When the Ten Gods returned to the Kingdom of Zamorthal, silence greeted them.
Not the peaceful kind but the hollow silence of loss.
The great streets lay broken, their stones cracked and blackened. Towers that once touched the sky were now reduced to jagged ruins. Smoke rose lazily from scorched buildings, curling into the air like the last breath of a dying land. The few people who remained moved like shadows, their faces drained of hope, their eyes heavy with grief.
Elunara stepped forward, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What happened here?"
Her gaze swept across the devastation, disbelief etched into her expression. "This place… it's ruined."
Before any god could respond, Xylander froze.
Across the ruined square stood a familiar figure dust-covered, wounded, but alive.
"Lucian!" Xylander shouted.
The boy turned, shock flashing across his face. For a heartbeat, he simply stared, as though seeing a ghost. Then he ran.
They collided in a tight embrace, gripping each other as if letting go would make the moment vanish. Around them, the gods stood silent, their expressions unreadable as they took in the full weight of Zamorthal's destruction.
Lucian finally stepped back and approached the gods. He lowered his head in deep respect.
Zarthor's voice broke the stillness. "Raise your head, boy. Tell us what befell this kingdom?"
Lucian swallowed. "A powerful demon… and his armies. They came from the eastern borders. There were too many of them. They burned everything. They slaughtered without mercy." His voice trembled. "They captured countless people dragged them away into slavery."
A heavy tension filled the air.
As Lucian spoke, an old man emerged from the crowd, followed by several others. Anger burned in their eyes.
"This is your fault!" the old man shouted, pointing at the gods. "If you had not abandoned us, none of this would have happened!"
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the small gathering.
The temperature dropped.
The gods turned toward the accusers, their eyes darkening cold, ancient, and terrifying. Power simmered beneath their calm, restrained only by fragile patience.
Xylander stepped forward immediately. "Are you out of your minds?" he snapped. "Do you even know who you're speaking to?"
Lucian joined him. "They are not your slaves! You didn't own them. You never paid them to guard this kingdom!"
Xylander's voice softened but carried weight. "They left to seek their creator. Is that a crime?"
Silence followed.
The wind swept through the broken streets, carrying ash and regret. Humans and gods alike stood frozen, uncertain. The gods' expressions hardened not with rage alone, but with something deeper: betrayal.
Then Enoch spoke.
"Enough."
His voice was calm, yet final. He turned his back on Zamorthal and one by one, the remaining nine gods followed.
Xylander's heart skipped. "Where are you going?"
Enoch smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "To kill some fools who have forgotten their place."
"Can we come with you?" Xylander asked.
Iris shook her head gently. "No. You must stay safe. I'm sorry."
Lucian nodded. "We understand."
"Good," Enoch said. "Then let us move."
In an instant, the Ten Gods became blinding beams of multicolored light. Thunder roared as they shot into the sky, tearing through the clouds like divine spears.
Far away, in demon territory, the sky darkened.
Clouds rolled in unnaturally fast, swallowing the heavens. Rain began to fall, cold and heavy. Demons paused, unease creeping into their hearts. Something was wrong.
They felt it.
The gods arrived at the speed of light.
Before they even descended, a crushing aura flooded the land ancient, overwhelming, absolute. Demons screamed as lightning split the sky and the gods struck the earth with unstoppable force. Their presence alone erased demons and shattered homes into dust.
Panic erupted.
Demons fled toward their capital, where demon kings and lords sat in council. None of them spoke. They could only stare at one another, feeling power beyond comprehension energy so vast it crushed their will.
Screams echoed across the territory.
The gods unleashed devastation.
Hundreds fell. Then thousands. Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands. Millions.
The land drowned in blood and thunder.
Kaeroth laughed coldly. "These insects truly didn't know who they challenged."
Kaerlvryn sneered. "Ignorance is their greatest sin."
Orryx surveyed the carnage, unimpressed. "I expected more," he said. "But they are painfully weak."
And the heavens continued to burn.
The battlefield was silent except for the remains of the fallen demons. Almost all of them had died in terrible ways. Some had been sliced apart into pieces of flesh, others were cut cleanly in half, and many were burned until nothing but ash remained. It looked less like a battle and more like a divine slaughter. Bones were shattered everywhere, and the surviving demons had suffered greatly.
