The floor exploded beneath Mason.

Stone shattered violently as silver light

burst upward from the crack spreading across the war chamber.

Guards shouted while pieces of fractured marble collapsed inward toward a rapidly widening hole.

Mason’s stomach dropped instantly.

"Oh come on..."

Draca moved before the sentence even finished.

One arm locked around his waist hard enough to yank him backward just as the floor beneath his chair completely gave way.

The chair vanished straight into darkness.

Several guards weren’t fast enough because two fell screaming into the collapsing opening before Zereth’s shadows surged downward, catching one

of them midair.

The second disappeared into the silver glow below.

The scream cut off abruptly.

Nobody liked that.

Seraphine slammed her spear into the floor to steady herself while more cracks raced across the chamber walls.

"Everybody back!"

Another metallic dragging sound echoed upward from beneath the palace.

Mason instinctively grabbed Draca’s arm while trying not to fall as another violent tremor shook the chamber.

Athlian noticed immediately. ’You’re holding onto him again.’

"I’m actively falling into hell!"

’Still counts.’

Emotionally unbearable goddess.

Draca kept one arm firmly around him while pulling both of them farther from the collapsing center of the room.

"You hurt?"

Mason blinked rapidly. "That’s your concern right now?!"

"Yes."

Completely unfair answer honestly. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Assura’s crimson symbols burned brighter across the chamber floor now, forcing several of the silver chains backward temporarily.

But the chains kept emerging slowly and relentlessly anyway.

Like something underneath the palace was searching blindly through the cracks.

Saleem looked seconds from spiritual collapse.

"The lower seal chambers...!"

Seraphine snapped toward him. "You knew something was sealed beneath the capital?!"

"I heard rumors!"

"That is not helping!"

Fair criticism honestly. Another section of the chamber floor collapsed inward suddenly.

Silver mist poured upward through the opening while faint whispers echoed from below.

Zereth stepped closer toward the widening hole carefully while shadows twisted around his boots.

"The prison is opening from the inside."

"Oh good," Mason muttered. "Because the outside apocalypse wasn’t enough."

The chained creature above the city roared again.

The sound shook the palace hard enough to crack several ceiling beams overhead.

Dust rained down across the chamber.

Then suddenly...the silver chains stopped moving again.

Every chain froze midair.

The silence afterward felt wrong.

Athlian went completely still inside him.

’Don’t move.’

Mason immediately froze.

Which honestly wasn’t difficult considering survival instincts were already screaming at maximum volume.

One of the chains slowly turned, pointing directly toward him again.

Draca noticed instantly as his grip around the goddess wrist tightened slightly while he shifted half a step in front of him.

Protective instinct undefeated.

Seraphine’s eyes narrowed sharply at the movement.

The chain twitched once.

Then the whisper came again from beneath the palace. "Found..."

The voice sounded closer now.

Almost directly underneath them.

Mason swallowed carefully.

Athlian’s fear pressed painfully against the inside of his thoughts.

"What exactly is down there?" he asked internally.

’Something Heaven buried like I said before.’

Deeply upsetting information.

Assura suddenly stepped forward sharply.

"Everyone away from the breach."

Guards pulled back immediately while crimson symbols spread wider across the fractured chamber floor.

Reality distorted around Assura again.

The silver chains recoiled slightly.

Apparently ancient cosmic horrors also understood self-preservation.

Draca finally released Mason’s waist once they reached the safer side of the chamber.

Warmth lingered anyway.

Athlian noticed immediately. ’You looked disappointed.’

"I did not."

’Mmhm.’

Mason ignored her aggressively, mostly because she was unfortunately correct.

Another low tremor rolled through the palace.

Less violent this time but more deliberate.

Like something beneath them had stopped struggling and started listening instead.

Zereth’s expression darkened slightly.

"It’s aware of us now."

"Excellent," Mason replied weakly. "That definitely improves the evening."

