Far beyond the ruined Temple of the Skies, in a place untouched by mortal feet, the heavens trembled.
From the Citadel of Silence—a fortress suspended between realms—a bell tolled.
Not a sound of mourning.
A sound of execution.
The gods, distant and cold, felt the ripple Alan's awakening had caused. A mortal wielding fragments of divinity, carrying the Thirteenth Seal—the very thing that could end them.
They would not sit idly by.
A council of unseen voices murmured, ancient and cruel.
And from the darkness between their words, they birthed their answer.
The Black Herald.
*****
He stepped from the shadows like a living omen.
Cloaked in midnight armor, a spear longer than a mortal man in hand, his face hidden behind a mask of polished bone. His body radiated an aura so intense that even the stones at his feet cracked under the pressure.
The Black Herald bowed before the unseen gods.
"Command me."
The voices answered as one.
"Find the child. End the Sovereign's flame before it consumes all."
Without another word, the Black Herald vanished into the mortal world.
The hunt had begun.
*****
Meanwhile, at the edge of the broken temple, Alan sat alone.
The silver light from the guardian's blessing still shimmered faintly on his skin, threading through his veins like fire and ice.
He could feel the change.
Stronger senses.
Sharper reflexes.
But it wasn't just strength.
It was awareness.
He could now feel distant tremors in the fabric of the world. Movements of powers that no human should ever sense.
And right now, he felt a storm moving toward him.
A killing intent so pure, so suffocating, that it seemed to choke the air itself.
Seris approached, carrying a small pouch of food she'd salvaged from their supplies. She tossed it at Alan, smirking.
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
Alan caught the pouch without looking up.
"Worse," he said. "Something's coming. Something sent by the gods."
Kraevok leaned on his sword nearby. "When, exactly?"
Alan stood, his katana sliding free of its sheath with a hiss.
"Now."
*****
The sky darkened unnaturally.
Winds screamed across the ruins, swirling into a black vortex.
From within the maelstrom, the Black Herald emerged, walking calmly as if the raging elements bowed before him.
Seris cursed under her breath. "That's no normal enemy."
Kraevok flexed his arms. "Finally, a real fight."
Alan stepped forward, placing himself between his companions and the Herald.
The Black Herald spoke, his voice a low, echoing rasp.
"Alan Grey. Bearer of the Thirteenth Seal. In the name of the Divine Council, I sentence you to oblivion."
Alan smiled coldly.
"Get in line."
*****
Without warning, the Black Herald moved.
Faster than any human eye could follow.
His spear thrust forward, aiming to skewer Alan's heart.
But Alan was no mere mortal now.
With a burst of speed that cracked the ground beneath him, he dodged aside, his katana flashing in a defensive arc.
Steel met steel.
The impact shattered nearby ruins into dust.
Kraevok and Seris were forced back by the sheer shockwave.
Alan gritted his teeth.
The Herald's strength wasn't just immense.
It was inhuman.
And he was only getting started.