Chapter 120: The Bell of Heaven

The moment Rin crossed through the strange path, everything disappeared.

The darkness. The enormous creature. The countless forgotten souls beneath the world.

Even Kaelith’s hand vanished from his. For one terrifying second, Rin was completely alone.

Then—

BANG!

He hit the ground. Rin gasped and rolled onto his side.

"Rin!"

Kaelith landed nearby. He immediately pushed himself up and looked around.

"Are you hurt?"

Rin shook his head.

"No."

Kaelith reached for him anyway, checking his arms and shoulders before finally letting him go.

Rin looked around. They were back in the underground chamber.

But something had changed. The thirteen doors were gone.

The ancient symbols had disappeared.

The walls were covered in cracks.

And the group—

Lucien, Kaan, Sol, and the other Divine Knights—

were standing several meters away.

Sol was the first to notice them.

"Rin!"

A gust of wind rushed toward him. Rin barely had time to react before Sol’s invisible presence stopped directly in front of him.

"You disappeared!"

"I know."

"We couldn’t reach you!"

"I know."

"You scared me!"

Rin blinked.

"You’re invisible."

"So?"

Rin almost laughed.

"Nothing, I’m fine."

Lucien approached next. His expression was serious.

"What happened?"

Rin looked toward Kaelith. Then toward the place where the thirteenth door had been.

"We found something."

Kaan immediately stepped forward.

"What?"

Rin hesitated.

"A place beneath the castle."

Lucien frowned.

"Beneath the castle?"

"Not exactly."

Rin tried to explain.

"There was something underneath everything."

Sol became unusually quiet.

"What did you see?"

Rin looked at him.

"A place where erased things go."

Nobody spoke.

Kaan’s face slowly changed.

"Erased things?"

"Names. Memories. Souls..."

Rin stopped.

"And things the world doesn’t want to remember."

Kaan looked toward the broken walls.

"Did you find out why we are still children?"

Rin shook his head.

"No."

Kaan’s shoulders lowered. Rin immediately continued.

"But I think we’re getting closer."

Before anyone could respond—

BOOOOM.

The entire chamber shook. Dust fell from above. Sol immediately turned toward the ceiling.

"That wasn’t underground."

Lucien’s expression hardened.

"Then what was it?"

Another explosion. This time, the entire city trembled. Rin looked up.

Then he heard it. A sound so distant that it almost felt like an echo.

Dong.

A bell. Everyone froze.

Dong.

Another. Kaan’s face went pale.

"No..."

Lucien looked at him.

"What is it?"

Kaan didn’t answer. The bell rang again.

Dong.

Sol’s voice became quiet.

"That isn’t a normal bell."

Rin looked at him.

"What is it?"

Sol hesitated.

"The Bell of Heaven."

Silence. Kaelith’s expression immediately changed.

"Impossible."

Rin looked at him.

"What?"

Kaelith stared upward.

"Heaven doesn’t ring that bell anymore."

"Why?"

"Because it only rings when something has crossed the boundary between worlds."

Rin’s heart tightened.

"And something crossed?"

Kaelith nodded.

"Something powerful."

Another bell.

Dong.

The walls cracked. Kaan suddenly dropped to his knees. Rin rushed toward him.

"Kaan!"

Kaan grabbed his head.

"Stop..."

"What happened?"

"I can hear them."

"Who?"

Kaan looked toward the ceiling.

"The gods."

Rin froze. Kaan’s voice trembled.

"They’re calling us."

Lucien’s expression darkened.

"Calling us?"

Kaan nodded.

"I can hear them."

"What are they saying?"

Kaan slowly looked at Rin. His eyes were filled with fear.

"They’re asking where Aelion is."

Rin went completely still. Kaelith’s magic erupted instantly.

"Everyone move."

Lucien didn’t question him.

"Where?"

"Out."

"Why?"

"Because they’re coming."

The ceiling suddenly shattered. A massive beam of white light pierced through the ruins. Everyone shielded their eyes.

Rin looked upward. Figures were descending through the light.

Not soldiers. Not Divine Knights. Something far more terrifying. Gods.

Rin couldn’t see their faces clearly. Their presence alone was enough to make the air heavy.

Kaan trembled.

"They found us."

Kaelith stepped in front of Rin. The first figure touched the ground. A voice echoed through the chamber.

"Where is Aelion?"

Rin’s heart pounded. Nobody answered. The god looked around. Then his eyes stopped on Rin.

"There."

Kaelith’s magic immediately exploded.

"Don’t."

The god looked at him.

"Kaelith."

The way he said the name sounded almost like an insult. Kaelith’s expression darkened.

"You still remember me."

"We remember everything."

Kaelith took one step forward.

"Then you should remember what happened the last time you tried to take him."

The god’s expression remained emotionless.

"You misunderstand."

"No."

Kaelith’s voice became colder.

"I understand perfectly."

The god looked past him. Toward Rin.

"You have returned."

Rin’s fingers tightened.

"I don’t know you."

The god smiled.

"You don’t need to."

Rin frowned.

"Then why are you here?"

The god’s expression changed.

"Because you have begun remembering."

Silence.

"And that cannot continue."

Kaelith’s magic surged.

"Try to stop him."

The god looked at Kaelith.

"You still think you can protect him?"

Kaelith smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile.

"I know I can."

The god raised one hand. The entire chamber filled with divine energy.

Sol immediately summoned a powerful wind barrier. Lucien pulled Kaan and the others behind him.

Rin stood beside Kaelith.

"Don’t."

Kaelith looked at him.

"Don’t what?"

"Fight all of them alone."

"I wasn’t planning to."

Rin blinked. Kaelith looked toward the others. Then back at Rin.

"We fight together."

Sol laughed.

"Finally."

Lucien smiled.

"I was wondering when you’d say it."

Kaan slowly stood. The other Divine Knights gathered around him. For the first time, they weren’t prisoners.

They weren’t experiments. They weren’t hiding. They stood together.

Rin looked at them. Then at the gods. Something inside him shifted.

A memory. Just a fragment. A white hall. Thirteen people standing together and someone beside him.

Someone whose face he couldn’t see. A hand holding his.

A voice whispering:

Whatever happens, don’t let them decide who you love.

Rin’s eyes widened. The memory disappeared. Kaelith immediately noticed.

"Rin?"

Rin looked at him.

"I remembered something."

"What?"

Rin’s voice was barely audible.

"They didn’t decide who I loved."

Kaelith stared. Rin looked toward the gods.

"They tried."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"But they failed."

The god’s expression changed.

For the first time—

he looked afraid.

Then the Bell of Heaven rang again.

DONG.

The entire sky above the ruined city turned white and a voice echoed across the world.

"AELION HAS AWAKENED. THE GOD OF LOVE IS BACK! KILL HIM!"

Rin looked upward.

Kaelith moved closer. The gods began descending and somewhere beyond the boundaries of the world—

something else opened its eyes.

Something that had been waiting for the bell. Something that remembered exactly what happened the first time Aelion chose Kaelith.