The boys had barely left the ruins when the ground trembled beneath their feet—just once, like a deep breath from something slumbering beneath the earth. Cain paused mid-step, looking back.
Selene caught his arm. "Did you feel that?"
Leo was already scanning the area with his tablet, frowning. "That wasn't a quake. It was a pulse. Magical. Very old."
Eren, still bandaged from the last fight, let out a groan. "Can we not walk into another death trap for once?"
Cain said nothing. He stepped back toward the center of the ruined temple. The ashes from the demon had scattered, but now… they were drawing together, swirling like dust in a tornado. A faint glow flickered from the cracked stone beneath them.
"It's not done," Cain whispered.
Then the stone split open.
Not violently. Like it had been waiting—like it recognized them.
A spiral staircase revealed itself, leading into an abyss. The air that rose from it was warm, humming, filled with voices that didn't speak in words but in emotion—grief, hope, rage, and something deeply familiar.
Leo looked to his brothers. "Should we go down?"
"No," Cain said, eyes sharp. "We have to."
Selene hesitated, watching them all. "This feels ancient. Older than your bloodline. Older than Eira's magic. Are you sure?"
Cain turned to her, his voice soft. "If it leads us closer to understanding why Eira died… why we were chosen… then I need to know."
She nodded. "Then I'm with you."
Eren limped up behind them. "Cool. If anything tries to eat us down there, I'm blaming all of you."
---
The spiral staircase wound deeper than it should have—hundreds of feet below the earth, yet none of them felt tired. The deeper they went, the more memories they felt. Not theirs—fragments of others.
"Do you hear that?" Leo murmured.
Cain nodded. "Voices from the past."
Selene stepped closer to the stone walls, running her fingers along symbols that shimmered under her touch. "This is old fae writing. It talks about an 'Echo Gate.' A rift between worlds."
Eren whistled. "Great. We're going through a magical interdimensional backdoor. Sounds like a Tuesday."
At the bottom, a chamber awaited them. It pulsed with soft red light. At its center was a circular arch—cracked, vines growing through it. It looked broken.
But Cain stepped closer and the arch lit up.
"Blood recognizes blood," a voice echoed. It didn't come from any one direction.
From the darkness stepped a figure.
A woman.
She looked barely older than Selene, dressed in silver armor, hair white like frost. But her eyes—those eyes held centuries.
"Who are you?" Cain asked, stepping protectively in front of Selene.
The woman smiled gently. "I am what remains of the Echo Gate's Guardian. My name was Lysara. And I have been waiting for the blood of the Devil's sons to awaken me."
Leo narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Because you are not the last of your line," Lysara said. "And the true enemy is awakening beyond this gate."
Cain felt his heart lurch. "You mean—our father?"
Lysara's expression darkened. "Worse. The one he was running from."
A long silence followed.
Eren broke it. "Okay, plot twist. I thought we were the problem."
Lysara stepped closer. "No. You are the weapon. Your sister's death… it activated the seal. Her soul awakened the gate. She knew."
Cain clenched his fists. "You're saying Eira sacrificed herself… to open this?"
Lysara nodded solemnly. "She saw what was coming. The bond between you all—your love, your grief—it broke the lock."
Selene's voice was quiet. "Then what do we do now?"
Lysara turned to the gate. "You prepare. You train. And when the time is right… you go through."
Cain stepped forward, the red light bathing his face.
And for the first time in weeks, he felt direction.
Not revenge.
Not just pain.
But purpose.
He turned to his brothers. "We're not done yet."
Eren rolled his eyes. "I was really hoping we were."
Leo cracked a smile. "Guess being the son of a devil is a full-time gig."
Selene reached for Cain's hand. He didn't let go.
They stood before the gate—four souls against the storm.
And somewhere beyond the stone and light, the real war waited.