The silence after the battle was deafening.
Kael stood over the fallen god, his breath ragged, his body trembling from exhaustion. Solmara was still buried in divine flesh, its dark steel pulsing with an eerie glow. He knew he should pull the blade free, but his fingers felt locked around the hilt.
The Oracle's voice cut through the stillness like a blade.
"You do not understand what you have done."
Kael turned his head slightly, his vision blurred at the edges. He could barely process their words, barely comprehend the sheer weight of what had just happened.
He had wounded a god.
A being that was supposed to be untouchable.
His fingers clenched tighter around Solmara's hilt. "What happens now?"
The Oracle's golden eyes darkened. "Now, Kael, the gods will come for you."
A cold wind swept through the battlefield. The weight of those words settled in Kael's chest like iron. He already knew it—he could feel it in his bones—but hearing it spoken aloud made it real.
Seraphine stepped closer, her hands twitching as if she wanted to reach for him but didn't dare. "We need to leave."
Kael looked at her, seeing the fear she tried to hide. He knew she was right, but there was something he had to do first. With a deep breath, he ripped Solmara from the god's body.
The moment the blade left divine flesh, a shockwave erupted.
Golden energy burst outward, spiraling into the sky like a beacon. Kael stumbled backward, shielding his eyes as the remnants of the god's power burned through the air. The force of it split the clouds apart, revealing a sky streaked with fire.
Then, the body of the god began to dissolve, its celestial form breaking apart into fragments of light. But Kael saw something in its fading expression—not anger, not pain, but something worse.
A warning.
And then the god was gone.
But its power still lingered in the air, rippling like a storm that had yet to break.
The Gods Are Watching
Seraphine grabbed Kael's arm. "Kael, we have to move! That light—" She swallowed. "They'll see it."
She didn't have to say who.
The gods.
The Oracle's expression remained unreadable. "It is already too late."
Kael followed their gaze to the sky, where the beacon of light still burned. A divine summons. A call to something greater.
And then the heavens stirred.
Clouds darkened, shifting unnaturally fast. The air itself crackled with energy. Something was coming.
Kael gritted his teeth. His body ached, his limbs felt like lead, but he would not fall here.
Seraphine's grip tightened on his arm. "We need to get to cover, now."
The Oracle nodded. "If you wish to survive what comes next, we must leave this place."
Kael exhaled sharply, shaking off the numbness creeping into his fingers. He wanted to stay, to face whatever came, but this wasn't just about him anymore.
With one last glance at the fading light, he turned. "Then let's move."
They ran.
The Escape
The forest swallowed them whole as they fled from the battlefield. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their twisted branches reaching toward the heavens, as if even nature feared what lurked above.
Kael's pulse hammered in his ears. He could still feel the god's power thrumming beneath his skin, a strange, unsettling energy that hadn't been there before.
Seraphine kept pace beside him, her expression tight with worry. "Kael, are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine." He wasn't.
The Oracle moved ahead of them with eerie ease, gliding through the shadows like someone who knew these lands far too well. "We must reach the ruins before nightfall."
Kael's jaw tightened. "What's at the ruins?"
The Oracle didn't answer immediately. "Protection. And answers."
That was vague as hell, but Kael didn't argue. He didn't have the strength to.
They ran in silence until the trees thinned, revealing a crumbling fortress shrouded in mist.
The ruins.
But something felt wrong.
Kael slowed his steps. The air was too still. The shadows felt deeper. Something was waiting here.
And then a voice spoke from the darkness.
"You carry the scent of the divine, mortal."
Kael's blood ran cold.
From the mist, a figure emerged. Not a god. But something close.
A celestial warrior.
Armor forged from starfire gleamed beneath the moonlight, and in their hand, they held a blade of pure light.
Kael's grip tightened on Solmara.
The warrior tilted their head, watching him with an intensity that made his skin crawl. "You have defied the order of the heavens. Do you truly think you will walk away unpunished?"
Kael exhaled slowly. He was exhausted, injured, and dangerously close to collapsing. But still, he lifted his sword.
"Try me."
The celestial warrior smiled.
And then, they attacked.
The Price of Power
Kael barely had time to react before the warrior struck. Their blade cut through the air like lightning, and he barely managed to parry in time.
The impact sent him staggering back. His arms screamed in protest, but he forced himself to stay upright.
Too fast. Too strong.
The celestial warrior pressed forward, their movements precise and merciless. Kael dodged left, twisting Solmara to block a strike aimed for his heart. Sparks flew as their blades clashed, and the force of it sent shockwaves through the air.
Seraphine raised her hands, magic crackling at her fingertips, but before she could unleash a spell, the warrior flicked their wrist—
And Seraphine was thrown backward by an unseen force.
Kael's heart clenched. "Seraphine!"
She groaned but didn't rise.
The warrior smirked. "Your allies will not save you."
Kael clenched his jaw, gripping Solmara tighter. His muscles burned, his breath was ragged, but he could not fall here.
The warrior lunged again, and this time, Kael did not dodge.
He stepped forward, twisting at the last second. Solmara hummed with energy—
And his blade found its mark.
The warrior stumbled.
Their eyes widened in shock as they looked down at the cut across their armor. It wasn't deep, but it was there.
A mortal had wounded them.
The celestial warrior's expression darkened. "You are more dangerous than I expected."
Kael lifted his sword. "Yeah. People tend to underestimate me."
The warrior exhaled slowly. "You have made an enemy of the gods."
Kael wiped blood from his lip. "Then let them come."
The warrior studied him for a long moment. Then, without warning, they vanished.
A gust of wind followed their disappearance, leaving behind only silence.
Kael exhaled sharply, exhaustion finally settling over him. His knees buckled, and he barely managed to stay standing.
Seraphine groaned, pushing herself upright. "What… the hell was that?"
Kael stared at the empty space where the warrior had stood.
A warning.
The gods were not just watching. They were testing him.
And soon, they would stop testing.
They would start hunting.
Kael turned to the Oracle. "Tell me what I need to know."
The Oracle met his gaze.
And then, finally, they spoke.
"You are no longer just a warrior, Kael. You are a threat. And the gods do not suffer threats to live."
Kael took a deep breath.
Then let them try.