The Hollow Wraith writhed on the ground, its singed limb emitting wisps of smoke. Stellan staggered backward, staring at his trembling hands — faintly glowing, pulsing as if recalling an incomprehensible power.
The Seeker positioned himself between Stellan and the creature, raising his golden blade.
"Stellan Adrian," he said without turning around, "do not use that power again."
Stellan swallowed hard. "I didn't intend to—"
"I know." His tone was sharp and urgent. "And that's the issue."
The Wraith shrieked and lunged again.
The Seeker moved with astonishing speed.
A single slash. A flash of gold. An exact strike.
The creature disintegrated into black ash.
Silence enveloped the scene.
The wind whispered through the vacant fields.
Stellan gazed at the vanishing dust, his heart racing.
"What… what was that thing?"
The Seeker finally turned to face him.
"A being attracted to those who disrupt fate… and reality."
Stellan took a step back. "You think I'm one of those people?"
The Seeker paused before answering.
"Yes."
---
Ren Arrives Too Late
Ren raced up the hill, driven by instinct and a darker intuition whispering in his ear.
He arrived just after the battle concluded.
What he saw:
Ash.
Stellan.
The Seeker.
And Stellan's hands still glowing faintly.
Ren froze.
His breath hitched.
He awakened once more.
Stellan noticed him and opened his mouth to speak.
But Ren's expression had already shifted.
Not with anger.
Not with envy.
But with fear.
Fear of being left behind.
Fear that destiny had already chosen.
Ren clenched his fists until his nails pierced his skin.
The Seeker turned his gaze toward him.
"You," he said calmly. "Ren Samael."
Ren's jaw tightened. "You know me too?"
"I'm aware of your potential." His gaze sharpened. "And your danger."
Ren stepped closer.
"You believe Stellan is a threat, but I'm not?"
"I think," the Seeker replied, "that you both signal the start of something the world is ill-prepared to endure."
---
The First Rift
The Seeker gestured towards Stellan.
"Tonight's events show that you can no longer hide. Your powers will continue to grow, just as the threats after you will."
Ren moved closer.
"What about me?"
The Seeker's expression grew stern.
"You… are not equipped to handle what hunts him."
Ren froze.
A fracture ran through his composure.
"…So you're implying he's stronger."
Stellan quickly shook his head. "No, Ren—"
But the Seeker interjected first.
"He awakened first. The cosmos responds to him in a more immediate way."
Ren felt something break within him.
A quiet rupture.
A seed.
Stellan reached out his hand. "Ren, it's not—"
Ren brushed it aside.
His voice was low.
Cold.
"Save it."
He turned away before Stellan could see the hurt in his eyes.
His shadow stretched unnaturally long beneath the moonlight.
Observing him.
Morphing.
Waiting.
---
Nyxara Awakens
Far beyond the mortal realm — in a universe of shattered stars and bleeding skies — a figure stirred.
A woman with hair like drifting shadows. Eyes like collapsing galaxies. Wings woven from broken constellations.
Nyxara.
One of the oldest predators in the Black Hole cosmology. A Devourer of ascendants. A hunter of awakening sovereigns.
She lifted her face toward Astren.
A slight smile touched her lips.
"So… two souls shining brightly at once."
Her voice echoed like distant thunder.
"Finally."
---
The Seeker's Ominous Warning
Back in Astren, the Seeker placed a hand on Stellan's shoulder.
"We don't have much time. What you displayed tonight…" He glanced at the skies. "…has caught the attention of beings older than Wraiths."
Stellan's hair stood on end. "Noticed by who?"
The Seeker's gaze intensified.
"Nyxara."
Stellan swallowed hard.
"And she is…?"
"One of the greatest hunters in this reality," he said quietly. "She doesn't track mortals. She hunts gods."
Stellan's heart sank.
"I'm not a god."
The Seeker looked at him with a mix of pity and certainty.
"Not yet."
---
Ren's Vow
Ren sat alone beneath a tree, moonlight casting stark lines across his face.
His shadow pulsed.
Twisted.
Shivered.
A voice whispered again—Corvax's voice, swirling within the darkness like smoke.
"You saw it. They favor him."
Ren closed his eyes.
"Yes."
"You could surpass him."
Ren's hands clenched.
"I will."
"All you must do is stop holding back."
Ren took a deep breath.
And something in the air shifted.
A choice was being made.
A path was being forged.
Not of malice.
Not yet.
But of defiance—the defiance to refuse to linger in someone else's shadow.
His voice was quiet yet resolute.
"I won't follow Stellan."
The shadows around him seemed to grin.
"You won't."