed my wrist tightly.
Too tightly.
Her fingers trembled against my skin.
"Kael…"
Her voice sounded small.
Afraid.
And hearing fear in her voice shook me harder than the Door opening behind us.
Because Faye almost never sounded afraid.
I forced myself to breathe slowly before looking toward the massive black structure again.
The Door was opening inch by inch.
Very slowly.
But enough.
Enough for darkness to spill through the gap like living smoke, crawling across the ruins beneath our feet. Wherever the black mist touched, the world became silent instantly.
No wind.
No sound.
Nothing.
It felt like reality itself was suffocating.
Then suddenly
Another chain snapped.
The sound exploded across the ruins like thunder.
Faye flinched immediately.
I instinctively pulled her closer behind me while my eyes remained locked on the opening.
And that was when I saw them again.
Those eyes.
God…
They didn't even look alive.
No anger.
No hatred.
No emotion.
Just emptiness.
Infinite emptiness.
Like something so ancient it no longer understood the meaning of life itself.
The synchronization inside me pulsed violently.
Then the voice returned.
Not through my ears.
Inside my head.
THE FINAL GATE IS WEAKENING.
Pain shot violently through my skull.
I dropped to one knee instantly, choking on air while memories flooded my consciousness so fast I couldn't separate them anymore.
Ancient worlds collapsing.
Black oceans swallowing entire civilizations.
Massive gates opening beneath dying stars.
Screaming.
So much screaming.
And standing above all of it
That shadow.
Always watching.
Always waiting.
Faye immediately knelt beside me, panic written all over her face.
"Kael! Look at me!"
I tried.
But the visions kept pulling me deeper.
Then suddenly—
I saw him.
The First Keeper.
Not the First One.
Someone far older.
A man covered in silver fractures stood alone before an enormous gate floating in endless darkness. His face was pale with horror while blood streamed slowly from his eyes.
And in front of him—
The void was opening.
The same eyes stared back at him from inside the darkness.
The same eyes now staring at me.
The First Keeper fell to his knees.
Then he whispered something before the vision shattered completely.
I inhaled sharply, finally returning to reality.
My entire body shook violently.
Faye grabbed my face carefully.
"What did you see?"
For a second, I couldn't answer.
Because the truth felt impossible.
Then slowly…
I looked toward the Door.
"…The prison was never humanity's greatest mistake."
Silence fell instantly.
Even the wind seemed to disappear.
The black mist continued spreading across the ruins while the opening inside the Door widened slightly again.
And the moment it did
The eyes blinked.
A deep vibration shook the entire world beneath our feet.
Far away in the distance, mountains cracked apart.
The sky distorted violently.
Reality itself was reacting to its presence.
Faye's breathing became uneven beside me.
"What… what is that thing?"
I swallowed hard.
But deep down…
I already knew the answer.
Or at least part of it.
The synchronization inside me trembled painfully before whispering the truth directly into my consciousness.
NOTHING SHOULD HAVE SURVIVED BEYOND THE FINAL GATE.
Cold spread through my entire body instantly.
Beyond the Final Gate.
Meaning there was something even deeper than the abyss.
Something older than the prison.
Older than the Door itself.
The realization nearly stopped my heart.
Because suddenly…
Everything made sense.
The prison had never been built to contain monsters.
It had been built to keep that thing asleep.
Another chain snapped violently.
The Door groaned louder now, massive cracks spreading across its surface while silver symbols flickered chaotically like dying stars.
The synchronization inside my chest reacted harder with every second.
Not toward the Door.
Toward the thing behind it.
Like two forces recognizing each other after eternity.
And honestly…
That terrified me most of all.
Because if it could feel me
Then maybe…
It had been waiting for me too.