The number glowed red across the command center screen.
Aiden stared at it without blinking.
Somewhere beneath an ancient forest, Aurelius was chained to a ruin older than human civilization.
And somewhere above that ruin, a Black Gate was descending directly toward him.
Not opening.
Descending.
Like a weapon.
The satellite image showed a circular wound of darkness moving lower through the clouds.
It swallowed light without disturbing the air around it.
Below, the forest bent unnaturally toward the Gate as if space itself was being pulled upward.
Aurelius’s golden signature burned directly beneath the impact point.
Marcus broke the silence.
“How far?” “Four hundred kilometers,” a technician answered.
“Fastest route?” “More than three hours by ground.
Airspace around the target is unstable.” Aiden looked at the countdown.
Twenty-six minutes.
“We don’t have three hours.” Sophia enlarged the map.
“The dungeon entrance we used before is gone.
It collapsed after the Hall of Inheritance activated.” The Primordial Chimera stirred inside Aiden.
THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed.
“What way?” Malachor immediately looked toward him.
“No.” “You don’t even know what he said.” “I do.” The Firstborn folded his arms.
“Pack roads.” Theodore raised an eyebrow.
“That sounds useful.” “It is dangerous.” Sophia turned toward Malachor.
“What exactly is a pack road?” “A path created between Primordial blood signatures.” Aiden understood.
“So the bond can connect us directly to Aurelius.” “Not directly.” Malachor’s expression hardened.
“It cuts through the space between two anchors.” Marcus glanced toward the timer.
“Can it get us there in less than twenty-six minutes?” Malachor was silent.
Aurelius answered through the bond.
“Yes.” Aiden closed his eyes.
“Aurelius?” “I can still hear you.” His voice sounded strained.
The chains around him were already under pressure.
“What is happening?” “The prison is shaking.” A deep metallic groan echoed through the spiritual connection.
“The Hollow fragment beneath the ruin is waking.” Aiden’s stomach tightened.
So the enemy was not simply trying to kill Aurelius.
If the Black Gate collided with the prison, the seal could break.
“What happens if the seal fails?” Malachor answered.
“Everything beneath it escapes.” Wonderful.
The countdown reached twenty-five minutes.
Aiden looked inward.
“Open the road.” The Primordial Chimera refused immediately.
NO.
Aiden clenched his jaw.
“You said it was possible.” THE ROAD HAS NOT BEEN USED SINCE THE WAR.
“So?” IT MAY NOT LEAD WHERE IT ONCE DID.
Malachor nodded.
“If the path destabilizes, we could be thrown anywhere along the old network.” Theodore smiled faintly.
“Anywhere sounds interesting.” Marcus stared at him.
“You are enjoying this far too much.” Aiden ignored them.
“Aurelius can anchor us.” “He should not,” Malachor said.
“I will,” Aurelius replied.
Malachor’s jaw tightened.
“Your chains are already feeding from your core.” “I know.” “If you anchor a road now—” “I know.” The Firstborn fell silent.
Aiden felt the emotion beneath his anger.
Fear for his brother.
He made the decision.
“We go.” General Thorn stepped forward.
“No.” Aiden sighed.
“I knew that was coming.” “You are proposing uncontrolled dimensional travel into an active Black Gate collision zone.” “Yes.” “With no raid force.” “Yes.” “And no reliable escape route.” “Yes.” Thorn stared at him for several seconds.
“That is the worst operational plan I have heard this year.” Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“Only this year?” Thorn ignored him.
Aiden pointed at the timer.
“Do you have a better one?” Silence.
That settled it.
Sophia began removing unnecessary equipment.
“If the road is spiritual, standard technology may fail.” Marcus checked his sword.
“What remains useful?” “Anything directly linked to your mana should still work.” Theodore tapped his cane.
“I am emotionally linked to this.” Marcus looked tired.
“That is not what she meant.” The pack bond suddenly tightened.
Aurelius’s voice became sharper.
