The underground tunnels fell completely silent.
No collapsing rubble.
No distant screeches from the Hollowborn.
Nothing.
Only the glowing golden eyes staring at them from the darkness ahead.
The silver-haired boy slowly exhaled.
"…Okay. I officially don't know what's happening anymore."
Surprisingly—
Sunny almost laughed.
Weakly.
Painfully.
But laughed anyway.
Because for the first time since entering Grey Hollow…
the Hollowborn had stopped chasing them.
Even the suffocating pressure hanging over the tunnels had faded slightly.
Layla remained cautious though.
Her pale blue eyes never left the darkness ahead.
The thing inside that tunnel was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
But somehow…
it wasn't hostile.
The system notifications floating around them confirmed it again.
[ THREAT LEVEL: STABLE ]
[ HOSTILITY DETECTED: NONE ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: PROCEED ]
The silver-haired boy stared at the notification suspiciously.
"…Why do I trust that thing less every second?"
Then—
the figure in the darkness finally moved.
Slow footsteps echoed softly through the tunnel.
Not heavy like the Hollowborn.
Not threatening.
Calm.
Controlled.
The golden eyes slowly descended toward them from the darkness until a silhouette became faintly visible.
Tall.
Wrapped in dark robes.
Long black hair partially covering their face.
But the shadows concealed most of their features.
Then the voice echoed again.
"…Enter."
The silver-haired boy immediately frowned.
"That's not suspicious at all."
The figure stopped near the tunnel entrance.
"You are injured."
Its gaze shifted toward Sunny specifically.
"And he is dying."
Sunny's jaw tightened slightly.
Straight to the point.
The figure continued calmly.
"I will not harm you."
Almost instantly—
the system notifications flashed again.
[ STATEMENT VERIFIED ]
[ SAFE ZONE DETECTED ]
[ ENTERING AREA IS RECOMMENDED ]
The silver-haired boy blinked twice.
"…The system just fact-checked him."
Even Layla looked unsettled by that.
Because the system never behaved like this.
Not normally.
The figure stepped aside slowly, revealing a massive hidden chamber deeper within the tunnel.
Ancient symbols glowed faintly along the walls while old Aether machinery hummed softly in the darkness.
It looked ancient.
Older than Grey Hollow itself.
Sunny's vision blurred again.
His legs trembled violently now.
The unstable cracks across his body were spreading faster.
The figure noticed immediately.
"He does not have much time."
Layla made the decision first.
"…We go in."
The silver-haired boy sighed.
"If we die because of this, I'm haunting both of you."
They slowly entered the hidden chamber.
The moment they crossed the entrance—
the pressure outside disappeared completely.
Like the tunnel itself had sealed them away from Grey Hollow.
Sunny barely noticed.
His body felt heavier with every step now.
His hearing dulled.
The glowing symbols on the walls blurred together strangely.
Then—
It transformed
the figure finally stepped into the light.
Sunny's eyes widened weakly.
Human.
At least… mostly.
The figure looked young.
Maybe a few years older than them.
Sharp golden eyes.
Pale skin.
Long black hair tied loosely behind his back.
Ancient black markings spread across his neck and disappeared beneath his robes.
But what shocked Sunny most—
was the grey mist surrounding him.
The same mist Sunny used.
The exact same one.
Sunny's pupils shrank instantly.
"You…"
The golden-eyed figure looked at him calmly.
"…So you inherited it after all."
Sunny's heart skipped.
Inherited?
Before he could ask—
his vision suddenly went black.
The unstable Aether inside his body exploded violently.
CRACK.
The glowing fractures across his skin spread instantly.
The silver-haired boy's face changed immediately.
"Sunny?!"
Sunny collapsed forward unconscious before he even hit the floor.
The golden-eyed figure caught him effortlessly.
Then his calm expression finally shifted slightly as he looked at the spreading cracks beneath Sunny's skin.
"…This is worse than I thought."
Sunny's unconscious body hung limply in the golden-eyed figure's arms while faint traces of grey mist leaked uncontrollably from the glowing cracks across his skin.
The hidden chamber fell silent.
The silver-haired boy stared blankly for several seconds.
Then pointed shakily.
