Scene One: The Mind of the King
The forest temple was quiet — birds distant, the wind low.
Leonidas knelt before Megumi, both of them seated cross-legged on the stone floor of the sanctum, surrounded by softly burning candles and ancient warding sigils.
Megumi's body was still bruised from his battle with Ares. Power still crackled faintly beneath his skin — untamed, restless.
Leonidas placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
"To understand the Fallen King," he said, "you must walk through your own soul. Not rage. Not vengeance. Just… being."
He guided Megumi through slow breathing, pressing two fingers to his forehead.
"You won't find him in the storm," Leonidas whispered. "You'll find him in the silence."
With a final breath, Megumi's body relaxed—and the world around him went dark.
⸻
Scene Two: The Throne Beyond
He stood in a corridor of black marble, lit by a pale, cold light with no source.
His footsteps echoed like memories through a long, endless hallway.
At the end stood a throne—not of gold, not of glory—but of broken stone and shattered halos. Vines wrapped it. Swords pierced it. Shadows wept around it.
And seated there…
The Fallen King.
He looked like Megumi—older, scarred, eyes molten white and full of sorrow. His voice was a rumble of galaxies collapsing.
"You've come back."
Megumi swallowed. "Back?"
"This throne is yours," the Fallen King said, standing. "It always has been. You are me. I am you. But you are not ready to wear this crown."
Megumi stepped forward. "Then teach me."
The King's halo erupted behind him—massive, jagged, trembling with barely-contained ruin.
"Very well," he said. "Let us see if your soul can survive your own truth."
He raised his hand—
And the training began.
⸻
Scene Three: Fire Beneath the Surface
Outside the sanctum, under the pale morning sun, Nyx stood opposite Leonidas, both of them surrounded by carved runes in a dirt training ring.
She held no weapons.
Just her bare hands.
Leonidas circled her, slowly. "You've fought all your life to survive. Now, you fight to become."
Nyx's fingers trembled slightly. "I don't know how to fight for myself."
Leonidas nodded once. "Then learn."
He lunged.
Nyx blocked, twisted, but didn't strike back. Her instincts still whispered obey.Still echoed submit.
Leonidas struck again—this time with a palm to her chest that knocked the wind from her.
"Strike me," he growled.
She staggered, her voice quiet. "I don't want to be what they made me—"
"Then be more!" he roared, eyes blazing. "You are not Ares' creation. You are not a tool. You are a storm waiting to remember how to break."
Nyx clenched her fists. Her breath caught—
—and then the air around her shimmered.
Her aura burst like black fire, but this time not cold — it glowed with streaks of violet and soft silver, a new energy awakening.
She moved.
Fluid. Fast.
She struck Leonidas in the chest, forcing him back three steps.
And in her eyes — no chains. Only flame.
⸻
Scene Four: End of Session
Hours later, both warriors sat separately.
Megumi opened his eyes in the sanctum, drenched in sweat, his power pulsing in rhythm with a deeper calm. The Fallen King had shown him things — ancient movements, hidden memories, echoes of battles he had never lived but somehow remembered.
Outside, Nyx meditated alone beneath a willow tree, the light catching the soft curve of a smile on her lips.
For the first time since their journey began—
They were no longer just survivors.
They were becoming legends.