The stars themselves seemed to stutter the moment the First Fallen King surfaced. Across realms and planes, the echo of his presence rippled like a shudder through existence.
And far from Mount Oryx, those who loved Megumi Valentine felt it cut into their bones.
⸻
Leonidas, Ava, Nyx, and Medusa
In the quiet hall of Leonidas's fortress, Ava jolted awake from a dreamless sleep. Her hands clutched the sheets around her body, heart pounding like a drumbeat of war. She gasped for air as if drowning.
"No…" she whispered, trembling. "Not him. Please, not him…"
From the corner of the room, Leonidas stirred. He who wore a face pale as ash. He had risen the moment the surge struck, his warrior's instincts keener than any mortal blade.
He spoke without looking at her, his voice heavy as iron.
"You felt it too."
Ava nodded, tears brimming. "I… I felt him. Not Megumi. Someone else. Someone inside him."
Nyx appeared suddenly, her black cloak fluttering in a phantom wind. The shadows around her seemed agitated, writhing as though they too had sensed the intrusion. Her violet eyes were wide, filled with a rare panic.
"It wasn't just an aura," she said, her voice sharp. "It was an identity. A presence older than anything I've ever felt. He's—he's cracking. The thing inside him, the thing the gods feared in their prophecies… it took him."
Medusa, who had been silent by the door, finally spoke. Her tone was calm, but her serpents hissed uneasily, mirroring the tremor in her heart.
"Not took," she corrected. "Borrowed. Briefly. But even a moment is enough. If it can seize him once, it can seize him again."
Ava rose to her feet, shaking, and grabbed Leonidas by the wrist. "Tell me the truth. All of you. Is this what's going to happen to him? Is this what's been haunting him—why he's been so distant?"
Leonidas's jaw tightened. He wanted to shield her. To lie. But he couldn't. "Yes," he admitted, the word bitter on his tongue. "The First Fallen King. The original. He was sealed long before Olympus. Before even my time. If he takes full control of Megumi…" His gaze darkened. "…then the war we fought against Olympus will look like a child's game compared to what comes next."
Nyx lowered her head, shame flickering in her eyes. "I once swore to Olympus. I was their chained weapon. But what they feared in Megumi wasn't wrong. He is a vessel. They knew. And maybe…" She trailed off, her voice breaking. "Maybe he'll lose."
Ava snapped her head toward Nyx, her eyes blazing with desperate fury. "No. Don't you dare say that. He is my husband. He is Chloe's father. He has already fought gods and titans and walked through the River Styx itself—don't you dare tell me he'll lose!"
Medusa placed a gentle hand on Ava's shoulder. "She's not saying he will. She's saying he could. That's what terrifies all of us."
A silence settled between them. Heavy. Suffocating.
Finally, Leonidas spoke again, softer this time. "If there's any hope… it will come from him learning to master it. Not bury it. If he tries to ignore the Fallen King inside him, it will consume him. But if he faces it…" His eyes narrowed. "…then maybe he can bend even that monster to his will."
Ava swallowed hard, trembling but resolute. "Then he won't face it alone. Not while I still breathe."
⸻
Olympus
At the very same moment, thunder rattled the pillars of Olympus. Not summoned by Zeus. Not even by a storm. The heavens themselves quivered, as if in fear of what they had just felt.
In the great hall, the gods and titans erupted into chaos.
"What was that power?!" Ares bellowed, slamming his fist against the table. "It felt like war itself walked into my chest and tore it open!"
Athena's eyes were wide, uncharacteristically shaken. "No… it was worse. It was order unraveling. A will older than Olympus."
Poseidon leaned heavily on his trident, his sea-green eyes grim. "Don't speak riddles. We all felt it. The First Fallen King, didn't we?"
The room broke into murmurs. Some shouted denial, others cursed, some simply sat in stunned silence.
Zeus rose, his face like stone carved by storms. His thunderbolt in his hand flickered weakly, as though resisting him. "Yes. It was him. The First Fallen King. And it came through the boy."
The word boy was spit like venom.
Hera slammed her hand against the arm of her throne. "Then what are we waiting for? If that thing lives inside him, we must end him before he grows beyond our reach!"
"Kill him?" Artemis snapped, eyes flashing. "And risk releasing it in full? Have you lost your senses, Hera? Megumi Valentine is the vessel, not the prison. Slay him, and you may set the First Fallen King free without restraint."
The hall grew louder, voices colliding in panic.
And then Cronos's voice cut through it, calm and heavy.
"My children. Enough."
The chamber stilled. All eyes turned to him, the Titan King who had once devoured his offspring, now standing tall yet strangely subdued.
Cronos looked upward, to the trembling dome of Olympus. "That power was unmistakable. My father warned me of it before I betrayed him. I never believed his warnings then. But now… I know he was right."
Zeus turned sharply. "What are you saying?"
Cronos's gaze lowered, meeting his son's eyes. "I am saying… perhaps it is time we go to him. To Uranus."
The name fell heavy on the council. Even the titans flinched.
Zeus's voice trembled with rage. "Father… you dare suggest we kneel before the one you overthrew? The one you maimed?"
Cronos's expression cracked with guilt, a rare flicker of humanity. "I maimed him. I betrayed him. And for that, perhaps he will never forgive me. But if anyone knows how to fight what is coming, it is the one who ruled before me. The one who saw the First Fallen King rise the first time."
A long silence followed. The gods exchanged glances. The air itself seemed to tremble at the thought.
Finally, Zeus spoke again, softer this time. "…Then we go. For Olympus. For all existence. We go to my grandfather."
⸻
The Cliffside
Far below the halls of Olympus, Megumi knelt on the cliff where he often came to think. His hands shook against his knees. His breath came shallow, the memory of that voice — not his voice — still echoing inside him.
He heard footsteps. Ava's warmth pressed against his back. She didn't say anything at first, just wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
Finally, she whispered, her voice trembling but steady. "Something's wrong. I know it. You've been keeping it from me. But I felt it tonight. I felt him inside you. It's time you tell me, Megumi."
For a moment, he couldn't speak. The words clung like poison in his throat. But then… slowly, painfully, he exhaled.
"Okay," he said, voice breaking. He turned his head, meeting her eyes. His golden irises shimmered faintly with sorrow.
"I'll tell you what happened tonight."