Ren's breathing was uneven.
His fists were clenched. His chest felt tight, like something was pressing down from the inside.
The old man stopped walking.
He didn't turn around.
"Calm down," he said quietly. "Let the fear be."
Ren let out a sharp laugh. "Easy for you to say."
"I know," the old man replied. "That's why I'm saying it."
He turned slowly and sat down on a flat stone, resting his hands on his knees.
"You want answers," he continued. "But answers don't come to people who are drowning."
Ren hesitated.
Then, slowly, he sat too.
The cave was silent except for dripping water somewhere far away.
"Listen," the old man said. "And don't interrupt."
Ren didn't speak.
⸻
"Before humans named the sky, before land had borders, Earth was not ruled," the old man began. "It was guarded."
Ren frowned slightly.
"Five Gods," the old man said. "Not creators in the way stories tell it. They were keepers."
He lifted one finger.
"Earth was built with five foundations. Five gates. Each gate sealed something that did not belong to this world."
Ren felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"Those Gods didn't just watch the gates," the old man continued. "They were the gates. Living keystones. Their existence held the seals together."
The two figures behind him remained still.
"Beneath the world," the old man said, "there is a place humans mistake for hell. But it isn't fire and punishment."
He paused.
"It's a paradise for monsters."
Ren swallowed. "What is it called?"
The old man's eyes darkened.
"Eidolon Deep," he said. "A place where souls are eaten, broken, and reshaped. The Soul Eaters live there. They don't die. They evolve."
Ren's arms burned faintly.
"One of them grew too strong," the old man went on. "Too aware. It learned to hunger not just for souls—but for Gods."
The cave felt colder.
"It struck while the Five were sealing a surge from Eidolon Deep. It cracked one gate. Just a crack."
He tapped the stone beneath him lightly.
"That was enough."
Ren leaned forward without realizing it.
"The Gods fought," the old man said. "They sealed what they could. But they were wounded. Drained. One by one, they fell."
Ren's voice came out hoarse. "All five?"
The old man nodded.
"At the final moment," he said, "they made a decision."
He looked directly at Ren now.
"They did not transfer their consciousness. Not their minds. Not their identities."
Ren's flame marks pulsed.
"They transferred half of their power," the old man said. "Their Will."