Seraphine pointed toward the breach sharply. "Can we reseal it?"

Assura remained silent for several moments.

Which was never encouraging.

Finally he answered. "Not permanently."

Saleem looked horrified. "Then the capital..."

"Will survive tonight if we are careful."

Draca stepped closer toward the opening cautiously, sword still drawn.

"Can it emerge physically?"

"Yes," Assura answered.

Mason immediately pointed at him. "Could

you try lying once? Just experimentally?"

"No."

Consistent man honestly.

Athlian stirred uneasily again.

’Something’s wrong.’

"That sentence no longer narrows anything down."

’No... it’s different.’

Mason frowned slightly, then he felt it too.

The pressure in the room had changed.

Like invisible attention slowly sweeping across the chamber...searching.

The silver chains trembled faintly again.

And suddenly, every chain pointed toward Mason simultaneously.

Silence crashed into the room.

Several guards stepped backward nervously.

Seraphine’s grip tightened around her spear.

Zereth’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Mason raised one hand weakly.

"So statistically speaking this feels targeted."

Draca moved instantly again.

This time fully stepping between Mason and the chains, with his sword raised.

Athlian softened immediately inside him.

’He keeps choosing you first.’

"I refuse to emotionally process that during an apocalypse."

Reasonable boundary honestly.

The whisper beneath the palace laughed softly again.

"Mmm... hidden."

Cold spread across Mason’s spine instantly.

The chains twitched violently.

Assura’s expression sharpened. "It senses the fracture."

Zereth glanced toward Mason briefly.

Mason immediately changed the subject before anyone could continue thinking dangerous thoughts.

"Wonderful. Great. Love being mysteriously hunted by underground nightmares."

Seraphine looked deeply unimpressed.

"Your coping methods are strange."

"My survival rate remains impressive."

"Debatable."

Another tremor rolled through the chamber floor.

Then suddenly the silver mist pouring from the breach thickened rapidly.

Shapes moved inside it.

Humanoid shapes.

Several guards raised weapons immediately.

Saleem looked close to crying now. "Oh gods..."

The first figure crawled upward slowly from the opening...Its body looked pale beneath layers of silver markings while broken chains wrapped tightly around its arms and throat, blindfolded and thin.

Mason stared in horror. "...Absolutely not."

The creature tilted its head sharply toward him despite the blindfold.

Then smiled.

Athlian recoiled violently inside him. ’Seal it!’

Seraphine moved first.

Her spear exploded with divine light as she lunged forward instantly.

The creature reacted unnaturally fast.

Silver chains burst from its arms, colliding against her spear hard enough to shake the chamber.

Zereth’s shadows surged next, wrapping around the creature’s torso before slamming it back toward the breach.

But more shapes were already moving beneath the mist below.

Draca stepped forward beside Seraphine immediately.

Perfect coordination.

Sword and spear moving together naturally.

Interesting...very veteran battlefield energy.

Mason watched them fight while trying not to emotionally admire Draca again during an active disaster.

Failed slightly because Athlian noticed...

’Hopeless.’

"I’m surviving."

’Mmhm.’

The blindfolded creature suddenly spoke.

Its voice echoed strangely, like multiple people whispering together.

"Open the vessel."

The room froze briefly.

Mason’s pulse spiked hard...he doesn’t like that sentence at all.

Seraphine frowned sharply. "What is it talking about?"

Nobody answered.

Especially not Assura.

Which honestly answered too much already.

The creature’s head tilted again toward Mason specifically. "The hidden one..."

Draca immediately stepped farther in front of him.

Mason was beginning to suspect the man’s instincts operated entirely on emotional violence at this point.

Assura finally moved and for the first time tonight, the ancient being looked genuinely irritated.

Crimson light exploded outward across the chamber instantly.

Reality bent violently around the breach while glowing symbols wrapped around the blindfolded creature like burning chains.

The thing screamed angrily.

Interesting distinction honestly.