"…Hold on."
His eyes widened slowly.
"…YOU'RE HUMAN?!"
Layla's expression wasn't much better.
For the first time since entering Grey Hollow—
she looked genuinely stunned.
Because the pressure they felt earlier…
the ancient presence…
the golden eyes in the darkness…
None of it felt human.
The figure looked at them calmly.
"…Obviously."
The silver-haired boy blinked repeatedly.
"No, no, no. Absolutely not 'obviously.'"
He pointed toward the tunnel behind them aggressively.
"You scared away a Hollowborn with ONE WORD!"
The figure tilted his head slightly.
"Yes."
"That is NOT normal!"
Layla stepped forward carefully now, her pale blue eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"…What exactly are you?"
The chamber grew quiet again.
The figure gently placed Sunny down onto an ancient stone platform nearby before answering.
"…Something old."
That answer somehow made things worse.
The silver-haired boy groaned loudly.
"Oh great. We found another cryptic person."
Layla ignored him completely.
Her gaze remained fixed on the grey mist surrounding the figure.
It flowed exactly like Sunny's.
Not similar.
Identical.
Even the unstable fluctuations felt the same.
Then realization struck her.
"…You know what's happening to him."
The golden-eyed figure glanced toward Sunny silently.
The glowing cracks spreading beneath Sunny's skin pulsed violently again.
"Yes."
Layla's expression sharpened immediately.
"Then help him."
The figure remained quiet for a moment.
Then—
"…If I help him, everything changes."
The silver-haired boy frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The figure didn't answer directly.
Instead, his golden eyes shifted toward Sunny again.
"…The Hollowborn called him a vessel because it recognized what's inside him."
Layla's heart sank slightly.
So she had been right.
Sunny wasn't normal.
The silver-haired boy looked between them in confusion.
"Can somebody PLEASE explain things normally for once?"
But before anyone could answer—
Sunny suddenly convulsed violently.
CRACK.
The glowing fractures across his body spread further.
Grey mist exploded outward from him uncontrollably.
The chamber shook slightly.
The golden-eyed figure's expression darkened instantly.
"…It's awakening faster than expected."
Layla immediately stepped closer.
"What's awakening?"
The figure finally looked directly at them both.
And for the first time—
they saw actual concern in his eyes.
"…The thing Levi Ravenheart sealed inside him."
The chamber went completely silent.
Even the faint hum of the ancient machinery seemed to fade away.
Layla froze.
Her pale blue eyes widened instantly.
"…Levi Ravenheart?"
The golden-eyed figure looked toward her calmly.
But Layla had already stepped forward.
"How do you know that name?"
The silver-haired boy blinked in confusion.
"…Wait, who's Levi Ravenheart?"
Layla ignored him completely.
Her focus remained locked onto the figure.
Because that name should not have appeared here.
Not in Grey Hollow.
Not connected to Sunny.
Not after everything happening near the Black Continent.
The figure studied her carefully now.
"You know of him."
"That doesn't answer my question," Layla said sharply.
The air around her shifted slightly.
The markings beneath her sleeve glowed faintly again.
"What does Arthur's father have to do with Sunny?"
The moment Arthur's name left her mouth—
the figure's calm expression changed slightly.
For the first time—
he looked surprised.
"…Arthur?"
The silver-haired boy looked between them helplessly.
"I am unbelievably lost right now."
The figure slowly stood upright.
Golden eyes narrowing slightly toward Layla.
"You know Arthur Ravenheart?"
Layla immediately noticed the change in his tone.
Not hostile.
Interested.
Cautious.
"Yes," she answered carefully. "Why?"
The figure remained silent for several seconds.
Then he glanced toward the unconscious Sunny again.
Grey mist still leaked from Sunny's body uncontrollably, swirling faintly around the stone platform.
"…Interesting."
Layla's patience snapped slightly.
"Stop speaking in riddles."
The chamber trembled faintly as her markings glowed brighter.
"Who are you?"
The figure looked at her quietly.
Then finally answered.
"…My name is Kael."
The silver-haired boy folded his arms immediately.
"Cool. That explains absolutely nothing."
Kael ignored him.
