Darkness.
That was the only thing Kael could see.
His body felt heavy, and his head throbbed with pain. The last thing he remembered was the explosion of divine power and his mother standing in front of him.
"Mom…!"
Kael suddenly opened his eyes.
Bright white lights blinded him for a moment. When his vision cleared, he realized he was lying on a bed in a strange room.
The room looked like a hospital, but it was far more advanced. Strange machines surrounded him, glowing with faint blue light.
"Where… am I?"
"You're finally awake."
A deep voice came from the corner of the room.
Kael turned his head and saw a tall man standing near the window. He wore a black uniform with a silver emblem shaped like a sword and wings.
"Who are you?" Kael asked cautiously.
The man walked closer.
"My name is Professor Orion Hale," he said calmly. "And you are currently inside Apex Academy."
Kael frowned.
"A school?"
"Yes," Orion replied. "But not a normal one."
Kael's memories suddenly rushed back.
The monster… the glowing eyes… the terrifying pressure.
His mother.
Kael quickly sat up.
"My mother! Where is she?!"
Silence filled the room.
Orion looked at him quietly for a moment.
"I'm sorry, Kael."
The words felt like a knife piercing his heart.
Kael's hands trembled.
"No… she can't be…"
He clenched the bedsheet tightly.
Tears slowly formed in his eyes, but he forced himself not to cry.
Instead, anger began to burn inside him.
"That man… the one who attacked us…"
Orion's expression became serious.
"His name is Maldrath," he said. "One of the ancient gods of destruction."
Kael stared at him in disbelief.
"God?"
"Yes."
Orion walked toward the window and looked at the distant skyline.
"For thousands of years, humanity has lived in ignorance. But the truth is… gods never disappeared."
"They simply chose to hide."
Kael struggled to process the information.
"You're saying… gods are real?"
"Yes."
"And they are far more dangerous than you think."
Orion turned back to him.
"That is why this academy exists."
Kael frowned.
"Apex Academy trains warriors who can fight supernatural beings," Orion explained. "Gods, demons, titans… anything that threatens humanity."
Kael slowly clenched his fists.
"So you're saying… people here can fight gods?"
Orion nodded.
"But very few have the potential to stand against them."
Then he looked directly into Kael's glowing blue eyes.
"You, however… are different."
Kael felt something strange inside his body.
A faint energy.
A power he had never noticed before.
"Your mother protected you because you carry something extremely rare," Orion continued.
"The God Slayer Bloodline."
Kael's heart skipped a beat.
"God… Slayer?"
"Yes."
Orion's voice became heavy.
"A power that even the gods fear."
Outside the window, thunder roared across the sky.
Kael slowly looked at his trembling hands.
The memory of his mother's final words echoed in his mind.
You must survive…
The anger inside him grew stronger.
Then Kael raised his head and looked at Orion with burning determination.
"Teach me."
Orion raised an eyebrow.
"I want to become stronger," Kael said.
His voice was calm but filled with rage.
"I will kill that god."
Silence filled the room.
Then Orion smiled slightly.
"Good."
He turned toward the door.
"Because tomorrow…"
"The entrance test for Apex Academy begins."
And that test would decide whether Kael was truly worthy of becoming…
A God Slayer.