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The next morning broke with a quiet unease. The sky was cloudless, yet the air felt charged—like the heavens were holding their breath.
Rael stood at the edge of Angel Island, staring into the misty expanse between it and the Upper Yard. His coat flapped softly in the high-altitude wind. Behind him, Kaya walked up with a flask of warm tea.
"You've been out here since before dawn," she said gently.
Rael took the tea, nodded. "He's watching again."
"You're sure?"
He didn't answer, but she could see it in his eyes—focused, sharp, distant.
Vivi joined them moments later, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. "The villagers are scared. They've lived under Enel's rule for too long."
"They need to be scared of something else now," rael replied quietly.
Later that morning, they crossed the milky white bridge of clouds toward the Upper Yard again.
Robin walked beside Rael, her expression thoughtful. "You plan to confront him directly, don't you?"
Rael raised an eyebrow. "Would that be a problem?"
She gave a small shrug. "Not for me. But you should know—he doesn't fight like others. His power… it's absolute in this place. The ground, the air—it all answers to him."
"Lightning," Rael said, flexing his fingers. "That's fine. I've been hit by worse."
Vivi snorted behind them. "Of course you have."
They reached the jungle border, where the roots of old Shandian temples still clawed at the sky. It was eerily quiet. No enforcers. No ambush.
Nothing.
Too quiet.
"I don't like this," Kaya said.
Just then, a sound cut the silence.
A sharp hum—then a sudden crack of thunder.
A bolt of lightning struck the clearing ahead, vaporizing the ground in a brilliant flash. The group scattered, reflexively taking cover.
Rael didn't move.
He stood his ground, the wind ruffling his shirt, as a voice echoed from the sky—calm, rich with arrogance.
"Intruders. Blasphemers. I see all. I hear all. You walk on holy ground, and you will be judged."
Robin's eyes narrowed. "That's him. Enel."
Another bolt struck—closer this time—but Ethan stepped aside effortlessly.
He smirked. "Judged, huh? I've heard that before."
From high above on the Ark Maxim, Enel sat lazily on his throne, one hand resting on the golden armrest while his other hand held his divine staff. His earlobe drums rang slowly behind him, a rhythm of rising tension.
A priest approached, nervous.
"Your Holiness... that man—he's not like the others. He doesn't even flinch."
Enel didn't even look at him.
"He will. They all do. Eventually."
Back on the ground, the group pushed deeper into the jungle.
The ruins loomed taller now, covered in vines, etched with symbols from a lost age. Robin examined the carvings briefly before her attention snapped to the sky.
"Mantra," she muttered. "He's tracking us with it."
Rael eyes swept the treetops. "Let him."
Suddenly, another crack of thunder shattered the sky—and this time, three figures landed in front of them: Shura, Gedatsu, and Satori—three of Enel's remaining priests.
"You've gone far enough," Satori said, juggling his strange spheres with a grin. "We'll play a little game."
"You're not ready for this world," Shura growled, lifting his lance.
Rael sighed. "You people talk too much."
He blurred forward—faster than any of them could react. In a single, sweeping movement, he slammed his fist into Satori's stomach, sending him crashing into a tree with enough force to shatter it.
Gedatsu swung with his dial-powered gloves, but Ethan ducked, twisted, and launched a palm strike to his chest, knocking the air from his lungs.
Only Shura remained, eyes wide with disbelief.
"W-what… what are you?"
"Someone you don't want to fight," Rael replied—and shattered Shura's lance with a single blow before sweeping him off his feet.
The three priests lay unconscious. The fight lasted less than thirty seconds.
Robin raised an eyebrow. "You're holding back."
"I'm trying to be polite."
By evening, they reached the edge of the ruins surrounding Enel's temple.
The sun cast long shadows over the golden domes, and the upper clouds swirled like a storm about to descend.
Vivi looked up. "It's like he's inviting us."
"He is," Rael said. "And I'm tired of waiting."
Kaya hesitated. "What if this is what he wants?"
"Then we give it to him."
Robin pulled out an old page from her bag—one she had taken from the temple archives. "Enel seeks something called the Endless Varse. A mythical land in the sky."
"The moon?" Rael asked, frowning.
Robin nodded. "That's what the texts suggest. He believes he's destined to rule it."
Rael looked up again—this time not at the clouds, but far beyond them. His expression shifted, distant and strange.
"I wonder," he murmured. "How many gods dream of kingdoms they'll never reach."
The wind picked up.
Lightning arced silently in the distance.
And Enel, atop his Ark, smiled.
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