CHAPTER 351: CHAPTER 340: ONCE, OH ONCE

The silence after the awakening was unbearable.

It was the silence of a world holding its breath, waiting for the next god to scream.

The chained fallen stood before them—vast, impossible, his wings bound by frozen iron that pulsed faintly with light.

His face was both human and not: beauty cracked by ruin, divinity dulled by centuries of grief. His eyes burned dimly beneath a layer of frost, watching them with the quiet patience of a star long fallen.

Around him, the air trembled.

The ice groaned like bone beneath the weight of his presence, and from the shattered mirrors along the walls, the Fallens began to descend.

Dozens. Then hundreds.

They fell from the shadows above, landing silently in the snow, their wings folding around them like cloaks of ash. Their armor was black and rusted, their halos shattered, leaving only fragments that floated faintly behind their heads.

Each carried a spear or blade forged from bone and memory, their edges humming with faint, forgotten hymns.

Within moments, the four mortals found themselves surrounded.

Lara gasped, clutching her spear tight. The ring of weapons glimmered around them, cold light reflecting in the steel.

Eli moved instinctively, stepping between the younger girl and the nearest Fallen, her stance low, ready.

Claire’s hand hovered over her sword, violet fire licking at her fingertips.

And Merlin—Merlin only stood still, the faint glow of his staff dimming as he raised his other hand slowly, palm outward.

"We mean no harm," he said, voice even. The words trembled slightly as they met the cold air. "We are travelers. Nothing more."

The nearest Fallen stepped closer, its eyes hollow but bright—an unnatural, flickering gold. "Travelers do not walk into the tomb of the First," it hissed. "You breathe, mortal, but not with fear. Why?"

Another added, its voice overlapping the first like an echo: "You smell of surface suns... and of them

."

"’Him?’" Claire said, her tone hardening. "You mean—"

"The demi-gods," the first hissed, wings rustling like knives. "You reek of their touch."

Blades pressed closer.

Merlin’s pulse thrummed beneath his ribs. He felt the strain of his barrier—thin, fragile, barely holding against their combined aura. "We are not their servants," he said quietly. "We...we fled them. As you once did."

The Fallens exchanged a glance—if the movement of their hollow eyes could be called that. Their hesitation was almost imperceptible, but it was enough. The chained one moved.

Chains scraped across the ice, a sound like thunder echoing through the frozen hall. His wings shifted, just enough to send a tremor through the ground. Every Fallen froze instantly, heads bowing as though gravity itself had commanded them.

The chained one’s voice rolled through the chamber—deep, resonant, tired. "Its okay...They mean no harm."

The Fallens stiffened.

"They are travelers," he said again, softer this time. "Like dust passing through eternity. Let them breathe."

His words rippled through the crowd. One by one, the weapons lowered. The sound was soft, like snow falling from branches.

Merlin exhaled, his shoulders relaxing as the ring of blades withdrew. The storm outside quieted, as though the layer itself had obeyed.

Eli’s voice broke the stillness. "They... listen to him?"

The chained one’s lips curved faintly, the closest thing to a smile. "They remember who they were," he said. "And I am the echo of that memory."

His chains rattled faintly, light pulsing through the ice as though alive.

Merlin bowed slightly, an ancient gesture of respect that predated kingdoms. "We thank you, First One. Your mercy is... unexpected."

The fallen lord tilted his head. "Mercy?" His smile widened—sad, knowing. "No. Merely curiosity. It has been a long time since mortals walked these hellish halls without screaming."

The cat padded forward between Merlin’s boots, tail swaying like a pendulum. It looked up at the chained one, eyes gleaming gold in the frostlight. The fallen’s gaze lingered on it for a moment longer than on the others. Recognition flickered—then vanished.

Lara, emboldened by the lowering of weapons, stepped forward. "You’re... chained," she said softly. "Why?"

The air shifted.

Every Fallen turned its head toward her at once, the motion sharp and synchronized. Even the chained one stilled, his gaze narrowing slightly.

