Chapter 22: “The Chains Between Us”

Dungeon Core – Meditation Chamber

Leo sat alone, the obsidian platform beneath him reflecting a distorted image of his face.

The mirrorlight in the chamber dimmed to a whisper.

He hadn't spoken in hours.

Not to Naelia.

Not to Elias.

Not even to Elara.

Just silence.

And thought.

"The first prototype…"

"The one she broke…"

"How many more after you?"

Leo clenched his jaw.

His mind looped the words.

Cael's voice echoed not like an enemy's, but something worse—truth laced in grief.

He hated it.

Not because it was cruel.

But because it sounded right.

Elsewhere – Naelia's Quarters

She threw a flame at the wall.

It fizzled uselessly against the dungeon's enchanted glass.

"He's shutting down again."

Elias sat on the ceiling, upside down, watching her.

"He's processing."

"That's what you do when the pieces don't fit anymore."

Naelia spun.

"Don't act like you understand him."

"You're just a puppet."

Elias blinked.

Then smiled.

"And yet, I'm the only one he talked to after Cael left."

Naelia growled but didn't argue.

Because it was true.

Cael – Outer Sanctum

The air here was dry. Still.

Cael sat cross-legged, unblinking, surrounded by broken chains.

He was tracing something in the dirt.

A symbol.

The same one that had appeared in Elara's realm.

The same one Leo had carved into his dungeon walls without knowing why.

A looping infinity cross, bound by twelve intersecting rings.

Each ring slightly cracked.

Cael stared at it.

"If I break one more link…"

"Will she finally remember me?"

He didn't sound angry.

Only… tired.

Elara's Divine Realm

She watched Leo with a distant gaze.

He hadn't responded to her pings in hours.

His system was still online. Active.

But his soul-thread was dimming.

"He's slipping again…"

A second goddess stepped into the light—her form darker, heavier.

Not cruel.

Just ancient.

"You should have never made twelve," the second said.

"Even gods cannot mother an entire pantheon alone."

Elara didn't respond.

But her hand trembled.

"I had to try."

Leo's Mindscape

The world cracked.

Not physically.

Spiritually.

Leo floated in a void of broken glass and swirling shadows.

And standing in the center of it all—his original self.

A boy.

Sixteen.

From Earth.

Wearing a hoodie with the sleeves torn off.

Terrified.

The boy looked at him.

"Are we a monster now?"

Leo didn't answer.

"You were kind once."

"You smiled at cats."

"You cried when your sister died."

Leo's eyes narrowed.

"That boy died."

"And I buried him."

The boy took a step forward.

"Then why am I still here?"

The mirrorlight exploded.

Reality – Dungeon Core Awakens

Leo gasped.

Not pain.

Not fear.

Just remembrance.

He stood, cloak flickering around him like a wounded beast.

Elias appeared beside him in an instant.

"Your core is destabilizing."

"Do you want me to reset your emotional balance?"

Leo raised a hand, halting him.

"No."

"I want to feel this."

Elias tilted his head.

"Why?"

Leo looked toward the sanctum.

Toward Cael.

"Because if I don't feel it…"

"I might become him."

Somewhere Far – A Distant Ocean

Black waves crashed against jagged rocks made of bone.

A woman opened her eyes beneath the tide.

She did not breathe.

She did not blink.

But she awakened.

A system thread ignited in the sea like lightning in slow motion.

User Sync Initiated: Eleventh Born – Codename "Myra"

System Type: Abyssal Tide

Primary Trait: Consumption / Adaptation

Status: Emotionally Unstable – Containment Recommended

Connection to Siblings Detected: Passive. Lingering.

Her eyes, glowing sea-green, looked upward.

"Leo…"

"Mother…"

"Which of you left me here to drown?"

The ocean boiled.

Dungeon Core – Meditation Chamber

Naelia finally stepped in.

She stood there, staring at Leo for several seconds.

He didn't speak.

She didn't either.

Then:

"You're not okay."

He glanced sideways.

"No."

"But I'm awake."

Naelia sighed and sat down beside him.

"Do you believe him?"

Leo hesitated.

"I believe he believes it."

"That's worse than lying."

They sat in silence for a while.

Until Naelia said:

"I felt something… in the sea."

Leo turned.

"Another sibling?"

She nodded slowly.

"Woke up angry."

"Woke up wet."

Leo stood.

"Then we're running out of time."

Elara's Realm

She watched the Eleventh stir.

Watched the tides twist.

Watched Leo stand again.

And she whispered:

"You're all growing faster than I hoped…"

"And slower than I feared."