Instead, his golden eyes returned to Layla.
"You shouldn't know Arthur Ravenheart."
Layla narrowed her eyes.
"And why is that?"
Kael hesitated briefly.
"…Because Levi made sure his family disappeared from the eyes of this world."
Layla's heart pounded once.
Arthur really had no idea how important his family was.
Kael continued calmly.
"The fact that you know Arthur means one of two things."
The ancient symbols across the chamber walls flickered softly.
"Either Levi's protections are weakening…"
His gaze shifted toward Sunny again.
"…or fate is beginning to move again."
The silver-haired boy rubbed his forehead.
"Okay, I officially hate mysterious people."
Layla stepped closer toward Kael now.
"You still haven't explained what Sunny has to do with Arthur."
Kael looked at the unconscious Sunny silently.
Then finally spoke.
"…Years ago, Levi Ravenheart sealed something inside a child."
Layla's expression darkened.
"A child?"
Kael nodded once.
"A living seal."
The chamber suddenly felt colder.
Layla slowly looked toward Sunny.
"No…"
Kael's gaze hardened slightly.
"The Hollowborn weren't searching for Sunny because of who he is."
Grey mist curled slowly around his feet.
"They were searching for what's inside him."
The silver-haired boy's face paled slightly.
"…And what exactly is inside him?"
Kael remained silent.
For too long.
Then—
Sunny's unconscious body suddenly twitched violently.
The grey mist around him thickened instantly.
And for a split second—
a second heartbeat echoed through the chamber.
The second heartbeat echoed through the chamber again.
Slow.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Layla instinctively stepped back from Sunny's unconscious body while the silver-haired boy stared in complete confusion.
"…Okay," he muttered weakly, "that is definitely not normal."
Grey mist curled through the chamber floor like living smoke.
Kael watched it silently.
Then Layla spoke again.
"…Explain."
Her voice was calm now.
Serious.
"No riddles this time."
Kael remained quiet for several moments.
The golden glow in his eyes dimmed slightly as though he were remembering something ancient.
Then he finally spoke.
"Seventy years ago…"
The chamber lights flickered softly around them.
"…the world experienced its last Collapse."
The silver-haired boy frowned.
"I've heard stories about that."
"Most people have," Kael replied calmly. "Almost none of them are true."
Layla listened carefully.
Because even she only knew fragments.
The Collapse was treated almost like mythology now.
Kael continued.
"At the time, the Black Continent was still sealed properly. Humanity believed the corruption could be contained."
His expression darkened slightly.
"They were wrong."
Ancient symbols along the chamber walls illuminated faintly one after another.
"Something awakened beneath the Black Continent."
The temperature in the chamber dropped.
"Entire cities vanished overnight. Continents fractured. Aether storms consumed millions."
The silver-haired boy's face slowly paled.
"…Millions?"
Kael nodded once.
"And during the final stage of the Collapse…"
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"…two sixteen-year-olds survived where entire armies failed."
Layla's eyes widened faintly.
"Levi and Alexi."
Kael nodded.
"At that time, they didn't even know each other."
The chamber fell quiet again.
Kael slowly walked toward one of the ancient walls where faded symbols resembling old maps covered the stone.
"Levi Ravenheart survived the Collapse alone in the eastern ruins."
A faint image flickered across the wall.
A young boy with black hair standing inside a destroyed city surrounded by monstrous shadows.
"Alexi survived in the southern dead zones."
Another image appeared.
A young girl with silver hair walking through burning ruins while carrying a broken blade.
The silver-haired boy blinked repeatedly.
"…Hold on."
He pointed at the images.
"They were sixteen there?!"
"Yes."
"…And they're how old now?"
Kael answered .
"200years old "
"people touched by ancient Aether age differently."
Layla slowly understood now.
That explained why Arthur's parents still looked young.
Kael continued calmly.
"The two eventually met near the end of the Collapse."
The images shifted again.
Now showing Levi and Alexi standing together atop a ruined battlefield surrounded by corpses and broken creatures.
"They became the sole confirmed survivors of the Collapse zone."
Even Layla looked shaken by that.
One Collapse zone could erase entire civilizations.
And those two survived it as teenagers?
