The winds howled across the edge of the cosmos, the fabric of reality trembling as Hermes soared through the dimensional currents. The divine messenger had felt it first—a presence, older than time, heavier than destiny. Not divine. Not titan. Something else.
He landed on Olympus, sweat beading on his brow, his golden sandals scuffed from the strain of his journey. The gods, now reborn with humanity woven into their immortality, looked up from their peaceful discussions as Hermes burst through the Hall of Council.
"Zeus," Hermes gasped, "I've felt something… it's rising."
Zeus stood, his brow furrowed. Poseidon stepped forward beside him.
"Is it Megumi?" Poseidon asked cautiously.
Hermes shook his head. "No. Worse. Something ancient. Something that predates even you."
A silence fell over Olympus.
⸻
An hour later, the sky above the mortal world cracked open for a brief moment—and Megumi Valentine stepped through the divine gate, arriving in the center of Olympus.
The throne room, which once reeked of arrogance and conflict, now carried a strange serenity. Gods conversed, laughed, and even smiled—peacefully. Megumi looked around, golden eyes narrowed.
"This place… is different," he muttered. "You all look… calm."
Zeus stepped forward, somber. "We are. But peace does not last forever. There's something we must discuss."
Megumi crossed his arms. "You dragged me here to talk about some distant threat?"
Zeus nodded slowly. "Not just any threat… an ancient one. Something that vanished during the Great War, long before even my rule. We believe it's the reason the titans once feared the heavens themselves."
Megumi's expression darkened. "What are you talking about?"
Poseidon spoke next. "Hermes found traces of an energy that shouldn't exist. It's not just divine—it's primordial. Raw. Consuming. It resembles your power… but older. Purer."
Zeus looked Megumi directly in the eye. "We believe what's rising is the original Fallen King."
A cold silence swept through the chamber.
Megumi blinked. "…I thought I was the Fallen King."
Zeus shook his head. "You were chosen to inherit the title. But the original one? He was not chosen. He was born into it. He reigned before Olympus, before Kronos, before even Gaia's final children walked the earth. A being made of equal parts order and chaos."
Hermes added, "And according to the oldest records from the stars, he didn't die. He was sealed away."
Megumi's fists clenched. A storm flickered behind his eyes.
"So now he's waking up," Megumi said.
"And if he does," Poseidon muttered, "we may all be swept into his shadow. Gods, titans, and mortals alike."
Zeus stepped forward again. "That's why we called you. You're not our enemy anymore. You may be the only one who can stand against him… if he truly returns."
Megumi turned his back to the council, staring out over the edge of Olympus—down at the mortal world he'd fought so hard to protect.
"If he's the original Fallen King…" he said, voice low, "then I want to know why he fell."
Zeus looked toward the horizon, voice filled with the weight of history.
"Then you'll have to go deeper than the River Styx, Megumi. You'll need to find where even we gods fear to look."