The moment the voice echoed, the world fell unnaturally silent. No waves crashed, no wind blew. The air itself froze, as if reality held its breath.
From beneath the altar, a second arm broke through the black sand, followed by the curve of a horned helm. What rose wasn't a living man — but neither was it dead.
A giant, wrapped in ancient seaweed, bones bound by inked runes, hauled itself up from its shallow grave. Its eyes — empty sockets filled with glowing seawater — locked onto Lin Ho.
> "You… carry the mark. The mark of the First Spiral."
Bai Qing gritted her teeth. "Should we attack?"
"No," Lin Ho said. "Wait."
He stepped forward, feeling the Chaos Qi within him roil. It wasn't just reacting — it was recognizing. Resonating.
> "Who are you?"
The being bowed slightly, a motion unnatural for something so massive.
> "I am Ko'rath, Bound Tide General of the Thirteenth Cycle. I swore my soul to Chaos when the realms fell to silence."
> "Why are you buried here?"
> "Betrayed. Sealed. Forgotten. This altar was once the edge of our dominion — the place we anchored the Abyssal Gate when Chaos ruled the Sea Courts."
The other disciples had gone pale.
> "Abyssal… Gate?" the silver-haired girl whispered.
Ko'rath's voice trembled.
> "The gate was closed when your kind turned away from the Old Laws. But you — you carry the Key. The blood of the Primal Spiral… The seal has begun to weaken because of you."
Lin Ho clenched his fists.
> "I never asked to open anything."
> "Yet your very existence disrupts the balance. Whether you will or not — Chaos moves with you."
---
Above the Island
Far above, hidden in clouds, a flying ship masked by invisibility formations hovered. Inside stood two figures robed in crimson-black, masks covering their faces.
One of them narrowed his eyes.
> "It has begun."
> "Report to the Hollow Temple. The Heir has found a fragment."
---
Back at the Altar
The binding circle began to crack. Light surged into the sky — black lightning stitched with gold tearing the clouds open.
Ko'rath slammed his fist into the altar, causing a massive tremor. "The seal won't last another tide. You must decide, heir — bind me to your cause, or let the sea reclaim me."
Lin Ho hesitated.
Then, slowly, he extended his palm.
> "Swear loyalty. No trickery. No schemes. I am not a pawn of the past — I walk my own path."
The creature's grin was skeletal.
> "Then let the bond be forged anew."
Chaos Qi erupted, and the sea screamed.
---
End of Chapter 53