The sky above the dead forest burned crimson, a canvas of ash and lightning. Rai stood motionless among the ruins, his sword still dripping blood and light. The silence that followed Lyra's disappearance was heavier than any scream—it was the silence of truth, and it carried weight.
The mark on his wrist pulsed three times—once for each key. Resolve. Truth. Memory.And with every pulse, he felt something awaken deep within him.
But it wasn't just him.
The ground trembled.Then, a sound.A heartbeat—not his own. Louder. Older. Hungrier.
He looked toward the horizon, where the shattered edge of the labyrinth bled into the void. The air there shimmered, like heat over sand. But it wasn't heat—it was presence. Something immense was stirring beyond the veil of existence.
Then, from the clouds above, came the voice. Deep, guttural, yet eerily familiar.
"Vowbound… Son of the Eclipse… you've unbound three chains. Do you seek freedom—or war?"
Rai tightened his grip on his sword. "You're one of them, aren't you? One of the sealed gods."
The voice rumbled like mountains shifting. "I am the first. The one who bore the name Kaen, God of Dawn and Dusk."
Lightning cracked across the sky, splitting it open. From within the storm emerged a colossal silhouette—a being of molten light and shadow, its form shifting between man and beast, god and flame. Its eyes glowed with the same red hue as Rai's.
"You sealed me," Kaen said, voice shaking the earth. "But even in my prison, I remembered your face."
Rai's breath caught. "My face…?"
The god's laughter rolled through the heavens like thunder. "You think you were mortal when you cast the Eclipse? Foolish child—you were our kin. You were born of divinity and rebellion."
Rai stepped back, his heart pounding. "That's impossible."
Kaen leaned closer, his form rippling through the fabric of the labyrinth like fire through glass. "Your vow to end the gods was the ultimate betrayal. You killed your own blood, Rai Solen. You ended the Age of Flame."
The world tilted. Memories flashed behind Rai's eyes—half-formed visions of fire, wings, and endless war. He saw himself standing among beings of light, raising his blade against them. Against Kaen.
"I…" Rai whispered, falling to his knees. "I don't remember."
Kaen's laughter turned bitter. "Memory is mercy. But your mercy has cost the world its dawn. Now, with each gate you open, the seal weakens—and I will rise once more."
Rai stood, shaking. His eyes blazed crimson, his voice steady despite the turmoil raging inside him. "Then I'll stop you again."
Kaen's form darkened, his laughter fading into a whisper. "You cannot stop what you are. The Eclipse wasn't meant to imprison me—it was meant to imprison you."
Rai froze.
"What did you say?"
"The labyrinth, the keys, the trials… they were never cages for gods," Kaen said. "They were cages for the Vowbound King—the one who forged them."
And then everything shattered.
The world around Rai split apart, fracturing into shards of light. He screamed as the mark on his wrist erupted into flames, spreading up his arm like molten chains. His body convulsed, his vision flashing between the past and present.
He saw himself centuries ago—crowned in fire, surrounded by armies of mortals and gods alike. He saw Lyra kneeling before him, weeping. He saw his sword descending through her heart as the Eclipse swallowed the sky.
And then… darkness.
When the vision faded, Rai found himself in a vast hall of obsidian mirrors. Each mirror reflected a different version of him—some younger, some older, some monstrous.
"Who… am I?" he whispered.
A voice answered from the shadows.
"You are the Vowbound King, the Betrayer of Heavens."
Rai turned sharply. Standing at the far end of the hall was a man draped in gold and black, his eyes glowing like embers. He looked identical to Rai—but older, colder, and smiling.
The reflection stepped forward, each footstep echoing like the toll of a bell. "You thought you were redeeming yourself. But redemption requires sacrifice. Are you ready to pay the price again?"
Rai's hand shook as he raised his sword. "I'll pay it. Whatever it takes."
The reflection smirked. "Good. Because the Fourth Gate won't test your strength…"
The mirrors began to crack, and from each emerged distorted versions of Rai's past selves—merciful, vengeful, broken.
"…it will test your right to exist."
The world exploded into shards of light as the reflection lunged. Rai parried, sparks flying, the echoes of their battle ringing through the hall like music.
Each strike felt like striking his own heart.
The reflection grinned through the chaos.
"The god of dawn rises, Rai. And when he does—you'll remember why you killed him."
The mirrors shattered completely, swallowing them both in light.