The particles of light gradually disappeared from the skies above the continent of Glory.
Luminous and Akami had left the village behind, travelling through the vast expanse of Tiamat at extraordinary speeds. Their bodies were enveloped in golden radiance, leaving behind faint trails of light as they crossed mountains, forests, and oceans.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Akami remained beside her master, her expression unusually quiet. It was unlike her to remain so silent whenever she was in Luminous's presence. Normally, she would have something to report, something to discuss, or simply a reason to remain close to the person she had served for countless years.
But this time was different. Thousands of years had passed since she last saw her master.
She had spent so long believing that the person she devoted her existence to would never return that even seeing her again felt somewhat unreal.
Luminous eventually glanced toward her. "Why the silent treatment?" Akami lowered her gaze momentarily before looking toward Luminous.
"It's been so many years, Master... While I was imprisoned, I thought that you wouldn't return in this lifetime. I was ready to die, but then you came and saved me again, just like 5,000 years ago."
Luminous looked at her for a moment.
There was something particularly different about her expression. Although she had always maintained an elegant and composed appearance, her eyes softened slightly. "I'm sorry, child... It was hard on you. But don't worry. Things will take the same turn they did when everything ended years ago."
Akami smiled faintly. She had heard those words before and knowing her master, she understood exactly what they meant. "Since you returned... then what about the Dark Emperor? Did he return too?"
Luminous looked ahead. A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Yes. Darkness has returned, and this time there won't be a war between Light and Darkness. Things have changed for the better, and we are not enemies anymore. In fact, I have already met Darkness. He is here on Tiamat."
Akami's expression changed slightly.
She had heard countless stories about the Dark Emperor throughout the years, even during her imprisonment. The existence who once stood alongside her master. The other half of the beginning and the ending. "I see." Luminous smiled.
The two continued travelling. However, somewhere beyond the boundaries of ordinary space and time, another scene was unfolding.
Far beyond the dimensions of Tiamat existed a realm that belonged exclusively to Primordial Light. It was a place outside the conventional laws of space and time, an independent reality that had existed long before countless universes came into existence.
Some called it the Realm of Absolute Light. Its entire existence was sustained by the authority of its original master.
Yet, despite its extraordinary beauty, something was fundamentally wrong.
The realm was no longer what it used to be. The once vast landscape of golden light had become strangely quiet. The structures that once represented the authority of Primordial Light had been altered, and energies belonging to the Constellations could be felt throughout the domain.
At the centre of the realm stood an enormous palace. Within its grand chamber sat a man upon a magnificent throne.
He possessed tall golden hair and golden eyes, with a noticeable scar running across his neck. His appearance was charismatic, and his posture carried the confidence of someone accustomed to ruling.
Below him sat a council. Several figures occupied the seats arranged throughout the enormous chamber, each possessing an extraordinary presence.
The man on the throne suddenly opened his eyes. For a brief moment, he had sensed something. Something familiar. Something that had not been felt for thousands of years.
His expression changed slightly. He released his aura, allowing it to spread throughout the realm in an attempt to identify the presence.
But when he examined it more carefully, he could only detect Akami's energy.
A faint smile appeared on his face. "So Akami escaped the prison in the city of Glory? I shouldn't be surprised. You were the second in command when the Master was here." He remained seated for a moment before shifting his attention toward the entrance.
"Luke."
A figure appeared before the throne. Luke possessed golden eyes, but his expression seemed strangely vacant. His consciousness appeared to be in a trance, as though his actions were being dictated by someone else.
The man on the throne looked down at him. "Akami escaped. Your order is to kill her." Luke received the command without hesitation. The next moment, his figure disappeared.
Back in the Realm of Absolute Light, Luminous had finally arrived. She stood before the enormous halls that once belonged to her.
Her long golden hair flowed gently behind her as she examined the surroundings. There was no need for an explanation. She could feel it. The energy of the Constellations was everywhere. Her realm had been occupied.
