Darkness. Then light. Then silence.
Kael floated in a space that was neither sky nor earth. A dreamscape, born of memory and core. Ethereal clouds drifted through a vast field of obsidian, stretching endlessly in all directions. Lightning cracked in the void above silent flashes, like memories trying to resurface.
Across from him stood a man.
White hair falling like silk across his shoulders. Bare chest, carved from old wars . No words passed between them. None were needed.
Kael stepped forward, only to meet a strike so fast he barely registered it. His ribs cracked, and he was flung backward, sliding across nothing.
He staggered to his feet, stunned.
The man stood calmly, feet rooted like mountains. Then, he spoke a single word:
"Weak."
And lunged.
Their battle was elemental in its violence ,fluid, raw, ancient. The emperor dragon Kael moved with impossible precision, each strike calculated to kill or cripple. Present Kael responded with instinct and desperation, fire trailing his fists, the taste of blood thick on his tongue.
He spun into a wide hook.
"Too wide," came the low critique, and the next moment, Kael felt the world spin as a palm strike shattered his collarbone.
He coughed, stumbled, roared with pain, and returned with fury.
But his every move was anticipated. His old self was a weapon forged to its perfect edge, and now that same edge was carving him apart.
"Emotion before movement"
A kick to the gut.
"Hesitation in your breath"
A punch to the throat.
"Your strikes lacks weight."
Kael gasped, falling, darkness blooming in his vision.
Still, he got up.
And they met again.
Clash after clash, injuries mounted. Yet beneath every blow was understanding. Beneath every injury, preparation.
And in that space of pain and precision, Kael kept learning.
But he couldn't help but wonder what will come first... enlightenment or death!
---
Above the crust of reality, where no gravity dared to exist, two figures stood suspended between moments.
The first: tall, hair white as clouds after a storm, silver eyes glowing like captured starlight. His features held symmetry too perfect for any mortal. Robes shimmered in shades of fading dusk, windless and heavy with presence.
The second: a thing not yet formed, a living shadow spilling like spilled ink across the firmament. Its form was ever-shifting, but one could sense a vast eye watching from within.
"You've come far," the white-haired man said, voice tranquil like a still lake. "Though I expected you would wait another cycle."
The Keeper of Order did not respond with words, but the shadow thickened, pressing forward like an incoming tide.
"A silent entrance then? You always were dramatic."
At last, the shadow formed a mouth. "And you always were a barrier. But the time has come. You cannot deny the crack."
"I do not deny it," the man replied, eyes gleaming faintly. "But I can delay it. And delay is still power, in this realm."
Their auras collided gently, like two rivers meeting. No explosion. No storm. But the stars dimmed in fear.
"Will you fight me?"
"Not yet," the white-haired man said. "He must meet me first. Then you."
A pause. Then a nod from both.
The moment passed, but the threat remained. And so did the agreement, sealed in silence.
---
Rain poured like knives across the temple city. Lightning danced along the marble domes of the Tower .
Inside, Rika moved fast, robes soaked, sandals slapping the wet floor as she burst into the high chamber. Scribes stared, startled by the usually composed Demigod of Sight.
She brushed past them.
In the round chamber, the others waited Stone, Wind, Water, and Flame....
"There's no time for procedure," Rika began, voice sharp with urgency. "Kael is merging with the core. But it's not just an awakening anymore."
Stone folded his arms. "You said that before."
"No. This is different. His essence is cracking reality's veil. If he succeeds, even the Keeper may stir."
That silenced the room.
Wind leaned forward, voice quieter. "You felt the pressure?"
"I saw it," Rika answered. "The thread of fate is bending. And if we wait, it'll snap."
They exchanged glances. Water, ever calm, raised a hand. "Then we move."
One by one, they agreed.
But one person chose other wise. Demi god of stone gave him one deep look before looking away and they proceeded.
Orders were given.
They would go. And they would interrupt.
---
The winds had shifted.
Elara's breath came faster as she felt the tremors in the air—not from Kael beneath, but from above. She stepped away from the basalt arch, body tense, hand already at her side as her eyes searched the skyline.
And then they came.
Six pillars of divine might, descending through the smoke and shadow like executioners cloaked in light and silence.
They landed in a half-circle before her. Demigods. All of them. Power dripped from their eyes, and their expressions bore the weight of certainty.
Elara's heart pounded. Her throat was dry.
'No!!… not now!!.' she screamed within.
"Quite the scene," Flame said, eyes flicking to the volcanic storm overhead. "Do you plan to stand alone, girl?"
"I don't see anyone else with a spine around here," Elara answered, voice sharper than she felt.
Inside, panic gnawed at her edges. She could feel Kael's presence writhing below the crust—alive, breaking, becoming. And now they had come to stop it.
She couldn't let them.
"Look at you all," she said, stepping forward, arms wide. "Demigods. Masters of power. Scared of a man on fire."
Wind laughed softly. "We're not scared. We're...invested."
"You..." Elara turned towards wind and chuckled lightly. " He told me about you, but here you are, tell me, do you have a spine?"
"I don't have a spine if that's all it takes to stop this disaster". Wind replied almost instantly without a single shred of shame.
Elara couldn't help but grit her teeth 'if their faces are these thick then I'll be in for a real problem....what are you doing Kael???'
"You want to know if he'll burn the world before claiming it," she said, eyes flashing. "But you're too cowardly to face him when it matters."
"You're stalling," said Stone.
"Am I?" she smirked, letting her eyes flick between them, deliberately slow. "You could've already killed me. But you haven't. Afraid he'll wake angry?"
Their silence answered her more than words could.
But the truth was different,they couldn't enter the storm yet. The tribulation lightning would tear even them apart. So they stood, and waited, pretending patience was strength.
"Elara right?," Water said, softer. "Move. We don't want to hurt you."
Her body trembled slightly. Her fists clenched.
"You think this is about me?" she growled. "I don't care what you want. I care that he lives."
Wind tilted her head. "You're not as calm as you act."
Elara's breath hitched.
"No," she whispered, "I'm not. But I'll stand here anyway."
A message flared into Flame's mind.
"Earth is on his way. He'll deal with the tribulation."
The others nodded.
Then… they smiled.
And Elara, despite her words, felt fear root deeper into her chest.
But she didn't move.
She stood.
As the heavens cracked open.
---
End of first arc.....
Second arc "heaven's war" coming next. Stay tuned ....