Merlin opened his mouth to stop her, but the fallen lord spoke first.

"Because once," he said, "I believed I could rise....rise, high."

The answer hung in the air like a wound.

Eli looked away. Claire’s eyes softened, though only for a moment. Merlin’s hand tightened on his staff, and for the first time, he felt the weight of this place not as danger—but as grief.

"Your world above," the fallen continued, "still sings of salvation. But salvation is cruel. It keeps you hoping long after hope has died."

He chuckled then—a dry, hollow sound. "You remind me of us. Before the Fall."

Silence followed. Even the wind outside seemed to pause.

Then the earth shook.

A deep, concussive sound rolled through the tower, followed by a pulse of crimson light that burst through the ice beneath their feet. The chained one’s eyes flared wide; his wings strained against their bindings.

"No..." he whispered. "Not again."

The Fallens tensed instantly, forming ranks with military precision. Spears lifted, wings flared, their hollow voices rising in unison. "The demi-gods come!"

Merlin turned to the others. "Here—how could they—"

"They found us," the chained one said grimly. "They never stopped...."

Outside, the storm broke open.

Through the fractured walls, light exploded across the sky—vast streaks of red and gold clashing like blades of lightning. The ice screamed as it cracked, and the air burned with the scent of ozone and fire. The ground trembled beneath the march of colossal footsteps far in the distance.

Lara stumbled, gripping Eli’s arm. "What is it?"

"War," Merlin said. "The demigods have breached the second layer."

The Fallens moved with purpose now—each motion precise, ritualistic. They spread their wings, the storm catching on feathers blacker than night. From every shadow, more emerged, forming an army of broken angels beneath the frozen sky.

Eli raised her sword, firelight reflecting along the edge. "What are they waiting for?"

The chained one looked up, eyes glowing faintly. "For me to command," he said.

"But you’re chained," Claire said.

He smiled again, and this time it was almost cruel. "Chains do not stop memory."

With a single breath, the fallen lord exhaled light.

It spread like ripples through water, reaching every Fallen in the hall. Their wings ignited—not in flame, but in memory, burning with a dim, sorrowful radiance. The chained one raised his gaze to the storm, to where divine fire cracked the sky apart.

"Hold the line," he said softly. "The children of false gods march again."

The Fallens roared in answer.

Their voices rose like thunder, shaking the tower. Merlin, Eli, Claire, and Lara could only watch as the black-winged host poured out into the blizzard—an army of the damned facing gods once more.

Merlin turned to the chained one, awe and fear mingling in his eyes. "You would fight them?"

"I will remind them," the fallen said, "that even ruin remembers its glory."

Chains rattled, frost cracking beneath his feet. Power surged around him—restrained, but ancient, immense. For an instant, Merlin thought the very world bowed to him.

Then the tremor hit.

A shockwave tore through the ice, knocking them all to their knees. The chained one’s light flickered—something above had struck, something vast. Through the shattered roof, a shadow loomed: enormous wings blotting out what little light remained, a silhouette of burning metal and storm.

Merlin’s blood went cold. "No..."

Lara’s voice trembled. "What is that?"

"More demi-gods," Merlin whispered. "Maybe...Kaelion."

The sky screamed.

The Fallens surged upward, meeting the storm with a thousand wings. Lightning and shadow collided. The chained one’s laughter, low and broken, echoed through the tower.

"Run, travelers," he said. "You seek your people?Then go. While the world still forgets your name."

Eli hesitated. "You’ll die here."

He smiled faintly. "We already did when our lord abandoned us."

The cat leapt to Merlin’s shoulder again, golden eyes fixed on the chaos above. Merlin looked to Claire, who nodded once. Lara lingered a heartbeat longer, staring up at the chained one.

"What’s your name?" she asked.

The fallen’s eyes dimmed, the faintest sadness crossing his face. "Once," he said, "they called me ...Michael."

Then the ceiling collapsed.

Light and shadow swallowed everything.