The chamber did not erupt into chaos.
That, more than anything, terrified Tsukimi.
The generals stood frozen, their instincts screaming for battle while their minds failed to catch up with the truth Celine had dropped like a blade between them.
Your father.
The words echoed in Tsukimi's skull, each repetition heavier than the last.
"That's impossible," he said at last, his voice low and strained. "My father died protecting the realm. Everyone knows that."
Celine watched him closely, her scarlet eyes unblinking. "Everyone knows the story," she replied. "Not the truth."
Sora slowly lowered her stance but didn't step away from Tsukimi. Her hand hovered near her weapon, ready to move at the slightest wrong signal. "Then tell us the truth," she said. "All of it."
Celine exhaled, and the air around her rippled faintly with crimson energy. "Your father was a brilliant man. A hero to the world. But heroes are still human—and humans fear what they cannot control."
Shina's brows knitted together. "You're saying he feared you?"
Celine's lips curved into a bitter smile. "Not me. What I carried."
She raised her hand, and the faint outline of an ancient sigil glimmered above her palm—the same pattern burned into Tsukimi's wrist.
"This power was meant to seal the Z-Files permanently. Blood-bound, soul-anchored. My bloodline was chosen to guard it… and to pay the price."
Tsukimi clenched his fist, the mark flaring in response. Pain lanced through his arm, but he didn't cry out.
"So he used you," Tsukimi said quietly.
"He sacrificed us," Celine corrected. "When the ritual failed, he sealed me away instead—lied to the council, erased my name, and rewrote history."
Aracnaline finally moved, stepping forward with visible restraint. "If what you're saying is true," he said slowly, "then the seal is unstable."
Celine's gaze snapped to him. "It has been for years."
The ground trembled beneath their feet, subtle but unmistakable. Cracks crept along the stone floor, glowing faintly red.
Shina cursed under her breath. "The Z-Files are reacting."
Tsukimi looked around, realization hitting him like a blow. "Because of the pact."
Celine nodded. "Because you are now the anchor."
Sora turned sharply toward Tsukimi. "You didn't choose this," she said fiercely. "Whatever happens next, remember that."
Tsukimi swallowed. Fear curled in his chest—not for himself, but for everyone standing here. "If I'm the anchor… then what happens if I break it?"
Celine's expression softened for the first time, just slightly. "Then the seal collapses."
Silence.
"And if I don't?" Tsukimi asked.
"Then the Z-Files will awaken," Celine said. "Slowly. Painfully. Until something far worse than me escapes."
A distant roar rolled through the depths of the chamber, ancient and hungry.
Sora's grip tightened. "We don't have time."
Tsukimi straightened, the weight of command settling over him despite the storm inside his head. "Then we move," he said. "We secure the outer seals and buy time."
Shina hesitated. "And her?"
All eyes turned to Celine.
She met Tsukimi's gaze steadily. "You don't trust me," she said. "You shouldn't."
Tsukimi nodded once. "But I don't have a choice."
He extended his marked hand. The sigil flared between them, binding light and shadow.
"For now," he said, "we're allies."
Celine took his hand.
The chamber shuddered violently as the pact responded—fully awake now.
Somewhere deep beneath the world, something ancient stirred.
And smiled.