The others didn't believe Hitake at first.
“You're telling us there's a staircase underneath us?” Thorne asked.
Hitake nodded.
“Yes.”
Thorne looked at the stone floor.
“Of course there is.”
Vicky raised an eyebrow.
“You sound surprised.”
“I am. Usually when Hitake says something strange, it's followed by something even stranger.”
John nodded. “That's becoming a pattern.”
Zack folded his arms. “I personally believe him.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Why?”
Zack shrugged.
“Because strange things keep happening around him.”
Mira sighed.
“Show us.”
Hitake led them back to the place where he had sensed the hidden chamber. His eyes swept across the stone floor.
There.
A faint outline.
He placed his palm against it.
Nothing happened.
Thorne smirked.
“I knew it.”
Then the floor trembled.
A section of stone slid aside, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness.
Thorne's smile disappeared.
“Oh.”
Vicky grinned.
“Still want to say something?”
“No.”
John nodded.
“A wise decision.”
They descended carefully.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became. The walls gradually changed from rough dungeon stone into something unnaturally smooth.
Elowen ran her fingers across one of the walls.
“This place is ancient.”
Mira examined the strange markings.
“Older than the academy.”
Thorne looked down the staircase.
“Can we hurry?”
Vicky smiled.
“Scared?”
“No.”
“Your face says otherwise.”
“My face says nothing.”
“Your face is screaming.”
John nodded.
“It really is.”
Thorne stopped walking.
“I hate this team.”
A few of them laughed.
Hitake smiled.
Then he noticed something.
His eyes had caught another passage.
Not on the wall.
Behind it.
A hidden space existed several meters away.
And there was something inside.
His father's symbol.
Hitake's smile disappeared.
“Wait.”
Everyone stopped.
“What?” Mira asked.
Hitake looked toward the wall.
“There's another path.”
He stepped closer.
Before anyone could ask what he meant, the wall suddenly split open.
A violent wave of energy burst through the passage.
“Back!”
Mira raised a barrier.
The dungeon shook.
The floor beneath Hitake and Zena collapsed.
“Hitake!”
Zena reached for him.
Their hands locked.
Then both disappeared into darkness.
The opening sealed immediately.
“Hitake!”
Mira rushed forward.
She struck the stone.
Nothing happened.
“Hitake!”
Her voice echoed through the corridor.
Thorne stared at the sealed wall.
“Are they alive?”
Elowen placed her hand against the stone.
“I can't detect them.”
Vicky's smile disappeared.
“That's not good.”
John looked at the wall.
“No.”
He paused.
“It's really not.”
Somewhere Beneath the Dungeon
Hitake hit the floor hard.
“Ugh.”
He groaned and pushed himself up.
“Zena?”
“I'm here.”
He turned.
Zena was sitting several meters away, brushing dust from her clothes.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
She stood.
“Are you?”
Hitake shook his head.
Then they both looked around.
The room was enormous.
Unlike the dungeon above, this place didn't look natural.
The walls were black metal.
Ancient symbols covered the floor.
At the far end stood a massive door.
And there was something strange about the air.
It felt still.
Too still.
Zena walked toward the door.
“There's no way back.”
Hitake looked behind them.
The passage they had fallen through was gone.
His eyes activated instinctively.
Reality unfolded before him.
The room wasn't simply sealed.
It was isolated.
“Zena.”
“What?”
“We're trapped.”
She looked at him.
“How long?”
Hitake studied the room.
“I'm not sure.”
Then a deep sound echoed through the chamber.
CLANG.
The door opened.
A narrow corridor appeared beyond it.
Zena looked at Hitake.
“Do we have a choice?”
Hitake shook his head.
“No.”
They entered.
The moment they crossed the threshold—
CLANG.
The door slammed shut behind them.
A faint blue glow appeared along the walls.
Then words appeared above the doorway.
TEMPORAL CHAMBER
ONE DAY WITHIN.
THREE DAYS WITHOUT.
Hitake stared.
“Time dilation.”
Zena frowned.
“Meaning?”
“One day here…”
He looked at the inscription.
“…is three days outside.”
Zena's eyes widened.
“So if we're trapped here for twenty-four hours…”
“Three days will pass outside.”
They looked at each other.
Mira and the others would think they were dead.
Hitake clenched his fists.
“We need to find a way out.”
They moved deeper into the chamber.
Eventually, they reached another room.
This one was smaller.
At its center stood a single crystal.
Behind it was a door.
There was no handle.
Only a handprint.
Hitake approached.
Something about it felt familiar.
He placed his palm against it.
The door opened.
Zena followed him inside.
The door closed behind them.
A hologram suddenly appeared.
Hitake stopped.
His heart nearly stopped with it.
A man stood before them.
Silver hair.
Sharp eyes.
A familiar face.
His father.
Kael.
“Hitake.”
The world seemed to disappear.
Hitake couldn't breathe.
His father's hologram smiled.
“If you're seeing this, then your Eyes of Truth have awakened.”
Hitake stared at him.
“You knew?”
Kael continued.
“I knew there was a possibility.”
