The moon hung low that night—crimson and eerie, like a wounded god bleeding over the world. The great stone walls of Eidryn Fortress glowed under its red light, and even the shadows seemed alive, whispering. The wind carried the faint scent of burnt steel and mana—remnants of the day's fierce battle.
Kael sat silently near the edge of the fortress balcony, his cloak fluttering in the cold wind. Below him lay the aftermath of what he had done—charred corpses of monsters that once poured out from the Crimson Rift.
He didn't flinch. He didn't blink.
He simply stared.
"Kael."
The familiar voice came from behind him. Lynette, the silver-haired elf mage, approached cautiously. Her robe was torn from battle, and dried blood stained her hands.
"You should rest. You've been standing here since sunset."
Kael's gaze didn't move. "Rest? Tell me, Lynette… does the world rest when its balance breaks?"
She frowned, stepping closer. "You've been different since the Rift battle. Ever since that thing—"
"The Core," Kael interrupted coldly. "The Dungeon Core that whispered back to me."
Lynette froze. "It… spoke to you?"
Kael finally turned, his eyes faintly glowing—a color between blue and gold, unstable and unnatural. "It didn't just speak. It showed me things—visions of worlds devoured, timelines twisted, and gods playing games with mortals. I saw… them."
Lynette took a sharp breath. "The Celestials?"
Kael nodded slowly. "The ones who call themselves gods. They aren't divine—they're architects of the dungeon. This entire world… is a training ground. A loop of suffering and rebirth. And we are their pawns."
The silence that followed was heavy. Only the wind dared to move.
Lynette's voice trembled. "Then… why show you?"
Kael's expression darkened. "Because I broke their code. I leveled beyond what this world allows. I became something they can't control. And now… they want me erased."
---
The fortress bell suddenly rang—a low, metallic toll that sent shivers through the soldiers below.
Dong… Dong… Dong…
The Bloodmoon Alarm.
Kael's instincts flared. "Another Rift?"
A soldier burst through the doors, panting, "Captain! A new dungeon gate—it's not in the wildlands. It's inside the fortress courtyard!"
"What?" Lynette gasped.
Kael's eyes flashed. "They're not waiting anymore."
He leapt from the balcony, landing soundlessly in the courtyard below. A glowing red portal spiraled open, veins of black energy crawling outward like roots. The ground cracked beneath its pressure.
From within, distorted shapes began to crawl—knights made of bone, beasts with eyes stitched shut, and a massive, serpentine creature whose scales pulsed with divine runes.
Kael unsheathed his blade. The weapon hummed—a fusion of mana, steel, and his very soul. The Rebellion Edge.
"Lynette! Evacuate the mages. Now!"
"But what about you—"
"I said go!" Kael's voice thundered with mana, his aura erupting in golden fire.
The serpent lunged first, its roar splitting the night. Kael met it head-on, his sword slashing through its runed skin. The creature screamed as golden light burst from the wound—Kael's Soulflame Technique.
He twisted mid-air, slammed his palm into the beast's skull, and whispered,
"Break."
The serpent exploded into shards of light, scattering across the courtyard like dying stars.
But Kael didn't smile. He could feel it—more coming. Hundreds. Thousands.
"Level 210… 212… 215…"
The numbers flickered in his vision as he cut through enemy after enemy. His power was growing uncontrollably, feeding off the dungeon's very energy.
---
Suddenly, everything stopped. The air grew still.
A voice—ancient and calm—echoed from within the Rift.
"So… the anomaly continues to resist."
Kael's pupils narrowed. "Who are you?"
"You've no right to question a god, mortal. I am Aethros, overseer of worlds, guardian of order. Your defiance breaks the sacred cycle."
Kael clenched his fists, flames flickering around his arms. "Sacred cycle? You mean your endless loop of death and despair? I've seen your lies."
"Balance demands sacrifice. You should not exist, Kael of the Lower Realm."
Kael raised his sword toward the Rift. "Then erase me yourself."
There was a pause. Then laughter—cold, divine, echoing like thunder.
"Very well."
The Rift expanded violently, swallowing the courtyard in red light. The entire fortress trembled.
Kael braced himself, channeling his mana into his sword. The ground split beneath him, the very air warping from the force.
Then—
A colossal hand emerged from the Rift. Made of light and shadow, it reached for Kael like the hand of a god.
Kael screamed, thrusting his blade forward.
"INFINITE REBELLION!"
His energy exploded outward, golden flames tearing through the divine hand, splitting it apart. The impact sent a shockwave across the fortress, blowing apart walls and towers.
When the light faded, Kael was on one knee, breathing heavily. His sword was cracked. His arm burned. But the Rift… was gone.
---
Lynette rushed toward him, tears in her eyes. "Kael! You did it!"
He looked up at her slowly.
"No… I didn't."
From the ashes, a sigil burned into the ground—a circle of divine script glowing faintly.
Lynette frowned. "What is that?"
Kael stared at it, his face pale. "A beacon. I didn't destroy the Rift. I just revealed my location to all of them."
The wind howled again. The Bloodmoon flared brighter, almost mocking.
Lynette whispered, "Kael… what will you do now?"
Kael rose to his feet, his cloak tattered, his eyes burning with defiance.
"I'll do what I was never meant to do."
He sheathed his broken blade and looked toward the heavens where the gods watched.
"I'll climb their world… and destroy their throne."
---
To be continue...