The sound of snapping chains echoed like thunder through the underground sanctum.

Every single silver restraint stretched across the massive chamber shattered at once.

Several guards were knocked off balance as broken chains crashed into pillars and stone walkways hard enough to split the ground apart.

Mason stared upward in disbelief.

"...That feels catastrophically bad."

"No," Assura replied grimly.

"It is worse.

The gate embedded within the cavern wall trembled violently now while silver fractures spread rapidly across its surface like cracks through ice.

The golden eye beyond the opening gleamed with open amusement.

"He arrives."

Athlian’s fear slammed through Mason hard enough to make his chest tighten painfully.

’It found the capital.’

"Yes," Mason thought rapidly, "everyone keeps saying that, it’s somehow not emotionally devastating."

Above them, another massive impact shook the palace foundations.

Dust exploded downward from the cavern

ceiling.

One of the upper support pillars cracked loudly.

Seraphine immediately barked orders toward the guards.

"Stabilize the eastern supports!"

The soldiers rushed into motion despite obvious panic.

Honestly impressive commitment considering reality itself appeared to be collapsing professionally around them.

Draca stepped closer beside Mason again.

Close enough that Mason could feel the warmth radiating from his armor despite the freezing air filling the sanctum.

"You need to remain alert."

"I’m extremely alert," Mason replied quickly. "Unfortunately my alertness has become emotionally exhausted."

Athlian noticed immediately. ’You calm down whenever he talks.’

"I calm down when competent people exist nearby."

’Mmhm.’

Zereth suddenly looked upward sharply.

His shadows spread violently across the chamber floor.

"The creature above is descending faster now."

Saleem looked seconds away from fainting permanently.

"How is that possible?! The second barrier was built by the High Temple itself!"

Assura answered calmly. "The barrier recognized divinity."

Mason blinked once. "...I hate that sentence deeply."

Another roar thundered above the capital.

This one was close enough that parts of the underground ceiling collapsed entirely.

Stone debris crashed across the sanctum floor while silver light poured downward through fresh fractures overhead.

And for a brief moment...Mason saw the sky or rather the broken thing pretending to still be a sky.

The chained creature had descended far lower now.

Massive silver restraints dragged behind its body through the fractured heavens while entire sections of the capital remained frozen beneath falling silver light.

Buildings trapped mid-collapse.

People suspended motionless in the streets.

Temporal sealing apparently remained one of the worst concepts Mason had ever encountered.

Athlian recoiled again. ’It’s almost here.’

"Right. Great. Fantastic."

The thing behind the gate laughed softly.

"They still fear the herald."

Seraphine spun toward the fracture sharply. "You know that creature."

"Yes."

"Then explain!"

The golden eye shifted lazily toward her.

"No."

Honestly Mason respected the commitment to terrible communication at this point.

The gate suddenly lurched outward violently.

CRACK.

A massive fracture split across the center seal.

Several guards stumbled backward immediately.

Silver scripture carved into the stone began flickering erratically now.

Zereth’s expression darkened. "The seal is destabilizing completely."

Assura stepped forward at once as crimson symbols ignited beneath his feet again while distorted reality spread outward through the chamber.

The pressure against the gate slowed slightly.

Assura was genuinely struggling now.

Deeply concerning.

Mason immediately pointed toward him. "I would just like to note that the ancient immortal nightmare man looking stressed is not helping morale."

"You speak too much," Assura replied coldly.

"I cope through sarcasm."

"We noticed."

Another chain snapped overhead.

This one crashed directly toward Zereth.

Shadows surged upward instantly, stopping the broken restraint midair before hurling it aside across the chamber wall hard enough to shatter stone.

Mason blinked rapidly. "...Okay, that was aggressively dramatic."

Zereth ignored him completely.

His silver eyes remained fixed on the gate, but actually not the gate but Mason.

Athlian noticed. ’He suspects more now.’

"Yes, because our lives continue to become worse professionally."

The thing beyond the gate suddenly spoke again. "You wear her soul strangely."

Silence crushed the sanctum instantly.

Seraphine slowly turned toward Mason.

Draca’s expression sharpened immediately.

Saleem looked deeply confused.

And Zereth... looked interested.

Athlian panicked inside him. ’Do not answer.’

"Oh trust me Athlian," Mason thought quickly, "I was not planning to volunteer for whatever this conversation is."

Draca stepped slightly forward as he positioned himself partly between Mason and the gate again without even seeming aware of it.

The thing beyond the fracture noticed instantly. "How loyal mortals become around fractured divinity."

Mason immediately raised one finger weakly. "Counterpoint. None of us know what you’re talking about and I would personally love to keep it that way."

Unexpectedly, the thing laughed again.

It was like chains grinding beneath an ocean.

Athlian’s fear spiked harder. ’It remembers Heaven before the Tribunal.’

"...That sentence somehow created historical trauma."

Before she could continue, the entire sanctum shook violently again.

This tremor felt different, something enormous had landed above them.

Seraphine looked upward sharply. "No..."

A deafening scream suddenly echoed from somewhere far above the underground prison.

Human screams.

Hundreds of them.

Then silence.

