The knock wasn't loud. It wasn't the kind of earth-shaking impact Hikaru had expected from something sealed away beneath a forgotten dungeon for centuries.
It was soft. Rhythmic.
Like a patient visitor waiting to be let in.
Budi took a step back, shaking his head. "Nope. I'm out. You two have fun with whatever that is."
Selene exhaled sharply. "This isn't possible. The door should be—"
The sigils flickered again.
Cracks spread wider across the ancient carvings, tiny fissures spiderwebbing over the stone. Whatever was behind that door wasn't just trapped.
It was leaving.
Hikaru flicked a card into his palm, spinning it between his fingers. "Alright. We should probably come up with a plan."
Budi gave him a look. "How about don't open the creepy death door?"
The knocking stopped.
For a long moment, the chamber was silent.
Then—
A whisper.
Not from the door.
From inside their own heads.
"You are not the ones I was waiting for."
Hikaru's blood went cold.
Budi's mask darkened slightly. "Oh, great. Telepathic horror monster. That's new."
Selene's expression was unreadable, but her injured hand trembled slightly. "It's aware of us."
Hikaru exhaled. "Yeah, I got that part."
Then, for the first time, something from behind the door moved.
Not violently. Not like it was trying to break free.
It pressed against the stone.
The air twisted around the door's edges, distorting reality itself. Hikaru's vision split, like he was seeing two versions of the world at once.
One where the door was still sealed.
And one where it had never existed at all.
Budi stepped forward, his stance shifting. "You two are feeling that, right?"
Hikaru nodded slowly. "Yeah. And I don't like it."
Selene clenched her jaw. "This isn't just a seal. It's a barrier against something that shouldn't be in this world."
The whisper returned.
"Then why do you stand in my way?"
Hikaru flipped his card into the air.
[Skill Activated: ♠10 – Phantom Shuffle]
For a split second, the entire room flickered. Hikaru swapped places with an illusion of himself, shifting just enough to feel the pressure in the air change.
But the door remained closed.
The thing behind it hadn't tried to break free.
It was waiting.
Budi exhaled. "Alright. So… what's the play?"
Hikaru adjusted his glasses. "That depends."
Selene hesitated. "On what?"
Hikaru smirked.
"On whether we open the door or not."
Budi turned his head slowly. "I am going to punch you."
Selene's voice was firm. "We don't open it."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "What if it's not an enemy?"
The whisper returned instantly.
"I am neither enemy nor ally."
Hikaru blinked. "Well, that's ominous."
The thing behind the door shifted again. This time, a small ripple of energy seeped through the cracks. Not magic, not anything they could recognize.
It was pure void.
Selene's silver eyes flashed. "Hikaru, step back!"
Before he could react—
The cracks spread faster.
The door began to open.
A single inch.
And through that tiny gap, something looked back at them.
Not a face. Not eyes.
Just awareness.
A presence that had been here long before humans.
Then—
A loud, shuddering impact from above.
The entire chamber trembled.
Hikaru barely had time to react before a second shockwave slammed through the walls—
And a voice roared from above.
"SEAL IT."
The command was absolute.
The door slammed shut instantly.
The entire world snapped back into place.
And then—
The ceiling collapsed.
Hikaru hit the ground hard, rolling through a cloud of dust as massive chunks of stone crashed down around them. He coughed, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Well, that was dramatic."
Budi groaned nearby. "Shut up."
Selene barely caught herself before she staggered forward, gripping her injured wrist. Her silver eyes flickered, scanning the destruction.
And then—
Hikaru saw him.
The figure standing in the wreckage.
The one who had sealed the door.
A man in ornate silver armor, a deep crimson cape billowing behind him, his greatsword still glowing with the remnants of a sealing spell. His expression was unreadable, his steel-gray eyes piercing.
A knight of the kingdom.
No—
Not just any knight.
Hikaru recognized him instantly.
Sir Aldric Vaelmont.
The strongest warrior in the kingdom.
Hikaru exhaled slowly, dusting himself off. "Well, well. If it isn't the kingdom's golden boy."
Aldric's gaze settled on him.
Then, after a long silence—
"You shouldn't be here."
Hikaru smirked. "You're not the first person to say that."
Aldric took a step forward. The pressure in the air changed instantly.
The knights weren't like the Magisterium.
They didn't use magic.
They were forged in it.
Aldric's voice was calm. Too calm.
"What were you about to release?"
Hikaru flicked a card between his fingers. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Budi muttered under his breath. "Hikaru, do not start this fight."
Aldric's grip on his sword tightened.
Selene exhaled sharply. "We didn't release anything."
Aldric's eyes flickered to her.
"I know who you are," he said.
Selene stilled.
Budi leaned toward Hikaru. "Okay, this just got worse."
Hikaru smirked. "Or it just got interesting."
Aldric exhaled. "You're all coming with me."
Hikaru's grin widened. "Tempting. But we already have other plans."
Aldric raised his blade. "That wasn't a request."
Hikaru sighed dramatically.
Then—
He flicked a card.
[Skill Activated: ♣8 – Smoke and Mirrors]
Instantly, the chamber exploded into mist.
Aldric didn't hesitate. He swung his sword once—
And the smoke was cleaved apart.
But Hikaru was already moving.
Budi grabbed Selene, shifting his stance. "Go!"
They darted past the wreckage, slipping into the deeper tunnels.
Aldric didn't chase.
Not immediately.
He simply watched.
Then, after a long silence—
He sheathed his sword.
"They're getting too close."
His voice was quiet, measured.
Then—
Without another word, he turned and walked back into the ruins.
The game wasn't over.
Not yet.