“Now.” The air in front of Aiden split.
A thin golden line appeared.
Then space peeled open.
Beyond it lay a narrow black road floating inside endless darkness.
Golden threads stretched through the void, connecting distant points.
Some showed glimpses of other places.
Forests.
Oceans.
Cities.
Worlds Aiden had never seen.
Malachor stared at the opening.
“Do not step off the path.” “That sounds obvious,” Aiden said.
“It is not.” Marcus entered first.
Sophia followed.
Theodore next.
Malachor stopped beside Aiden.
“If something follows us back…” He looked toward General Thorn.
“Destroy the entrance.” Thorn nodded once.
Aiden suddenly liked the plan less.
Malachor entered.
Aiden followed.
The command center vanished behind him.
The wound sealed.
Cold emptiness surrounded them.
The black road extended forward through infinity.
Golden threads floated everywhere.
Aiden felt the Primordial Chimera react.
MEMORIES.
“What?” THE ROADS REMEMBER WHERE WE ONCE WALKED.
Aiden looked toward a nearby thread.
For an instant, he saw young Varkesh running along the path while Aurelius chased him.
Lysara flew beside them.
Malachor walked ahead alone.
The memory faded.
Aiden smiled faintly.
“You were a terrible family.” YES.
The answer came immediately.
Before Aiden could respond, something moved beneath the road.
A long shape passed under them like a shark beneath dark water.
Then another.
Malachor’s armor appeared.
“Run.” Nobody argued.
They moved.
A white limb erupted from the darkness.
Marcus cut it aside.
A scream echoed below.
Dozens of eyes opened beneath the road.
Aiden grimaced.
“Why does everything ancient have too many eyes?” The road suddenly tilted.
Sophia slipped.
Marcus caught her wrist.
Theodore caught Marcus.
Aiden caught Theodore.
All four hung from the edge.
Malachor stood safely above them.
Aiden shouted.
“Help!” “I am considering it.” “Malachor!” The Firstborn sighed and pulled them back onto the road.
Aiden looked at him.
“You considered leaving me.” “Yes.” “Two out of seven.” Malachor’s expression immediately darkened.
The road brightened.
Aurelius was closer.
His golden thread became stronger.
“Hurry.” Aiden could feel his pain now.
Chains tearing through flesh.
The prison trembling.
“How much time?” Aiden asked.
Sophia checked her mechanical watch.
“Seventeen minutes.” They accelerated.
Then the road split into three paths.
Malachor stopped.
“That should not exist.” Marcus looked between them.
“Which route?” Malachor stared at the center road.
“There used to be only one.” The Primordial Chimera searched through old memories.
THE CENTER.
Malachor immediately shook his head.
“No.” Aiden frowned.
“Why?” “That was Seraph’s road.” Silence.
Aiden remembered the young red-feathered creature from the second trial.
“Seraph is dead.” “Yes.” Then a weak voice came from the center path.
“Brother?” Malachor froze.
The voice came again.
“Why did you take so long?” Hope appeared in Malachor’s eyes.
Dangerous hope.
He stepped forward.
Aiden grabbed his arm.
“Wait.” “That is him.” “You don’t know that.” “I know my brother’s voice.” Aurelius spoke urgently through the bond.
“Do not follow it.” Malachor stopped.
“He is dead.” The center road brightened.
The young voice began crying.
“You left me.” Malachor’s spiritual presence cracked.
Aiden slapped him.
The sound echoed across the void.
Everyone froze.
Malachor slowly turned his head.
“You struck me.” “You were being stupid.” “I will kill you.” “Later.” Sophia pointed toward the center road.
“It is feeding on his emotions.” Aiden understood.
The path wanted Malachor to react.
Malachor stared at it.
Then his expression hardened.
“Seraph never begged.” The voice stopped.
“He complained.
He stole food.” The center road began cracking.
“And when he was angry, he never called me brother.” The illusion shattered.
Black threads writhed beneath it.
