Chapter 26: The Judgment** *(volume Finale)*
Consciousness returned in fragments.
Stone beneath his palms. The scent of ozone.
Shen opened his eyes to a shattered world—floating islands adrift in a sea of stars. A ruined mirror of Earth.
*"...Where...?"*
He turned.
And his breath vanished.
Before him loomed a colossal stone platform. Ten thrones, carved from elemental rock, towered like gods. Upon them sat ten figures—each radiating power that bent the very air.
At the center, a man clad in black-and-red armor rose. His greatsword gleamed under the starlight.
***"So."*** His voice shook the earth. ***"You're the one who broke the balance."***
Shen staggered upright. *"...Who are you?"*
The figure stepped forward, his cape billowing.
*"Commander Ryulga. Leader of the Council of Ten. The first to survive the Arcane War."*
Shen's blood ran cold. *"The *first* war? That was millennia ago—"*
*"You stand at a crossroads, Shen."* Ryulga's blade pointed at his throat. *"You wielded power that devoured you. You destroyed the General. You've been *judged*."*
The other Commanders remained silent, their gazes like weights.
Ryulga's question hung in the air:
***"Do you die here, ending your path?***
***Or rise to fight what comes next?"***
Shen looked at his scarred hands.
And smiled.
*"...I fight."*
Ryulga nodded, almost approving. *"Hmph. Then your true journey begins now."*
**CUT TO BLACK**
End of the volume 1