Kael's expression hardened slightly.
"But survival came with a price."
The grey mist around Sunny thickened faintly.
"Something followed them out."
Silence.
The silver-haired boy slowly lowered his voice.
"…What kind of thing?"
Kael looked toward Sunny.
"…An ancient existence born beneath the Black Continent."
The second heartbeat echoed again.
THUMP.
Layla's eyes shifted immediately toward Sunny.
Kael continued quietly.
"Levi eventually managed to seal it."
"…Inside Sunny," Layla finished softly.
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
The silver-haired boy looked horrified now.
"You're telling me there's some ancient monster sealed inside him?!"
Kael's gaze darkened slightly.
"Not a monster."
That answer somehow sounded worse.
Layla folded her arms tightly.
"Then what is it?"
Kael remained silent for several seconds.
Even the chamber itself seemed quieter now.
Then—
"…The first king."
The chamber became deathly quiet.
"The first king."
The silver-haired boy stared at Kael for several seconds.
Then—
"…No."
He pointed at Sunny's unconscious body immediately.
"No, absolutely not. We are NOT skipping past that!"
Layla herself looked shaken.
Not fearful.
But deeply unsettled.
Because legends about the First King existed in every continent.
Ancient stories older than recorded civilization itself.
A ruler said to exist before kingdoms.
Before demons.
Before the current world structure.
Most believed he was myth.
Yet now Kael was calmly claiming something tied to that existence was sealed inside Sunny.
The silver-haired boy ran both hands through his hair aggressively.
"So let me get this straight."
He pointed at Sunny.
"There's some ancient king thing inside him—"
Then pointed at Kael.
"—you somehow know Arthur's family—"
Then pointed at the chamber.
"—and apparently seventy-year-old people are running around looking twenty?!"
Kael remained completely calm.
"Yes."
"…I hate this place."
Layla, however, recovered quickly.
Faster than expected.
Because shock wasn't useful.
Answers were.
Her pale blue eyes narrowed sharply.
"How do you know all this?"
Kael looked toward her silently.
Layla continued immediately.
"What exactly is the Collapse?"
The symbols beneath her sleeve glowed faintly.
"And what is the System?"
The chamber hummed softly around them.
Layla took another step forward.
"You said the world experienced multiple Collapses."
Her voice sharpened.
"Why do they keep happening?"
Silence followed.
Kael's golden eyes slowly shifted toward the ancient wall behind him.
Then—
he spoke.
"…Because this world is incomplete."
The chamber lights flickered.
Ancient symbols spread across the walls like flowing constellations.
Then the walls themselves changed.
An enormous projection appeared across the chamber.
Two worlds.
One glowing silver.
The other dark blue.
Kael pointed toward them.
"The world you live in is called Echo."
The silver-haired boy blinked.
"…Echo?"
Kael nodded.
"A dimension born without Aether."
Then he pointed toward the second world.
"This one has Aether the dimension we are currently in called Fragment."
The projection shifted.
Showing ordinary cities.
Cars.
Crowded streets.
Normal humans living completely unaware.
Layla's eyes widened slightly.
Another world.
A real one?
Kael's voice deepened slightly.
"For millions of years, reality has attempted to merge these two dimensions together."
The projection slowly moved closer.
The two worlds beginning to overlap.
"The purpose was survival."
Layla frowned.
"Survival from what?"
Kael's expression darkened slightly.
"…Something far worse than demons."
The chamber temperature dropped again.
"The original architects believed humanity would eventually face extinction if divided."
The two worlds continued moving together.
"Aether humanity possessed power."
Kael pointed toward Echo.
"But lacked stability."
Then toward the other world.
"The other humanity possessed stability, knowledge, and endless growth…"
His golden eyes narrowed.
"But lacked strength."
The silver-haired boy slowly understood.
"So the dimensions were supposed to combine?"
"Yes."
Kael nodded once.
"A complete humanity."
The projection suddenly distorted violently.
The two worlds collided—
—and shattered apart.
Darkness spread through the projection like corruption.
Kael's voice hardened.
"But every merge failed."
Layla's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
The chamber fell silent again.
Then Kael answered quietly.
