“Run!”The word exploded from Seraphine’s mouth with a desperation Pascal had never heard before. For a fraction of a second, nobody moved. Nobody breathed. Nobody even seemed capable of understanding what they were seeing. Deep beneath Lagos, beyond shattered gates that should never have opened, a single golden eye stared back at the world. It was impossibly large. Impossibly ancient.Impossibly alive.The eye occupied the darkness beyond the prison like a celestial body hidden beneath the earth. Golden light radiated from its pupil in vast waves, illuminating miles of frozen ruins that had remained buried for countless ages. And the moment that eye opened...Everything changed. The Frost stopped moving.Every Frost Knight immediately dropped to one knee. The Frost Apostle lowered itself completely against the frozen ground. Even the Devouring Saint, the monstrous entity capable of reducing civilisations to nothing, retreated several steps.Fear.Pure, undeniable fear. The sight shook Pas

Conflict erupted inside Pascal’s mind long before anyone moved within the underground prison. The locked door buried deep within his memories had begun to open. He could feel it. Every heartbeat loosened another chain. Every passing second allowed another fragment of the forgotten past to escape. And the worst part was not the pain.The worst part was the fear. Because Pascal no longer feared Vaelor.He no longer feared the Devouring Saint. He no longer even feared the First King watching from beyond reality itself. For the first time since his rebirth, he feared the truth about himself.The realisation struck harder than any weapon. Around him, the shattered prison continued trembling beneath the pressure of awakening powers. Ancient frost crept across broken walls while golden light poured from the abyss beyond the destroyed gates. The impossible eye of the First King remained fixed upon him without blinking.Watching.Waiting.Judging.Pascal clenched his fists until his nails dug into

The conflict began with a scream. Not from a soldier.Not from Charlotte. Not even from one of the ancient sovereigns standing within the shattered prison, the scream came from the abyss itself. The moment the Fourth Heir accused the First King of creating the apocalypse, something buried beneath countless layers of reality responded.The sound rose from unimaginable depths. It resembled a living world crying out in agony. The force of it tore through the underground chamber. Concrete exploded. Ancient frost shattered. Several surviving soldiers collapsed instantly, clutching their heads as blood streamed from their ears. Victor fell to one knee. Charlotte nearly dropped Ben again.Even Pascal felt a spike of agony lance through his skull. Yet the ancient beings reacted far more strongly. The Devouring Saint recoiled violently. The Frost Apostle lowered itself completely against the frozen floor. The Guardian stepped backwards. And for the first time since entering the world, the Fourt

The conflict erupted before the ancient entity could reveal the killer. A spear of golden light descended from the heavens. It tore through reality. It shattered dimensions. It crossed impossible distances in less than a heartbeat. And it was aimed directly at the ancient entity. The attack arrived so suddenly that even Aurelion looked shocked.The underground prison exploded beneath the force. Entire sections of the abyss vanished. Frozen mountains of ancient ice evaporated. Reality itself folded inward like burning paper. Yet the ancient entity merely raised one hand. The golden spear stopped. Not slowed.Stopped.The impossible weapon hovered inches from its shifting palm.The collision unleashed storms of energy that tore through the chamber. Victor was thrown against a wall. Charlotte screamed as she shielded Ben's unconscious body. The Frost Knights were blasted backwards. Even the Devouring Saint dug massive claws into the ground to avoid being swept away. Pascal barely remained

The conflict began the instant the First Prisoner opened all four of its eyes. The underground world ceased to behave like reality. The frozen prison, which had endured the collapse of kingdoms and the passage of untold millennia, twisted violently as if the laws governing existence had suddenly become optional. Rivers of molten gold burst from fractured runes while black void-light seeped through the widening cracks beneath the abyss.Every ancient seal that had once held the creature captive shattered one after another, each collapse echoing across dimensions with the sound of breaking chains. Pascal's knees nearly buckled. Not because of the overwhelming pressure.Not because of the monstrous aura radiating from the awakening being. It was because he recognised the face staring back at him.The creature did not possess one face. It possessed four. Each side of its colossal head resembled one of the brothers. One face carried Aurelion's calm authority. Another reflected Vaelor's fier