Hollow.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed.
“Another fragment.” The threads lunged.
Malachor caught them instead of cutting.
Aiden smiled.
“You’re learning.” “Silence.” Marcus and Sophia attacked the false path.
The Hollow fragment fell into the void.
A final whisper followed.
“Seven doors.” Then it disappeared.
The remaining paths merged.
Aurelius’s anchor shone ahead.
The road accelerated violently.
The world became streaks of gold.
Then it ended.
Aiden flew through a tear and crashed into wet earth.
Rain struck his face.
Marcus landed nearby.
Sophia fell directly into mud.
Theodore landed standing.
Aiden stared.
“How?” “Experience.” Malachor crashed through a tree.
Aiden smiled.
The Firstborn emerged from the wreckage.
“Say nothing.” Aiden said nothing.
He kept smiling.
Then the sky darkened.
The Black Gate hung above the forest.
Much closer than before.
Leaves had turned gray.
Animals lay unconscious across the ground.
The ancient ruin remained hidden beneath the forest floor.
Aurelius was directly below them.
Sophia checked the time.
“Twelve minutes.” Marcus drew his sword.
The Black Gate descended another meter.
Something moved behind its surface.
A massive humanoid silhouette holding a spear.
Then Aurelius spoke.
His voice broke.
“That is not a Gate.” Aiden’s stomach sank.
“What?” The black circle opened.
Rows of enormous teeth appeared around the edge.
“It is a mouth.” Thousands of eyes opened inside.
The crown in Aiden’s hand reacted violently.
A message appeared.
Unknown Apex Organism Detected.
Predatory function identified.
Target: Primordial Spiritual Core.
Aiden understood.
This thing was not transporting an army.
It was the hunter.
The Black Gate itself was alive.
The mouth began falling faster.
Sophia looked at her watch.
“The estimate changed!” “How much?” “Seven minutes.” The forest shook.
Malachor stared upward.
“What do we do?” Everyone looked toward Aiden.
He blinked.
“You’re asking me?” Marcus raised his sword.
“You wanted to get here first.” Aiden looked at the descending creature.
Then at the ground beneath his feet.
Aurelius could not leave without weakening the seal.
Destroying the living Gate might be impossible.
Another choice between two bad answers.
Aiden smiled.
He hated those.
The throne’s lesson returned.
Create another option.
Aiden looked at Malachor.
“Can the pack road move something as large as Aurelius?” “No.” Aiden looked inward.
“Can it?” The Primordial Chimera answered.
NOT SAFELY.
“That was not the question.” A pause.
YES.
Aiden smiled.
Malachor’s expression changed.
“No.” Marcus frowned.
“What?” “He wants to move the prison.” Sophia stared.
“The entire ruin?” Aiden shook his head.
“Not through normal space.” The living crown opened all twelve eyes.
The archive offered a spatial principle.
A species that moved its nest by changing what location it was connected to.
Aiden understood immediately.
“We do not move the dungeon.” The Black Gate descended lower.
Six minutes.
Aiden placed his hand against the earth.
“We move the place the dungeon belongs to.” Sophia’s eyes widened.
“You want to change its spatial anchor.” “Yes.” Marcus looked at him.
“To where?” Aiden felt the pack bond.
Aurelius.
Malachor.
Lysara.
Varkesh.
Caelum.
Mirath.
Nyx.
One signature was stable.
Cold.
Distant.
Caelum.
Antarctica.
Aiden reached through the bond.
“Caelum.” The calm voice answered.
“Yes?” “I need somewhere empty.” “How empty?” “Preferably no city.” A pause.
“You are planning something reckless.” “Yes.” Another pause.
“Send him.” Malachor stared.
“You agreed?” Caelum answered.
“He is my brother.” The Sovereign Path pulsed.
Aiden placed both hands against the earth.
The crown rose above him.
Golden lines spread through the soil.
Far below, Aurelius roared.
The prison answered.
