The ground lay in shattered ruins beneath Kael's feet as the echoes of his battle with Zorthar and Thanar slowly faded into silence. His heart still raced with the aftermath of the fight, the surge of divine energy flowing through him, awakening abilities that were beyond comprehension. The essence of gods now pulsed within him, an intoxicating force that made his body hum with power, and his mind buzzed with possibilities.
Kael stood amidst the wreckage, feeling the weight of his victory settle on him. The gods had come. They had challenged him. And now, they were nothing more than echoes of their former selves, absorbed into the core of his being. He felt their power reverberating through him—an overwhelming tide of energy that filled every fiber of his being.
He reached down and touched the ground, the Riftblade still crackling with residual power in his hand. The storm clouds above had begun to dissipate, but the remnants of Thanar's wrath still lingered in the air. Zorthar's distortion of time, though weakened, was still faintly detectable in the swirling winds.
The world had changed. Kael could feel it in his bones. The shift was undeniable. The gods had come for him, but they had failed. And now, with their power coursing through him, he had ascended to a level that no mortal had ever reached. Yet, in the stillness of his victory, a sharp, unsettling thought pierced his mind: What now?
He had defeated the gods of Time and Storm. But he knew this was only the beginning. As if on cue, the air around him thickened, and a deep, resonant hum filled the silence. His senses heightened, and he could feel the pulse of divine power—distant but growing ever closer. It was inevitable. Others would come. The gods would not let his ascent go unchallenged.
The weight of what he had just done pressed heavily on his chest. Kael had absorbed the divine power of two gods, but that power had not come without a cost. There would be others. Stronger ones. And with each divine essence he claimed, he would grow more dangerous—more of a threat to the very existence of the realms.
The gods could not allow a mortal to ascend to their level, let alone challenge their reign. They would unite against him, rallying their forces to quash his growing strength. They would see him as a threat that needed to be erased.
A deep voice rumbled through the air, so powerful it seemed to shake the very heavens.
"You dare take the power of gods for yourself, Kael, the Gatekeeper?" The voice was familiar, and yet, there was something new in it—an ancient, knowing tone that spoke of aeons of existence. "You have destroyed two of us, but there are others... far more powerful. The consequences for your actions will be catastrophic."
Kael's eyes narrowed as he turned his head towards the source of the voice. A figure emerged from the swirling clouds—a god, older and more terrifying than anything Kael had yet faced. This being was an embodiment of primordial forces, an entity forged from the very fabric of creation itself.
"Who are you?" Kael demanded, his Riftblade rising instinctively to meet the challenge. The essence of Zorthar and Thanar still resonated within him, the power both intoxicating and dangerous.
The god did not answer immediately. Instead, it raised one hand, and the very air around Kael seemed to tremble. Time itself seemed to shift, and reality buckled as the god manipulated the threads of existence, warping space in ways Kael could not comprehend.
"I am Aetheron," the god finally spoke, his voice like a hundred storms colliding. "I am the Keeper of Creation, the Nexus of all things. I am the one who holds together the cosmic forces you so recklessly seek to unravel."
Aetheron's form shifted and flickered, his being woven from the energy of the universe itself. His presence was overwhelming, a force that Kael could feel pushing against him from all sides. This was no mere god—this was the very foundation of existence, a being whose power surpassed even Kael's new understanding of divine might.
"You have taken the power of Time and Storm," Aetheron continued, "but you are too weak to understand the consequences of such an act. Do you think you can simply absorb the essence of gods and rise unchallenged?"
Kael's heart raced, but his determination did not falter. He had come this far, and he was not about to stop now. His newfound powers surged within him, and he called upon the essence of Zorthar and Thanar to fuel his resolve.
"I'm not afraid of you," Kael said, his voice steady, though the weight of the god's presence bore down on him like a mountain. "I've already taken what you fear most—the power of gods themselves. I've ascended, and I will not be denied."
Aetheron's eyes, like two swirling black holes, narrowed with interest. "You do not know the depths of your hubris, Kael. You think you can simply absorb power and become the ruler of all? You cannot even begin to fathom the balance you are disturbing. The power you wield now will consume you, just as it has consumed all who sought it before you."
With a flick of his wrist, Aetheron's energy exploded outward, a pulse of cosmic force that shattered the ground beneath Kael. The Riftblade vibrated with the force of the strike, but Kael held firm, his feet digging into the earth as he gripped his weapon with renewed strength.
"You're wrong," Kael growled. "I will not be consumed. I will be the one to reshape the world. The gods will not rule over me any longer."
Aetheron's lips curled into a smile that could shatter worlds. "We shall see, Gatekeeper. You have claimed the power of gods, but now you will learn the true cost of defying them. You will be tested, Kael. Your power will be your curse."
With that, Aetheron raised both hands, and the very fabric of reality began to tear. Kael's senses screamed in warning as the world around him began to twist and collapse. This was no ordinary battle—this was a reckoning.
Kael could feel the divine power surge within him, the combined might of Zorthar and Thanar fighting to keep him standing as Aetheron's energy tore through his defenses.
But Kael was no longer the same man he had once been. He had crossed a line, and now, he would fight not just for survival, but for his very existence. The gods had made a grave mistake by underestimating him. And now, they would see the true extent of his power.
The battle for the future of the realms had begun. And Kael was ready
END OF CHAPTER 15