The morning after the first rift closed, the skies didn't calm.
Instead, new stars appeared where none had been before — streaks of color shifting across the heavens like living light. To most, they looked beautiful. To me, they looked like warnings.
Each one marked a new rift forming somewhere on Eldrath.
> [World Notice: 13 Celestial Rifts detected across the continents.]
[Dimensional activity increasing. Non-native entities entering.]
[Godly energy signatures detected — classification: Akene, Tempest, and Supreme factions.]
The academy bells never stopped ringing after that.
From the spires, I watched students scrambling, airships launching, and messengers carrying sealed orders to the border cities. For the first time in a thousand years, the world was preparing for a divine siege.
But I knew the truth.
This wasn't an invasion — it was a claiming.
Every rift that opened allowed a god's influence to bleed through, marking the land like a divine brand. The factions were staking claims over domains that weren't theirs.
And that made Eldrath a prize.
---
We stood in the Head Council Chamber when the first reports arrived.
Rynor slammed his hand on the table, shaking the holographic map that displayed glowing sigils across the continents.
"Thirteen rifts," he said grimly. "Each aligned with a different god faction."
I looked closer — each mark pulsed in a different hue.
Blue for the Tempest Faction, crimson for Akene, white-gold for Supreme, and deep violet for Oblivion, a faction that shouldn't even exist anymore.
Rynor turned to me. "Kael, do you know what this means?"
"They're dividing the world," I said quietly. "Turning Eldrath into a divine chessboard."
Lyra frowned. "Then what about the NOR gods? Aren't they supposed to stop this?"
Rynor shook his head. "The NOR Gods… have been silent for eons."
But before I could speak, the system in my mind pulsed — not cold and mechanical this time, but warm, resonant. A voice I hadn't heard before filled my mind.
> "We are not silent, child."
I froze. "Wait—"
The room shimmered, and suddenly everything stopped moving. The world turned still — even the flickering torches paused mid-flame.
I stood in a vast white void surrounded by constellations. A figure of light and starlight stood before me — faceless, yet ancient and commanding.
> "We are the NOR Pantheon — the Architects of Balance."
"Your world, Eldrath, was once our sanctuary. But now, the lesser gods seek to claim what was never theirs."
I knelt instinctively. "Then you chose me to stop them?"
> "To protect, not to conquer."
"Your title, Domain Protector, means you are the living barrier of this realm. No divine being can claim Eldrath while you still draw breath."
My chest burned as the NOR sigil — the same that had once appeared on my hand — flared again.
> [NOR Blessing Enhanced]
[Domain Expansion: 1% → 5% Global Coverage.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Celestial Seal — the power to lock or neutralize divine domains.]
> "Kael," the voice continued, "your challenge is not to destroy the rifts, but to purify them. They are bridges — not all who cross them are enemies."
"Then… some beings can stay?"
> "Yes. Some worlds hold life that will seek refuge here. Others… will bring war. You must choose which remain."
The stars flickered, and the voice faded.
When I opened my eyes, I was back in the council chamber. The others were staring at me, confused.
Rynor's brow furrowed. "Kael? You just froze for several minutes."
"I wasn't frozen," I said slowly. "I was… summoned."
"Summoned?" Lyra echoed. "By who?"
"The NOR gods," I said. "They're not silent. They've given me their command."
---
The NOR Command
We gathered around the map again as I explained what I'd learned.
"The NOR gods created this world as a sanctuary between realms," I said. "The other factions — Tempest, Akene, Supreme — they want to use it as a battleground for dominance. But I've been assigned to protect it."
Arden crossed his arms. "So you're saying the rifts aren't all bad?"
"Exactly," I said. "Some will bring peace — travelers, refugees, civilizations seeking harmony. Others will bring destruction. My job is to seal or cleanse each rift before it's corrupted."
Rynor nodded slowly. "Then we must locate them all."
But before he could continue, the academy's outer alarms blared — a deep, resonant tone that shook the floor beneath us.
Lyra's eyes widened. "Another rift… inside the southern forest!"
---
We arrived within minutes — teleportation gates humming as our team materialized among twisted trees. The air shimmered like glass, and in the center of a clearing, a new rift hovered above the ground, glowing silver.
Through it, I could see movement — figures in armor, banners of an unknown world.
But unlike the Tempest envoy before, these beings didn't radiate malice.
A group of five stepped through, kneeling the moment they saw us. Their leader, a woman with crystalline skin and eyes like starlight, spoke softly.
> "We come not as conquerors. Our world has fallen. Please… let us stay."
Lyra looked at me, uncertain. "Kael?"
I closed my eyes, activating my domain.
> [Domain Reading Active...]
[Entity Alignment: Peaceful — Purity 87%.]
"They're clean," I said. "No divine corruption."
The woman bowed her head. "Then we pledge our lives to the Domain Protector."
I blinked. "You… know what that means?"
"We served the NOR gods once," she said. "Your title is their legacy."
---
But peace never lasted.
Minutes later, the sky darkened.
Lightning ripped across the forest as another rift opened nearby — this one red and violent. A wave of fire burst through it, and a Tempest envoy emerged, spear crackling with divine wrath.
> "Unauthorized Domain activity detected," it said. "Purge protocol initiated."
"Not on my watch."
I drew my sword, golden light flaring as my domain expanded.
> [Domain Clash Detected.]
[Enemy: Tempest Envoy (Divine-Class Rank B).]
The envoy raised its spear — but before it could strike, I called the new skill the NOR gods had granted me.
> [Activate: Celestial Seal.]
The world turned silent.
Chains of starlight erupted from the ground, wrapping around the envoy. Its divine aura flickered, fading rapidly.
> "W-What is this…?"
"Your power doesn't belong here," I said. "And neither does your war."
I clenched my fist — the seal flared, and the rift behind it snapped shut like a collapsing sun.
The forest fell quiet again, save for the soft hum of my domain receding.
Lyra stared in awe. "Kael… that wasn't just sealing it. You erased the rift entirely."
I nodded slowly. "The NOR gods gave me authority over this land. This is their domain — and I'm its protector."
The crystalline woman stepped forward, her eyes shining. "Then Eldrath has hope again."
---
That night, as the moon rose above the forest, I stood beneath the stars — the same stars that connected every realm.
> [NOR Message Incoming...]
"Good. You have begun your duty, Protector. But the other gods will not yield so easily."
"For each rift you purify, two more will open. The war for domains has begun."
I clenched my fists. "Then I'll purify them all."
> "Remember, Kael — protect balance, not destruction. Even gods can be redeemed."
The message faded, and the wind carried a whisper from the stars.
The battle for Eldrath wasn't about power anymore. It was about purpose.
And I — the chosen of the NOR gods — would stand as the last wall between peace and ruin.
---
End of Chapter 27 — "Envoys of the Pantheons"
---
Would you like me to continue with Chapter 28 — "The War for Domains", where Kael's NOR domain begins to expand globally, and the other god factions send their champions to challenge him directly in multiple rift zones?