The passage swallowed them whole.
The hidden door slid shut behind them with a soft, final click, cutting off the sounds of splintering wood and shouting voices above. Darkness rushed in, thick and absolute, broken only by the faint glow of runes etched into the stone walls.
Yui gasped softly and tightened her grip on Hiroto's hand.
"It's okay," he whispered. "I've got you."
The air was cold and damp, carrying the scent of old earth and rusted metal. The tunnel sloped downward, its walls worn smooth by centuries of passage.
Goro moved ahead, sword drawn, eyes sharp. "These tunnels weren't built for escape," he muttered. "They were built to hide something."
Hiroto felt it too.
The shadows here were different not restless, not chaotic. They lay still, heavy, like a deep, sleeping lake.
Tsukiyo's voice echoed faintly in his memory. Old places remember.
They descended deeper.
The tunnel opened into a vast chamber.
Pillars of blackened stone rose toward a ceiling lost in darkness. Ancient symbols were carved into every surface, circles, lines, interlocking shapes that tugged at Hiroto's senses.
His shadow reacted instantly.
It spread wider, flattening against the ground, as if recognizing the place.
Hiroto staggered.
Goro caught him. "Easy."
"This place…" Hiroto breathed. "It knows me."
"That's bad, right?" Goro asked.
"Yes," Hiroto said. "And no."
Yui looked around in awe. "It's like a cave from a story."
Hiroto forced a smile. "A very old one."
As they moved through the chamber, Hiroto noticed broken weapons embedded in the stone blades of shadow crystal, spearheads twisted unnaturally, fragments of armor fused with darkness.
"These are Shadowforge constructs," he murmured.
Goro frowned. "Meaning?"
"Meaning Shadowforge was used here," Hiroto said. "A lot."
They weren't the first to walk this place.
At the far end of the chamber stood a massive stone wall, its surface smoother than the rest. A circular indentation sat at its center is about the size of a human torso.
Hiroto's heart began to race.
"That's…," he whispered.
"The Vanished Gate," Goro said quietly.
Hiroto shook his head. "Not the Gate itself. A seal. Or a lock."
As if responding, the shadows around Hiroto surged, then stopped.
Restraint.
He took a deep breath and stepped closer.
Symbols ignited faintly as he approached, silver and black intertwining.
Yui tugged his sleeve. "Brother… it's warm."
Hiroto nodded. "It's reacting to us."
Or to him.
He raised his hand toward the indentation and stopped.
"I shouldn't," he said.
Goro eyed the shadows warily. "Smart instinct."
Before Hiroto could pull away, a new sound echoed through the chamber.
Footsteps.
Multiple.
Goro spun. "We're not alone."
Figures emerged from the tunnels behind them five, cloaked in dark armor etched with anti-shadow sigils. Their weapons gleamed with pale blue runes.
Shadow Hunters.
The lead hunter stepped forward, helmet shaped like a snarling beast.
"Target confirmed," he said coldly. "Shadowforge bearer located."
Yui whimpered.
Hiroto stepped in front of her.
"You don't have to do this," Hiroto said. "You can walk away."
The hunter laughed. "We get paid to do one thing."
Goro shifted into a fighting stance. "Five on two? Odds aren't great for you."
The hunter tilted his head. "We came prepared."
He slammed his spear into the ground.
The runes flared.
The shadows recoiled.
Hiroto gasped as his connection strained, as if invisible chains wrapped around his shadow, binding it.
"What did you do?" Hiroto demanded.
"Shadow Suppression Field," the hunter replied. "You'll find your tricks limited."
Goro swore. "That's cheating."
The hunters advanced.
Steel clashed as Goro met the first attacker, sparks flying. Hiroto tried to summon his shadow-blade.
Nothing.
Panic flared.
No. Focus.
He remembered Tsukiyo's lessons. Shadow was not just a weapon.
It was presence.
He stomped the ground.
The shadows did not rise but they thickened.
The air grew heavy.
The hunters slowed.
"What….?" one muttered.
Hiroto exhaled slowly.
Even suppressed, the shadow responded subtly.
A blade swung toward him.
Hiroto dodged, barely, feeling the wind of it pass his cheek. He grabbed a fallen stone and hurled it.
The stone's shadow stretched unnaturally
And struck first.
The hunter stumbled, thrown off balance.
Goro seized the opening, cutting him down.
"Nice trick!" Goro shouted.
Hiroto's heart pounded. "It's not enough!"
The lead hunter snarled. "End this."
He turned toward the wall, the seal.
"Wait!" Hiroto shouted.
Too late.
The hunter drove his spear into the circular indentation.
The chamber screamed.
Light and darkness exploded outward, throwing everyone back.
Hiroto hit the ground hard, ears ringing.
The seal cracked.
A fissure spread across the wall, leaking shadow like smoke.
"No," Hiroto whispered.
The shadows roared awake.
The hunters froze, suddenly afraid.
Goro dragged Hiroto to his feet. "Kid. Whatever that is, we don't want it fully open."
Hiroto stared at the裂ing seal, heart racing.
He felt it.
Calling him.
Yui cried out. "Brother!"
The fissure widened.
Something ancient stirred beyond it.
And it knew his name.