The Mountains Continue Trembling
Dust falls endlessly from the cliffs.
The ground shakes in slow pulses—
Like a heartbeat awakening beneath the earth.
Nobody Speaks Immediately
Because everyone feels it now.
That pressure.
Ancient.
Wrong.
Akari breaks first
"…Okay."
A pause.
"…I officially want to leave."
Yui immediately points at her
"FOR ONCE I AGREE."
Kenzaku keeps staring toward the mountains
"…Too late for that."
Tamagichi's eyes narrow sharply
He already knows.
Whatever is waking up—
It was never supposed to wake.
Hiroto grips the blade tighter
The weapon pulses rhythmically now.
Not violently.
Almost… excited.
That unsettles him more than anything
"…It's calling me."
Everyone looks at him instantly
Akari frowns
"…That sentence sounds terrible."
Hiroto doesn't disagree
"…Yeah."
Then—
Tamagichi steps forward
"…We move now."
No hesitation
No discussion.
The Group Begins Advancing Up the Mountain Path
The deeper they go—
The colder the air becomes.
The Forest Slowly Dies Around Them
No animals.
No wind.
Even the trees look drained.
Yui hugs herself slightly
"…I hate this place…"
Goro walks beside her calmly
"…Good instinct."
Akari mutters quietly
"…You say comforting things in the most terrifying way possible."
Further Ahead
Hiroto suddenly stops again
The blade pulses hard
His eyes widen slightly
"…Close."
Kenzaku immediately sharpens his stance
"…Enemy?"
Hiroto slowly shakes his head
"…No…"
A pause.
"…The ruins."
Then they see it
Hidden between massive cliffs—
Almost impossible to notice.
Ancient stone structures
Broken pillars.
Collapsed walls.
Massive engraved symbols.
A forgotten city buried by time
Akari stares silently
"…That's not ruins…"
Yui finishes the sentence quietly
"…That's an entire civilization…"
Even Kenzaku looks unsettled now
"…How was this hidden…?"
Tamagichi answers coldly
"…It was meant to be forgotten."
The group slowly enters the ruins
Every step echoes.
The silence feels alive.
Hiroto notices markings on the walls
Symbols identical to those on his blade.
His breathing slows
"…This place…"
The blade suddenly glows faintly
Everyone freezes
The symbols across the ruins react instantly
Light spreads through the cracks in the walls
The entire ruin begins awakening
Yui panics immediately
"…HIROTO WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
Hiroto looks just as shocked
"…I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
Then—
A deep sound echoes below them
Not from above.
From underground.
Something massive shifting beneath the ruins
Tamagichi's expression changes instantly
"…Move."*
The ground beneath them cracks open violently
The ruins begin collapsing inward
Akari grabs Yui immediately
"RUN!"
Kenzaku jumps back as stone erupts upward
Hiroto loses footing briefly
Then—
A gigantic chained structure rises from beneath the ruins
Covered in ancient seals.
Massive black chains wrapped around it.
And at its center—
A colossal stone door
The blade pulses harder than ever before
Hiroto freezes completely
Because he feels it clearly now.
Something alive is behind that door
A distorted voice suddenly echoes from deep behind the seal—
Old.
Ancient.
Hungry.
"…Bearer…"
To Be Continued