The fourth golden seal shattered.
**BOOM!**
The underground chamber shook violently.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Kael stood motionless before the ancient coffin.
The voice inside had called his name.
Not *Kael Ardyn*.
Just **Kael**.
As if it had known him long before Garrick ever found him.
Lyra pulled her sword from its sheath.
"Kael, step back."
He didn't move.
The system continued flashing warnings.
> **[WARNING]**
>
> **Ancient entity synchronization detected.**
>
> **Do not break remaining seals.**
>
> **Probability of catastrophic event: 91.7%.**
Kael frowned.
"Then why can I hear it?"
The system didn't answer.
Hale stepped forward.
"Kael, listen to the system."
Kael looked at him.
"You know what this place is."
Hale's expression tightened.
"I know what it was rumored to be."
"What?"
"The Star Prison."
Kael stared at the coffin.
"Star Prison?"
Hale nodded.
"According to ancient records, an existence from the Starborn Era was imprisoned beneath this academy."
"Who?"
"We don't know."
"Why was it imprisoned?"
Hale looked at the seven seals.
"Because it was considered too dangerous to exist."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Then why does it know me?"
Nobody answered.
Another seal cracked.
**CRACK.**
Lyra stepped closer to Kael.
"We need to leave."
Kael looked at the coffin.
"Wait."
"Why?"
"I can feel something."
"What?"
"Pain."
Lyra frowned.
Kael closed his eyes.
His Void Sense expanded.
The chains around the coffin weren't merely binding the prisoner.
They were absorbing its energy.
Every chain carried an ancient formation.
Kael could see thousands of symbols flowing through them.
Then he noticed something.
The seals weren't designed to keep the prisoner **inside**.
They were designed to keep something **outside**.
Kael opened his eyes.
"Hale."
"What?"
"The prison isn't protecting us from what's inside."
Hale's face changed.
"What are you saying?"
"The seals are protecting what's inside from something outside."
Silence.
Then the voice returned.
"Finally..."
"You remember how to see."
Kael's heart raced.
"Who are you?"
A low laugh echoed through the chamber.
"Someone who knew you before this world forgot your name."
The fifth seal shattered.
**BOOM!**
The coffin lid moved slightly.
Hale immediately raised both hands.
"Enough!"
A powerful formation appeared beneath his feet.
Golden chains shot toward the coffin.
For a moment, the chamber stabilized.
Then—
**CRACK!**
Hale's formation shattered.
The old instructor staggered backward.
Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Lyra caught him.
"Elder Hale!"
Hale looked shocked.
"I can't suppress it."
Kael stared at the coffin.
The sixth seal began glowing.
His Starfall Pendant responded.
Silver light spread across the chamber.
The system appeared.
> **[Starfall Pendant resonance increasing.]**
>
> **[Sealed Soul synchronization: 7% → 12%]**
Kael felt something inside his mind unlock.
A memory appeared.
A vast white palace.
Seven people stood before him.
Their faces were hidden behind golden masks.
A young Kael stood in front of them.
But he wasn't eighteen.
He looked older.
Much older.
He wore black armor.
A silver crown rested on his head.
One of the masked figures spoke.
"You have violated the Celestial Law."
Kael's younger self laughed.
"Your law."
"You challenged the Heavenly Court."
"I challenged your tyranny."
"You destroyed three celestial gates."
"They were built to enslave mortal worlds."
"You murdered gods."
"They were gods who murdered billions."
The masked figure raised his hand.
"Seize him."
Thousands of celestial soldiers appeared.
Young Kael smiled.
"You're all afraid."
The vision shook.
Then a woman appeared.
Silver hair.
Violet eyes.
Seraphine.
She stood beside him.
"Kael, we have to go."
Young Kael looked at her.
"Not yet."
"You can't fight them alone."
He smiled.
"I never intended to."
Then he raised his hand.
The entire sky turned black.
The memory shattered.
Kael opened his eyes.
He was breathing heavily.
Lyra stared at him.
"What happened?"
Kael looked toward the coffin.
"I remember something."
"What?"
"I wasn't alone."
The seventh seal began glowing.
Hale's expression became terrified.
"Everyone back!"
Kael looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because if the final seal breaks, we may not survive."
Kael looked at the coffin.
The prisoner spoke.
"Don't be afraid."
"Kael."
"Come closer."
Lyra immediately stepped between them.
"You're not going anywhere."
The coffin became silent.
Then—
A woman's voice came from inside.
"Lyra Valen."
Lyra froze.
Her face became pale.
"How do you know my name?"
The voice laughed softly.
"Because your bloodline was created from his."
Kael looked at Lyra.
"What?"
Lyra's expression was one of complete shock.
"My bloodline?"
The prisoner continued.
"The Dawnfire Bloodline."
"It was born from the Starborn's flame."
Kael stared at his hands.
That explained why the system had been able to analyze Lyra's bloodline so easily.
But it raised another question.
"If my power created her bloodline..."
Kael looked toward the coffin.
"Then who am I?"
The answer came quietly.
"You were the first."
"The first Starborn."
Kael's heart stopped.
The system suddenly went completely silent.
No warnings.
No notifications.
Nothing.
Then a single message appeared.
> **[Identity synchronization complete.]**
> **[True identity confirmed.]**
Kael's eyes widened.
**[TRUE IDENTITY]**
**Kael Ardyn**
**Former Title:**
### **The Eternal Sovereign**
**Status: Reincarnated**
Kael stared at the words.
The Eternal Sovereign.
The name felt strangely familiar.
Not like something he had learned.
Like something he had once been.
Then the coffin exploded.
**BOOOOOOM!**
The final seal shattered.
Darkness flooded the chamber.
Lyra grabbed Kael's arm.
Hale shouted:
"RUN!"
But Kael didn't move.
Inside the darkness, a figure slowly emerged.
Long silver hair.
Violet eyes.
Black robes.
Kael's breathing stopped.
He recognized her immediately.
"Seraphine..."
The woman looked at him.
Tears appeared in her eyes.
"You're finally awake."
Kael couldn't speak.
Seraphine stepped forward.
But before she could reach him, the entire academy trembled.
A voice descended from the sky.
Cold.
Powerful.
Absolute.
**"STAR BORN."**
The underground chamber went silent.
Seraphine looked upward.
Her expression changed.
"They've arrived."
Kael looked toward the ceiling.
His Void Sense expanded.
Thousands of figures were descending upon Azure Wind City.
At their center was a man dressed in white celestial robes.
Seven golden halos floated behind him.
The system finally returned.
> **[Major Threat detected.]**
>
> **Name:**
Unknown
>
> **Cultivation:** Beyond current analysis
>
> **Title:** Heavenly Executor
>
> **Objective:** Eliminate the Starborn.
Kael slowly drew his sword.
His eyes became cold.
The man above the academy spoke again.
**"Kael Ardyn."**
**"Your second life ends today."**
Kael smiled.
For the first time, he remembered who he had been.
And somewhere deep within his soul, something ancient answered.
**"Then come."**
**"Let me show you why Heaven feared me."**
**To be continued...**