The entire chamber shook.
Warning lights flashed across the walls.
The machines surrounding Kai continued to pull energy from him, trying to force the Underlord into full synchronization.
Kai was on one knee.
His hands pressed against the ground.
His breathing was heavy.
Axel slammed his fists against the energy barrier.
"KAI! Don't let them control you!"
Leo looked at the machines, searching for a weakness.
"The system is connected to everything! If we don't shut it down, Kai could lose control!"
The architect watched calmly.
"You still don't understand."
He looked at Kai.
"This was always your purpose."
Kai slowly lifted his head.
His eyes glowed red.
"No."
The room went silent.
The architect frowned slightly.
"No?"
Kai stood up.
Slowly.
Painfully.
"I'm not a weapon."
The machines increased their power.
The floor cracked beneath him.
The Underlord's voice echoed inside.
"They are trying to separate us."
Kai closed his eyes.
For a moment, he remembered everything.
His uncle.
His friends.
The prison.
The Dragon.
His mother.
Then he opened his eyes.
"They don't understand."
The architect watched carefully.
"What?"
Kai looked at him.
"We're not enemies anymore."
Silence.
Inside his mind, the Underlord appeared.
A dark figure standing in a silent space.
"You accept me?" the Underlord asked.
Kai looked at him.
"Not because I need your power."
A pause.
"But because we both want the same thing."
The Underlord stared.
"Freedom."
For the first time…
The Underlord smiled.
"Then let us show them what they created."
Outside, the energy changed.
The machines began to overload.
Leo looked shocked.
"He's not fighting the power…"
Axel stared.
"He's controlling it."
Kai raised his hand.
The red glow became stable.
Not wild.
Not angry.
Controlled.
The barrier around Axel and Leo shattered.
The architect finally stepped back.
Impossible.
"No host has ever done that."
Kai walked forward.
"I'm not a host."
A pause.
"I'm Kai."
The facility began collapsing around them.
Alarms screamed louder.
The commander looked at the architect.
"You underestimated him."
The architect's expression darkened.
"No…"
He looked at Kai.
"I created a king."
Kai stopped.
A cold silence filled the room.
"Not your king."
The floor cracked.
Energy exploded through the chamber.
Kai, Axel, and Leo ran toward the exit as the secret facility started falling apart.
But before they escaped…
A screen suddenly turned on.
A message appeared.
INCOMING TRANSMISSION
Everyone stopped.
A woman appeared on the screen.
Kai froze.
He knew that face.
His voice became quiet.
"…Mom?"
The screen flickered.
And the woman spoke.
"Kai… if you're seeing this…"
A pause.
"…then they failed to control you."
The transmission cut.
Nobody spoke.
Because for the first time in years…
Kai had proof.
His mother was alive.