Chapter 47: Reborn
Ethan stood in the darkness for several seconds. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He simply stared at the place where the First Son had disappeared behind the chains and shadow.
Then, right after a single blink, he was somewhere else, white light all around. With racks and racks of golden credits all around. Emperium golden credits.
"I’m...back? Where is he?"
The last words continued to repeat themselves inside his head: Rome was never the real problem. The gods are.
Ethan slowly exhaled. "Great." He rubbed his face with both hands. "Just great...where is he? Hey!!"
No answer.
Ethan looked toward the inner vault, the vault within the vault. Guarded by infinite seals that he could neither understand nor wanted to.
"Hey!" He called again.
Nothing.
He waited a few more seconds. "Brother?"
Still nothing.
Ethan frowned. "You really know how to make an exit."
Ethan looked around. "What is this?"
He turned toward the strange door. A faint golden symbol appeared across his palm, the same symbol that had appeared beneath his feet. Ethan stared at it. "A gift?"
For the first time, something happened. A voice whispered through his mind: Every son should receive something from his brother.
Then the connection vanished.
Ethan stared into the darkness. "Brother..." He didn’t know whether the word felt strange because he had never had one, or because he had just gained one who had been erased from history. Either way, something about it felt wrong.
Ethan turned around. "Marcus!"
His voice echoed across the chamber. Nothing.
He walked back to the enormous vault entrance. The gate where he came from, where the chief had tried to stop him. Then he heard it.
"Ethan!"
Marcus.
Ethan’s eyes widened. He broke into a run. The sound grew louder.
"ETHAN!"
"I’m coming!"
He reached the vault entrance and opened it. The sight before him made his expression change.
Marcus was standing. Rick stood beside him. Several others were scattered throughout the chamber.
Some were moving. Some weren’t. Amanda was lying several meters away, one arm twisted under her body. Angelina was face-down beside one of the pillars. The Chief was on the ground, motionless. Ethan couldn’t tell whether she was alive.
Marcus looked at him. "What the hell happened to you?"
Ethan glanced behind himself. "Long story."
Rick looked toward the sealed chamber. "Did you see it?"
"Yeah."
"What was inside?"
Ethan paused. "Family...I guess."
Rick stared. "What the?"
"Never mind."
Marcus stepped closer. "Oh yeah, where’s Spark?"
Ethan’s expression changed. He looked around. The little creature wasn’t on his shoulder. Not on his arm. Not hiding behind his leg. Nothing.
"Where is he?"
Rick exchanged a glance with Marcus. "He went with you, Ethan. I saw it."
Ethan froze. "No...no. He must be inside. He must still be in there."
Marcus looked toward the distant inner vault. "I don’t see him, man. Where the hell did Spark go?"
No one answered.
Ethan looked toward the opposite side of the chamber, near the ancient entrance to the First Son’s prison. Something was there. A black shape. Small. Round. Motionless.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "What is that?"
Rick raised his weapon. "I don’t know."
Ethan started walking. Step by step, he closed the distance. The closer he got, the more the thing came into view. A cocoon. It was enormous. Black veins crawled across its surface. Golden light pulsed beneath them.
Ethan stopped. "Spark?"
The cocoon moved. Once. Then again. A tiny crack appeared across its surface.
Ethan’s heart dropped. The crack spread. And from somewhere inside came a voice. Small. Weak. Familiar.
"Father..."
Ethan’s blood ran cold. "Spark?"
The voice came again. This time it wasn’t frightened. It was urgent.
"Father..."
Ethan took a step forward. "What happened to you?"
The cocoon trembled violently. Spark’s voice became almost a whisper.
"Run."
Ethan froze. "What?"
The System appeared. Not one window. Dozens. They flooded his vision.
[WARNING.]
[WARNING.]
[WARNING.]
[Ancient biological structure undergoing rapid transformation.]
[Divine beast signature detected.]
[Typhon lineage detected.]
Ethan’s eyes widened. "No."
The cocoon cracked again.
[Critical Warning.]
[New Typhon entity is approaching full birth.]
[Estimated time until emergence: 36 seconds.]
Marcus stared at Ethan. "What does it say?"
Ethan slowly looked toward him. "Run."
The System screamed again.
[34 seconds.]
The cocoon began to split.
[32 seconds.]
A deep growl rolled through the vault. Every surviving person stopped moving.
[29 seconds.]
The golden credits trembled against the floor.
[27 seconds.]
Ethan stared at the cocoon, and for the first time since receiving the 100x System, he felt genuinely helpless.
[24 seconds.]
Something enormous moved inside.
Marcus raised his weapon. "Ethan..."
Ethan didn’t answer.
[20 seconds.]
The first piece of the cocoon fell away. Black scales appeared underneath.
[18 seconds.]
Two massive horns pushed through.
[15 seconds.]
Spark screamed. "FATHER!"
