đ Somewhere Beneath the World...
Far below the surface of Elarion, where time bled into shadow and even the gods dared not linger, there existed a prisonâThe Nullvault.
Forged from Voidsteel, wrapped in time-runes and sealed with the breath of a dying god, it held beings whose mere existence warped reality.
And now, something inside it stirred.
A heartbeatâancient, slow, and terrifyingâechoed against obsidian walls.
Chains groaned. Symbols flickered.
And for the first time in centuries, a voice like fractured crystal whisperedâ
> "He has returned."
---
âď¸ The Aftermath â Crater of the Gods
Smoke still rose from the wreckage of the Aeltheryn High Guard's sky-fortress. Flaming wreckage lay strewn across the forest, smoldering beneath the eerie glow of the lingering Flame Domain.
Kairo stood at the heart of it all.
Calm.
Unburnt.
Sovereign.
His cloak whipped in the updraft. His long crimson hair danced behind him like living fire.
And before him knelt the few surviving members of the High Guard, their weapons shattered, their pride scorched beyond repair.
One of them trembled as she spoke. "W-What⌠are you?"
Kairo didn't answer.
Instead, his gaze moved to the sky, where the Divine Riftâthe opening used by the High Guard to descendâstill shimmered.
He raised a hand.
> âď¸ [Skill Unlocked: Dimensional Seize â Level 1]
Grants temporary control over planar rifts and tears. Stabilize, collapse, or redirect dimensional gates.
A pulse of red light shot from his palm. The rift flickered... then snapped shut, like an eye closing in fear.
> "No more interruptions," he muttered.
---
đď¸ Elsewhere: The Radiant Spire â Capital of Aeltheryn
Back in the celestial capital, panic erupted.
Scrying orbs across the empire shattered as they tried to follow Kairo's battle. Holy bells tolled warnings that hadn't sounded in ten thousand years.
Inside the Spire of Dawn, High Archon Seren of the Azure Flame stood before a massive stained-glass map of Elarion.
> "So the Crimson God livesâŚ" she whispered, brushing silver hair behind her ear.
An elder beside her gripped his staff. "We should've killed him when we had the chance."
> "We did," Seren said bitterly. "And yet, he returns."
> "What now?"
She turned slowly, her eyes glowing with restrained divinity.
> "We release the Sealed Ones."
---
đĽ Back at the Ruins â Echoes of Memory
As the wind calmed, Kairo moved deeper into the ruins of the shattered temple.
Not by chance.
He had felt a call.
Something deeper than instinct. Older than reincarnation.
He walked past collapsed columns and half-buried relics, pausing before a cracked obsidian slabâonce a door, now a memory.
He placed a hand upon it.
The world rippled.
Suddenly, he was no longer alone.
---
đď¸ A Memory â The Fall of the Crimson Throne
He saw it through his eyes. Or rather, his former self.
A throne room made of bone and fire.
Kneeling dragons.
Trembling kings.
And before him, a circle of hooded gods, surrounding him in betrayal.
Chains of gold.
Runes of sealing.
The Stab of Divinity, piercing his heart.
> "You are too powerful," one of the gods said. "Even your mercy is terrifying."
> "Then you should've stayed afraid," the Crimson God replied before he fell.
The memory faded.
Kairo staggered back, breath caught in his throat.
> "I was a kingâŚ" he murmured. "No. I was a god."
---
đ§ System Ping
> âď¸ [Memory Fragment Absorbed]
+1% Evolution Progress
đ Skill Fragment Reconstructed: Divine Will â Passive (Dormant)
Suppressed. Will awaken at 20% Evolution.
---
đ In the Void â The Imprisoned One Speaks
Back in the Nullvault, the chained figure opened glowing violet eyes.
His skin shimmered like starlight wrapped in shadow. His voice, when it came, echoed through multiple realities.
> "Crimson Brother. You awaken at last."
Chains rattled.
A smile formed on inhuman lips.
> "Then the game begins anew."
---
đš The Hunt Begins â Other Forces Stirring
Far from the ruins, in the northern frostlands, a young huntress paused mid-step.
She clutched her heart.
> "The sky⌠is afraid," she whispered.
In the floating city of Caelestis, a mad prophet painted the Crimson Dragon across the moon in his blood.
And deep in the western jungles, a slumbering colossus opened its stone eyes, whispering:
> "The End walks again."
---
đ Kairo's Decision
Kairo stood alone in the remains of the temple, gazing out over the forest, now scorched and twisted by his power.
> "This world imprisoned me," he said. "But I am no longer their prisoner."
> "I am their reckoning."
He extended a hand.
A seed of flame hovered in his palm, pulsing.
> "Let's begin with a kingdomâŚ"
He clenched his fist.
> And the land trembled.