The human eye inside the darkness slowly opened.
Unlike the gigantic eye carved into the black door—
this one belonged to a person.
A real person.
And it was staring directly at Leo.
The chamber fell into absolute silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Even the trembling ancient chains surrounding the First Seal suddenly felt distant beneath the crushing weight of that moment.
Because the voice that had called Leo's name—
sounded exactly like him.
Leo's breathing became uneven.
The hand gripping the edge of the opening trembled weakly as if struggling against something immense behind the seal.
The black marks covering the arm looked horrifyingly familiar.
Same pattern.
Same corruption.
Same spreading darkness beneath the skin.
"…Leo…"
The voice escaped again.
Broken.
Exhausted.
Human.
The instructor immediately stepped in front of Leo protectively.
"Back away from the seal."
But Leo barely heard him.
His eyes remained locked on the figure hidden within the darkness.
Questions violently collided inside his mind.
Who was that?
Why did they sound identical?
Why did the corruption marks match perfectly?
And the most terrifying question of all—
why did seeing that figure feel like looking at his own future?
The massive eye carved into the black door slowly narrowed.
The ancient entity was watching everything silently now.
Patiently.
As though waiting for Leo to reach an answer himself.
The council member finally regained part of his composure.
"Close the opening immediately!"
The remaining enforcers rushed toward the containment pillars surrounding the chamber.
Blue light surged violently across the ancient symbols carved into the floor.
Several broken seals attempted to reactivate.
But the moment the energy touched the door—
the gigantic eye twitched slightly.
Every seal instantly shattered again.
The explosion of pressure that followed forced several enforcers backward violently.
One crashed directly into a stone pillar.
Another dropped to his knees coughing blood.
Fear spread visibly across the chamber.
Not ordinary fear.
The kind born when people realize they are standing before something completely beyond human control.
Leo suddenly heard the voice inside his mind again.
Soft.
Ancient.
Almost amused.
"…They still believe chains matter."
The whispers returned immediately afterward.
Hundreds of voices flooding through his awareness simultaneously.
"…OPEN…"
"…RETURN…"
"…THE LAST PATH…"
"…HE MUST SEE…"
Leo grabbed his head painfully.
The pressure inside his skull intensified so violently that his vision blurred.
Dark veins spread farther across his neck now.
The instructor noticed instantly.
His expression darkened.
"It's accelerating…"
The council member looked toward Leo sharply.
"He must be removed from the chamber NOW."
But before anyone could move—
the human figure behind the opening suddenly spoke again.
Louder this time.
"Don't let them close it!"
The chamber froze.
Leo stared at the darkness behind the seal.
The voice sounded desperate now.
Terrified.
"You don't understand!" the figure shouted weakly. "If the seal closes again, everything repeats—"
The gigantic eye suddenly shifted downward.
The voice immediately stopped.
A horrifying silence followed.
Then blood slowly dripped from the hand gripping the opening.
Leo's chest tightened sharply.
The figure behind the seal was being punished.
Simply for speaking.
Something inside him moved instinctively.
Not corruption.
Not whispers.
Human emotion.
"Wait."
The word escaped his mouth before he fully realized it.
The instructor turned toward him immediately.
"Leo."
"There's someone alive in there."
"We don't know WHAT that thing is."
The answer came instantly.
Leo looked toward the figure again.
The hand was slipping weakly now.
Like the person behind the seal barely had strength remaining.
And somehow—
that terrified him more than the Watcher itself.
Because for the first time since entering the Hall—
Leo saw something worse than monsters.
He saw hopelessness.
The council member stepped forward coldly.
"The seal will be restored."
"No!"
The voice behind the door sounded genuinely panicked now.
"You don't understand what's waking up!"
The chamber trembled again.
This time stronger.
Several massive chains snapped apart high above.
The gigantic eye slowly widened further.
The pressure flooding the room became unbearable.
One enforcer collapsed unconscious instantly.
Another began screaming while clutching his own head.
Leo staggered backward breathing heavily.
The whispers were becoming impossible to resist now.
"…LET US IN…"
"…HE REMEMBERS…"
"…THE DOOR OPENS…"
Then suddenly—
a new voice echoed through the chamber.
Cold.
Sharp.
Female.
"What exactly did you idiots awaken this time?"
Everyone turned instantly.
A girl stood near the upper entrance of the chamber.
Silver hair tied behind her shoulders.
Dark academy uniform covered partially by a long black coat marked with council insignia.
A thin blade rested calmly at her side.
Her expression remained completely emotionless.
But what immediately stood out to Leo—
was that she was the only person in the room who did not look afraid.
The council member's face darkened instantly.
"You were ordered to remain above."
"And miss this disaster?"
Her eyes slowly scanned the chamber.
Broken seals.
Collapsed enforcers.
The partially opened First Seal.
Then finally—
Leo.
Her gaze stopped there.
Cold and analytical.
Not fear.
Not sympathy.
Evaluation.
"So this is the vessel."
Leo immediately felt irritated by the way she said it.
Not like he was human.
Like he was an object under inspection.
The instructor frowned.
"This area is restricted."
"And clearly your restrictions are working wonderfully."
The girl walked calmly down the stone steps into the chamber while speaking.
Even as the pressure intensified around everyone else—
her expression never changed.
That immediately unsettled Leo.
Because the atmosphere here should have terrified anyone.
Yet she moved through it naturally.
The whispers inside Leo's mind suddenly reacted violently.
"…SHE KNOWS…"
"…THE BLOODLINE…"
"…BREAK HER…"
Leo's breathing became unstable again.
The girl noticed immediately.
Interesting.
Not concern.
Observation.
She stopped several meters away from him.
Closer than anyone else dared approach now.
"You're hearing them clearly, aren't you?"
Leo stared at her silently.
"How do you know that?"
For the first time—
a faint expression appeared on her face.
Not warmth.
Not kindness.
Something closer to bitterness.
"Because my family spent generations studying people like you."
The chamber became quiet again.
Even the council member looked uneasy now.
The girl slowly looked toward the giant black door.
Then toward the human hand gripping the opening.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"So it finally happened…"
The instructor spoke sharply.
"What are you talking about?"
She answered without taking her eyes off the seal.
"The First Vessel survived."
Leo's heartbeat stopped.
The hand behind the seal trembled violently.
Almost desperately.
The girl finally looked back at Leo again.
And this time—
her expression contained something far worse than fear.
Recognition.
"You really don't know what you are, do you?"
The whispers exploded violently inside Leo's mind.
The black marks across his arm spread upward again.
And deep within the darkness beyond the seal—
something enormous began moving.