The smoke cleared from the battlefield, revealing devastation unlike any seen before. The once-mighty Guardian was gone, reduced to ash and molten scars that glowed faintly against the night sky.
High above, thunder rumbled—soft at first, then resonant, like the voice of the heavens themselves announcing judgment.
From the clouds descended radiant sigils of golden light, each one swirling in sacred patterns. The disciples gasped and fell to their knees.
"Heaven's Will… it's descending!"
"The reward is coming!"
Kael stepped forward, his crimson-black aura dimming as if humbled before the divine. He looked up at the descending light, his expression serene.
The sigils stopped above him, their glow deepening into the purest gold. A single pillar of heavenly radiance fell upon him, surrounding his form in blinding brilliance.
Whispers turned into roars.
"He's the chosen one!"
"Heaven recognizes him!"
"Kael, the Chosen of Light!"
Arhaan stood a few steps behind, body bloodied, his chains dim and cracked. The heavenly light didn't touch him. Not even a single spark drifted his way.
Instead, a faint rumble of rejection echoed through the clouds—cold, distant, absolute.
Arhaan clenched his fists, his jaw tight. He could feel it—not just Heaven's silence, but its disdain. As though his existence itself offended the order of this world.
Kael turned slightly, bathed in golden light, and offered a calm smile.
"Do not be disheartened, Arhaan," he said softly, his tone dripping with false sympathy. "Perhaps next time, Heaven will see your worth."
Arhaan met his gaze, eyes burning with quiet fury. "It already has."
Kael's brow furrowed for an instant—then smoothed back into a practiced smile.
Above them, the heavens thundered once more. A voice—neither male nor female, yet echoing across every heart—spoke:
> "The trial is complete. The Chosen of Heaven has been decided. Kael of the Crimson Shadow… ascend."
Golden chains of light descended from the sky, wrapping gently around Kael, lifting him upward toward the summit.
Arhaan's own crimson-gold chains flared faintly in response—not in reverence, but in defiance. They clattered violently, rejecting the divine order, and the heavens above flashed with silver lightning as if in warning.
The disciples watched, awed and terrified.
And deep in Arhaan's heart, one vow formed—clear, unshakable, eternal:
If Heaven can choose who deserves light… then I will become the one who breaks Heaven's hand.