I felt calmer as the small girl came back into the room.
She tugged gently at my sleeve. My body responded again—saying something I couldn't catch. Maybe it was her name.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, this time from my own will. "I just remembered something."
"It's okay, Brother," she said, smiling, and followed me back inside without a second thought.
Her innocence made my chest tighten.
[Synchronization has risen: 4%]
[Time Limit as been Reduced]
So that was it.
The higher the synchronization, the less time I had left.
I needed to find a way out—soon.
---
After a quiet meal, I pieced together more about who I was in this timeline.
Or rather—who this version of me was.
His father was an Awakened. A hunter who fought the Spawns that lurked outside the city's borders.
This version of me... I was training to become one too.
An Awakened.
To perceive aen and wield
But I already knew how to do that.
The opportunity came easily. My body knew what to say, how to act. There was no need to lie—I just let the script play.
And then I left.
---
The city looked different now—lively, untouched by ruin. But the layout was the same.
This was the Ruined City, only before it had fallen.
That meant the underground should exist too.
The secret world beneath.
But I couldn't just ask. No one here would understand what I meant.
I wandered, carefully avoiding the familiar faces of strangers who claimed to know me.
Eventually, I arrived at the fountain—the same one that stood shattered in my timeline.
Now whole, now glowing.
Ancient runes circled its stone basin, identical to the markings I'd once seen among the broken rubble.
I leaned closer.
The runes pulsed.
Rune Detected
[Only an Awakened may enter]
Right. The Hex could translate lost languages.
It wasn't a riddle. It was a requirement.
Only an Awakened… But what did it mean to be one?
I knew the truth.
Awakened were not like the Marked. They stood above.
They could freely perceive Aen, command aura, and reshape the world around them. But at the heart of it all was Aen—the source of presence, breath, and force.
That thought sparked something in me.
I stepped forward, placed my hand on the fountain—and poured my Aen into it.
The runes flared.
The ground shifted.
And I was pulled in.
---
Stone surrounded me. Familiar. Cold. Claustrophobic.
Steps spiraled downward, etched in dust and silence.
The Hex rang out:
[You have entered a Dread Gate]
[Abilities are slightly enhanced due to low rank]
A sharp smile broke across my face.
Better than I imagined.
Dark Shroud curled around my arms like mist.
The Forgotten King's Blade hung at my side, humming with quiet power.
The Vampire's Cleaver pulsed behind me, hungering for blood and secrets.
Here, I could move without restraint.
This place—this hidden labyrinth beneath the city—was mine to raid.
Let the raid begin.