The echo of the giant's roar still rang in Jason's ears as the eerie silence that followed settled like fog around the companions. The Hollow Sea churned behind them, unsettled, as if disturbed by more than the awakening of a single titan. Jason stood at the edge of the broken black shore, staring at the water that no longer shimmered with starlight. Now, it was dark—inky, ancient, watching.
"Did it go back beneath?" Mara asked in a hushed tone, her eyes never leaving the surface.
"No," Elias murmured. His hand gripped his walking staff tightly. "It's still there. Just… waiting."
They had narrowly escaped the destruction caused by the stirring of the Sea Giant, but the air was heavier now—thicker with something unseen.
Jason couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed inside him. Since touching the Runeblade to the third Anchor hidden beneath the Hollow Sea's ruins, something ancient had cracked open in his bloodline. He had seen flashes again—his father's face, younger, more defiant… and a woman with silver eyes who called him by another name.
"Jason," whispered a voice, not from behind or around—but inside.
He staggered, clutching his temples.
"Jason, are you alright?" Evelyn asked, hurrying toward him.
He waved her off weakly. "I'm fine… it's just…" He hesitated, but the others were watching. "I saw something again. Someone. It's getting stronger."
"You're not alone," said the Housekeeper Spirit. She floated slightly above the ground, her faint glow flickering like a candle in wind. "The Anchors do not just awaken the world—they awaken the echoes of those tied to it."
Elias turned toward the group, face grim. "We must move quickly. This place was never meant to hold the Giant forever. Now that it's stirred, the Veil will thin here. Others will come."
"Others?" Mara echoed.
Elias nodded. "Seekers. Shadows. Even Watchers who have turned."
A heavy silence settled again before Jason spoke. "Where do we go next?"
The old man's gaze drifted west, toward a jagged mountain range that rose like the spine of the world in the distance. "To the Stormridge Peaks. The fourth Anchor lies hidden in the Temple of Lost Winds."
---
The Journey to Stormridge
The days that followed were a blur of desolate landscapes, twisted forests, and skies that wept black rain. Each step brought more unease. Whispers traveled with the wind. Sometimes, they said Jason's name. Other times, they laughed.
At night, Jason's dreams grew darker. He saw his father again—chained to a wall of obsidian, eyes burning with fury and fear. A voice—low and cold—spoke to him in a language he didn't understand, yet his blood responded as if it did.
When he awoke one night in a cold sweat, Evelyn was already sitting beside him.
"You dream of him again," she said softly.
Jason nodded. "He's somewhere… trapped. But there's something else. A presence. Watching him. Controlling things."
"Do you think he's still alive?" she asked.
Jason's jaw tightened. "I have to believe he is."
---
The Temple of Lost Winds
It took them six days to reach the edges of the Stormridge Peaks. The mountains loomed above them like frozen titans. As they climbed higher, the winds grew wild—howling with voices that weren't entirely natural.
"Do you hear it?" Mara whispered as they entered the mountain pass. "It's singing."
The Temple of Lost Winds was built into the side of the highest peak. Its gates were carved from bone-colored stone, etched with glyphs that shifted when stared at too long.
"Only those marked by the Gate may pass," Elias said. "Jason—you must go alone."
"What?" Evelyn stepped forward. "That's madness."
But Jason already knew. The glyphs were pulsing. They wanted him.
He stepped forward. As he touched the gate, it dissolved into a swirl of air and memory, and the world around him blurred.
---
Inside the Temple
Jason awoke inside a vast chamber. The walls were lined with mirrors—not glass, but something older. When he peered into them, he didn't see his reflection. He saw versions of himself. One dressed in royal armor. One in rags and chains. One with eyes of fire.
They all stared back at him.
"Who am I really?" he asked aloud.
The chamber whispered, You are the blood that binds the Gates.
Suddenly, one mirror cracked—and a figure stepped out.
It was a boy. Jason's age. Identical face, but his eyes were cold and ancient.
"Who are you?" Jason asked, heart racing.
The figure tilted its head. "I am what you would become… if you fail."
Then the walls shattered.
---
The Fourth Anchor
Jason was flung into another chamber—at its center stood a floating crystal, shaped like a spinning key, humming with wind and memory.
The fourth Anchor.
As Jason approached, the other version of him appeared again.
"You are not ready," it growled.
"I don't care," Jason said, raising the Runeblade. "I'll never let our world fall."
Their blades clashed—steel against will, memory against destiny.
Jason fought with everything he had, the Anchor's winds howling around him, tearing at his mind and body. But something deep within him awoke again. Not just power—but purpose.
He plunged the Runeblade into the Anchor.
---
The Winds Fall Silent
When Jason awoke, he was outside the temple. The winds had stilled.
The others rushed to him.
"You did it," Mara said.
Jason sat up slowly. "No. We did. But it's not over."
He looked toward the southern sky.
"There's something waiting at the fifth Anchor. Something worse than giants, worse than shadows. I saw it in the mirrors."
Elias nodded solemnly. "The fifth is hidden in the Labyrinth of Sorrow. And beyond that… the truth about your father—and the one who waits at the final gate."
Jason tightened his grip on the blade.
"I'm ready."