Blood rushed in Kael's ears. Out of the broken stones came a voice - rough, slow, carrying weight like old stone warmed by too many suns. Not angry. Not kind. Just there, as though time itself had leaned close to speak.
"You are not meant to be here Celestial Sovereign."
A shiver ran down his spine at those words. Celestial Sovereign - there it was once more. Meaning escaped him, yet the speaker clearly understood. Whatever force spoke knew exactly what it said.
Something felt wrong to Kael. Every muscle held tight, waiting. Through a quiet pulse inside, he touched the rhythm of moments passing. Speeding himself up or stopping still - those choices now lived in his hands.
Out of nowhere near a broken stone arch, someone stepped forward.
A shape drifts forward, wrapped in torn veils of smoke so dark they swallow light. From under a low-hanging hood, twin points of silver burn like frozen stars. Silence breaks as the space nearby hums - charged, old, pressing against the chest. Cold lingers where it passes, not just absence of warmth but presence of something long buried.
Back Kael moved, one foot after another, careful. Not who - what even are you
It shifted its head slightly, the bright eyes staying wide open without a flicker.
"A remnant. A guardian. A witness to what was and what must never be again."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Enough riddles. What do you mean I'm not meant to be here?"
A hush followed, as if space itself had drawn breath. The figure let it out slow - air trembling where nothing should.
"Because you are the last piece of a prophecy long buried. The Celestial Sovereign was not supposed to rise again."
Heavy silence pressed on Kael, cold as chains. Not once did he trust destiny's hand. Science shaped his old existence. Now magic breathes through him, born anew where logic fails.
Something old stirred inside, whispering he had no right to be there.
One foot moved ahead, fire in Kael's stare. Speak now - name the one called Celestial Sovereign
A sudden glow came from the wraith's pale eyes.
"The one who once held dominion over time, space, and fate itself. A ruler feared by gods and emperors alike."
His chest tightened, suddenly aware. What he heard bore an unsettling resemblance to the powers stirring inside him.
"And the one who nearly unmade the world."
Kael's fists clenched. "So what? You think I'm going to destroy everything?"
A shadow trembled in place, then spoke so softly it almost vanished. The shape wavered again, sound slipping into silence like breath on glass.
"That is what remains to be seen."
A cold hush settled between them when Kael blinked - just once - and already the dark shapes writhed like smoke. The creature thinned, its edges fraying into nothing.
Hold on - Kael moved ahead, yet the shape had begun fading into vapor.
Last thing it said crawled up his back like cold fingers.
"Beware the ones who sealed you away before for they will come again."
Then, silence.
Alone among the broken stones, Kael froze, thoughts crashing like waves. Should the ghost's words hold truth, his return wasn't chance. Erasure - someone meant to wipe the Celestial Sovereign clean from memory.
Back again, he stood where it all began.
Out came a breath, long and quiet, as Kael's fingers pressed harder. The air between them thickened without warning.
"Then let them come."