The city still stood.
But the scars of the rift remained — carved into the streets, into the stone… and into its people.
Ren walked slowly through the familiar roads of his childhood.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Beside him, Kael remained silent.
They stopped before the old wooden house where Ren had grown up.
Kael didn’t say anything.
He didn’t need to.
Inside, Ren’s mother rested on a simple bed. Her breathing was weak — but steady.
Ren sat beside her and gently took her hand.
It felt colder than he remembered.
“I’ll come back…” he whispered.“I promise.”
She did not wake.
But her fingers moved slightly.
As if she heard him.
Kael turned his gaze away, giving him that moment.
Outside, Sealers stood in a protective formation around the house. Sigils faintly glowed along the ground, forming a perimeter.
The elder Sealer approached.
“The city will remain under our watch,” he said calmly.“But the risk has not vanished.”
Ren rose, his eyes burning.
“I trust you.”
Before the elder could respond—
The air folded inward.
As if the world inhaled in reverse.
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The Sealers stiffened instantly.
Space warped.
And a figure appeared before Ren.
A black mantle.
Eyes that seemed to hold centuries within them.
The Forbidden.
Even the elder Sealer stepped back instinctively.
Ren’s heart pounded.
The Forbidden inclined his head slightly — a gesture no Sealer had ever witnessed him offer.
“Be at ease, Ren Arken,” he said, his voice echoing like an ancient whisper carried across time.“I will employ certain abilities to protect your mother… while the source of her affliction is uncovered.”
He raised his hand.
The ground trembled.
The sky dimmed.
Aeternum: Tenth Form — Eternal Field.
A vast silver circle expanded outward from his position.
It spread across Halverin like silent light.
Through streets.
Through walls.
Through the sky itself.
An invisible dome settled over the city.
The Sealers felt it immediately.
Pressure.
Authority.
A law rewritten.
“From this moment onward,” The Forbidden declared,“no monster shall approach this city.”
The air tightened.
“And should one be born within this boundary… an automatic signal will be delivered to the nearest Sealers.”
Even the elder Sealer lowered his head.
Ren dropped to his knees.
Relief overwhelmed him.
“Thank you…”
The Forbidden turned his gaze toward the house.
His presence shifted — no longer overwhelming.
But precise.
Aeternum: Fifth Form of Living Eternity — Overflow.
A golden wave passed silently through the walls.
It entered the room like warm sunlight.
Ren felt it.
So did every Sealer present.
Inside, his mother’s breathing deepened.
Color slowly returned to her face.
Her life force stabilized.
Ren’s shoulders trembled.
Tears fell freely.
“I will also leave behind an ally,” The Forbidden continued.“One strong enough to defend this place.”
In the far distance, something stirred.
A presence.
Not hostile.
Watching.
Waiting for command.
The Forbidden stepped back.
The silver field shimmered faintly overhead.
“Now go,” he said quietly.“The world beyond Halverin will not be kind.”
The wind moved gently through the streets.
For the first time since the rift—
Halverin felt safe.
But safety came at a cost.
Because when beings like The Forbidden move openly…
The world notices.
And somewhere beyond sight—
Something else did too.