The sky above the Academy was broken — a swirling scar of black and gold ripping through the heavens.
Around the courtyard, the survivors could only watch, breathless and terrified, as two figures stepped forward.
Kai Arashi — the Abyss-bearer, scarred and battered, carrying the last embers of humanity's hope in his fist.
The Catalyst Child — the impossible fusion of light and darkness, a being born from the world's refusal to heal itself.
The ground beneath them cracked with every step they took.
Reality itself groaned under the weight of the confrontation about to unfold.
Arin staggered, forcing herself to her feet.
Her Heroic System flickered with unstable light, torn between loyalty to destiny… and loyalty to Kai.
Her heart screamed at her:
Don't let him do it alone.
But her body barely held together.
She could only watch… and pray.
Kai stopped three paces away from the Catalyst.
The two locked eyes — silver meeting gold and black — the air between them thick with power and memory and future.
"You said I was meant to become you," Kai said quietly.
The Catalyst tilted their head, faint amusement in their strange, ethereal eyes.
"You were.
And still can be.
You have the system.
You have the rage.
You have the hunger."
They took a single step closer.
"Abandon the corpse of this broken world, Kai Arashi.
Join me.
We will tear down the old gods and build a kingdom where no one will ever bow again."
The words hit Kai deep.
Gods, he wanted to believe it.
He had dreamed of it — a world without heroes crushing the weak, without monsters wearing crowns of light.
A world where no one was ever powerless again.
A world he had once thought he could create by destroying everything.
But then he remembered.
Arin's hand, reaching out to him in the ruins.
Soren's quiet trust.
Lena's fearless healing touch.
Brianna's laughter, even after bleeding in battle.
He remembered the faces of people who believed in him — not as a king, not as a destroyer — but as Kai.
The boy who once just wanted to be seen.
Kai slowly shook his head.
"You're wrong," he said, his voice steady.
"I'm not your heir."
The Catalyst's expression shifted — not anger, but sadness.
"Then you are my enemy," they whispered.
The world shattered.
The Catalyst moved — faster than thought — a blur of white and black.
Kai reacted purely on instinct, slamming his fist into the ground.
Dark tendrils erupted upward, shielding him just in time as a wave of golden Abyss-light smashed into him.
The courtyard exploded.
Debris, stone, and burning banners flew everywhere.
From the crater, Kai rose, breathing hard, blood dripping down his cheek.
His silver eyes burned with unyielding fury.
"I won't let you rewrite the world in chains," he said.
"If you want to end everything — you'll have to break me first."
The Catalyst smiled faintly, as if pitying him.
"Then so be it, Lost Prince."
The battle began.
Abyss and Creation collided.
Light twisted. Shadows danced.
The sky screamed.
And the fate of all worlds hung by a single fraying thread.