chapter 19: A rift in the heavens

A Rift in the Heavens

Kael barely had time to catch his breath before the ruins trembled beneath them. A deep, resounding crack echoed through the land, as though the world itself had groaned in protest. The sky darkened unnaturally, thick storm clouds twisting above them in chaotic spirals.

Something had changed.

Something fundamental.

Seraphine gripped Kael's arm, her golden eyes flickering with urgency. "Kael… the prophecy…"

He swallowed hard. He could still feel the weight of it—the threads of fate unraveling, tearing apart at the seams.

"We broke it," he said. "And now, the gods are watching."

Lightning split the sky, illuminating the ruins in an eerie glow. The cracked obelisk at the center pulsed with a strange blue light, shifting between existence and nothingness. It was as if the very fabric of the prophecy had been wounded, bleeding into reality.

Then, a voice.

Low, rumbling, ancient.

"Meddler of fate…"

Kael's breath caught in his throat. He had heard this voice before. The voice of the gods.

Seraphine's fingers tightened around his wrist. "Kael, we need to leave."

He knew she was right, but something rooted him in place. The air was too heavy, too thick with unseen power. He had defied fate—something no mortal should have been able to do.

And now, the heavens were answering.

A Warning from the Gods

The voice spoke again, louder this time, shaking the very ground beneath them.

"You have undone what was written."

Kael clenched his fists. "I did what was necessary."

The storm churned above, the winds howling in fury.

"You were chosen to bring balance, not to unmake destiny."

Kael felt his pulse hammer against his ribs. "What kind of balance demands the death of the one I love?"

Silence.

Then, a crack in the sky.

A celestial rift tore open above them, and from its depths descended a figure cloaked in divine fire. Not human. Not entirely god. A being of light and judgment.

Seraphine gasped. "An Arbiter."

Kael had only heard whispers of them—the enforcers of fate, the wrath of the gods made flesh. They only appeared when the balance had been shattered beyond repair.

The Arbiter hovered above them, its form shifting between a man and a celestial entity, its eyes hollow voids of burning light. When it spoke, its voice carried the weight of eternity.

"Kael of the Broken Prophecy, your defiance has created a wound in fate. You will answer for your actions."

Kael tightened his grip on Solmara. "I will not surrender her."

The Arbiter's gaze flickered to Seraphine. "She is a flaw. She was never meant to be."

Kael stepped in front of her, his entire body taut with defiance. "She is not a flaw. She is mine."

The Arbiter's eyes burned brighter. "Then you stand against the gods themselves."

Kael lifted Solmara, the blade's light clashing against the Arbiter's fire. "Let them come."

A Battle Beyond Fate

The Arbiter moved faster than sight. One moment, it hovered in the air—the next, it was in front of Kael, striking with an ethereal blade of fire.

Kael barely had time to raise Solmara in defense. The collision sent shockwaves rippling through the ruins.

Seraphine staggered back, shielding herself as the raw energy tore through the air. The sheer force of the Arbiter's attack threatened to shatter Kael's bones.

But he held firm.

He wouldn't let them take her.

The Arbiter struck again, its blade weaving in patterns of divine precision. Kael dodged, countering with a sweeping slash of his own, but his blade barely grazed the celestial being.

"You are mortal," the Arbiter intoned. "You cannot stand against eternity."

Kael's teeth clenched. "Watch me."

The Arbiter raised its hand, and the air split apart, an explosion of divine fire surged toward Kael.

He barely had time to brace before the impact threw him across the ruins, his body slamming into a fractured pillar. Pain flared through him, but he forced himself up.

Seraphine's scream cut through the chaos.

Kael's blood ran cold as he turned, the Arbiter had her in its grasp.

She struggled, but the celestial bindings around her burned too brightly, locking her in place. Her golden eyes flickered with pain.

Kael's grip tightened on Solmara. His rage burned hotter than the divine fire around them.

He pushed forward, ignoring the pain, ignoring the impossible odds.

If this was a battle against fate, then he would fight until his last breath.

The prophecy be damned.