Chapter 154: The Name in the Void

The hand tightened around the ancient heart.

CRACK.

A fracture raced across the stone.

Noah stared at it.

The Dead Zone stood beside him, completely motionless.

For once, there was no mocking smile.

No sarcastic remark.

Nothing.

Irus raised her staff.

"Move away from the heart."

Noah glanced at her.

"You know what that is?"

"No."

Her golden eyes remained fixed on the black void.

"But I know what it isn’t."

The hand slowly emerged farther.

A forearm followed.

Black markings covered the skin.

Not golden.

Not crimson.

Something darker.

Daniella stepped backward.

"What is coming out?"

Irus’s grip tightened around her staff.

"Something that was never part of the ritual."

Alcris looked at Noah.

"Did you bring it here?"

"No."

Noah felt the Dead Zone stir.

"It followed the signal."

What signal?

"Yours."

Noah’s expression hardened.

"You mean Ragnarok?"

The Dead Zone looked toward the void.

"No."

It paused.

"You."

Above the chamber, Laura, Sophia, Luna, Eric, and Damien descended through the broken underground passage.

The deeper they went, the stronger the crimson glow became.

Eric looked at the walls.

"These tunnels weren’t here before."

Damien touched one of the ancient markings.

"They weren’t."

Sophia suddenly stopped.

"Wait."

Everyone turned.

She could hear something.

A heartbeat.

Not from the city.

Not from the ancient heart.

Something else.

BOOM.

Luna’s face tightened.

"That’s not mana."

Laura looked ahead.

"Keep moving."

They continued.

The tunnel opened into a massive chamber.

Laura’s eyes widened.

"Noah!"

He stood across the chamber beside the ancient heart.

But something was wrong.

The air around him was distorted.

Irus stood several meters away.

Alcris and Daniella were near the heart.

And between them all was a black void.

Something was emerging from it.

Laura immediately moved forward.

"Noah, get away from there!"

Noah looked toward her.

"Laura!"

Irus suddenly raised her staff.

"Don’t come closer!"

Laura stopped.

"Why?"

"Because whatever is inside that void is responding to him."

Noah looked back.

The hand had emerged up to the elbow.

The black markings across it began glowing.

His system appeared.

[UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED.]

[CLASSIFICATION: ERROR.]

[RAGNAROK SIGNAL: INTERRUPTED.]

[DEAD ZONE RESONANCE: 28.1%]

Noah’s eyes widened.

"Interrupted?"

The Dead Zone nodded.

"Something is interfering with Ragnarok."

Noah stared at the void.

"So that’s what it wants?"

"No."

The Dead Zone looked at him.

"It’s not interested in Ragnarok."

Noah’s stomach dropped.

"What does it want?"

The Dead Zone answered:

"You."

The black hand suddenly pulled itself upward.

A shoulder emerged.

The void expanded.

Irus attacked.

A massive golden blade descended from above.

BOOM!

The black figure disappeared into the darkness.

The attack struck the void instead.

The chamber shook violently.

Daniella shielded Alcris.

"What did you do?"

"I forced it back."

Irus stared at the void.

"But not for long."

Alcris slowly stood.

"You said it followed Noah."

"Yes."

"Then send Noah away."

Irus looked at him.

"I can’t."

"Why?"

"Because the moment he entered this chamber..."

She looked toward Noah.

"...the connection became anchored."

Noah clenched his fists.

"So I’m trapped."

"For now."

Laura stepped forward.

"Then we’ll break the anchor."

Irus looked at her.

"You don’t understand what you’re offering."

Laura didn’t back down.

"I don’t care."

Sophia joined her.

"Neither do we."

Luna nodded.

Eric raised his weapon.

Damien stepped beside him.

Noah stared at all of them.

"You guys really don’t know when to leave."

Eric smirked.

"Neither do you."

For a brief moment, Noah smiled.

Then the black void exploded.

BOOOOOOM!

Everyone was thrown backward.

The hand emerged again.

This time, it wasn’t alone.

A second hand gripped the edge.

The figure began pulling itself through.

Irus’s golden eyes widened.

"Impossible..."

Noah stared into the void.

"What?"

Irus whispered:

"It crossed the boundary."

The figure’s head began emerging.

No face could be seen.

Only two empty black hollows where its eyes should have been.

And a voice came from inside the void.

Not toward Ragnarok.

Not toward Irus.

Toward Noah.

"You opened the door."

Noah froze.

"I didn’t."

The figure tilted its head.

"You were born with the key."

The Dead Zone suddenly stepped in front of Noah.

Its crimson eyes became completely black.

