Location: Astral Court of the Gods
The sky was made of light.
The halls were forged from time.
And twelve divine thrones hovered in silence above an ocean of stars.
They were gods.
Immortal. Untouchable. Worshipped by millions.
But today… they felt something they had buried long ago.
Fear.
A female goddess with silver flames for hair stood first. Her voice trembled.
> "It cannot be."
Another, draped in robes of galaxies, clenched his divine fist.
> "This power… this signature—"
A war god slammed his weapon into the floor, cracks forming beneath the celestial marble.
> "He was sealed. ERASED! His soul shattered!"
> "Then explain this," came the cold voice of the God of Fate. "Because I felt him."
> "Not fully awakened, not whole… but enough to scream through the veil."
The oldest god, eyes closed, whispered a single name:
> "…Azrion."
The hall grew silent.
Even the stars outside stopped twinkling.
Flashback – The Past
Centuries ago, Azrion stood alone against them.
A child of demons. A beast born of chaos and love.
He did not bow. He did not kneel.
And the gods, in their fear, did the only thing they could:
They lied. They erased. They sealed.
But now…
The seal trembled.
And the thing they thought dead had whispered from inside a boy too broken to notice.
Back in Kael's mind – The Inner World
It was raining.
Dark mountains surrounded them. Azrion sat on the edge of a cliff, his cloak wet with memory.
Kael approached, quiet, unsure.
Azrion didn't look at him.
> "They felt me."
Kael sat beside him.
> "You're scared."
> "I'm angry." Azrion's voice cracked.
"They killed my people. They erased my name. They branded me a monster because I refused to kneel."
Kael was silent.
> "They're gods, Azrion. Aren't they… supposed to protect?"
Azrion's fists tightened.
> "They protect what they own. Not what they fear."
> "I was born with power they couldn't control. So they buried it."
"Buried me."
Kael looked down, voice shaking.
> "Then what am I? Why are you inside me?"
Azrion finally looked at him.
His crimson eyes weren't cold—they were shattered.
> "Because your pain echoed mine."
"You were thrown away by the world that was supposed to love you."
"Just like me."
Kael's throat tightened. "Sometimes I feel like I'm not even human anymore…"
Azrion gently placed a hand over Kael's chest.
> "You're not."
> "You're something they will never understand."
"You are the storm they never saw coming."
> "Not a monster… not a hero… but the roar of every soul that was ever silenced."
Kael's eyes filled with tears.
But behind those tears, something else burned now.
Resolve.
Back in the Astral Realm
The gods stood over an ancient scroll—the last record of Azrion's power.
It was written in a language so old, it bled from the page like smoke.
> "What do we do?" whispered the youngest god.
The God of Death finally spoke.
His voice was old, like rusted chains.
> "If he returns… the balance will shatter."
> "The mortal world will follow him."
> "And this time… we might not survive."
Lightning split the stars.
And somewhere, in a lonely dorm room, Kael whispered:
> "I will not forgive the world that broke me."
Azrion replied softly:
> "Then let's burn it… and build something better from the ashes."
END OF CHAPTER 4