The capital burned behind him.
Not in flames — in panic.
Sirens echoed from the outer towers. Searchlights of divine light swept across rooftops. Patrol units flooded the streets.
Kael moved through the lower districts, hood stolen from a fallen guard pulled low over his face.
Every step felt like broken glass inside his veins.
The War God's fragment still burned under his skin.
Authority: 0.31%Physical condition: unstableDivine residue detected
He turned into an alley.
Stumbled.
Caught himself against a wall.
Blood dripped from his fingertips.
Ten million gold.
He almost laughed again.
"Worth more dead than alive," he muttered.
A shadow shifted at the end of the alley.
He froze.
Not a soldier.
Too light.
Too quiet.
The air felt… controlled.
A figure stepped forward.
Black cloak. Slim frame. Silver hair barely visible beneath the hood.
And eyes—
Sharp. Observing. Not afraid.
She wasn't holding a weapon.
That bothered him more.
"You're leaking," she said calmly.
Her voice was soft, but precise.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"Divine residue," she replied, tilting her head slightly. "If the Inquisitors were closer, you'd already be dead."
Inquisitors.
So the Empire had escalated beyond knights.
Good to know.
"Then why am I not?" he asked.
She studied him for a long moment.
Not impressed.
Not intimidated.
Measuring.
"Because I got here first."
Before he could react—
She vanished.
Not fast.
Not a blur.
Gone.
His instincts screamed.
He twisted just as something cold pressed lightly against the back of his neck.
A blade.
Thin as a whisper.
"You're slow," she said from behind him. "And injured."
Kael didn't move.
Inside his chest, the hunger stirred again.
Divine source: noneHuman targetConsumption not recommended
Interesting.
So he couldn't devour just anyone.
"Are you here for the bounty?" he asked quietly.
"If I were," she replied, "you'd already be in pieces."
The blade lifted.
She stepped back into view.
No hostility in her stance.
Just certainty.
"You wounded a God," she said.
Not awe.
Not disbelief.
A statement.
"Yes."
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
"Good."
That word hung in the air.
Good?
"You're not the first anomaly," she continued. "But you're the first one to survive contact."
Kael felt the weight of that sentence.
"How many didn't?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she stepped closer and reached out.
He tensed—
—but her fingers stopped inches from his chest.
A faint ripple of dark energy passed between them.
She closed her eyes briefly.
"War authority," she murmured. "Fragmented. Unstable. You'll tear yourself apart within days."
"That's my problem."
"No," she said softly. "It becomes ours if you explode near a population center."
That almost made him smile.
"So you're what? A cleanup crew?"
She ignored the sarcasm.
"My name is Nyx."
Of course it is, he thought.
"Kael."
"I know."
Sirens grew louder in the distance.
Search units were closing in.
Nyx glanced toward the rooftops.
"They've deployed Divine Inquisitors."
"Stronger than the knights?"
She looked back at him.
"Yes."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"You have two options," she said.
"Run alone and die within a week."
"Or?"
"Come with me."
"And do what?"
Her gaze didn't waver.
"Learn why the Gods aren't what you think they are."
That hit harder than the spear.
Kael studied her carefully.
No fear.
No worship.
No disgust.
Just purpose.
"Why help me?" he asked.
Nyx's expression didn't change.
"Because if you're real…"
She glanced up briefly at the darkened sky.
"…then this world finally has a chance."
Bootsteps echoed at the end of the alley.
Heavy.
Disciplined.
A squad turned the corner.
Black armor etched with glowing sigils.
Faces hidden behind silver masks.
The Divine Inquisitors.
Their leader lifted a hand.
"Target confirmed."
Symbols ignited across the walls.
A suppression field.
Kael felt his chest tighten instantly.
His authority flickered violently.
Warning: Divine Seal Field activated.
Nyx stepped forward slightly.
Not in front of him.
Beside him.
"You can barely stand," she said quietly.
"I noticed."
She pulled twin short blades from beneath her cloak.
Their edges didn't glow.
They absorbed light instead.
"Then don't be reckless," she said.
For the first time—
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Try to survive."
The Inquisitors charged.
And this time—
Kael didn't feel like prey.
He felt like something that had just entered the food chain.
End of Chapter 4