Chapter 3

In the final clash atop the highest peak, Sylas faced the chief deity, Lyra, her silver hair billowing like storm clouds. "Why?" she asked. "Why forsake us?"

His answer echoed through eternity: "Because we are more than supplicants. We are creators, dreamers, and survivors."

The gods retreated, their temples crumbling. The Apostates rebuilt Veridora, tending to their own needs. They taught their children to honor both earth and sky, to seek wisdom in scrolls and stars. And so, the city flourished a new testament to mortal resilience.

And in quiet moments, when rain tapped on rooftops, the Apostates whispered, "Perhaps the gods were never absent. Perhaps they reside within us—the spark of rebellion, the flame of defiance."