His voice was calm, but his eyes carried something Hitake had never seen before.
Regret.
“I don't have much time.”
Hitake stepped closer.
“Then tell me everything.”
Kael smiled sadly.
“I wish I could.”
The hologram flickered.
“Earth was never my home.”
Hitake's hands tightened.
“I came from a civilization beyond the known galaxies.”
Zena slowly turned toward Hitake.
“A civilization of Higher Humans.”
Hitake stared at his father.
Kael continued.
“I arrived on Earth twenty years ago after my ship was destroyed.”
Hitake swallowed.
“My mother found you.”
Kael smiled.
“Yes.”
“She saved you.”
“She did more than that.”
His expression softened.
“She gave me a reason to stay.”
Hitake's eyes burned.
“And then you left.”
Kael looked down.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
The hologram remained silent for several seconds.
“Because they found me.”
Hitake's expression changed.
“Who?”
Kael looked directly into his son's eyes.
“I don't know whether they will ever find Earth.”
He paused.
“But if they do…”
His voice became serious.
“…they will eventually find you.”
Zena's expression hardened.
Kael continued.
“Do not trust anyone who claims to know everything about me.”
Hitake frowned.
“Why?”
“Because there are truths about my past that even I don't fully understand.”
The hologram flickered violently.
Hitake stepped closer.
“Wait!”
Kael's voice became distorted.
“One thing you must remember…”
The hologram stabilized for one final moment.
“Your greatest gift isn't strength.”
Kael smiled.
“It's possibility.”
The recording disappeared.
Silence filled the chamber.
Hitake stood motionless.
Zena didn't speak.
She understood.
This wasn't something she could make a joke about.
This was the reason Hitake had spent his entire life wondering where his father had gone.
After several seconds, she stepped closer.
“Hitake.”
He didn't answer.
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
“He loved you.”
Hitake closed his eyes.
“I know.”
For the first time, he allowed himself to believe it.
Then—
DING.
Only Hitake heard the voice.
[HIDDEN CONDITION DISCOVERED.]
His eyes widened.
[AWAKENING CONDITION: APPROACHING.]
[Condition: Remain alone with a member of the opposite sex for eight continuous hours.]
[Reward: Unlock Sealed Entity.]
[Entity Name: NEFERTITI.]
[Status: SEALED.]
Hitake stared blankly ahead.
“...What?”
Zena looked at him.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You've been saying that a lot lately.”
Hitake hesitated.
He couldn't tell her.
Not about Nefertiti.
Not yet.
Instead, he looked at the sealed door.
“We need to stay here.”
Zena frowned.
“Why?”
Hitake looked at the inscription.
“Because there's no way out yet.”
As if responding to his words, another message appeared.
TEMPORAL CHAMBER ACTIVE.
EXIT CONDITION: INCOMPLETE.
Hitake's stomach sank.
“How long?”
The answer appeared.
24 HOURS.
Zena stared at the inscription.
“Twenty-four hours?”
Hitake nodded.
“That means…”
“Three days outside.”
Neither spoke for a moment.
Then Zena sat against the wall.
“Well.”
Hitake looked at her.
“We have twenty-four hours.”
She glanced at him.
“Together.”
His face immediately became uncomfortable.
Zena noticed.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
“Why are you nervous?”
“I'm not.”
“You are.”
“I'm really not.”
“You are.”
Hitake sighed.
“This is going to be a long day.”
Zena smiled.
“I don't mind.”
Eight Hours Later
They had talked.
About the academy.
About training.
About things they had never told anyone.
Hitake told her about being bullied.
Zena told him about her family.
“My family doesn't like outsiders knowing about our bloodline,” she said quietly.
“Because of your shadows?”
She nodded.
“They believe our shadows are connected to something older than humanity.”
Hitake looked at the darkness beside her.
Her shadow moved slightly.
“Do you believe them?”
Zena looked at it.
“I don't know.”
Then she looked at him.
“But mine has always behaved differently around you.”
Hitake's heart skipped.
“Different how?”
“It feels…”
She hesitated.
“Like it recognizes you.”
Hitake's expression became serious.
He remembered the strange symbol.
The hidden chamber.
His father's message.
And now Zena's shadow.
Too many pieces were beginning to connect.
But he still didn't know how.
Then the system sounded again.
[CONDITION PROGRESS: 8 HOURS.]
[REQUIREMENT FULFILLED.]
Hitake froze.
[AWAKENING SEQUENCE INITIATED.]
Pain suddenly tore through his body.
He dropped to his knees.
“Hitake!”
Zena caught him before he hit the ground.
“What happened?”
Hitake couldn't answer.
His vision exploded with light.
The world disappeared.
And somewhere deep inside his mind, something ancient opened its eyes.
[SEALED ENTITY: NEFERTITI.]
[UNLOCKING…]
Hitake screamed.
Zena held him tighter.
“I'm here!”
The chamber shook.
The crystal behind them cracked.
And for the first time since Hitake's awakening began—
the voice inside his head spoke clearly.
[Welcome back, Hitake.]
The chamber went silent.
Hitake's eyes opened.
They were no longer the same.