"That’s enough."

The figure stopped.

For several seconds, the two entities stared at each other.

Then the stranger smiled.

"There you are."

The Dead Zone’s expression turned murderous.

And Noah realized something terrifying.

They knew each other.

The chamber went silent.

Noah stared at the figure emerging from the black void.

The Dead Zone stood between them.

Its usual confidence was gone.

Noah noticed immediately.

You know it.

The Dead Zone didn’t answer.

Who is that?

Still nothing.

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

"You know who that is."

The Dead Zone finally spoke.

"Not here."

The figure tilted its head.

"Still hiding behind him?"

The Dead Zone’s fingers slowly curled.

"You shouldn’t be here."

A quiet laugh came from the void.

"Neither should you."

The words sent a strange chill through Noah.

Irus stepped forward.

"Enough."

The figure turned toward her.

For the first time, it acknowledged her presence.

"You."

Irus’s golden eyes narrowed.

"You crossed a boundary that doesn’t belong to you."

The figure smiled.

"And yet you opened it."

Irus raised her staff.

"I opened a path to Ragnarok."

"No."

The figure’s voice became colder.

"You opened a path to him."

Its empty gaze shifted toward Noah.

Laura immediately moved closer to him.

"Noah isn’t going anywhere."

The figure looked at her.

"You don’t understand what you’re protecting."

Laura tightened her grip.

"Maybe not."

Sophia and Luna joined her.

"But we know who we’re protecting."

Eric raised his weapon.

Damien stepped beside him.

The figure stared at the group.

Something about its silence felt almost amused.

"You gathered around him."

Noah frowned.

"What does that mean?"

The figure’s head turned toward him.

"It means the boundary is already weakening."

A violent pulse erupted from the ancient heart.

BOOM!

Noah’s chest burned.

[RAGNAROK DEAD ZONE RESONANCE: 29.4%]

The black markings returned across his arms.

Laura grabbed him.

"Noah!"

"I’m fine."

He wasn’t.

Something was pulling at his consciousness.

The Dead Zone suddenly reached backward and grabbed Noah’s shoulder.

"Don’t listen to it."

The stranger smiled.

"You still think you can keep him ignorant."

The Dead Zone’s expression hardened.

"He doesn’t need you."

"He will."

The figure lifted one hand.

The entire chamber darkened.

Irus immediately released a wave of golden energy.

BOOM!

The darkness recoiled.

For a moment, the figure’s body flickered.

Its form wasn’t stable.

Noah noticed.

"You can’t fully exist here."

Irus glanced at him.

"Correct."

The stranger’s smile faded.

Noah continued.

"The ritual dragged you here, but it can’t hold you."

The figure stared at him.

"Very observant."

Noah tightened his grip around Shadowfang.

"So you’re not here to fight."

"No."

"Then why?"

The stranger looked toward the ancient heart.

"Because something was awakened."

Its empty eyes returned to Noah.

"And I came to make sure it stays awake."

Alcris suddenly spoke.

"Ragnarok."

Everyone looked at him.

He was leaning against the ancient heart, barely conscious.

The stranger turned toward him.

Alcris swallowed.

"That’s what you’re after."

The figure laughed.

"No."

Alcris froze.

The stranger pointed toward Noah.

"Ragnarok is already where it belongs."

Noah’s expression changed.

"Then what do you want from me?"

The figure became silent.

The Dead Zone stepped forward.

"Don’t answer it."

Noah ignored him.

"What do you want?"

The figure’s smile returned.

"I want you to remember."

The chamber trembled.

A black crack opened beneath Noah’s feet.

He looked down.

Images flashed across the darkness.

A battlefield.

The black sword.

The crimson sky.

A figure standing among thousands of dead.

But this time, there was something different.

A second figure stood behind it.

Watching.

Waiting.

Noah’s breath caught.

"That was you."

The stranger didn’t deny it.

The vision disappeared.

Noah staggered.

Laura caught him.

"What did you see?"

Noah looked at the figure.

"You were there."

The stranger smiled.

"Yes."

The Dead Zone’s eyes became completely black.

"Enough."

Darkness erupted from its body.

The chamber shook.

The stranger’s form began breaking apart.

But before disappearing, it looked directly at Noah.

"You’ll remember soon."

A final whisper followed.

"And when you do, ask yourself why Ragnarok chose an extra."

The figure vanished.

The black void collapsed.

Silence returned.

Noah stood frozen.

The Dead Zone slowly turned toward him.

Noah stared back.

"What does that mean?"

The Dead Zone said nothing.

For the first time...

it looked away.