Darkness.
An absolute, suffocating void pressed against Renher like a velvet shroud, thick and unyielding. There was no up or down, no sense of self — only the silent pulse of his own consciousness adrift in the abyss. He could neither feel his limbs nor the breath within his chest. Only thought remained, echoing endlessly.
Kaileen… The army…
The memories pierced through the dark like shards of ice — fragments of faces, voices, and laughter, all swallowed by regret. Each recollection was a wound reopened, each emotion a chain dragging him deeper.
Is this punishment? he wondered. To linger here — in a world without end, haunted by the echoes of my failures?
Then — a flicker.
A faint light shimmered in the distance, a single thread of gold against the endless black. It pulsed gently, calling to him — not with words, but with a warmth that whispered of release.
Renher's will surged. I have to reach it.
And then, without effort, he drifted — drawn forward by a silent current, the unseen hand of some greater will.
The light grew as he approached, until it unveiled itself not as a tunnel, nor a gate, but a curtain — a shimmering tapestry woven from every color known and unknown, glowing with a purity that blinded him. It rippled like liquid dawn, humming with a melody that stirred the marrow of his being — a language beyond speech, one he somehow understood.
Warmth enveloped him. The ache of death receded, replaced by a serenity so profound it made his eyes sting. The light caressed him, unweaving the weight of his mortal pain, peeling back the layers of self until only his essence remained — unburdened and bare.
Then he saw them.
Faces — familiar and beloved — flickering within the radiance. Their smiles were soft, their eyes luminous with welcome. They beckoned him closer, wordless and kind.
The afterlife…? he thought, his voice trembling within. Is this peace?
When the brilliance faded, he stood before a palace that defied all mortal understanding. Its form shimmered and reformed, as though it were carved from the dreams of stars. Pillars of light soared into eternity, and walls glowed with the rhythm of unseen hearts.
Renher flexed his hands. My body… I can feel it again.
The realization chilled him. Am I alive… or trapped in some celestial illusion?
A voice thundered from within the palace — vast, commanding, its tone ancient and resonant enough to make the air tremble.
"Come inside."
Renher froze. The voice reverberated through him, not in his ears but within his very bones. Fear, primal and instinctive, gripped him.
Again, it spoke — this time in his own tongue, deep and solemn. "Enter, Mortal Emperor."
His body moved before he could think. His feet obeyed, compelled by an unseen force, each step echoing softly across the luminous ground.
No… he fought back, summoning his will, his emperor's resolve. I will not be commanded.
He stopped mid-stride. The invisible pull strained against him like a current fighting a rock, but he held firm, breathing hard.
"How… are my thoughts shaping this?" he muttered, the sound barely a whisper.
Before he could gather another thought, the voice roared again —
"Defiant still—!"
A deafening crash split the heavens. The palace shuddered violently, the air rippling with blinding light. Renher staggered back, shielding his eyes as an invisible pressure forced him to his knees.
Then — silence.
From the stillness, another voice emerged. Softer. Feminine. Yet it carried the weight of command.
"Take your time, little Emperor. Explore. Then, come to the center."
Her tone was calm, almost tender — a strange contrast to the divine authority it held.
Renher's breath steadied. Little Emperor? The title unsettled him. Who are you?
He followed the voice's suggestion, stepping forward through vast, gleaming halls that breathed and shimmered as though alive. The walls were not stone, but condensed light — living murals that flowed like rivers of color, forming fleeting images of stars, oceans, and celestial gardens.
This place… it's built from creation itself.
He moved through an archway that opened into a courtyard where energy pulsed like a living heartbeat. A fountain of light rose at its center, its waters composed of pure radiance that rippled outward in slow waves.
Each chamber surrounding the courtyard seemed alive — scenes unfolding within them. He glimpsed his childhood, his sword training, his first victory, his wedding with Kaileen beneath crimson lanterns.
My memories… all of them.
He entered another — the battlefield. His death. His soldiers' cries. He turned away, shaken. The next chamber was filled with indescribable colors, hues that existed beyond mortal sight.
What are these? The future? Or what lies beyond?
He reached for the light — and a shadow moved.
A fleeting shape darted at the edge of his vision — small, quick, and silent.
Renher's instincts flared. "Who's there?"
His voice echoed across the vastness. No answer.
He followed, his boots clinking softly on the glassy floor, turning corner after corner until he reached a dead end. A single door stood before him, shimmering with cosmic symbols. Behind him — the way had sealed, the walls smooth as glass.
He swallowed. Trapped?
Then came a whisper — a child's voice. Soft. Playful. Yet ancient in its tone.
"Are you ready to play, little Emperor?"
Renher spun around.
A child stood there — a small girl with hair woven from starlight, and eyes vast as galaxies. She smiled, and the cosmos seemed to move within her gaze.
"I've been waiting for you, Renher," she said, her voice echoing like a lullaby in the void. "For a very long time. It's time to begin."
Renher turned toward the door. It opened with a sound like a sigh — and what lay beyond left him breathless.
The Divine Chamber.
It was not a room, but an endless expanse suspended within the cosmos — a sanctum of gods. The air shimmered with liquid starlight, nebulae swirling in slow, divine rhythm. Galaxies bloomed and faded within the walls, each a living window into some distant realm.
At the chamber's heart sat the same child upon a plain chair — her small frame dwarfed by the celestial immensity around her. Beside her stood an adult — a tall, hooded figure whose presence exuded quiet strength, like the stillness before creation itself.
The girl gestured to the empty seat across from her.
Her smile softened. "Sit down now, chosen Emperor."
Renher hesitated, his heartbeat a steady drum of disbelief and awe. Then, wordlessly, he stepped forward and took his place before the child of stars.
And in that silence — the stars seemed to lean closer, waiting.