The structures, the atmosphere, and even certain areas that once carried the authority of Primordial Light had been contaminated by foreign influences. Luminous's expression became increasingly displeased. This was her realm. A place that had existed long before the beings currently occupying it had even come into existence.
And yet, they had turned it into something unrecognizable.
A spatial fluctuation suddenly appeared. Luke materialized before them. His golden eyes immediately settled on Akami. He had received his orders. Akami noticed him and understood the situation immediately.
However, before she could make a move, Luminous stepped forward. Her long golden hair flowed behind her as she looked straight ahead. She wasn't even looking at Luke. Her eyes were directed toward something much farther away.
Her throne. Without turning around, she spoke. "Akami, you have my permission to go all out. Kill him." Akami's expression became serious. She stepped forward, her previous gentleness disappearing.
"I have received your orders, Master." Luminous continued walking. She had no intention of wasting her time on Luke. There were far more important matters to attend to.
As she advanced, something extraordinary happened. Her authority began spreading throughout the realm. Primordial Light. The original authority that had existed since the beginning of creation.
The entire Realm of Absolute Light illuminated. Countless structures began resonating with her presence. The golden radiance spread across the heavens, reaching every corner of the dimension.
The realm itself was responding.
It recognized its original master.
Inside the Hall of Light.
The man sitting upon the throne suddenly opened his eyes.
His expression changed.
This time, there was no mistaking it. That presence and authority.
That overwhelming radiance. He slowly rose from his throne. For thousands of years, he had occupied a position that was never meant to belong to him.
And now...Its rightful owner had returned. Outside the enormous hall, Luminous continued walking. The golden radiance surrounding her became increasingly brilliant. Eventually, she arrived before the enormous entrance.
The giant doors stood before her, separating the outer corridors from the chamber where the council and the man on the throne were gathered. Luminous stopped. She didn't need to knock. The doors slowly opened by themselves.
Inside, the members of the council immediately turned their attention toward the entrance. Footsteps echoed throughout the enormous chamber. One step then another. A voice eventually reached them.
"Your lives will be taken for this disrespect, and you will not be allowed to reincarnate. You will know what it feels like to suffer the wrath of my light."
The council members exchanged glances. The man standing beside the throne suddenly began laughing.
It started as a quiet chuckle before gradually becoming hysterical. He looked toward the entrance. There she was. The woman whose authority had once governed every corner of this realm. The original master…Luminous.
He watched her walk into the chamber, her golden hair flowing behind her while the overwhelming radiance of Primordial Light illuminated the surroundings. "I knew I felt a wisp of your presence earlier, Master. You must be angry seeing your subordinate in your throne."
Luminous stopped. Her golden eyes settled on him. "You will know soon enough...Gabriel" The man's smile widened. He raised one hand slightly and looked toward the council.
"Council of Constellations... kill her."
Immediately, the members of the council began rising from their seats. One after another, they stood before Luminous.
Their auras spread throughout the chamber, each possessing the power granted by the Constellations.
They were no longer the original Council of Light. They had become the Council of Constellations.
Their allegiance had changed under Ra's influence, and they had allowed themselves to become instruments of someone else's ambitions.
Now, they stood against the very being whose authority had originally given their positions meaning.
Luminous looked at them. There was no fear in her expression. Not even the slightest hesitation. She simply observed the figures standing before her.
They had made a terrible mistake. They had mistaken her absence for weakness. They had mistaken her silence for defeat and most importantly...
They had forgotten who she was. Luminous was not simply another powerful existence within the hierarchy of creation. She was the counterpart of Darkness. The other half of the primordial beginning.
For those who knew their history, there was something that had never changed, regardless of how many universes were born or destroyed.
Light and Darkness were the first beings to be born in all existence. They were the first beings of creation across all realities.
One represented the beginning. The other represented the ending. They were the two fundamental existences from which everything else followed.
And now, one of them had returned to reclaim what belonged to her. The council members prepared themselves. Luminous slowly raised her eyes. The golden radiance surrounding her intensified.