Chapter 16: The Tribunal Stirs

Kael's pulse thundered in his ears.

The Tribunal knows you live.

Those words, spoken by the First Sovereign, rang through his mind like a war drum. He had spent every moment since his rebirth uncovering the past his past. Now, he realized the true weight of his return.

The gods who had sealed him away had never truly destroyed him. They had merely delayed him.

But now that he had awakened, they would come again.

Kael exhaled, his breath slow and measured. He locked eyes with the First Sovereign.

"If they fear my return, then they should."

The warrior gave a slight nod, his celestial markings pulsing like a dying star. "Confidence alone will not save you. They have had centuries to prepare."

Kael's hands curled into fists. "And I have had centuries to grow stronger."

A sudden shift in the air sent both men turning. The Titanborn, who had remained motionless until now, rose to its feet.

"They come," it rumbled.

A distant tremor shivered through the ruins. It was faint, but Kael could feel it not a simple earthquake, but a disturbance in the very fabric of existence.

Something was tearing through the Veil of Eternity.

The First Sovereign sighed. "Faster than I expected."

Kael turned to him. "What are they sending?"

The First Sovereign's eyes darkened. "Not gods. Not yet." He gestured toward the sky, where cracks of golden light were beginning to form. "They will test you first. They always do."

Kael watched as the cracks widened. From their depths, shadows began to emerge figures clad in armor forged from celestial fire.

Their presence was suffocating. Their mere arrival sent waves of divine energy rippling across the land. Kael recognized them immediately.

The Sentinels of the Tribunal.

They were the executioners of the gods. Their existence had only one purpose to eradicate beings who defied the divine order.

And now, they had come for him.

The leading Sentinel, clad in silver and gold, descended from the sky, landing with a force that shattered the stone beneath his feet. His helm, shaped like the beak of a predatory bird, concealed his face, but Kael could feel the righteous fury emanating from him.

"Kael of the Forsaken Ash," the Sentinel spoke, his voice carrying the weight of divine judgment. "You were erased from existence by decree of the Eternal Tribunal. Your return is an abomination."

Kael didn't flinch. Instead, he stepped forward.

"And yet, here I stand."

The Sentinel's grip tightened around his blade, runes flaring to life along its length. "You will not leave this place."

Kael's lips curled into a slow smirk. Good. Let them come.

"Then let's see if your gods have the strength to erase me twice."

The Sentinel moved first.

His blade sang through the air, leaving a trail of burning sigils in its wake. Kael barely had a second to react before the weapon descended upon him like a falling star.

But this time, Kael was ready.

He raised his hand and the world around him slowed.

Not stopped but slowed.

He could feel the weight of time resisting him, still unstable, still untamed. But it was enough.

With a single step, he shifted out of the blade's path, his body moving through the slowed reality like a ghost. The Sentinel's eyes widened in surprise Kael struck.

His palm connected with the Sentinel's chest, and he pushed time forward.

Reality snapped back.

The Sentinel was sent flying, crashing through stone pillars like a meteor.

The other Sentinels tensed, drawing their weapons. Kael exhaled slowly.

"Your Tribunal made a mistake." His voice was cold, unshaken. "They should have killed me when they had the chance."

He lifted his hand. Time shimmered around him, bending to his will.

"Because now?" His silver eyes blazed. "I will remind them why they feared me in the first place."