Heaven breaker King: The Prison God Returns

CHAPTER 4 — THE PRICE OF NOT KNEELING

The sirens didn’t stop. They howled through the underground chamber like wounded beasts, each pulse rattling Bruce’s bones. “Follow me,” Tian said urgently.

Bruce didn’t move. His fists were still clenched. His breathing is uneven—power, raw and unfinished, coiled inside him like a living thing.

“You said this wasn’t your doing,” Bruce said. “Then tell me why I feel like I just crossed a line I can’t step back from.”

Tian met his gaze. “Because you did.”

The walls trembled. Cracks spread through the glowing symbols, light bleeding out like dying veins. Bruce glanced around. “That thing you said the prison suppressed… is it waking up?”

Tian’s grip tightened on his cane. “It’s already awake.”

A deep thud echoed from somewhere far below. Then another. Bruce swallowed. “That doesn’t sound human.”

“It isn’t,” Tian replied. “And if you stay here, it will smell you.”

Bruce scoffed weakly. “Smell me?”

Tian didn’t answer. He turned and walked. Bruce followed. They moved through a narrow passage that hadn’t existed minutes ago.

The stone walls were slick, warm to the touch, almost breathing. “This place keeps changing,” Bruce said.

“Yes,” Tian said. “Because it’s reacting to you.”

Bruce stopped. “You keep saying that like it’s my fault.”

Tian turned slowly. “You think power comes without consequence?”

Bruce clenched his jaw. “I didn’t ask for this bloodline.”

“No,” Tian agreed. “But you chose to awaken it.”

They reached a heavy iron door. Tian pressed his palm against it. The metal recoiled. Bruce stared. “Did… did it just move?”

“Afraid,” Tian said. “As it should be.”

The door creaked open. Inside was a cell, larger than the others, empty except for chains embedded deep into the walls. Old blood stained the floor. Bruce’s chest tightened. “Who was kept here?”

Tian stepped aside. “Your father.”

The words struck harder than any blow. Bruce’s voice came out hoarse. “You said he didn’t survive.”

“He didn’t,” Tian replied. “Not as a man.”

Bruce’s mind reeled. “Explain.”

“Your father refused to submit to the Heaven Accord,” Tian said. “So they broke him. Reforged him. Turned him into a weapon that obeyed no one.”

Bruce’s fists shook. “And my mother?”

Tian closed his eyes briefly. “She chose death over seeing what he became.”

Silence swallowed the room. Bruce laughed, a quiet, fractured sound. “So that’s the legacy I inherited.”

“Yes,” Tian said. “Defiance.”

Bruce looked down at the bloodstains. “Did he kneel?” Bruce asked.

Tian’s voice was firm. “Never.”

A sudden clang echoed behind them. Bruce spun. The iron door slammed shut. Chains erupted from the walls, snapping around Bruce’s wrists and ankles before he could react. “Tian!” Bruce shouted. “What is this?!”

Tian didn’t move. “I warned you,” Tian said quietly. “Power always collects interest.”

Bruce strained against the chains. “You said you were my teacher!”

“I am,” Tian replied. “And this is your lesson.”

The floor lit up. Runes flared beneath Bruce’s feet. Pain detonated through his body. Bruce screamed as the chains tightened, forcing him to his knees. “What kind of lesson is this?!” Bruce roared.

“The kind that decides whether you remain human,” Tian said. “Or become what this prison fears.”

The system flared violently. Warning. Meridian instability detected. Emotional surge exceeding threshold. Bruce grit his teeth. “Shut up!”

Impossible. You invited this path. Bruce laughed bitterly. “I invited prison. I didn’t invite betrayal.”

Tian’s voice softened. “If I hadn’t locked you here, they would have.”

Bruce froze. “They?”

A voice echoed from the shadows. “He’s right, you know.”

A figure stepped forward. Warden's black uniform. Silver insignia. Eyes sharp with calculation. Bruce’s blood ran cold. “You.”

The false guard. The man smiled faintly. “Warden Lucien Graves. It’s rude to keep secrets from inmates.”

Bruce struggled against the chains. “You lured me into this.”

“Yes,” Graves said calmly. “And you exceeded expectations.”

Tian glared. “You interfered.”

Graves shrugged. “The prison sensed him first. I accelerated the process.”

Bruce growled. “You turned my father into a monster.”

Graves tilted his head. “Correction. He chose to become one rather than obey.”

Bruce’s eyes burned. “And you want the same from me.”

Graves stepped closer. “I want to see what breaks you.”

The runes flared brighter. Bruce’s veins felt like they were tearing apart.

Trial One: Meridian Reforging — Critical Phase

Bruce gasped. “Tian… if I die.”

“You won’t,” Tian said sharply. “Because you still care.”

Graves raised an eyebrow. “Care is weakness.”

Bruce’s mind flashed again. His wife. Her voice. Her hands. Come back alive. Bruce roared. The chains snapped. Metal screamed as links shattered. Graves staggered back. “Impossible!”

Bruce surged to his feet, aura flaring violently. The runes cracked—the floor split.

Meridian Reforging — SUCCESS UNSTABLE

Bloodline Authority: PARTIALLY UNSEALED

Bruce stood there, shaking. Power roared through him, untamed, furious. Graves’ smile vanished. “You’re not ready for that level.”

Bruce took a step forward. “You’re right,” Bruce said coldly. “But neither are you.”

Graves retreated. “This isn’t over.”

He vanished into the shadows. The runes dimmed. The chamber fell silent. Bruce collapsed to one knee, breathing hard. Tian hurried forward. “Easy.”

Bruce shoved his hand away. “You locked me in chains.”

“Yes,” Tian said. “And you broke them.”

Bruce laughed weakly. “Barely.”

Tian studied him carefully. “Do you know what you just did?”

Bruce wiped blood from his mouth. “Survived.”

“You asserted authority,” Tian corrected. “Over a prison designed to erase authority.”

Bruce looked up slowly. “Meaning?”

Tian met his gaze. “From now on, this place will test you directly.”

Bruce exhaled. “Good.”

Tian frowned. “That wasn’t bravado.”

“No,” Bruce said quietly. “That was a promise.”

Somewhere far above, a phone rang. In the outside world, a woman paused mid-step. She frowned, an uneasy feeling tightening her chest. “Bruce…” she whispered.

Back in Blackstone Prison, unseen eyes turned toward her name. And deep beneath the concrete and steel, the prison shifted again, no longer merely containing Bruce… But preparing to hunt him.

Priority Threat Updated: INMATE BRUCE — RED STATUS

Bruce looked at his hands. “They’re coming,” he said.

Tian nodded. “Yes.”

Bruce’s eyes hardened. “Let them.”