Aiden felt the entire structure.
Chains.
Seal.
Ancient hall.
Hollow fragment.
All connected.
The pack road opened toward Caelum.
It trembled.
Unstable.
Aiden needed something more.
Aurelius.
Stability.
He reached through the bond.
“Aurelius, I need your principle.” “No.” Aiden stopped.
“I am not taking it.” Silence.
“I need you to hold the road.” Aurelius understood.
Then— “Yes.” Golden light surged through the connection.
Not stolen.
Shared.
The road stabilized.
Willing Principle Synchronization detected.
Aiden smiled.
Then the Black Gate fired.
A black beam descended toward him.
He could not move.
Breaking contact meant losing the prison.
A green barrier appeared around the forest.
The beam struck.
Green light shattered.
Then healed.
Caelum.
“Send my brother.” Aiden clenched his teeth.
The road locked into place.
Three spiritual points connected.
Aiden.
Aurelius.
Caelum.
The forest flickered.
Snow appeared between the trees.
Antarctica.
Then vanished.
The Black Gate opened wider.
Its many eyes focused on Aiden.
Aiden pulled.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
The ancient dungeon shifted.
For one heartbeat, the world became empty.
Then the weight beneath him disappeared.
Aurelius’s signature vanished from the forest.
Aiden’s heart stopped.
“Caelum?” A pause.
“He is here.” Aiden collapsed onto his hands.
The Black Gate slammed downward.
Its mouth closed around empty earth.
No Aurelius.
No prison.
No core.
The creature froze.
Confusion spread through its thousands of eyes.
Then it screamed.
Its body began collapsing inward.
Marcus shouted.
“MOVE!” Malachor grabbed Aiden.
Everyone ran.
The living Gate compressed into a black sphere.
Then imploded.
A shockwave tore through the forest.
Trees broke.
Earth lifted.
Silence followed.
Aiden opened his eyes beneath Malachor’s armored body.
The Firstborn had shielded him.
Again.
Aiden smiled weakly.
“Two out of seven.” Malachor shoved him into the mud.
“Become unconscious.” Aiden laughed.
Through the bond, Aurelius’s voice returned.
“I dislike snow.” Caelum answered calmly.
“You have been here fourteen seconds.” “I have formed an opinion.” Malachor closed his eyes.
Relief passed across his face.
Then a notification appeared.
Alternative Sovereign Path validated.
Willing Synchronization updated: 3/7.
Aiden blinked.
“Three?” Caelum answered through the bond.
“I agreed.” Malachor looked toward nothing.
“Why?” “He asked.” Aiden grinned.
Then something rose from the crater where the Black Gate had died.
A black object.
Smooth.
The size of a human heart.
The crown opened every eye.
The Primordial Chimera roared.
DO NOT TOUCH IT.
The black heart pulsed.
Across the world, the remaining Black Gates answered.
A voice came from the object.
Gentle.
Calm.
«”Three willingly united.”» Aiden’s blood went cold.
«”Excellent.”» Malachor stepped forward.
“Who are you?” The heart pulsed again.
The remaining Black Gates stopped moving toward the Primordial children.
Then every one of them changed direction.
Toward New Haven.
The voice continued.
«”Now I know which one matters.”» The heart collapsed into ash.
Marcus’s communicator activated.
Emergency alerts flooded the screen.
He stared.
Aiden pushed himself upright.
“What?” Marcus turned the device.
Sixteen Black Gates.
All converging on New Haven.
Estimated arrival: Forty-eight hours.
The Primordial Chimera spoke.
WE NEED THE OTHERS.
Aiden looked toward the remaining four signatures.
Varkesh.
Lysara.
Mirath.
Nyx.
Forty-eight hours.
He wiped blood from his mouth.
“Then we convince them.” Malachor looked at him.
“You believe Varkesh can be convinced in two days?” Aiden smiled tiredly.
“No.” He stared toward the distant red signature.
“But I’m getting very good at terrible plans.”