🌑 Chapter 57
"You must not go deeper…""He is already watching."
That whisper echoed in Aeren's ears the moment they crossed into the dungeon zone.
🌀 The Dungeon – 5th Layer Simulation Begins
The interior was nothing like a normal academy simulation.
Walls of black stone pulsated with crimson veins.The air shimmered, thicker than fog, heavier than silence.Something was… wrong.
Feroz unsheathed his obsidian blade. "Monsters should appear within 2 minutes. Get in position."
Lia began setting up a wind barrier while Anshi watched Aeren—who stood frozen.
Aeren whispered, "Can you hear that voice?"
Anshi paused. "What voice?"
"Whispers... They're calling me… by my real name."
"What do you mean real name?" she asked, but before he could answer—
⚔️ Wave One Begins – Distorted Beasts
The dungeon rumbled.
From the crevices of the stone walls, dozens of warped creatures emerged. Twisted, eyeless, gnashing teeth, claws that scraped reality itself.
"These… these aren't academy monsters!" Lia screamed. "These are wild!"
Feroz moved fast, slicing one clean—but it didn't die. It laughed.
"You brought us food," it hissed.
Anshi's bronze aura flared. She leapt to protect Aeren, who was staring blankly ahead.
In his mind, time slowed.The dungeon vanished.He was floating… again… in the realm of the Sigil.
🌪️ Dual Realm – Dream vs Reality
In the real world, Anshi and the others were battling desperately.
In Aeren's vision, he stood atop a ruined cliff. The robed clocked man from before stood beside him, pointing at a broken timeline—fragments of wars, betrayals, love, and destruction.
"They sent the Wraith-Twin," the man whispered."It will either kill you… or complete you."
💀 The Wraith Appears
Back in the dungeon, after the first wave was barely defeated, everything went still.
That's when it came.
A single step echoed—though no feet could be seen.
The shadows parted like curtains.A twin-bodied creature emerged. Half of its face was scorched, the other weeping black fluid.It had two voices.
"You are the vessel," it said."You are the key," it echoed.
Everyone froze. Their Seeker bracelets started glitching—power unreadable.
🔥 Anshi vs The Wraith-Twin
Before anyone could react, the Wraith lunged. Feroz was tossed aside like a feather. Lia's wind shield shattered.
Anshi alone stood in its path.
She unleashed a triple pulse strike, the strongest she had. The floor shattered. The ceiling cracked.
And the Wraith staggered… just a little.
"Impressive… but you are not the vessel."
It stabbed its own heart—black energy exploded, throwing Anshi against the wall. She screamed, her body flickering with unstable aura.
🕯️ Awakening of the Sigil – Again
At that moment, Aeren's sigil ignited.
Not on his back this time—But over his heart, glowing with ancient letters… symbols of Time, Mind, and Space.
The Wraith turned, suddenly stepping back.
"It begins…"
Aeren opened his eyes.But they were not his usual eyes.
They held stars. And clocks.And the reflection of every monster's fear.
🌀 Aeren's Power Unleashed – Mind Mirror
He didn't speak. He just thought.
"What are you?" he asked—inside the Wraith's mind.
The Wraith flinched.It felt its own secrets being stripped.
"No. You're not ready—!"
But it was too late.
Aeren raised his hand, and time bent.
The Wraith-Twin's two bodies separated, frozen in mid-air like puppets in strings of starlight.
And then—BANG!
The dimensional barrier burst. Academy Seekers poured in.
Diamond-tier instructors.High-tech scouts.And the Headmaster himself.
The Wraith shrieked and vanished—teleporting into the cracks of reality.
🩸 Aftermath: Unknown Power
Aeren collapsed.
His sigil dimmed.
Anshi rushed to him, bleeding but alive.
The Seekers looked around, confused.
No signs of what had happened.Except… the broken wall of time. And fear in the monsters who had witnessed it.
Kaelron looked at Aeren with a new understanding.
"He's not awakening…He's remembering."
📘 End of Chapter 57