Chapter 77
The shrine had fallen silent again.
But the Naught did not move.
He stood at the edge of the gate—his hand gently raised, fingertips resting against the obsidian curve of the arch. Faint crimson rippled across the surface like breath under silk. From deep within, a pulse echoed, ancient and wrong, as though a forgotten heart still beat in that place.
Kiro stepped closer, cautious.
The stillness of the gate was deceptive. Every inch hummed with presence. He could feel the System inside him coiling tighter, less like a guide and more like an animal trapped in a cage.
[CAUTION: System Interference Detected – Unknown Spatial Compression Ahead][Recommendation: Enter with stabilized Core and aligned mind.][Warning: Entry may awaken ancestral residue.]
Kiro frowned. "What is this place really? This... dream?"
The Naught lowered his hand.
And for the first time, Kiro saw weariness in those star-etched eyes.