Mason felt cold crawl down his spine immediately. "What was that?"

Nobody answered because everyone already knew.

The chained creature had reached the palace.

Draca turned instantly toward Seraphine.

"Get every remaining soldier aboveground."

"You think the palace can still be defended?"

"It must be."

Mason hated how grounding Draca’s voice felt lately.

’You trust him completely now.’ Athlian muttered.

"I trust his ability to stab nightmares."

’Not only that.

Seraphine immediately began issuing orders toward the remaining guards.

Several soldiers rushed back toward the upper stairways despite obvious fear.

Saleem looked horrified. "We cannot abandon the seal!"

Assura’s gaze remained fixed on the gate.

"The seal is already broken.

Absolutely wonderful.

The golden eye beyond the fracture narrowed slightly.

Then suddenly...the entire gate moved.

Something massive shifted behind it.

Several chains still attached to the stone walls tightened violently. And from somewhere inside the darkness beyond the seal...

Footsteps echoed outward...

Athlian froze completely inside Mason.

Pure terror.

"Mason," she whispered internally.

That alone terrified him more than the footsteps.

Because Athlian almost never used his name like that.

"What is it?"

A pause.

Then quietly... ’I remember him.’

His stomach dropped instantly.

Before he could respond, Zereth suddenly stepped forward again.

Silver symbols ignited across both of his arms now while shadows flooded through the chamber floor like black water.

Mason had never seen him openly prepare for battle before.

The atmosphere around him changed completely.

The thing beyond the gate noticed too apparently.

"You still carry the old power."

Zereth’s expression remained unreadable.

"You should remain sealed."

"Should we?"

Another violent tremor interrupted them.

Then suddenly...

The fractured ceiling above the sanctum exploded apart.

Silver light flooded downward instantly as massive debris crashed across the chamber floor.

And through the collapsing ceiling...a gigantic chained hand descended from above.

Everyone froze.

The creature from the sky had reached them.

Its massive fingers wrapped around the broken edges of the sanctum ceiling while silver markings burned brighter across its pale skin.

The entire underground prison groaned beneath its weight.

Saleem actually screamed this time.

Honestly understandable.

Mason stared upward blankly.

"...Absolutely not."

The chained creature’s enormous glowing eyes slowly lowered toward the gate.

Toward the fracture.

Toward the thing inside.

And for the first time since appearing above the capital, the sky creature spoke directly toward the prison seal below.

"We found the fracture."

The thing behind the gate smiled wider.

"Heaven still searches."

Athlian’s fear became overwhelming now.

Mason saw fragments of memories again.

A battlefield beneath broken stars.

Silver chains dragging immortals through burning skies.

A woman screaming while golden blood covered white stone.

And towering above everything...

The chained creature.

The vision vanished violently.

Mason staggered backward hard enough to hit Draca’s chest.

Strong arms steadied him immediately.

"Mason."

Oops.

Tiny silence followed again.

Draca froze slightly this time too.

Seraphine’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Zereth noticed everything.

Mason immediately pointed upward toward the giant cosmic horror tearing through the sanctum ceiling.

"I feel like we all have significantly larger problems currently."

Surprisingly, that actually worked because the chained creature suddenly moved.

One enormous hand slammed downward toward the gate itself.

Assura reacted instantly.

Crimson symbols exploded upward through the chamber.

Reality distorted violently around the

descending hand.

The impact never fully landed but the shockwave alone shattered half the remaining support pillars.

Guards were thrown across the sanctum floor.

Seraphine barely caught herself before falling into a widening fracture splitting through the ground.

Draca pulled Mason backward immediately.

The stone collapsed where they had stood moments earlier.

The entire underground prison was breaking apart now.

And the gate...it started opening slowly and inevitably.

The golden eye inside widened with excitement. "Finally."

Zereth’s shadows surged violently across the chamber again while silver light burned around his hands.

Assura stepped fully in front of the gate now.

For the first time since Mason met him...the ancient being looked openly serious.

"You will not emerge."

The thing behind the gate laughed softly.

"You cannot stop both Heaven and us."

Mason immediately disliked that deeply.

Athlian sounded horrified. ’There were others.’

"Others WHAT?"

No answer...fantastic timing as always.

Above them, the chained creature pulled harder against the collapsing sanctum ceiling.

Silver fractures spread across reality itself now.

Mason watched cracks split through the air like shattered glass.

"...That cannot be physically legal."

"No," Zereth answered quietly.

"It cannot."

The gate suddenly lurched outward another inch.

A second golden eye opened within the darkness beyond the seal.

Then a smile.

Too large.

Too knowing.

And slowly...a figure began stepping forward from inside the prison.

Wrapped in broken silver chains.

Mason’s pulse slammed painfully against his ribs.

Athlian’s fear became almost unbearable now.

’Do not let it see the soul bridge.’

"Yes," Mason thought rapidly, "still no idea what that means."

The figure stopped halfway through the fracture.

Only part of its face visible beneath the shifting silver light.

Its golden eyes locked directly onto Mason again.

Recognition flickered instantly.

Then amusement.

And finally...confusion.

The creature tilted its head slowly.

"...Why are there two of you?"