The sound of the first seal unlocking echoed through the underground capital like the heartbeat of something ancient waking from sleep.
Metal groaned.
Dust poured from the ceiling in long drifting clouds.
The massive circular mechanism embedded in the Old King's Gate continued rotating slowly, ancient symbols igniting one after another across the black structure.
Null stood motionless before it.
The spiral mark in his left eye pulsed in sync with the gate itself.
One pulse.
One response.
As if both were parts of the same system finally reconnecting.
Hyung stepped closer to him carefully.
"Null."
No response.
D U narrowed his eyes.
"He's syncing."
Caelum nodded grimly.
"The gate recognizes lineage. Once it begins resonance, it tries to establish compatibility with the heir."
Hyung frowned.
"That sounds dangerous."
"It is."
The second seal shifted slightly—
Then stopped.
The entire structure vibrated violently.
Something was interrupting the process.
Null suddenly looked upward.
The masked figure above the station support beam was gone.
A second later—
The air behind them distorted.
Hyung reacted instantly, turning with his blade already moving.
CLANG.
Steel met black metal.
Sparks exploded across the station.
The masked figure stood directly behind D U now, holding a thin obsidian blade against Hyung's strike.
Fast.
Far too fast.
D U blinked once.
"…Okay," he muttered. "That's annoying."
The figure pushed backward lightly, landing several meters away without sound.
The cloak shifted gently as they stood upright.
Null finally turned fully toward the intruder.
The figure's exposed eye studied him carefully.
Curious.
Measured.
Not openly hostile.
"Who are you?" Hyung demanded.
The figure ignored him.
Instead, they looked directly at Null.
"So the resonance is real," they said quietly.
Their voice was calm.
Young.
Sharp.
Caelum's expression hardened immediately.
"…No."
D U glanced sideways.
"You know this one too?"
Caelum's jaw tightened.
"She shouldn't be here."
The masked figure tilted their head slightly.
"That's rude."
Then slowly—
They removed the lower half of the mask.
Young face.
Cold silver eyes.
A faint scar beneath the right eye.
Null immediately felt something strange.
Not familiarity.
Similarity.
The girl smiled faintly.
"My name is Eris Vale," she said.
D U groaned instantly.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me."
Hyung frowned.
"Who is she?"
Caelum answered quietly.
"One of the youngest members of the late Old Generation."
Eris corrected him immediately.
"The surviving Old Generation."
The station became still.
D U crossed his arms.
"She vanished years ago."
Eris shrugged lightly.
"I got bored."
Then her gaze returned to Null.
"But this…"
She looked at the gate.
"…this is worth coming back for."
Null studied her carefully.
"You're not with Aizeno."
"No."
"You're not against him either."
Eris smiled slightly wider.
"Correct."
Hyung tightened his grip on his blade.
"So what do you want?"
Eris answered honestly.
"To see whether the king's son deserves the gate."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
D U sighed heavily.
"There it is."
Before anyone else could move—
Eris vanished.
Not speed.
Absence.
Null's instincts activated immediately.
Old Prime pressure surged outward.
CLANG.
A black blade stopped inches from Null's neck.
Null had caught it barehanded.
Shockwaves burst outward from the collision.
Eris's silver eyes widened slightly.
"…Interesting."
Null twisted sharply.
Eris flipped backward effortlessly, landing upside-down against a broken pillar before dropping silently to the floor.
Hyung stared.
"She bypassed perception."
Caelum nodded once.
"Eris specializes in phase movement. She steps between frames of reality."
D U pointed at her.
"Which is cheating, by the way."
Eris ignored him.
Her eyes remained locked on Null.
"You reacted faster than expected."
Null released the remaining energy from her strike.
"You attacked first."
"And you defended perfectly."
For the first time—
Eris smiled genuinely.
Then the gate behind Null suddenly trembled violently.
The third seal began rotating.
The station lights exploded all at once.
Darkness swallowed the chamber.
Then—
A deep voice echoed from inside the gate.
"Trial accepted."
Everyone froze.
The massive structure began opening slightly down the center.
A thin line of pale golden light emerged from within.
Ancient pressure flooded the station instantly.
Even Eris's expression changed.
"…So it really opens for him."
Null stared at the growing crack of light.
Inside the gate—
something was waiting.
And for the first time since the journey began—
he felt his father's presence clearly.