---
The forest was still when they returned—eerily still. Not a single leaf rustled as they approached the stone beneath the great tree, where the sealed door awaited.
Yuki stepped forward, his hand outstretched. The marking on the door responded instantly to the resonance in his aura—a soft glow pulsing like a heartbeat.
No resistance this time.
No voices whispering warnings.
Just silence... and invitation.
The stone began to shift, rings of flame-like etchings spiraling outward. With a low rumble, the sealed entrance split open, revealing a long, spiraling staircase descending into darkness lit by a faint red glow.
"Okay," Kai muttered. "Anyone else getting 'abandon hope' vibes?"
Nogitsune stepped past him. "Hope is a luxury. We deal in truth."
Haru grinned. "I'll go second. I wanna see if you scream."
"Cute," Nogitsune said flatly.
They moved down the stairs in silence—Yuki leading, Aiko beside him. Himari followed close behind, her eyes scanning every surface, every flicker of glyph.
Ren, tense, glanced at the walls. "The aura here... it's old. Hungry."
Yuki nodded. "Something's watching."
But nothing came.
The staircase ended in a circular chamber, dimly lit by torches that lit themselves upon their arrival. In the center stood a pedestal—on it, an orb glowing faintly with orange and violet energy, pulsing like it breathed.
Engraved above it on the stone:
"Only he who commands the twin chaos may pass."
Aiko blinked. "Twin chaos?"
Yuki's hands tightened.
Void.
Reality.
His two unstable forces.
This was for him.
Yuki's hand hovered just inches from the orb—the soft blue flame flickering inside it now pulsing slowly, like a heartbeat. The ancient chamber seemed to still. The air thickened, as if holding its breath alongside him.
He reached out.
The moment his fingers brushed the glassy surface, a shockwave of silence rang out. Not a sound—just the absence of sound, so loud it was deafening. The flame flared—not blue anymore, but white, like a star being born.
Then—
A voice. Not spoken, not heard—felt.
> "You bear the spark… but are you ready to burn?"
Yuki staggered back. His mind reeled—not from pain, but from memory. Not his own.
He was falling—no, descending—through layers of time. Visions blurred past: a creature of flame with nine tails… a battlefield soaked in starlight… a sealed door, not just locked, but weeping.
The orb had chosen to answer him.
From across the chamber, Himari stepped forward, eyes wide. "I felt it," she whispered. "Something answered."
Ren's feathers bristled. "That wasn't just any relic. That was… something older than the myths."
The flame within the orb calmed—but now it pulsed in time with Yuki's heartbeat.
Whatever was sealed behind that ancient door had stirred.
And it now knew his name.
---
The flame within the orb dimmed back to a soft blue, but its glow no longer felt passive—it watched. Yuki pulled his hand away slowly, fingers trembling from the sheer weight of what had touched him.
"Yuki…" Aiko's voice cracked as she knelt beside him, her hand brushing his shoulder. "What was that?"
He met her eyes, his own distant. "I saw… a war. And something ancient. Something waiting." His voice sounded almost not his own.
Himari moved to the orb, not daring to touch it. "That flame—it's connected to the sealed door. The whispers… they're stronger now."
Ren, arms crossed and wings twitching at his back, eyed Yuki warily. "And you're the only one it responded to. We need to be careful. That flame didn't just acknowledge you. It marked you."
Kai, holding a strange new dish he'd tried to cook mid-mystical moment, sighed. "So, we're cursed. Again."
Aiko managed a small laugh. "You picked a weird time for ramen stew, Kai."
"It's stress cooking," Kai said defensively. "We're unlocking ancient secrets and I didn't eat breakfast!"
Yuki chuckled, breaking the tension, but the weight on his shoulders remained.
Suddenly, the door at the far end of the chamber—etched with glowing glyphs—rumbled. Dust fell from its frame. The flame pulsed in sync.
Yuki stood.
"I think… it's time."
A low hum vibrated through the chamber floor, rising in intensity with each heartbeat. The glyphs along the door flared brighter, burning gold against the stone, as if recognizing Yuki's presence.
Aiko stood beside him now, eyes locked on the shifting door. "Do we open it?"
"No," Ren said sharply, stepping forward. "It's opening for him."
With a groan like a slumbering beast disturbed, the door cracked open. A cold wind spilled out—not just air, but something older, something untouched by time.
Everyone froze.
Beyond the threshold was only darkness. Not empty, not silent—alive.
From within that void, a single sound echoed out.
A heartbeat.
And it wasn't Yuki's.
---
"If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to leave a power stone or a comment—it really helps this grow!"