Silence filled the underground capital.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The voice from the King's Gate still echoed inside their minds.
"Null... my son..."
It wasn't a memory.
It wasn't an illusion.
Everyone had heard it.
The Old King was alive.
Null stood before the Gate.
Frozen.
His fists clenched so tightly that blood ran from his palms.
For years he had believed his father was dead.
Every fragment.
Every inheritance.
Every story.
All of them said the same thing.
The King had fallen.
The King had vanished.
The King was gone.
Yet moments ago—
he had heard his voice.
A real voice.
A living voice.
Hyung stepped beside him.
"You heard it too."
Null nodded.
Slowly.
"Yeah."
His voice was barely audible.
For the first time in a long time—
Null looked lost.
Not confused.
Lost.
D U sat on a broken pillar.
Unusually quiet.
Then finally spoke.
"I knew there was a chance."
Everyone looked at him.
"You knew?" Eris asked.
D U scratched his head.
"A rumor."
"What rumor?" Hyung demanded.
D U sighed.
"My master once told me something."
The station became silent.
"'If the King ever dies...'"
D U paused.
"'The prison beyond reality will collapse.'"
Caelum's eyes widened.
"No way."
D U nodded.
"The prison still exists."
Everyone understood immediately.
Which meant—
the prisoner still existed too.
Far beyond worlds.
Beyond dimensions.
Beyond the Door.
The Prison Beyond Reality floated alone.
A massive golden structure suspended within endless darkness.
Chains larger than mountains wrapped around it.
Ancient laws carved into reality itself surrounded the prison.
No ordinary being could enter.
No ordinary being could leave.
At its center—
The Old King sat alone.
Thousands of chains pierced his body.
His breathing was slow.
Weak.
Yet alive.
His golden-black eyes remained open now.
Watching.
Waiting.
For the first time in centuries—
hope had returned.
Elsewhere.
Aizeno stood before the ancient throne.
Luxion appeared beside him.
"The signal escaped."
Aizeno nodded.
"I know."
"Null heard it."
"Yes."
Luxion frowned.
"Then everything changes."
Aizeno smiled slightly.
"No."
His eyes drifted toward the darkness.
"Everything accelerates."
Suddenly—
a black crystal appeared before him.
Inside the crystal floated a glowing fragment.
The Fourth Fragment.
The one Aizeno had spent centuries searching for.
Luxion stared.
"You found it."
Aizeno nodded.
"At last."
The fragment slowly merged into his hand.
The entire throne dimension shook.
Reality cracked.
The air screamed.
Power erupted from Aizeno's body.
For the first time—
even Luxion took a step backward.
Back at the underground capital—
The King's Gate activated again.
Symbols appeared across its surface.
But this time—
they weren't golden.
They were black.
Caelum immediately noticed.
"That's wrong."
The Guardian raised its spear.
"CORRUPTION DETECTED."
One's expression darkened.
"No."
Zero immediately understood.
"Aizeno."
The Gate shook violently.
Something was forcing its way through.
Not from inside.
From outside.
Someone was trying to hijack the Gate.
The station trembled.
Ancient systems began failing.
Then—
A massive image appeared above the Gate.
A projection.
A face.
Aizeno.
Everyone froze.
His calm eyes looked directly at Null.
For several seconds—
neither spoke.
Then Aizeno smiled.
"Hello, brother."
Hyung's hand immediately moved toward his sword.
D U stood up.
The Guardian entered combat mode.
But Aizeno ignored all of them.
His gaze never left Null.
"You heard him."
Null's eyes narrowed.
"My father."
Aizeno nodded.
"Yes."
Silence.
Then Null asked:
"Where is he?"
Aizeno smiled.
"The Prison Beyond Reality."
The answer came too easily.
Too smoothly.
Null immediately knew there was more.
Aizeno continued.
"Alive."
The station became silent again.
Even hearing the word felt impossible.
Alive.
The King was alive.
Aizeno slowly folded his hands behind his back.
"But not for long."
Everyone froze.
"What?" Hyung growled.
Aizeno finally looked at the others.
Then back at Null.
"The prison is weakening."
His smile disappeared.
"The seals are failing."
For the first time—
there was no mockery in his voice.
Only certainty.
"If nothing changes..."
Aizeno looked toward the sky.
"...he dies."
Null's heart pounded.
Aizeno then said the one thing nobody expected.
"Save him."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even D U looked confused.
Null stared.
"You want me to save him?"
Aizeno nodded.
"Yes."
Nobody understood.
Not Hyung.
Not Eris.
Not Caelum.
Not even One.
Aizeno's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Because if the King dies now..."
The projection flickered.
"...the thing beneath the Final Door awakens completely."
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
One's face turned pale.
Zero cursed under his breath.
The Guardian's spear tightened.
Aizeno looked directly at Null.
Then spoke his final words.
"You have six months."
The projection began fading.
"But know this, Null."
His eyes darkened.
"When you find the prison..."
The image shattered.
Only his voice remained.
"...you'll learn why your father chose chains over freedom."
The transmission ended.
The Gate fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
For a long time—
nothing happened.
Then Null slowly turned toward the Gate.
His spiral eye rotated.
The inheritance responded.
The path ahead was clear.
Find the Prison Beyond Reality.
Find the Old King.
Learn the truth.
And stop whatever Aizeno was preparing.
Null clenched his fist.
His decision was made.
Far away—
inside the Prison Beyond Reality—
the Old King suddenly smiled.
Because for the first time in centuries—
his son was coming.
TO BE CONTINUED...