The Awakening Below

Chapter 62 — The Awakening Below

The mountain cracked.

Aether stood motionless for a moment, staring at the distant fracture cutting across the dark stone.

It wasn't an ordinary landslide.

The crack was spreading.

Slowly.

Deeply.

And every time it expanded, the air trembled with an ancient pressure.

The injured Origin Beast beneath Aether's hand suddenly growled.

Its black crystalline scales flickered with faint light.

Aether looked down.

"You felt that too?"

The beast raised its head.

Its crimson eyes narrowed toward the mountains.

The massive crimson-eyed creature remained behind them, watching silently.

Aether glanced at it.

"You knew this would happen."

The creature's expression remained unreadable.

"I knew the seal would react."

"Not this."

Aether pointed toward the mountains.

"That crack wasn't there before."

The creature's crimson eyes shifted toward the distant range.

"No."

A pause.

"It wasn't."

Another tremor shook the valley.

BOOM!

Several rocks fell from the cliffs.

Aether immediately steadied himself.

The system appeared.

[Northern Seal Integrity: 89%.]

[Seal disturbance detected.]

[External Origin fluctuation increasing.]

[Warning: Unknown entity beneath the seal has entered an awakening state.]

Aether's eyes narrowed.

"Awakening state..."

The words confirmed his suspicion.

Whatever was beneath those mountains wasn't simply reacting.

It was waking.

Aether turned toward the south.

His territory.

Lyra.

Aria.

Seris.

Gorn.

Kael.

They were all there.

And Kael's black crystal was connected to the seal.

If the thing beneath the mountains continued awakening, staying here was pointless.

He needed to understand what was happening.

But he needed his people alive first.

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Aether looked at the injured beast.

"Can you move?"

The beast attempted to stand.

Its front legs trembled.

It collapsed.

Aether caught it before it hit the ground.

"Thought so."

He crouched and examined the black crystal embedded in its chest.

The fragment was still there.

It pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

Then stopped.

Aether's expression became serious.

The crystal was responding to something.

Not him.

Not the beast.

Something beneath the mountains.

Aether carefully lifted the enormous beast.

Even injured, it was far heavier than an ordinary creature.

The crimson-eyed beast watched him.

"You intend to take it with you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Aether looked at the injured creature.

"Because someone put that fragment inside it."

His gaze hardened.

"And I want to know who."

The crimson-eyed beast remained silent.

Then it spoke.

"You are walking toward a storm."

Aether gave a faint smile.

"I noticed."

He turned away.

After several steps, the creature's voice followed him.

"Aether."

He stopped.

It was the first time the creature had spoken his name.

Aether slowly looked back.

"How do you know my name?"

The crimson-eyed beast's crimson eyes glowed.

"The seal knows."

Aether's expression changed slightly.

"The seal knows me?"

"No."

The creature shook its massive head.

"It knows something inside you."

Aether said nothing.

The creature continued.

"Something older than your understanding."

Aether stared at it for several seconds.

Then he turned away.

"Then I'll find out what it is."

He accelerated toward the south.

By the time Aether reached the forest, the tremors had become stronger.

Birds were fleeing through the sky.

Small Origin Beasts were abandoning their territories.

Even the trees shook despite the absence of wind.

Aether's expression became colder.

The entire region was reacting.

He pushed his movement technique to its limit.

Branches blurred past him.

The injured S-rank Origin Beast remained unconscious in his arms.

After several minutes, Aether finally saw the familiar cliffs surrounding his territory.

He slowed.

Something was wrong.

There was no sound.

No beast cries.

No conversation.

Nothing.

Aether landed outside the cave.

"Gorn."

Silence.

Aether's eyes narrowed.

He stepped forward.

"Gorn."

Still nothing.

His grip tightened around the injured beast.

Then—

A low growl came from inside the cave.

Aether immediately entered.

The scene inside made him stop.

Gorn stood near the entrance, covered in blood.

Lyra was holding her weapon.

Aria stood beside Kael.

Seris was kneeling near the injured boy.

And Kael's black crystal was glowing intensely.

Aether's eyes swept across everyone.

"Report."

Gorn immediately spoke.

"Something came."

"What?"

"We don't know."

Lyra pointed toward the deeper part of the cave.

"It appeared after you left."

Aether's gaze followed her finger.

There were claw marks across the stone.

Fresh ones.

Deep.

Very deep.

He crouched beside them.

The marks were too large for any ordinary beast.

"Did it attack you?"

Gorn shook his head.

"No."

"Then what happened?"

Gorn hesitated.

"It looked at Kael."

Aether stood.

"And?"

"It disappeared."

Aether's eyes narrowed.

"Disappeared?"

Before Gorn could answer—

Kael suddenly screamed.

"AHHH!"

The black crystal beneath his shirt erupted with dark light.

Aether moved instantly.

He placed himself between Kael and everyone else.

The cave shook violently.

[Warning.]

[Unknown Origin resonance detected.]

[Source: Northern Seal.]

[Resonance intensity increasing.]

Aether looked at Kael.

"Everyone back."

Lyra, Aria, Seris, and Gorn immediately moved away.

The crystal's light intensified.

Kael's body lifted several centimeters from the ground.

His eyes opened.

They were completely black.

Aether's expression hardened.

"Kael."

The boy didn't respond.

Instead, another voice emerged from his mouth.

Deep.

Ancient.

And nothing like Kael's own voice.

"The seal has begun to fail."

Everyone froze.

Aether stared directly at him.

"Who are you?"

The black-eyed Kael slowly turned his head.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Not who."

The cave trembled.

"What."

Aether's hand moved toward his weapon.

The voice continued.

"I am the echo of what sleeps beneath the mountains."

Silence.

Then the system appeared.

[Emergency Warning.]

[Unknown entity attempting resonance through Northern Relic.]

[Connection strength: 7%.]

[Hostile intent: Undetermined.]

Aether's eyes sharpened.

"Seven percent..."

The voice inside Kael laughed softly.

"Seven percent is enough."

Aether immediately stepped forward.

"Get out of him."

The black-eyed Kael smiled.

"You cannot command what existed before your world."

Aether's expression became cold.

"Maybe."

Origin Energy gathered around his body.

"But I can kill anything that tries to hurt my people."

For the first time—

the voice went silent.

Then Kael's body suddenly dropped.

Aether caught him.

The black light vanished.

Kael collapsed unconscious in his arms.

The cave became silent again.

Aether looked toward the others.

"Nobody leaves this cave."

Lyra nodded.

"What are you going to do?"

Aether looked toward the northern mountains.

His eyes were calm.

But beneath that calm was something sharper.

Determination.

"I'm going back."

Aria's eyes widened.

"Back there?"

Aether nodded.

"The thing beneath the mountains just contacted Kael."

He looked down at the unconscious boy.

"And now it knows we're here."

Outside—

another thunderous roar shook the entire region.

Aether slowly raised his head.

The northern mountains had begun to glow crimson.

And somewhere beneath them—

something enormous opened its eyes.

[Northern Seal Integrity: 89%.]

[Awakening intensity: Rising.]

[Estimated time until critical instability: Unknown.]

Aether's fists tightened.

Unknown.

He hated that word.

So he would change it.

He would find out what was beneath those mountains.

And if it intended to threaten his territory—

he would face it.

Even if the entire Northern Region stood between them.

The hunt had begun.