"…Lucifer."
The name itself felt heavy.
Ancient.
Wrong.
The silver-haired boy swallowed slightly.
"Lucifer is real?"
Kael's golden eyes remained emotionless.
"He has interfered with every dimensional merge for over a million years."
The projection changed again.
Massive wars.
Destroyed worlds.
Burning skies.
Vessels being hunted down repeatedly across different eras.
"Every thousand years," Kael explained, "five vessels are chosen."
The projection showed glowing human figures.
"Two are required to complete the merge."
The remaining three would inherit the merged abilities once the dimensions stabilize."
Layla slowly pieced it together.
"And Lucifer kills them."
Kael nodded.
"Before the merge can complete."
The projection showed monstrous figures hunting the vessels endlessly throughout history.
"Every Collapse occurs when the merge process destabilizes."
Cities shattered across the projection.
Dimensions overlapping incorrectly.
Reality tearing itself apart.
"Lucifer sends his followers to destroy the vessels…"
Kael's voice lowered slightly.
"…and the worlds collapse before merging successfully."
The silver-haired boy looked horrified now.
"So humanity has been repeating this for over a million years?!"
"Yes."
Layla's mind raced rapidly.
Then another question struck her instantly.
"The ancient book."
Kael looked toward her.
She narrowed her eyes.
"You mentioned a vessel requires something else."
Kael nodded slowly.
"…The Origin Record also known as the white book."
The chamber darkened slightly.
"An ancient book containing the laws required to merge dimensions correctly."
Layla's expression hardened.
"And where is it?"
Kael remained silent.
Too silent.
Then—
his golden eyes slowly shifted toward Sunny.
Layla's pupils shrank slightly.
"…No way."
Kael finally answered.
"Levi Ravenheart hid it."
The chamber fell silent once again.
Layla stared at Kael.
"…Levi hid the Origin Record?"
Kael remained quiet for a moment.
Then—
"…At least, that's what I thought."
The silver-haired boy frowned immediately.
"What does that mean?"
Kael slowly turned toward the ancient projections still glowing across the walls.
The two dimensions continued drifting apart inside the illusion while countless failed Collapses replayed over and over.
"For years," Kael said quietly, "I believed Levi successfully removed the Origin Record from the cycle."
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"But recently…"
The projection flickered violently.
"…something changed."
Layla immediately noticed the tension in his voice.
That alone was worrying.
Because Kael had remained calm through almost everything.
"What changed?" she asked.
Kael looked toward them both.
"…A second book appeared."
The chamber lights dimmed faintly.
The silver-haired boy blinked.
"Second book?"
Kael nodded.
"There are two primordial records."
The projections shifted again.
This time showing two enormous ancient books floating in darkness.
One radiated silver light.
The other emitted crimson-black energy.
"The Origin Record."
Kael pointed toward the silver one.
"The book required to merge dimensions."
Then his gaze shifted toward the darker one.
"…And the Book of the End also known as the black book."
The chamber temperature dropped instantly.
Even the system notifications flickered uneasily around them.
[ WARNING ]
[ FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE DETECTED ]
The silver-haired boy stared blankly.
"…That notification is NOT helping."
Layla ignored him completely.
"Book of the End?"
Kael's expression darkened slightly.
"A countermeasure."
The projections shifted again.
Worlds collapsing.
Dimensions shattering.
Entire civilizations erased.
"When the merge process fails beyond recovery…"
His golden eyes reflected the destruction across the walls.
"…the Book of the End resets everything."
Silence.
Layla slowly understood.
"…It destroys the world."
Kael nodded once.
"Both worlds."
The silver-haired boy took a step back.
"What kind of insane system is this?!"
Kael answered calmly.
"One designed for survival."
Then—
his expression shifted slightly.
"Unfortunately…"
The dark projection flickered violently.
"…someone currently possesses it."
Layla felt a bad feeling immediately.
"Who?"
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Alex Lionheart , the nineth Watcher ."
The chamber froze.
Even the system notifications glitched for a split second.
The silver-haired boy blinked twice.
"Wait—Alex?"
Layla's eyes widened slightly too.
Arthur's group had already encountered someone named Alex near the Black Continent.