Deep inside their fortress, the demon kings and warlords sat together in their meeting chamber. Ever since the gods descended into their territory, none of them had spoken. They could feel it the strange pressure in the air. An overwhelming aura unlike anything they had ever experienced. None of them had ever seen a god before; they had only heard stories.
Now those stories felt terrifyingly real.
Several demons began to sweat. Others shifted nervously in their seats. They knew demons were powerful, but compared to gods… they were nothing.
From outside the chamber came the sounds of chaos loud crashes, explosions, and the unmistakable noise of destruction. The noise continued for several moments before everything suddenly went quiet.
Then it happened.
The door exploded inward.
Iris had smashed it apart, sending fragments of wood flying across the room like sharp blades. The pieces cut lightly across the skin of every demon present, leaving thin marks and scratches even from the brief contact.
The demon kings and warlords froze.
Ten figures stepped into the room.
Each of them radiated a divine aura. Their eyes glowed with godly power, and an immense energy flowed from their bodies. They walked forward calmly, without fear, until they stood directly before the trembling demons.
One of them stepped forward.
"My name is Enoch," he said. "I am the god of divine power absolute power. And these are my family. As you can see, they are gods as well."
The other gods looked silently at the demons. It was only a glance, but it was enough to terrify them. Some of the demon kings instinctively jumped back. Others hid behind their companions.
Then Iris stepped forward.
"What has happened here," she said coldly, "is only a warning."
Her voice carried immense power.
"If you ever send demons to the human realm again… or if you ever try to attack Zamorthal… you and your entire race will learn what it means to lose your home."
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes burning with anger.
"And let me make this clear. There will be no second warning."
Her expression became almost monstrous as her aura flared.
"I will personally hunt every one of you down like animals. I will tear you apart until nothing remains."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Enoch calmly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"That is enough, Iris," he said. "We have already done far more than what they did to us."
He looked back at the demons.
"Let's go."
In the blink of an eye, the gods vanished as if they had never been there.
The demon kings collapsed onto the floor, shaking violently.
It was the first time any of them had ever seen gods.
One demon shouted, "I thought I was finished!"
Another sat down in shock, realizing his trousers had been soaked with urine. The fear had been overwhelming. Some of the demon kings even began discussing stepping down from their positions.
They had never known fear like this before.
Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Zamorthal, the people were struggling to rebuild their homes and care for the wounded.
Suddenly, a man pointed toward the sky.
"Hey… look at that."
A bright light streaked across the sky like a comet. At first it looked distant, but within seconds it changed direction and began rushing toward the kingdom.
People panicked and ran for cover.
The light struck the ground gently.
The gods had returned.
Velmioron, the goddess of time and cosmic order, stepped forward and raised her hand. Time itself seemed to bend around her. Buildings that had been destroyed slowly repaired themselves. Walls rose again. Fires disappeared. Broken streets returned to their original form.
The kingdom of Zamorthal was restored.
Everyone watched in shock and amazement.
Then Enoch joined her. Together, he and Velmioron released a wave of divine healing that spread across the kingdom. Wounds closed. Pain faded. Strength returned to the injured.
The people began cheering with joy.
Xylander and Lucian smiled with relief.
After a moment, Enoch and the other gods turned to Xylander.
"It's time for us to go," Enoch said.
Lucian frowned. "Go? Where are you going?"
"Somewhere very far away," Enoch replied. "A place no human can reach."
"But why?" Xylander asked. "If you leave, who will protect the humans?"
Enoch looked at the city quietly before answering.
"Humans are weak," he said calmly. "And even in their weakness, they blame others instead of growing stronger themselves. The sooner they understand that they must stand on their own, the better it will be for them."
He paused.
"And besides… we are leaving so that this kind of disrespect will never happen again."
Xylander hesitated before speaking again.
"Can Lucian and I come with you?" he asked carefully. "I just found him again… and I can't lose him."
Iris and the other gods exchanged smiles.
"Of course," one of them replied.
Everyone gathered together. The gods placed their hands on each other's shoulders, forming a circle. Xylander and Lucian stood in the middle.
Elunara looked around at the group.
"So," she asked softly, "where should we go?"
Before anyone could answer, their divine power activated.
And in an instant…
They all disappeared.