The storm froze.
Not literally—rain still fell, thunder still rolled—but the feeling in the air changed.
As if the world itself had realized something far worse than monsters had arrived.
High above the city, standing where clouds should not hold weight...
...was a man.
He hovered in the open sky, long coat fluttering like a banner of war. Golden eyes glowed with a light that didn't belong to Earth. Space itself bent subtly around him—buildings curved when seen through the distortion of his presence.
Hex Nocturne looked up.
"...Kael."
The cheers below began to die.
Humans felt it too now—the pressure. The difference between a protector... and something that ruled worlds.
The figure descended slowly, boots touching the air as if it were solid ground. With every step downward, the storm shifted around him. Wind parted. Rain curved away from his body.
Kael Nocturne landed on the rooftop across from Hex.
The twins faced each other.
Same height.
Same face structure.
Same blood.
But where Hex's presence was cold and quiet, Kael's was heavy—commanding. The kind of power that didn't need to shout to be heard.
Kael's golden eyes flicked down to the street below, to the humans still staring in awe.
"...So," he said calmly, "this is where you chose to disappear to."
Hex didn't answer.
Kael's gaze returned to him.
"You let the galaxy think you were dead."
Hex's jaw tightened. "That wasn't my problem."
Kael took a step forward. Space warped between them.
"And yet you stand here," Kael said, "playing guardian to the weakest race in existence."
Hex's eyes hardened.
"They didn't ask to be born weak."
Kael smirked faintly. "Neither did you ask to be born a god."
Silence stretched.
Thunder rolled.
Below them, helicopters hovered in the distance. News drones circled. Millions were watching now.
Kael turned his back to the city and focused fully on Hex.
"You felt it, didn't you?"
Hex said nothing.
"The Ruinborn don't move alone," Kael continued. "Seven on Earth means something much bigger is coming."
Hex's fingers twitched.
Kael's voice dropped.
"The Tournament of Galaxies is being called."
Hex finally reacted.
"...So?"
Kael's golden eyes sharpened.
"Every one hundred years, eleven galaxies send their five strongest to one battlefield. An all-out brawl. No teams. No mercy. You win by killing... or throwing your enemy out of the ring."
Hex looked away.
"I don't care."
Kael stared at him for a long moment.
Then he said the one thing he knew would cut deeper than any blade.
"If you go... you might finally learn the truth about that day."
Hex's breath hitched.
Kael turned slightly.
"About Eira."
The name cracked the world.
Hex's eyes widened just a fraction.
Kael continued, voice low and precise:
"The one who ordered her death... will be there."
Silence.
Rain dripped from Hex's hair.
His fists clenched.
Kael stepped back, turning toward the sky.
"The tournament is in six months. We leave soon."
Then, without looking back—
"Think about it."
Space folded around him.
And Kael vanished.
⸻
Hex stood alone on the rooftop long after the storm swallowed the sky again.
Neon lights blurred in the rain. The city breathed below him, alive because he had chosen to act.
"Eira..."
Her smile flickered in his mind.
Her voice.
Her dream.
'Let's live on Earth someday, Hex. Among humans. They're weak... but they're kind.'
He closed his eyes.
Ten years.
Ten years of searching for her killer.
Nothing.
No trace.
No answers.
And now...
Kael had dangled the truth in front of him.
Hex looked up at the stormy sky.
"...Damn you."
He turned away from the edge.
With one step—
He vanished into the night.