Chapter 117 — The King Beneath the City
Crowley returned to Remus alone.
The guards saw him coming through the gate.
Blood covered one side of his coat.
One sleeve was torn.
He walked as if nothing had happened.
A guard approached.
"Crowley."
Crowley kept walking.
"Where's Brook?"
"Not here."
"What happened?"
Crowley stopped.
The guard looked at him.
Crowley's expression was unreadable.
"I met someone."
The guard waited.
Crowley continued walking.
That was all he got.
Brook was outside Sera's room.
Henry sat against the wall.
Neither had spoken for several minutes.
When Crowley appeared at the end of the corridor, Henry immediately stood.
Brook looked up.
His eyes moved over Crowley's injuries.
"What happened?"
Crowley stopped in front of them.
"Found Elias."
Brook stood.
Henry's expression changed.
"Where?"
"Gone."
Brook's jaw tightened.
Crowley looked at him.
"He wasn't alone."
Brook stared.
Crowley continued.
"Azael."
The name changed something.
Brook remembered Sera's broken voice.
Her fear.
He looked toward the room.
Crowley's eyes moved to the door.
"She's alive?"
Brook nodded.
"Barely."
Crowley looked away.
For a second—
guilt crossed his face.
Brook noticed.
"What?"
Crowley shook his head.
"Nothing."
Brook stepped closer.
"Tell me."
Crowley looked at him.
"I wasn't there."
Brook's anger faded slightly.
Crowley continued.
"I should have been."
Brook looked away.
Neither knew what to say.
Henry broke the silence.
"So."
Both men looked at him.
Henry shrugged.
"Are we going after them?"
Crowley looked at Brook.
Brook's eyes remained on Sera's door.
"No."
Henry frowned.
Crowley raised an eyebrow.
Brook continued.
"Not yet."
Inside the room—
Hades stood beside Sera.
The symbol had returned.
It floated above her chest.
The healers stood several steps away.
They had stopped touching her.
Hades stared at it.
One of them finally spoke.
"King Hades."
"Quiet."
The healer lowered his head.
Hades reached toward the symbol.
This time—
he didn't touch it.
He had learned.
The ancient shape moved.
Slowly.
Almost breathing.
Hades whispered something.
The healers looked at each other.
"What did you say?"
Hades didn't answer.
The symbol rotated.
A sound entered the room.
Not from outside.
From beneath them.
The floor trembled.
Sera's eyes opened.
Hades stepped back.
"Sera?"
She stared at the ceiling.
Her pupils moved.
She wasn't looking at Hades.
She was looking somewhere else.
Her lips moved.
Hades leaned closer.
"What?"
Sera whispered:
"He's below."
Hades froze.
The floor shook.
Harder.
Brook immediately entered the room.
"What happened?"
Hades looked at him.
"Everyone out."
Brook didn't move.
"Why?"
"Brook."
"What is happening?"
Another tremor.
The room shook.
Sera sat upright suddenly.
Brook moved toward her.
"Sera."
Her head turned.
She looked directly at him.
But something was wrong.
Her eyes didn't recognize him.
Brook stopped.
"Sera?"
She spoke.
"You're carrying them wrong."
Brook's expression changed.
Crowley entered behind him.
"What?"
Sera looked at Crowley.
Then smiled faintly.
"The King came back."
Crowley froze.
Brook turned.
Crowley didn't move.
Sera's smile disappeared.
"He shouldn't have."
Crowley stared at her.
"What do you mean?"
The symbol above her chest vanished.
The floor cracked.
Everyone stepped back.
Something beneath Remus answered.
A deep sound rolled upward.
Not an explosion.
A voice.
The stone itself seemed to speak.
Hades's expression changed.
Brook looked at him.
"What is that?"
Hades didn't answer.
Crowley stepped forward.
"Hades."
The King of Remus looked at him.
For the first time—
Brook saw uncertainty in his face.
Hades whispered:
"The city."
Brook frowned.
"What about it?"
Hades looked at the floor.
"Remus isn't built above something."
Another crack split the room.
Brook stared.
Hades continued.
"It was built to keep something down."
Silence.
Henry looked toward the floor.
"That's not comforting."
Crowley looked at Hades.
"What is beneath us?"
Hades didn't answer.
The ground answered instead.
The entire city shook.
Outside—
people screamed.
Brook looked through the window.
Stone in the streets was splitting apart.
Citizens ran.
Guards shouted.
The towers of Remus trembled.
Hades turned.
"Get them out."
Brook looked at Sera.
"I'm not leaving her."
Hades stepped closer.
"If that thing rises, none of us will survive to argue about it."
Crowley walked toward the door.
Brook looked at him.
"Crowley."
Crowley stopped.
"Get her out."
Brook nodded.
Henry stepped forward.
"What are you going to do?"
Crowley looked at the floor.
"Talk to a king."
Henry stared.
