The first chain snapped with a sound like thunder.
CLANG.
The second chain followed.
Then the third.
Arjun’s brain, which had been functioning under extreme stress for the past twenty-four hours, finally reached its limit.
“Nope.”
He grabbed Aisha’s wrist.
“We’re leaving.”
She didn’t resist.
Mostly because she appeared to have reached the same conclusion.
The chains continued breaking.
One after another.
Each impact echoed through the underground chamber like a hammer striking the world itself.
The temperature dropped further.
Arjun could see his breath.
The flashlight in Aisha’s hand flickered.
The walls began to tremble.
Dust and debris rained from the ceiling.
Behind them, the voice laughed again.
Not loudly.
Not maniacally.
Quietly.
As if it had been waiting a very long time for this moment.
“After…
all these years…”
The system reactivated.
Not with its usual panic.
Not with its usual sirens.
For the first time, its voice sounded serious.
EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED
Threat Classification Updated
Entity:
UNKNOWN
Status:
AWAKENING
Estimated Power:
UNMEASURABLE
Recommended Action:
RUN.
“Finally!” Arjun shouted.
“A reasonable suggestion!”
He pulled Aisha with him and ran.
Or at least, he attempted to.
The corridor behind them had disappeared.
Arjun skidded to a halt.
The hallway they had come through was gone.
In its place stood a solid concrete wall.
He blinked.
Then blinked again.
The wall remained.
“That’s bad,” he said.
Aisha stared.
“That’s your assessment?”
“Do you have a better one?”
She looked back at the chained door.
Another chain snapped.
“No.”
“Great.
We’re in agreement.”
The room trembled.
Cracks spread across the floor.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
Arjun’s instincts screamed at him.
Not because of the system.
Not because of the voice.
Because every living thing in his body had suddenly realized that something behind that door was very, very wrong.
The voice spoke again.
Closer this time.
“Who…
carries…
the seal?”
The system exploded.
HOST DETECTED
The sealed entity has identified the Host.
Congratulations.
This is not a good thing.
“Stop congratulating me!”
Aisha looked at him.
“Arjun.”
“Yes?”
Excellent question.
Not the ideal time.
But a very good question.
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because how exactly was he supposed to explain this?
“Stress,” he said.
Again.
She stared.
“Your stress talks back?”
“…Yes.”
Aisha opened her mouth.
Then she closed it.
Then, to Arjun’s surprise, she nodded.
“Fair enough.”
What?
That wasn’t how human conversations worked.
Before he could question it, the final chain broke.
The sound wasn’t loud.
In fact, it was almost disappointingly quiet.
Click.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the building stopped shaking.
Arjun’s heart stopped.
The system stopped.
Everything stopped.
Then the massive metal doors slowly opened.
Darkness.
Not ordinary darkness.
Not the absence of light.
This darkness moved.
It flowed.
It breathed.
And inside it, two enormous crimson eyes opened.
Arjun’s legs stopped working.
Aisha stopped breathing.
The creature behind the seal looked at them.
For a very long time, nobody moved.
Then the creature spoke.
“…Human?”
Its voice sounded disappointed.
The system completely malfunctioned.
ERROR
ERROR
ERROR
SCANNING FAILED
SCANNING FAILED
SCANNING FAILED
Arjun had never seen that before.
The system always knew everything.
It knew pandas.
It knew tigers.
It knew Karan’s inflated ego.
But this?
It couldn’t identify this.
The creature leaned forward.
More of its body emerged from the darkness.
Claws.
Scales.
Black horns.
Eyes like burning stars.
It was enormous.
And yet somehow, Arjun had the strange feeling that this wasn’t its real form.
It looked at Aisha.
Then it looked at Arjun.
Then, unexpectedly, it frowned.
“Wait.”
The creature leaned even closer.
The system suddenly screamed.
IMPOSSIBLE DETECTION
Ancient Recognition Protocol Activated
Identity Verification In Progress…
The creature’s eyes widened.
“Impossible.”
Arjun did not enjoy hearing that word from giant ancient monsters.
“What?” he asked.
The creature stared at him.
Then, very slowly, it bowed.
Not a small bow.
Not a polite nod.
A full bow.
The kind servants gave kings. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
The kind soldiers gave emperors.
The kind that absolutely no ancient horror should ever give to a zoo keeper.
Aisha’s flashlight slipped from her hand.
It hit the floor.
Neither of them noticed.
The creature spoke.
Its voice trembled.
“My lord.”
Arjun blinked.
“…Sorry?”
The creature lowered its head even further.
“The Keeper has returned.”
The system detonated.
TITLE CONFIRMED
THE KEEPER OF THE FAKE DEMON REALM
Status:
ACTIVE
Authority Level:
UNKNOWN
“No.”
The answer escaped automatically.
“No, absolutely not.”
The creature looked confused.
“My lord?”
“I’m not anybody’s lord.”
The creature blinked.
“You carry the seal.”
“I work at a zoo.”
“You bear the authority.”
“I make ₹18,000 a month.”
The creature hesitated.
For the first time since emerging from its prison, it appeared genuinely uncertain.
Aisha slowly turned toward him.
“Arjun.”
“Yes?”
“Why is the ancient monster calling you ‘my lord’?”
He considered several possible answers.
None of them were good.
“I don’t know.”
“That doesn’t sound convincing.”
“It isn’t.”
The creature suddenly raised its head.
Its eyes narrowed.
“Wait.”
That word again.
Arjun hated that word.
The creature sniffed the air.
Once.
Twice.
Then its expression changed.
From confusion.
To disbelief.
To what looked suspiciously like horror.
“No.”
It took a step backward.
The floor cracked beneath its foot.
“No, no, no.”
Arjun stared.
“What?”
The creature looked at him.
Then at Aisha.
Then back at Arjun.
“My lord…”
Its voice had become very small.
Very afraid.
“Why…
is the Fox Queen here?”
Silence.
Arjun slowly turned toward Aisha.
Aisha slowly turned toward Arjun.
The system exploded so hard that every notification window shattered into pieces.
Then a single message appeared.
In bright gold.
CATASTROPHIC ERROR DETECTED
The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Princess has recovered 0.001% of her memories.
Recommendation:
PANIC.
For the first time in his life, Arjun and the system agreed completely.
To Be Continue….