Black hair.
Brown eyes.
Overwhelming strength.
Kael noticed immediately.
"…You've heard that name before."
Layla slowly nodded.
"There's someone traveling with Arthur right now."
Her expression hardened.
"Black hair. Brown eyes. Strong enough to overwhelm a corrupted Seer effortlessly."
Kael's calm expression cracked slightly for the first time.
"…Impossible."
The silver-haired boy frowned.
"You know him?"
Kael looked genuinely unsettled now.
"…Alex Lionheart disappeared decades ago."
The ancient projections flickered around the chamber.
"He was one of the last surviving candidates chosen by the System."
Layla's heart sank slightly.
"A vessel?"
Kael shook his head slowly.
"Something worse."
The chamber darkened faintly.
"He was the only human in history capable of using the Book of the End without immediately dying."
Silence.
Then Kael spoke again quietly.
"…Which means if he's moving again…"
His golden eyes shifted toward the distant direction of the Black Continent.
"…the next Collapse has already begun."
The chamber suddenly felt colder.
Layla stared at Kael in disbelief.
"…Only beginning?"
Her voice sharpened immediately.
"No."
The symbols beneath her sleeve flickered violently now.
"That makes no sense."
Kael remained silent.
But Layla stepped closer.
"If the Collapse is only starting…"
Her pale blue eyes narrowed.
"…then what were the black rifts?"
The silver-haired boy looked toward her.
Layla's breathing had changed slightly now.
Less calm.
More personal.
"They appeared across the world."
memories flashed through her mind.
Cities splitting apart beneath black skies.
Entire oceans swallowing coastlines.
People vanishing into endless darkness.
Screaming.
Fire.
The sky tearing open itself.
Layla clenched her fists tightly.
"They destroyed entire countries."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"Billions died."
Even Kael remained quiet now.
Layla continued.
"I watched cities disappear overnight."
The chamber lights flickered faintly as her emotions destabilized the markings beneath her skin.
"Those rifts swallowed eighty percent of humanity."
The silver-haired boy slowly looked toward her in shock.
Because she had never spoken about her past before.
Not once.
Layla's eyes hardened again.
"And one of those rifts dragged me into this dimension."
Silence.
Even the system notifications seemed still now.
Then—
Kael finally spoke.
"…That wasn't the Collapse."
Layla froze.
"What?"
Kael's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That was leakage."
The chamber hummed deeply around them.
The ancient projections shifted again.
This time showing two dimensions slowly grinding against each other.
Not merging.
Colliding.
Cracks spread between them like fractures in glass.
"The dimensions have been weakening for centuries."
Kael pointed toward the growing fractures.
"The black rifts are failed contact points."
The projection suddenly exploded outward violently.
Dark portals opening across both worlds randomly.
"Fragments of Echo leaking into the non-Aether dimension."
Layla's expression slowly changed.
"…So those monsters…"
"Were never supposed to exist there," Kael finished quietly.
The silver-haired boy looked disturbed now.
"So the dimensions are already overlapping?"
Kael nodded once.
"But incorrectly."
The projection distorted further.
Entire regions twisting unnaturally.
Reality overlapping in unstable pieces.
"This is what happens when the merge process begins without proper synchronization."
Layla slowly understood now.
The black rifts weren't the Collapse itself.
They were symptoms.
Warnings.
Reality itself breaking apart before the actual merge.
Kael continued calmly.
"If the true Collapse fully begins now…"
The projection darkened completely.
"…both dimensions will destroy each other permanently."
Silence filled the chamber.
Then Layla asked quietly—
"…How much time do we have?"
Kael remained silent for too long.
Then—
"i don't know ."
The silver-haired boy rubbed his face aggressively.
"Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic."
But Layla wasn't finished yet.
Her eyes narrowed sharply toward Kael.
"You still haven't explained something."
Kael looked at her.
"If the merge requires vessels…"
Her gaze slowly shifted toward the unconscious Sunny.
"…then who are the current five?"
The chamber went quiet again.
Kael looked toward Sunny silently.
Then toward the distant darkness beyond Grey Hollow.
And for the first time—
his expression became uncertain.
"…I only know three."