The silver mist recoiled sharply back toward the opening.

Several of the chains shattered instantly beneath Assura’s power.

The creature twisted unnaturally while glaring blindly toward him. "You still interfere."

Assura’s expression remained cold. "You were told to remain buried."

"We were abandoned."

The chamber quieted.

Even Zereth looked surprised by that response.

Athlian’s emotions twisted sharply inside Mason.

"What aren’t you telling me?" he demanded internally.

She hesitated again.

’Later.’ she responded softly.

"I’m beginning to hate that word too."

The blindfolded creature suddenly jerked violently against Assura’s restraints.

Its head snapped toward Mason again.

Then it whispered...

"He is wrong."

Heavy silence followed.

Mason blinked rapidly. "...I’m sorry what?"

Draca’s expression sharpened instantly.

Zereth noticed too as dangerous silence spread through the chamber.

Athlian panicked immediately inside him.

’Do not answer it.’

"I wasn’t planning to start conversations with the nightmare prisoner actually."

The creature laughed softly. "He cannot stay hidden forever."

Assura moved instantly as crimson symbols tightened violently around the creature before slamming it back down into the breach hard enough to crack the surrounding floor again.

The silver mist exploded upward briefly.

Then silence returned.

Heavy breathing filled the chamber afterward.

Nobody moved immediately.

Mason slowly pointed toward the hole.

"So respectfully speaking... what the hell was that?"

Saleem looked spiritually damaged.

Seraphine looked furious while Zereth looked thoughtful.

Very bad combination honestly.

Assura finally lowered his hand slowly.

"One of the sealed."

"That explains absolutely nothing."

"It explains enough."

"No," Mason replied tiredly. "No it really doesn’t."

Draca sheathed his sword halfway but remained positioned near Mason anyway.

Close enough to protect him instantly if needed.

Close enough that Mason could feel the warmth radiating from him again.

Athlian noticed immediately. ’You calmed

down.’

"I did not."

’Your heartbeat slowed.’

Traitorous body honestly.

Another tremor shook the chamber but smaller this time.

The breach beneath the floor stopped widening at last.

At least temporarily.

Seraphine exhaled sharply. "Can the opening be contained?"

Assura stared toward the silver mist below silently. "...For now."

Mason hated those words immediately.

"For now means absolutely terrible things in this world."

"Yes," Zereth agreed quietly.

Saleem shakily adjusted his robes. "If the High Temple discovers prisoners beneath the capital..."

"Political collapse," Seraphine finished grimly.

Mason rubbed his face tiredly. "You know, I really miss when my biggest concern was pretending to understand royal etiquette."

Athlian unexpectedly laughed softly again.

Draca glanced briefly toward him. "You’re calmer now."

Mason blinked. "That’s deeply concerning honestly."

"Perhaps."

Their eyes met briefly.

Athlian practically melted internally.

’There it is again.’

"I need you to stop existing emotionally."

’Impossible.’

Before Mason could respond internally,

Zereth suddenly spoke again.

"The creature recognized something."

Silence hit the chamber immediately.

Mason internally screamed.

Athlian froze.

Seraphine looked sharply toward Zereth.

"Recognized what?"

He remained silent briefly, thinking and

watching.

"It called Athlian, a vessel."

Oops.

Draca’s gaze shifted slowly toward Mason.

Not suspiciously but concerned.

Which honestly felt worse somehow.

Assura stepped forward immediately before anyone else could continue.

"The sealed speak in contradictions. Nothing they say should be trusted."

The silver fracture above the capital suddenly thundered again.

Everyone turned instinctively toward the shattered balcony windows.

The chained figure in the sky had moved closer...much closer.

Close enough now that its enormous silhouette blocked part of the moonlight entirely.

And slowly...the creature raised one massive hand toward the palace.

Toward the war chamber specifically.

Athlian’s fear exploded inside Mason.

Pure panic.

Because this time...something beneath the palace answered.