"To conquer the world, one must first conquer himself.
The aftermath of battle lingered like smoke in the air, long after Chronos had vanished into the folds of time. Gabriel's body ached, but not from wounds—something deeper, spiritual. Like his soul had been bent, stretched in ways it wasn't meant to be. Merlin, Aziel, and Nyra walked beside him, silent, each lost in their thoughts as they exited the Vault.
The night had fallen thick and still. Stars hung low and heavy above them, like they were watching—waiting. The land beyond the Vault was strange, filled with pale grasses and trees with bark like silver veins. As they traveled across the valley, they saw a small orange glow in the distance.
A fire.
And someone sitting beside it.
"Should we approach?" Nyra whispered, hand on her dagger.
Gabriel nodded. Something—intuition, maybe—drew him toward it.
The fire crackled softly under the twisted branches of an ancient tree. The man who sat beside it looked like a wanderer. Simple grey robes. Sandals. Skin like old stone kissed by time. He stirred the fire lazily with a stick and glanced up as they neared.
"You're late," the man said calmly.
Aziel frowned. "Late for what?"
"For the question," the man replied, smiling gently. "The one burning behind that boy's eyes."
Gabriel stepped forward. "You know me?"
"I know all who carry burdens not meant for them." His eyes sparkled like starlight on water. "And your burden is heavy, young slayer."
The group tensed slightly. Merlin, particularly, narrowed his gaze at the stranger.
"You're not just some hermit out here by coincidence," Merlin said carefully.
The man chuckled. "Nothing ever is."
Gabriel slowly sat across from him, the warmth of the fire strangely… healing.
"There's something inside me," Gabriel finally admitted. "A darkness. It grows stronger every time I fight. I fear one day it'll take control."
The man nodded, the flames reflecting in his ancient eyes. "Darkness is not always evil, boy. Like fire, it can destroy—or it can forge."
"But it comes from the Fallen," Gabriel muttered. "From those who killed, who betrayed—"
"And from those who loved," the man interrupted gently. "From those who sacrificed, who broke rules for compassion. Do not define power by who wielded it. Define it by how you choose to use it."
Gabriel looked down, his hand trembling slightly. "What if I fail?"
The man reached into his robe and pulled out a small, intricate device—etched in celestial symbols, softly glowing in moonlight. A tatum.
"This will summon me when your path narrows to despair," he said, placing it in Gabriel's palm. "But only in true need—not fear. Use it when all else is lost."
Gabriel stared at it, then up at the man.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled, rising to his feet with a grace far beyond his appearance. "A teacher. A guardian. A king." He stepped into the open field, the wind beginning to whip around him unnaturally.
For a moment, the sky itself reacted—stars flickered and shifted as if bowing. The earth beneath his feet pulsed. Gabriel's breath caught in his throat.
"I've seen this aura before…" Merlin whispered. "Long ago. In a time before war. This is no wanderer."
But the man was already fading into the wind.
Gabriel shouted after him, "What's your name!?"
A whisper carried back on the breeze.
"Call me when you need me, Child of Fire and Shadow."
"For I am He who once shaped the stars."
Then he was gone.
Silence.
Only the tatum remained, still warm in Gabriel's hand.
Aziel broke the silence. "Do you realize who that was?"
Nyra nodded slowly. "The ruler… of all gods."
Gabriel's fingers curled around the tatum, his heart pounding with a strange mix of hope, fear, and destiny.
"I don't know why he came to me," he said, eyes fixed on the fire's dying embers.
Merlin stepped forward, his voice soft but heavy with meaning.
"Because gods don't waste time with those who aren't destined to shake the heavens."
And somewhere far beyond the mortal sky, Lucifer—watching through burning mirrors—smiled darkly.
"Let the boy meet kings and gods," he said.
"It will not save him from me."