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Chapter 5 - Chapter 5 : A Seal Within The Seal

Zeravon's fingers curled slightly as he stared at his palm — motionless, eyes narrowed.

There was no mark.

No glow. No sign of anything unusual.

But he could feel it.

Not the warmth that had pulsed in his chest before — no, this was **deeper**, heavier, and colder. Like an ocean held behind glass. A pressure that shouldn't exist within someone like him… and yet did.

> *"Is there something… underneath me?"*

His other hand rose and hovered above the first, as if trying to feel something pressing outward from within. But the sensation faded, just like the hum.

Gone.

Like it was never there.

But it was.

---

Outside, dawn hadn't yet broken, but the first silver threads of light kissed the mountain ridges beyond the Cloud Vein Pavilion.

The sect was slowly stirring.

A bell rang in the outer courtyard — soft and metallic — signaling the call to morning meditation.

The other disciples grumbled and stirred from sleep. Zeravon, however, was already standing.

He hadn't slept. He didn't need to. His body didn't ache. His breath was steady. It was as if rest was a concept he had once known, but forgotten.

As the other outer disciples filed out, some gave him wary glances. Others whispered again.

> "That's the one who broke the resonance stone."

> "Do you think he's cursed?"

> "I think he's empty. Like… he doesn't belong here."

Zeravon walked past them without a word. His presence was neither warm nor cold — but unsettling, because it **didn't belong**. And everyone could feel it.

---

### **Training Grounds – Meditation Circle**

Instructor Wei's mood was worse than usual.

"Form circles. Five-breath alignment. We begin with Qi rotation basics."

He paused as his gaze landed on Zeravon again.

"You," he said sharply. "Since you like to stand out, let's see what you're capable of. You'll perform the **Qi Rooting Pose** — alone — and hold it until I say stop."

The disciples murmured.

That technique required balancing internal Qi and body stability — extremely difficult without at least early Qi Condensation.

Zeravon merely nodded and stepped forward.

He mimicked the stance he had seen others do yesterday: feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, palms open, breathing slowed.

Wei sneered. "Hold."

A few seconds passed.

Then a minute.

Then two.

The air around Zeravon began to still.

Disciples, who had been smirking, now stared. His body didn't shake. His muscles didn't strain. His breathing remained calm — smoother than some second-year disciples.

Instructor Wei's brow furrowed.

> *"He shouldn't be able to… even stand like that."*

> *"Unless…"*

Before he could finish the thought — **a soft vibration** rippled across the courtyard floor, centered beneath Zeravon's feet.

The energy gathering wasn't spiritual Qi.

It was **raw balance**.

As if the world itself was adjusting to keep him grounded.

---

**Meanwhile – Inner Sect Tower**

Elder Lin read another scroll, his hands trembling.

The scroll spoke of ancient beings who had once walked beneath the stars, whose wills bent reality.

> *"…and among them, one sealed himself — not to protect the world, but to protect the world from himself."*

His eyes rose slowly.

> "It can't be him."

But the name in the text had been burned out. Lost to history. Replaced by a blank line.

> *"What did you do to yourself… boy?"*

---

**Elsewhere – Realm of Silent Origin**

The Silent Origin watched again.

"He doesn't know," a voice echoed beside him.

**The Watcher of Ends**, still veiled in silver mist.

> "He has forgotten the second seal," the Watcher said. "That's why he can still breathe."

> "And when he remembers it?" the Origin asked.

> "Then breath, time, space… all of it ends."

---

**Back in the sect, late evening**

Zeravon sat again beneath the cracked roof, legs folded, palms resting on his knees.

But this time, when he closed his eyes — **he saw something**.

Not a dream. Not a memory.

A vast black field.

A single golden ring hovering in space.

And **within it** — a figure curled like a sleeping god, surrounded by countless shattered seals… and one final, intact lock.

Zeravon's own voice echoed inside the vision.

> *"Don't open this. No matter what happens… not this one."*

His eyes snapped open.

His heart raced for the first time.

> *"That was… me."*

And for just a moment… the seal within the seal pulsed again.

---

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