The chains groaned.
The sound echoed through the depths like thunder trapped beneath the earth, heavy and ancient. It wasn't just noise—it carried weight, power, and something far more dangerous.
Resistance.
Heron stood frozen above the glowing crack, his breathing uneven as he stared into the depths below. The chains he had seen moments ago—massive, glowing, unbreakable—were now trembling.
Straining.
Something beneath them—
Was pulling back.
Heron took a slow step backward.
"This… this isn't supposed to happen," he muttered.
The ground beneath his feet vibrated violently, sending small fragments of stone sliding into the glowing abyss below. The symbols carved into the floor burned brighter, their light flickering wildly as if struggling to maintain control.
Above him, the massive glowing eyes narrowed slightly.
Watching.
Calculating.
Then—
The voice returned.
"You feel it… don't you?"
Heron clenched his fists tightly.
"Stop it!" he shouted. "Whatever you're doing—stop!"
The voice did not obey.
Instead—
It deepened.
"It awakens…"
The chains below jerked suddenly.
A loud, violent crack echoed as one of the glowing links strained harder than the others, its light flickering dangerously.
Heron's eyes widened.
"No…"
Energy surged through his body again.
This time—
Stronger.
He dropped to one knee instantly, his entire body shaking as power coursed through him uncontrollably.
"AHH—!" he cried out.
The symbols beneath him reacted violently.
Light shot upward—
Straight into him.
Above the surface—
Everything changed.
The ground around the river split further, cracks spreading rapidly across the land like a web. Trees shook, stones shattered, and the air itself seemed to tremble under the pressure rising from below.
Kaelion staggered slightly, catching himself.
"This is getting out of control!"
Ignivar stepped forward, flames bursting around him. "We need to intervene now!"
"No."
The voice came from Aethrion.
Firm.
Unyielding.
Kaelion turned sharply. "We can't just stand here!"
Aethrion's eyes remained locked on the ground.
"If we interfere blindly, we may break the seal entirely."
That—
Silenced everyone.
Thalor stepped forward slowly.
His expression was darker than before.
"It is already weakening," he said.
Veyra's voice was tense. "Then what do we do?"
Thalor did not answer immediately.
Because the truth—
Was dangerous.
Back below—
Heron gasped as the energy inside him surged again.
It wasn't just pain anymore.
It was something else.
Something awakening.
His vision blurred.
Then—
It changed.
Darkness shifted into something else.
A battlefield.
But not like before.
This time—
He was closer.
He could feel it.
The ground shook beneath him as giants roared in the distance, their massive forms clashing against divine forces. The sky burned with power as gods unleashed their abilities, shaking the very fabric of the world.
And at the center—
Darkness.
It pulsed.
Expanded.
Fought back.
Heron's chest tightened.
"No…"
He could feel it.
Not as something separate—
But as something connected to him.
The vision snapped.
Heron fell forward slightly, catching himself with his hands as he struggled to breathe.
"What… is happening to me?" he whispered.
The voice answered.
"You are remembering…"
Heron's head snapped up.
"Remembering what?!"
The glowing eyes above burned brighter.
"Your purpose."
Heron shook his head violently.
"No… that's not true. I'm not part of this!"
But the ground beneath him—
Disagreed.
The crack widened further.
The chains below shifted again.
And this time—
Something broke.
A sharp, deafening SNAP echoed through the depths.
Heron froze.
One of the chains—
Had cracked.
"No…" he whispered.
The light around it flickered violently before dimming slightly.
And from beneath—
Something moved.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The entire space trembled as a low, deep sound echoed upward, heavier than anything before it.
Heron's heart pounded violently.
"What… is that?" he asked, his voice barely steady.
The voice did not respond immediately.
Instead—
The eyes narrowed.
And then—
For the first time—
They showed something else.
Interest.
"It begins…"
Above—
The reaction was immediate.
Thalor's eyes widened.
"The chain—"
"It broke," Aethrion finished.
Kaelion stepped back. "That's bad, right?!"
Ignivar didn't hesitate. "That's very bad."
The ground shook harder.
Stronger.
Cracks spread even further, reaching beyond the river, beyond the village—stretching into the surrounding lands.
Veyra closed her eyes briefly, her connection to the earth overwhelming her senses.
"It's spreading…" she said.
Back below—
Heron struggled to stand.
His body felt heavier.
Different.
Energy still pulsed through him, but now—
It wasn't just painful.
It felt… natural.
"No…" he said under his breath.
The glow beneath him intensified again.
The remaining chains trembled violently.
And the thing below—
Pulled harder.
Heron's eyes widened.
"It's trying to break free…"
The voice finally answered.
"Not trying…"
A pause.
"…becoming."
Heron's breath caught.
The ground beneath him shattered further.
Light exploded upward.
And suddenly—
His body lifted slightly off the ground.
"What—?!" he gasped.
Energy surrounded him completely now, wrapping around his arms, his chest, his entire being.
The symbols glowed brighter than ever before.
And then—
They began to change.
Heron's eyes widened as he looked down.
The markings—
Were moving.
Shifting.
Reforming.
And some of them—
Were appearing on him.
His arm lit up.
Glowing symbols burned faintly into his skin.
Heron screamed.
Above—
Kaelion's eyes widened.
"That's not just the seal anymore… that's HIM!"
Aethrion clenched his jaw.
"It has begun…" he said quietly.
Back below—
Heron's scream echoed through the depths.
The chains trembled violently.
Another crack appeared.
And then—
Something massive slammed against them from below.
The entire space shook.
Heron's body froze midair, his eyes wide with shock and fear.
"What is THAT?!" he shouted.
The voice answered.
Softly.
Almost like a whisper.
"The end… of the gods."
The chains strained again—
And began to break.