The first time I opened my eyes… after a long time… I looked at the boy with red eyes and black hair. His eyes were still filled with fierce determination — even in the face of death. I could've ended him with ease. My power had regressed a lot, yes — but for someone like him? Someone who held a rank far below what I once did? His features weren't familiar. Not remotely. He didn't look like someone I'd know. At first, I just wanted to devour his core. That was it. Nothing personal. Just survival. His presence was strong enough to help me recover — even if only a little. Moreover, he seemed to be a holder of supreme ability…maybe even a supreme of some small world. But I wasn't curious enough to know his story. Not when I'd been trapped in this dungeon for hundreds of years. And after a while, everything stopped mattering. All that remained… was a shell. My body — frozen in time — used to power the dungeon's mechanisms. But my mind… my mind was not so lucky. It remained awake. And it suffered in the void. Still, even in that void, I could see… flickers. I watched, through them, as countless adventurers challenged the dungeon. At first, I couldn't even think clearly. But over time, the seal began to weaken. And little by little… I could influence it. That's when I started learning new things about this dungeon. This dungeon — it wasn't natural. It was distorted. It devoured echoes of reality — branches of possibility — and fed on them. They weren't real. They were just possibilities of reality… influenced by the choices of the intruder who entered it. That's when I understood… I could use this. So I started experimenting. I tried extracting them. Claiming their cores. And after hundreds of years… I succeeded. I started absorbing fragments. Stealing pieces of power from the fools who challenged this place. It wasn't much. Never enough. But it was something. Enough to open my eyes today. Enough… to finally be free again. And then… there he was. The boy who unknowingly broke the last lock. He killed the guardian which held the final part of the seal together. His body was completely broken by now. Still, he stood up again. Even in his broken state he stood up. Just for a moment he released an extraordinary presence. It didn't even last a second. But it was unmistakable. It was something only someone from my family's bloodline would possess. Even now, with most of his aura broken, his body bloodied and breath ragged, the echo of that power still remained. There are very few people in this universe, who can carry that bloodline. Even fewer whose souls emit that exact rhythm—that celestial pulse. It wasn't a diluted bloodline. Not collateral. It belonged to only the direct descendant of my family. Most … most of my family died after that. The pendant hanging on his neck. The small pendant. It was smeared with blood but still intact. My breath froze in my throat. That pendant belonged to my mom. It was a keepsake. A relic. A story. It was the first thing Dad gave her when they met after his ascendance. Before the wars, before the heavens split and before that event. Mom never took it off. Even when injured. Even when we fled. How was it now in the hands of a half-dead boy with eyes full of suspicion and pain? And still pulsing with residual soul essence, which meant… She had given it to him herself. It wouldn't have made sense otherwise. I whispered the name. But his hand tightened around his blade. His bloodied fingers trembled slightly. Something inside him stirred. Why did he still look so young? He should be grown by now. A man. A wielder of flame and sky. Instead…, he looked like someone completely different. Is he perhaps a descendant of my brother? That could be possible… given the time that has passed. But somewhere within a corner of my heart… I felt it. He wasn't a descendant… he was my brother. How long had he been living ? What happened after the fall? Is this perhaps something done by Mom? If it was indeed her… She must've definitely left some clue. The pendant… I'll know once I touch it. I walked a step closer. I need to verify. I need to know what happened. His blade flickered towards me. It was a subtle movement, barely perceptible. But I knew an attack when I saw one. His killing intent—still buried beneath hesitation—finally snapped loose. Wild and desperate but determined. I didn't strike back. I just sidestepped, letting his sword slide past my shoulder. His movements were sloppy. Every one of his breaths was strained. He was still bleeding inside. Internal damage. Mana burn. Fractures across his ribs. He shouldn't even be standing. I raised one hand slowly and snapped my fingers lightly. My bloodline ability was unleashed. A ripple of white golden flame covered his whole body. The true bloodline fire. The kind only our direct lineage could wield. It had different properties based on the wielder, and mine didn't burn—it healed. The moment it touched him, I saw the tension in his shoulders falter. And still—he didn't stop. So I released the spirit. The one he'd been hiding in his shadows. The little creature that had dared strike me earlier, even though she was terrified. I opened my fingers toward her neck. The spirit flew out, eyes wide in disbelief. She bolted toward him like lightning, wrapping herself around him protectively. His gaze flicked between me and the spirit, still panting. Suspicion and confusion. "Stop," I said as I lowered my arm. "I'm not going to hurt you." Just stood there, his muscles still tensed for battle, his sword wavering in his grip. I took another step closer. His eyes narrowed, readying another strike. "I said—stop." My voice dropped. Not harsh, but heavy. The kind Mom used when he cried for no reason and wouldn't settle. And then I asked the one question I hadn't dared until now. He flinched this time. So small a movement, a mortal might have missed it. But I was not mortal. Even with my lost strength, I saw it. "A… Are you really Alden?" I whispered, my voice breaking slightly. His breathing was uneven again. He was still thinking like a fighter. If he had, I would've worried more. A child who survived couldn't afford to trust. He was trying to stall. Trying to figure out a way to survive. I could see the calculation in his eyes. He was waiting for a window. Stalling for time until the dungeon collapse. That way he would be teleported out of the dungeon. "Alden", I said again. "Do you… remember me?" That was a dumb question. Even if he was Alden, how was he supposed to remember me? We were separated when he was just a child. Just a few months-old baby. My heart was sure this was my brother but my mind still wanted confirmation. I took another step forward. I knew my mother. She wouldn't just do anything without thinking. My first clue was 'pendant', but she must've left something else. I channelled my mana to my eyes…as the golden glow in them intensified. My vision shifted… then I saw it. The pendant he wore had magic imbued in it… It wasn't something any person could see or feel… because it was my mom's magic. Mom must've anticipated I would meet him… Then why? Why didn't she ever come back for me…? Did she never get the chance— Was I… not important enough? … Or was my brother that much important to her? I hated that thought. I pushed it down. Buried it under reason. There had to be another reason. There had to be. My heart twisted with negative emotions, but I controlled it. I looked at him again. I stretched my hands towards his pendant… I shouldn't hesitate. Not now. Not after all this time. But my fingers trembled slightly before touching the pendant—I didn't know the emotion. Perhaps it was because I was afraid to find out the truth. He tried to resist but it was futile. My white fire healed him and restricted him at the same time. And he wasn't fully healed yet. As soon as my fingers brushed past the pendant, something clicked. The pendant started to glow in bright light enveloping me and the boy in front of me… The world stilled, and everything turned blank for a moment before we were in a new scenery. "Alden… Caera… my children… Are you here?"