Chapter 178: The Thing That Remembered Him

Chapter 178

The laugh rising from beneath the mountain echoed through the shattered council hall long after the sound itself should have faded. It rolled through the stone beneath their feet like something ancient dragging itself awake after centuries buried beneath the world, and every wolf still inside the chamber felt the weight behind it immediately.

Ariana felt the vibration in her chest while dust continued falling from the cracked ceiling above them. The black mist pouring from the widening fracture spread slowly across the floor, curling around broken stone and collapsed pillars while the enormous eye beneath the mountain remained fixed entirely on Kael.

That frightened her more than the creature itself.

Kael stood motionless beside her while silver lightning flickered violently around his body. The pressure surrounding him had become almost impossible to ignore now, heavy enough that even the remaining warriors near the chamber walls instinctively kept their distance. But it was not rage Ariana felt through the bond connecting them.

It was memory.

Something ancient had awakened inside the Lycan the moment the thing beneath the mountain recognized him, and now Kael looked like someone carrying the weight of a war that should have disappeared thousands of years ago.

Ariana tightened her grip around his arm. "Kael."

For a moment, she thought he had not heard her.

Then he slowly looked toward her, and the expression in his eyes made cold spread through her chest again. He still looked like himself, but there was something buried beneath the surface now, something carrying grief and exhaustion far older than his own life.

"The prison failed once before," he said quietly.

The chamber fell silent immediately.

Augustus’ expression hardened as he stepped closer to the fracture beneath the hall. "What exactly did you remember?"

Kael’s attention shifted back toward the darkness below them. "Not enough."

Another violent tremor rolled through the territory while dragon roars thundered across the mountains outside. Ariana could hear distant screams echoing somewhere deeper inside the territory now, mixed with collapsing stone and the sound of wolves shouting orders in panic.

The creatures beneath the world were already reaching the surface.

Lucien looked toward the shattered entrance of the council hall, his expression tightening as another section of the northern wall collapsed somewhere outside. "The outer districts are starting to fall."

One elder looked horrified. "The barriers should still be active."

"The barriers were never meant to last forever," Vormerion answered calmly.

The ancient bronze dragon stood near the widening fracture with his massive wings partially spread while golden fire reflected faintly across his scales. Even he looked tense now, his glowing eyes fixed carefully on the darkness beneath the mountain.

Ariana suddenly realized something that unsettled her deeply.

The dragons were not preparing to attack the thing below.

They were preparing to stop it from reaching the surface.

The enormous eye beneath the chamber shifted slowly again while the black mist surrounding it thickened further. Every movement beneath the mountain felt deliberate now, patient in a way that made the entire territory feel small and fragile above it.

Then the voice returned.

This time it echoed through the chamber itself instead of inside Ariana’s mind.

"You remember the chains."

The words rolled through the hall like distant thunder.

Kael’s jaw tightened immediately while silver lightning cracked violently across the broken floor near his feet.

Ariana felt the reaction move through him before he spoke. The memories inside him were no longer arriving as scattered fragments. They were forcing themselves to the surface faster now, carrying emotions sharp enough to make the Lycan react instinctively.

"They were forged by the Sovereigns," Kael said quietly.

Another vision slammed into Ariana through the bond between them before she could steady herself against it.

A battlefield drowned beneath ash and blood spread endlessly beneath shattered skies. Dragons burned as they fell from the heavens while wolves fought creatures climbing endlessly from beneath cracked earth. Massive chains glowing with ancient symbols stretched across enormous black gates buried deep beneath the world itself.

And standing before those gates was a figure surrounded by silver lightning.

Ariana’s breath caught painfully.

The figure turned slightly, and for one horrifying moment she saw Kael’s eyes staring back at her through another lifetime.

The vision vanished instantly.

Kael staggered slightly before pressing one hand against the side of his head while tension moved violently through his shoulders. "The chains were created to seal the gates permanently."

Augustus stared at him carefully now. "But they failed."

Kael slowly lowered his hand.

"No," he said quietly. "We failed."

The answer settled heavily across the chamber.

Another violent pull echoed beneath the territory while the mountain groaned around them. Dust rained from the ceiling as part of the western wall cracked apart completely, forcing several warriors backward.

Then the thing beneath the world moved again.

This time part of its enormous claw pulled farther through the widening fracture beneath the hall, dragging broken chains behind it while ancient symbols burned faintly across blackened skin.

Ariana’s breath caught painfully.

The claw alone was larger than the council platform.

And the creature was still trapped beneath the mountain.

Vormerion’s expression darkened immediately. "It’s reaching the surface too quickly."

One elder looked barely able to stand now. "What is that thing?"

Nobody answered immediately.

Then Kael finally spoke.

"A Gate Titan."

The name alone changed the atmosphere inside the chamber.

Even Augustus looked unsettled hearing it spoken aloud.

Lucien frowned sharply. "You know what it is?"

Kael’s eyes remained fixed on the creature below. "It guarded the Underworld gates during the first war."

Ariana felt cold spread deeper through her chest. "You fought that thing before?"

Kael’s expression tightened painfully. "Not me."

The answer should have reassured her.

It didn’t.

Because part of the Lycan clearly remembered it anyway.

The Gate Titan suddenly pulled harder against the fracture, and the entire chamber shook violently as ancient chains snapped one after another beneath the territory. Outside, every dragon roared at once while golden fire illuminated the skies above the mountains.

Then something enormous moved above the council hall.

A massive shadow crossed over the shattered ceiling just before a deafening roar exploded through the chamber.

One of the golden dragons crashed directly through the upper wall of the council hall, sending stone and debris flying across the chamber while terrified wolves threw themselves aside.

The dragon landed heavily across the broken floor, blood pouring from deep black wounds spreading across its golden scales.

And standing on the dragon’s back, surrounded by black mist and silver fire, was Mira.