"That's supposed to make sense?"
Crowley left.
Brook carefully lifted Sera.
She was conscious now.
Barely.
Her hand grabbed his shirt.
"Brook."
"I'm here."
Her eyes found his.
This time—
she recognized him.
"Don't let him—"
Brook looked down.
"Who?"
Sera's expression changed.
Her eyes moved toward the floor.
"—out."
Brook stopped.
The room shook.
He ran.
Hades stood in the palace courtyard.
The city was falling into panic.
Guards surrounded him.
Brook carried Sera toward the gates.
Henry followed.
Crowley appeared beside Hades.
The two men looked toward the palace.
A massive crack had opened through the centre of the courtyard.
Hades spoke quietly.
"You shouldn't be here."
Crowley didn't look at him.
"Neither should whatever you buried."
Hades's jaw tightened.
"I didn't bury it."
Crowley turned.
"Then who did?"
Hades remained silent.
Crowley understood.
"Someone before you."
Hades looked at him.
"Long before me."
Another sound came from below.
Crowley stared into the crack.
"How old?"
Hades's eyes became dark.
"Older than Remus."
Crowley's expression changed.
"Older than the protected places?"
Hades didn't answer.
That was enough.
Brook reached the outer gate.
He stopped.
Death appeared beside him.
Brook stared at the lifelines around Remus.
Thousands.
Then—
something below.
A line.
Massive.
Ancient.
Brook's breath caught.
Henry looked at him.
"What?"
Brook looked down.
"There's something under the city."
Henry stared.
"Yeah. We figured that part out."
Brook didn't answer.
The lifeline wasn't moving like a normal person's.
It was spread.
Across the city.
Henry's face changed.
"Brook?"
Brook looked toward Hades.
"This thing is connected to Remus."
Henry went silent.
The ground exploded.
The palace courtyard split open.
Stone rose into the air.
Crowley jumped back.
Hades remained standing.
Dust covered everything.
For several seconds—
nothing could be seen.
Then a figure climbed from the darkness.
One hand.
Then another.
A man emerged.
Barefoot.
Bare-chested.
His skin was pale.
Chains hung from his wrists.
He stood at the edge of the crater.
The entire city became silent.
Hades stared.
Crowley stared.
The man looked around.
Then at Hades.
"You."
Hades didn't answer.
The man's eyes moved to Crowley.
And stopped.
His expression changed.
Crowley slowly lowered his hand toward his weapon.
The man smiled.
"Ah."
Crowley's face became cold.
"I know you."
Crowley didn't speak.
The man tilted his head.
"Or perhaps—"
His eyes narrowed.
"—I knew you."
Crowley stared at him.
"Who are you?"
The man looked at the chains around his wrists.
Then toward the sky.
"A prisoner."
Hades stepped forward.
Crowley immediately moved.
The man raised one hand.
Crowley stopped.
The prisoner looked at him.
"You don't remember."
Crowley's expression tightened.
"Should I?"
The man smiled.
"Not yet."
The ground trembled beneath him.
Brook watched from the gate.
Sera's eyes widened.
Her hand tightened around Brook.
Brook looked down.
"What?"
Sera whispered:
"He's the reason."
Brook frowned.
"The reason for what?"
Sera stared at the man.
"The words."
Hades raised his hand.
Guards moved forward.
The prisoner looked at them.
Then spoke one word.
The guards stopped.
Not by force.
Their bodies simply refused to move.
Brook's eyes widened.
Sera stared.
Word Magic.
The prisoner looked toward her.
"You."
Sera froze.
The man's smile widened.
"You can hear it too."
Brook stepped in front of her.
The prisoner looked at him.
Then at Death.
Michael.
Lucifer.
His expression slowly changed.
Three presences looked back at him through Brook's eyes.
The prisoner took one step backward.
For the first time—
he looked cautious.
Crowley noticed.
"What are you?"
The prisoner looked at Crowley again.
Then smiled.
"Something your world forgot."
Hades's voice became cold.
"Enough."
The prisoner turned.
"Still pretending to be a king?"
The courtyard became silent.
Hades's eyes darkened.
Crowley looked between them.
The prisoner smiled.
"Tell them."
Hades didn't move.
The prisoner spread his arms.
"Tell them what Remus really is."
Brook stared.
The prisoner looked toward the city.
Then back at him.
"Tell them why your people live here."
Hades finally spoke.
"Leave."
The prisoner laughed.
"I can't."
He lifted his chained wrists.
Then looked toward Sera.
"But perhaps she can."
Sera's face went pale.
Brook's hand tightened around his sword.
The prisoner smiled.
"That is why the Ancient Source returned."
Crowley stared.
The city shook again.
The prisoner looked toward the sky.
"The Maker is moving."
Every person in the courtyard went silent.
Then the prisoner looked directly at Brook.
"And so are the kings."
End of Chapter 117