Elara stood still, as if the air had been stolen from her lungs.
Her eyes trembled—with pain, anger, and confusion.
"Why would you do that?" Her voice quivered slightly, yet remained cold and composed.
"Because I had to make sure you wouldn't die… if you stepped into the Covenant." His tone was somber. "I've lost everyone I've ever loved… and I couldn't bear to lose you too."
"But you almost got me killed."
"I know..."
Kael dropped to one knee before her. "And I'll make it right… but before you decide anything, there's something else you need to know."
The symbols on the altar began to rotate slowly, as if responding to something unseen.
"Elara—you're not just a successor… you're the key."
"The key to what?"
He looked up at her, his eyes shimmering with both love and fear.
"To the awakening of the Last God… and the war that cannot be stopped."
Elara stepped back slightly, her eyes wide with confusion.
"The Last God? A war? What are you talking about?"
Behind them, the altar began to hum softly—like the breath of a living being slowly waking from a deep slumber.
Golden patterns glowed and flowed toward the center of the altar, shifting into the shape of an eye—blue light swirling within.
Kael stood up slowly, his voice both firm and trembling.
"A thousand years ago, the Nine Gods divided this world into a balance of light and shadow.
But one of them was sealed away—because his power could change everything…
The Last God. The God of Resurrection."
"And what does that have to do with me?"
He went silent for a moment before holding out his hand.
"Haven't you ever wondered why you're the only one who can hear the altar?
Why your blood can open the doors of the old temple…
when no one else has been able to for centuries?"
Elara gripped her wrist tightly—the small wound that had healed just last night suddenly flared with heat once again.
"I thought... it was just a coincidence."
"It's not," Kael said clearly.
"You are the one who awakened the Last God… and you're the only one who can control that power—before the Shadow claims it first."
The wind shifted—outside, the sky began to dim, even though the sun still hung in the sky.
Elara clenched her teeth.
"And when you said you've lost everyone you ever loved…
does that include me—in a past life?"
Kael fell silent for a long moment… then replied softly:
"…Yes."