Kael slowly moved toward the masked man.
The forest was quiet, as though every sound around had been consumed. There was just the sound of dried leaves and branches breaking beneath his feet.
Crunch. Crunch. Snap.
"So… let's talk about your punishment, bud."
Every step Kael took, the masked man took one backward.
Kael's voice switched to a whisper. "Are you afraid of death?"
The masked man's breath hitched. "H-Help me, Master!" he screamed in panic.
The Chimera roared as it appeared behind Kael, furious. Its massive claw extended, ready to strike him from behind.
But it was no use.
Kael's shadow stretched out before the beast could strike him, wrapping around its paw, and slammed it into the ground. Kael glanced at the beast from the corner of his eye.
"Didn't I say I would deal with you later? Now stay still."
He turned his gaze back to the masked man. His eyes darkened.
"And you—come here. I have a few questions I'd like you to answer." His voice was now frustrated.
Every step Kael took forward, the masked man took one back.
Until he tripped and fell backward.
Hitting the ground, he tried to crawl away. Fear widened his eyes, his breath uneven. He tried to speak, but no words came out—just stammering, panicked sounds.
The Chimera thrashed, trying to free itself. Kael's shadows lifted it into the air before slamming it down even harder, leaving a massive dent in the earth.
Kael exhaled. His voice grew deeper, angrier.
The shadows around him shifted—became alive. Slowly, they rose, forming twisting, clawed hands.
The shadows slithered toward the masked man, wrapping around his legs.
Kael stood still as the shadows dragged the man toward him.
"Come here. I have a few things I want to ask you."
A slow, cruel grin spread across Kael's face as he knelt. His eyes met the masked man's, and with one single motion—he ripped the mask away.
The man beneath was unremarkable.
His skin was dry, his face slightly disfigured. His pale, sagging skin had dark circles under his eyes. A long scar ran across the right side of his face—shaped like the hand of a clock.
The Chimera growled even louder.
Kael sighed, irritated. "Too much sound."
With a snap of his fingers, darkness engulfed them both.
They were nowhere. A black void. A sealed space.
A place where only the two of them existed.
Kael's crimson eyes burned. "Now talk."
The man trembled. "Please… don't kill me."
Kael tilted his head. "If you answer my questions right, and I like your answers, I might let you live."
His voice was cold and lacking emotion.
"Why did you try to kill me?" Kael's eyes locked onto him with something dangerous. "And how were you able to summon that beast with just my blood?"
The man's lips trembled. "I-I can't."
Kael's shadows slithered up his body, creeping along his chest—until one formed a hand. It wrapped around his heart.
Kael's fingers tightened around the man's heart. "Squeeze."
His breath hitched in his throat, gasping for air. Panic filled his face.
"The… prophecy," he croaked.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Tell me more."
Squeeze.
"I… I don't know much," the man wheezed. "We were told—kill all the sons of Hades. For ages, we've hunted them down. Every last one. But you…" He coughed, struggling to breathe. "Somehow… you survived."
Kael's fingers around the man tightened. "And then?"
The man swallowed hard. "That's all we were told. The Old Gods… they ordered it. We are just followers."
Kael's voice turned sharp. "Who are the Old Gods? Why do they want Hades' bloodline erased?"
The man's expression darkened.
"If all of Hades' offspring die… then no one will take his place." His voice wavered. "He will lose his throne. And the one who ordered it—"
Kael's heart pounded.
"Who?"
The man let out a twisted smile.
"You're too late, Son of Hades. The Time Lord is almost free."
Kael froze.
His mind raced.
It all made sense now—his mother's grief when he asked about Hades. The pain in her eyes.
And where Hades had vanished to.
Kael knew where he was now.
A sharp pain built in his chest. He clenched his fists.
The void shattered.
Kael exhaled, letting the man go. "Leave."
The man blinked in confusion.
"Before I change my mind."
Kael turned his back.
The man turned and began to leave, but before he could, he dropped to his knees. The man clutched his head and yelled in agony.
He started shaking, fingers clawing at his skull. His body convulsed—his lips parted in agony.
His eyes rolled back.
"No… No—please… just give me one more chance…"
Kael turned toward the man, confused, then took a step forward—but right then, the Chimera let out an ear-shattering scream, then it broke free.
It lunged toward him.
Kael sidestepped to get out of the way at the last second. But he wasn't its target.
The masked man was.
The lion's jaws clamped onto his stomach.
The goat's fangs sank into his neck.
The serpent's maw coiled around his legs.
The man didn't even have time to scream.
The crowd outside the battlefield stood frozen.
They had no idea what they were witnessing.
The Chimera devoured him whole.
And then—it began to change.
It grew.
Its body twisted, contorted. Muscles expanded, bones cracked, a deep unnatural growl rumbled from within.
Its form became something more. Something monstrous.
Kael sighed, gripping his blade.
"I'd love to see what you evolve into…" His voice was calm, almost disappointed. "But I have things to do."
He raised Shadowbind.
The air turned cold.
Darkness spread—not just around Kael, but over the entire battlefield. An abyss consumed everything, swallowing the world in pure void.
Then, from within the darkness—thousands of glowing eyes opened.
Some small. Some massive. Some watching. Some waiting.
The Chimera's roar was lost in the endless void.
Kael became the darkness.
Then he swung his blade horizontally.
A massive wave of pure black energy erupted out of him, expanding outward like a tidal force of nothingness. It covered the battlefield, drowning everything in a single, consuming strike.
The glowing eyes flickered—watching. Judging. Waiting.
For a brief moment, time slowed down.
Then—the Chimera split in half.
A perfect cut.
A final attack.
The battlefield shattered.
The darkness faded. The glowing eyes vanished.
Kael blinked.
He was back in the coliseum.
The coliseum was silent. The crowd stood in stunned silence.
The crowd had seen everything.
The power. The destruction.
The air felt heavy, thick with something unseen.
The only sound was the whispering of thousands of stunned voices.
Kael's vision blurred.
As he collapsed, the last thing he saw was Liz and Cyrus running toward him.