Silence filled the ruined throne room.
Ryu stood motionless.
His sword was still pointed toward Caelum.
—You killed me.
Caelum lowered his head.
“Yes.”
Kael stepped forward.
—Ryu, wait—
Ryu raised his hand.
Kael stopped.
Ryu’s eyes never left Caelum.
—You said I ordered you to do it.
Caelum nodded.
—Yes, My King.
—Why?
Caelum closed his eyes.
“Because you were losing control.”
Ryu’s expression darkened.
—Losing control of what?
Caelum looked toward the broken sky.
“Your power.”
Ryu remained silent.
Caelum continued.
“Three hundred years ago, your Ancient Authority had already surpassed fifty percent.”
Ryu’s eyes narrowed.
—But you said forty-seven percent was my limit.
“That was the limit you allowed yourself to reach.”
Caelum looked at the black symbol on Ryu’s forehead.
“Your true power was already far beyond that.”
Ryu clenched his fist.
—Then why did I seal it?
Caelum hesitated.
“Because of the thing beneath Alveria.”
The ground trembled.
BOOM.
Everyone looked downward.
Another heartbeat echoed beneath the kingdom.
BOOM.
Ryu’s eyes narrowed.
—Tell me everything.
Caelum took a deep breath.
“Three hundred years ago, Azael discovered something beneath the continent.”
Kael frowned.
—What did he discover?
Caelum answered—
“A prison.”
Morvath’s ears lowered.
—The Abyssal Prison…
Caelum looked at him.
“You know about it?”
Morvath nodded slowly.
“I thought it was only a legend.”
Caelum shook his head.
“It wasn’t.”
Ryu looked between them.
—What is inside the prison?
Caelum’s face became pale.
“The oldest existence in Alveria.”
Ryu asked quietly—
—Its name?
Caelum whispered—
“Erebus.”
The name echoed through the throne room.
The black symbol on Ryu’s forehead suddenly burned.
[Ancient Entity recognized.]
[Name: Erebus.]
[Threat Level: UNDEFINED.]
[Warning.]
[Do not allow Ancient Authority to exceed 60%.]
Ryu stared at the system.
—The system knows it.
Morvath growled.
—Then it’s real.
Caelum nodded.
“Erebus isn’t a monster.”
Ryu looked at him.
—Then what is it?
Caelum’s voice became almost a whisper.
“It is a primordial existence that existed before the current world.”
Kael’s face went pale.
—Before Alveria?
“Yes.”
Caelum looked toward the ground.
“Alveria was built around its prison.”
Ryu froze.
—Built around it?
Caelum nodded.
“The mountains.”
“The oceans.”
“The kingdoms.”
“All of them exist around that prison.”
Ryu looked at the ground.
—Then why did Azael want to awaken it?
Caelum’s expression became complicated.
“He believed Erebus could destroy the barriers between worlds.”
Ryu’s eyes narrowed.
—Worlds?
Caelum nodded.
“Alveria isn’t the only world.”
Silence.
Kael stared at him.
—There are other worlds?
“Yes.”
Caelum looked at Ryu.
“And your previous self knew about them.”
Ryu’s heart skipped.
—How?
Caelum answered—
“Because you came from one.”
Ryu froze.
The throne room became completely silent.
—What did you say?
Caelum repeated—
“You weren’t born in Alveria.”
Ryu’s breathing became heavier.
“You arrived here from another world.”
Ryu stared at his own hands.
Fragments of memories flashed through his mind.
A city.
Cars.
Rain.
A voice.
A life he could no longer remember clearly.
Ryu grabbed his head.
—No…
[Memory suppression detected.]
[Foreign memories attempting to restore.]
[Access denied.]
Ryu’s eyes widened.
—The system blocked my memories.
Caelum nodded.
“Your previous self deliberately erased them.”
Ryu looked at him.
—Why?
Caelum answered—
“Because knowing who you were would have made you vulnerable.”
Ryu’s expression became cold.
—Vulnerable to whom?
Caelum didn’t answer.
Morvath suddenly looked toward the sky.
—They’re coming.
Kael immediately drew his sword.
—Who?
Purple lights appeared beyond the clouds.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Morvath growled.
—The Celestial Army.
Ryu looked upward.
Golden warriors descended from the sky.
But they weren’t attacking.
They surrounded Elarion.
Then—
A gigantic golden portal opened above them.
A familiar presence emerged.
The Celestial Emperor stepped through.
Kael raised his sword.
—You again?!
The Emperor ignored him.
His eyes were fixed on Ryu.
Ryu’s expression hardened.
—You said the next time we met, you would kneel.
The Emperor slowly descended.
Then—
He dropped to one knee.
BOOM.
The entire Celestial Army followed.
Thousands of soldiers knelt simultaneously.
Kael’s mouth fell open.
Morvath stared silently.
Ryu looked at the Emperor.
—Why?
The Emperor lowered his head.
“Because the King has awakened.”
Ryu frowned.
—You said you weren’t here to kill me.
“I am not.”
—Then why are you here?
The Emperor slowly raised his head.
“To warn you.”
Ryu’s expression changed.
—About what?
The Emperor looked toward the ground.
“Erebus has awakened.”
BOOM.
The entire kingdom shook.
A massive crack appeared beneath Elarion.
CRAAAAACK!
The ground split apart.
A purple-black light emerged from the depths.
The system appeared.
[WARNING.]
[Ancient Entity awakening progress: 5%.]
[World Stability: 84%.]
[Critical event detected.]
[The Abyssal Prison is breaking.]
Ryu stared into the enormous crack.
Something was looking back.
Two gigantic crimson eyes opened beneath the earth.
Kael stepped backward.
—Those…
aren’t eyes.
Morvath’s fur stood on end.
—No.
Ryu looked at him.
—Then what are they?
Morvath whispered—
“Those are only the reflections of its eyes.”
Ryu’s expression hardened.
The Emperor stood.
“We must leave.”
Ryu looked at him.
—No.
The Emperor frowned.
Ryu raised his sword.
—This is my kingdom.
Blue-black energy exploded around him.
—My people are here.
The black symbol on his forehead began glowing.
—And if Erebus wants to wake up…
Ryu’s crimson eye burned brighter.
“…then it will have to go through me.”
Deep beneath Alveria—
Something smiled.
A voice echoed through the earth.
“Finally…”
“…the King has returned.”
TO BE CONTINUED…