[10 seconds.]
Ethan looked at the enormous creature emerging from the darkness and understood.
[3 seconds.]
The cocoon shattered. And something ancient opened its eyes.
[A Typhon has been born.]
The entire facility shook.
Ethan whispered, "Oh, shit."
The first thing Ethan noticed was the eye. It was enormous. The type of eye that made Ethan’s entire body feel insignificant. A vertical pupil slowly narrowed as it looked across the chamber.
Then the creature blinked. Ethan stared. The creature stared back. For one strange second, neither moved.
Then the System appeared.
[Ancient Divine Beast.]
[Typhon.]
[Classification: Catastrophic.]
[Threat Level: UNKNOWN.]
[Current Status: Newly Born.]
Ethan swallowed. "Newly born?"
The creature moved. The entire vault shook. Its body emerged from the shattered cocoon, and Ethan finally understood why the ancient Empire had built an entire facility around this place.
The thing was still growing. Its limbs stretched. Its spine lengthened. Black scales spread across its body like living armor. Two massive wings erupted from its back.
The ceiling cracked.
Rick stared upward. "That thing..."
Marcus grabbed Ethan’s shoulder. "We need to leave."
"I know."
"Now."
"I know!"
Another roar erupted. The sound wasn’t merely loud. It carried force. The walls cracked. The golden credits began flying through the air.
Amanda suddenly groaned from the floor. "What’s..." Her eyes opened. Then she looked upward. Her face went white. "Oh, gods."
Ethan grabbed Marcus. "Get everyone who can move."
Rick immediately understood. "Credits?"
Ethan looked toward the mountain of golden currency. He paused. Then he smiled. "Obviously."
Marcus stared at him. "You’re insane."
"You’re welcome to leave without it."
"Fine." Marcus turned toward Rick. "Get the crates."
Rick immediately began shouting orders. "Move! Move! Get the flying ship ready!"
The surviving soldiers scrambled toward the credits. Above them, the Typhon continued to grow. Its head struck the ceiling. The entire facility screamed. Stone collapsed.
The creature didn’t even notice. It simply pushed upward. The ceiling exploded. A pillar of ancient stone came crashing down.
Ethan raised his hand and lightning erupted. The stone shattered before reaching the others.
Rick stared at him. "Nice."
Ethan didn’t answer. He was looking at the creature. Something about it was familiar. The shape. The eyes. The faint golden glow beneath the black scales.
"Spark?"
The beast stopped. Its enormous head turned. The gigantic eye focused on Ethan. For a moment, Ethan saw something familiar inside it. Something small. Something stupid. Something that used to sit on his shoulder and call him Father.
The beast lowered its head. Its enormous snout stopped only a few meters from Ethan. Ethan slowly raised his hand. The creature sniffed him.
Then, "Father."
The voice was no longer small. It shook the entire chamber.
Ethan’s mouth fell open. Marcus stared at him. "You’ve got to be kidding me."
Ethan slowly lowered his hand. "Yeah." He looked at the enormous Typhon. "That’s Spark."
Marcus stared. "That’s a fucking Typhon. Like in the legends..."
"Apparently."
"You called that thing Spark?"
"It used to be smaller."
"Don’t care. I just don’t want to die here."
The Typhon suddenly turned its head. Its eye locked onto the distant walls. Ethan followed its gaze. Something moved outside. Imperial soldiers. Hundreds and thousands of them. The base had finally woken up from that sudden slumber. Weapons raised. Mage formations ignited.
A command echoed through the facility. "FIRE!"
The first barrage came. Thousands of magical projectiles tore through the air.
Ethan raised his hand. "Spark..."
The Typhon moved first. Its wings opened. The air disappeared. A storm erupted. Lightning. Fire. Black wind. The entire chamber became a maelstrom. The projectiles vanished. The soldiers disappeared beneath the storm.
Then the Typhon screamed. The sound shattered every remaining window in the facility.
Ethan stood completely still. He watched as Spark rose. Higher. Higher. Higher. Its body continued expanding until it was larger than the fortress itself. The ancient Typhon had awakened. And it was hungry.
The creature opened its jaws. A darkness appeared inside. Then it inhaled. The entire base began moving. Stone. Steel. Weapons. Vehicles. People. Everything was dragged toward the enormous mouth.
Rick grabbed Ethan. "WE’RE LEAVING!"
Ethan finally snapped out of it. "Ship!"
"It’s ready!"
Marcus and the surviving soldiers dragged the remaining crates of golden credits toward the flying vessel.
Ethan turned toward the Typhon. "Spark!"
The creature looked down. "Come!"
The Typhon tilted its head. Then its eyes narrowed. "Father."
Ethan pointed toward the sky. "We’re leaving!"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the Typhon spread its wings. The resulting wind nearly threw Ethan from his feet. He grabbed the side of the ship. "GO!"