They didn't announce it.
They never do.
By the time I felt the shift in the city's fear flow, it was already too late.
Whispers spread not through mouths, but through circuits. Through Spirit Warriors' instincts. Through the old fear channels buried beneath the streets.
A layered circuit had resurfaced.
I sat inside the containment chamber, hands resting on my knees, focusing on keeping both layers stable. The second circuit felt alien quieter, deeper, like a shadow beneath my heartbeat.
Kael stood at the doorway, tense.
"They know," he said.
"Who?" I asked, though I already suspected the answer.
"The upper circles," he replied. "The ones who buried the Spirit Kings."
My chest tightened. "How long do we have?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
"Minutes," he said finally.
The chamber lights flickered.
Fear pressure spiked not chaotic, but synchronized.
A coordinated approach.
"They're not here to test me, are they?" I asked.
"No," Kael said grimly. "They're here to erase you."
The stone walls trembled as seals activated throughout the underground complex. I felt multiple presences descending each one heavy with refined fear, controlled to perfection.
Veterans.
I rose to my feet.
"If they think layered circuits are extinct," I said slowly, "then maybe I shouldn't exist either."
Kael grabbed my arm. "Listen to me. If you fully activate both layers, you'll destabilize the city."
I met his gaze. "If I don't, I won't survive."
Silence stretched between us.
Kael released me.
"Then don't fight," he said. "Run."
A new presence cut through the fear field cold, absolute.
A voice echoed through the chamber.
"Subject identified. Layered circuit confirmed."
The seals shattered.
Figures stepped through the broken doors, their circuits radiating authority.
"Designation," the voice continued. "Spirit King Candidate."
My breath caught.
Candidate?
Lumo flared brightly at my side.
I clenched my fists as both circuits hummed in uneasy harmony.
So this was it.
Not a rebirth.
A resurrection they never wanted.