The chamber sealed itself slowly behind them.
Stone sliding into place.
Light fading.
Ancient mechanisms returning to silence.
As if nothing had awakened at all.
When the trio emerged back into the academy's upper corridors, the world looked the same.
Students trained.
Researchers moved quickly through halls.
Screens flickered with global updates.
Life continued.
But something had shifted beneath it.
Mira met them at the entrance to the Research Wing.
Her expression was tight.
"You were gone longer than expected."
Ryo stretched his shoulders.
"Long story."
Elias walked past her quietly.
"We need the deep-space telemetry."
Mira's eyes flickered slightly.
"…It changed."
Kai stopped.
"How?"
She activated the projection.
The pulse beyond Earth had moved again.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Enough to confirm it wasn't drifting.
It was navigating.
Across the globe, Rifts flickered again — small ones, brief ones — like tremors before something larger.
But something else happened too.
Reports came in from academy elites deployed worldwide.
Short transmissions.
Fragmented.
Not public.
Not broadcast.
But recorded.
Kael:"Rift signatures evolving. Not random."
Northern Division Leader:"Energy fields reacting to specific density types."
Mira scrolled through one final file.
"…We're receiving patterns we didn't see before."
Elias stepped closer.
"Show me."
She expanded the projection.
Multiple Rift emergence points formed faint geometric alignment across the globe.
Not random.
Not chaotic.
Mapping.
Scanning.
Narrowing.
Ryo crossed his arms.
"…It's drawing a circle."
Kai's voice was quiet.
"Yes."
Around Earth.
The Top Five heroes across nations continued eliminating Rift events without strain. No panic from them. No fear.
But below that level—
Casualties were increasing.
Mid-tier defenders.
Regional protectors.
Fewer each week.
The public saw it.
The governments felt it.
But they did not know the cause.
Not yet.
That night, the trio stood on the academy rooftop.
The wind was calm.
The sky was clear.
Too clear.
Ryo broke the silence first.
"…You good?"
Kai didn't answer immediately.
He stared at the stars.
"…I was sent here to hide."
Ryo nodded.
"Yeah."
Kai continued:
"But hiding isn't enough anymore."
Elias folded his hands behind his back.
"No."
Kai turned to them.
"And I don't want to run."
Ryo smirked faintly.
"Good. Running's boring."
Elias spoke calmly—
"The Devourer destroyed a civilization far stronger than Earth."
Kai nodded.
"Yes."
Elias' eyes sharpened slightly.
"Then we must become stronger than what it expects."
Silence followed.
Ryo stepped closer to Kai.
"Whatever that thing is… it's not taking you."
Kai looked at him.
"…You don't know that."
Ryo grinned.
"Doesn't matter."
Elias added quietly—
"Probability adjusts with preparation."
Kai exhaled softly.
"…Then we prepare."
Far beyond Earth's orbit—
The pulse entered the outer boundary of the solar system.
It did not glow.
It did not roar.
It did not distort visibly.
It simply moved.
Slow.
Precise.
Certain.
And for the first time—
It adjusted speed.
Inside the academy observatory, one final alert flashed across a classified monitor.
Deep-Space Object: Course Correction Confirmed.
No one outside the inner research circle saw it.
No broadcast was made.
No sirens sounded.
The world continued turning.
Unaware.
On the rooftop, Kai looked at the stars again.
For a brief moment—
He felt something looking back.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Recognition.
A hunter that had finally located its prey.
Elias spoke quietly.
"…Do you feel it?"
Kai nodded.
"Yes."
Ryo cracked his knuckles.
"…Good."
Kai looked at both of them.
And for the first time since the dream—
He did not feel alone.
Above them, the stars seemed still.
But something ancient had begun its descent.
And Earth…
Had just entered the hunt.