For three days, nothing happened.That frightened Kael more than any ancient voice ever had.No Gate opened.No city rose from beneath the earth.No forgotten god spoke from the sky.No system demanded a choice.People simply lived.The village repaired its roofs.Farmers returned to their fields.Children played beside the river.Travelers came and went.Arguments started.Arguments ended.Someone got married.Someone else buried an old relative.Life continued without asking permission.Kael sat beneath an old tree and watched.Lira approached with two cups.“You've been sitting here for hours.”Kael accepted one.“I was thinking.”“That usually causes trouble.”He smiled.“I was thinking about how quiet everything is.”Lira sat beside him.“Maybe quiet isn't always a warning.”Kael looked at her.“You believe that?”“I’m trying to.”He laughed softly.Across the field, Hope was helping Eon carry firewood.Eon dropped his bundle.Hope laughed.“You're terrible at that.”Eon frowned.

Hope's question remained in the air.Who am I supposed to become?Nobody answered.Kael looked at him.For once, even he didn't know what to say.Hope waited.The village waited.Even the distant sky seemed to wait.Finally, Kael knelt.“You're not supposed to become anyone.”Hope frowned.“Then what am I supposed to do?”“Become whoever you choose.”Hope looked confused.“But what if I choose wrong?”Kael smiled.“You will.”Hope's eyes widened.“That sounds bad.”“It isn't.”Kael placed a hand on his shoulder.“Making a wrong choice doesn't make you a wrong person.”Eon nodded.“I've made many.”Mira laughed.“So have I.”Elias raised his hand.“Definitely me.”Lira smiled.“Everyone here has.”Hope looked around.“So nobody knows what they're doing?”The First Voss laughed.“Now you're beginning to understand humanity.”The tension broke.People laughed.But Kael noticed something.A faint light had appeared in Hope's palm.Not golden.Not white.Not black.Clear.Almost invisible.

The crack in the sky closed.No explosion followed.No ancient army descended.Nothing attacked.That frightened Kael more than anything else.He kept staring upward.“Who were they?”Elias didn't answer immediately.Lira looked at him.“You heard what the other Kael said.”Elias nodded.“We found you.”Hope frowned.“But Kael wasn't hiding.”Kael looked at him.“That doesn't mean they weren't searching.”Mira folded her arms.“For what?”Kael's eyes remained fixed on the sky.“I don't know.”A voice answered from behind them.“I do.”Everyone turned.Ari stood at the edge of the village.She had returned without anyone noticing.Her clothes were covered with dust, and the small metal pendant around her neck was glowing.Kael stepped toward her.“You know who they are?”Ari nodded.“They call themselves the Seekers.”Elias stiffened.“You've met them?”“No.”Ari touched the pendant.“But I've studied what they left behind.”Kael frowned.“Where?”“Beyond the stars.”Silence.Ari conti

“Brother.”The word echoed through the underground city.Kael didn't move.Neither did Elias.Hope looked from the young man to Kael.Lira's hand instinctively moved toward her weapon.The First Voss whispered:“No…”The young man smiled.“You remember me.”Kael stared at his face.It was familiar.Not like the countless versions he had encountered.Not like the preserved Kaels.Not like the future possibilities.This face carried something different.Recognition.A memory buried deeper than the Gate.Kael finally spoke.“Who are you?”The young man laughed softly.“You really don't remember.”“No.”“That means they succeeded.”“Who?”The young man looked around the enormous underground city.“Everyone.”He stepped forward.“My name is Aren Voss.”The original Aren suddenly went pale.“No.”The young man turned toward him.“You know me.”Aren's voice became almost a whisper.“You were supposed to be dead.”The young man smiled.“So were you.”Silence.Kael looked between them.“There

“There are ten.”Hope's words echoed through the underground city.Nobody moved.The ancient families stared at him.The First Voss slowly turned toward Kael.“No.”Kael looked at Hope.“Tell me exactly what you heard.”Hope closed his eyes.“The voice said…”He swallowed.“The Ninth was never the enemy.”A pause.“Then it said…”Hope opened his eyes.“There are ten.”Elias looked toward the ceiling.“If there are ten…”He stopped.Kael finished the thought.“Then the ninth wasn't the final one.”Aren shook his head.“The First Family only had nine.”The child who had remained behind looked at him.“No.”Everyone turned.The child held out his hand.“That's what we were told.”Aren stared.“What are you saying?”The child looked at Kael.“We weren't nine.”“How many?”The child looked toward the ancient city.“Ten.”Silence.Kael frowned.“Then why was the tenth erased?”The child answered:“Because the tenth chose something the others couldn't understand.”“What?”The child lowered h