The air around Serian shimmered.
His body hovered between life and something more.
Kira stepped back as the sigil on the coffin exploded with golden light.
And then—
He opened his eyes.
They were no longer the eyes of a boy.
One burned gold.
The other—violet.
> "Serian?" Kira whispered.
> "No," he said, his voice layered. "And yes. I am… what remains of Azel."
---
The Soul Reforged
He didn't scream when the memories flooded him.
He endured every fragment of pain, of joy, of betrayal.
He remembered being a god-slayer.
He remembered dying as a hero.
He remembered choosing war… and regretting it.
Azel's soul had been born with the power to bring balance or end it.
Now, as Serian, he had the choice to make again.
> "But this time… I'll decide the ending myself."
---
The Demon Lord Arrives
Storms parted as the Demon Lord stepped into the Sanctuary.
Clerics fled. Guards knelt—or died.
He stood at the gate, sword in hand, staring into the ancient cathedral where Serian now stood reborn.
But something inside him stopped him.
A memory. A feeling.
He whispered again:
> "Azel."
And suddenly—his sword dropped.
He clutched his chest.
And a single tear slipped down his cheek.
> "Why do I… want to protect him?"
---
The Third's Revelation
Far from the Sanctuary, the Third Clone stood before a camp of orphans she had rescued in secret.
Children no one wanted.
She had trained them. Fed them. Given them names.
> "You don't have to fight," she told them.
> "But we will!" a child shouted. "You're our goddess!"
She smiled softly, kneeling down to pat his head.
> "No. I'm not a goddess."
She stood and looked toward the mountains, toward the Sanctuary where her fractured soul awaited.
> "I'm just a girl who wants to meet herself."
---
The Three Paths Collide
As lightning cracked and night fell, three souls moved toward a single point.
Serian, now Azel-Reborn, holding memories too heavy for one lifetime.
The Demon Lord, torn between rage and a longing for something he couldn't name.
The Third, walking the path of her own will for the first time.
They would not meet as enemies.
Nor as allies.
But as shattered pieces of a forgotten god.
And when they finally stood in the same place—
The world would choose.
Whether to rise…
Or fall.
---