The duel was over. Orion still lay sprawled unconscious, his pride bruised far more than his body. The silence stretched heavily across the hall before erupting into a loud mix of screams, cheers and barely concealed whispers.
"He actually did it."
"Wow, did you see that? He got him with just a flick of his finger and -BAM he was down."
"That wasn't just one flick, it was three."
"Really, I didn't even see him move until the last second."
"What a monster."
The elders, usually stoic and composed, couldn't mask their shock, whispering furiously, unable to decide whether they should be overjoyed or terrified at Neo's easy victory.
"He beat Young master Orion who's been training since he was three."
"Wasn't he staying with Lady Annovelle outside the clan, how can he be this good!"
Neo brushed his jacket sleeve idly, pretending not to notice the stares boring into him as he smirked. Celeste was still sneering inside his head as she mashed the buttons on her controller.
(Three flicks, really, not even a punch. Tsk tsk, you really wanted to humiliate him.)
"Better to nip it in the bud and show dominance now."
(Just admit you don't like his face, I know I didn't.)
She quipped as she slashed through another enemy in her game. One that strangely looked like a pixelated version of Orion.
He ignored her.
He slowly made his way to where Adrian and his mother waited. Adrian with his easygoing smirk and his mother with a small but proud smile.
"What took you so long?"
"Sorry, I was trying to hold back so as not to give him permanent brain damage."
"Tch, cocky little piece of..."
"Ahem." Annovelle's eyes suddenly locked on to Adrian, cold as ice as if daring him to finish the sentence.
"...art. Ieant to say piece of art."
(Coward.)
Celeste snickered but before Neo could make a witty retort, a chime reverberated in his head. Not Celeste's voice. Something deeper, the [Paladin System]
[System Notice]
[The rise of the Paladins has begun.]
[All Paladins are to report to the Empyrean Pantheon]
[Briefing with the Celestial Council will begin shortly. Attendance is Mandatory.]
A translucent panel snapped into view before Neo's eyes, its numbers already ticking down from sixty.
Neo's brow arched. "Huh. Now this is new."
Celeste blinked, her digital avatar flickering in surprise. "Wait—briefing? Oh fuck, The Council? I totally forgot about those guys!"
Neo tilted his head, faint amusement tugging at his lips as the counter ticked down. "I don't see a yes or no option. Looks like I don't get a choice. Wonder how they're gonna get us there though. Portals, maybe... Nah, too flashy."
(Maybe they'll just teleport you guys there.)
Neo and Celeste continued to exchange ideas as the timer ticked on.
"Neo, what's up? You spaced out there for a sec." Adrian said, noticing his sudden pause.
"Ah, don't worry. It's nothing..."
The numbers shrank toward zero. At three, a strange pressure swelled inside his chest, a tugging sensation that pulled at something deeper than body or mind — his very soul. At one, the world hanked violently.
Neo's breath caught. The hall spun.
And then—darkness.
---
Gasps rang through the chamber as Neo suddenly collapsed mid-step, falling like a puppet whose strings had been severed.
Neo!" Adrian caught him as he collapsed, panic flashing across his usually carefree face.
"Neo!" Adrian was the first at his side, dropping to his knees and cradling his brother with practiced steadiness, though his golden eyes flashed with real alarm. He pressed two fingers against Neo's neck, checking his pulse. Relief flickered across his face when he found it steady.
Annovelle was there an instant later, her aura crashing down so fiercely that every child in the hall froze in terror. Even the elders flinched. She crouched low, hand hovering above Neo's brow, her fiery eyes sharp with maternal fear.
"What happened?" she demanded, voice trembling at the edges though her face remained steel. "Why did he—"
"He's alive," Adrian cut in firmly, though his jaw was tight. "He just—collapsed! His mana—it's fluctuating weirdly, like something's pulling it away! Something is seriously wrong."
Around them, whispers exploded.
"Did his potential backfire?"
"Is he cursed?"
"What in the world—"
Annovelle pressed her hand over Neo's forehead, her lips tight with worry. For a moment, the proud Third Elder of the Castreed clan looked like just a mother afraid of losing her child. "Neo… stay with us."
"Silence." Annovelle's voice snapped the chamber into a tense quiet. She scooped Neo into her arms with surprising gentleness, as though he were a child once again. "This ends here. We must take him to a secure room."
Adrian followed close as they left, his casual mask slipping enough to reveal clenched fists. For the first time, Neo, his younger brother — who always put on an unshakable front, who always seemed composed and tough— looked fragile as glass, almost as though he might shatter at any moment.
Neo's golden-red eyes fluttered shut. The hall filled with gasps as Neo Castreed, who had just shattered their sacred pillar and defeated the Clan Leader's son, slumped helplessly unconscious in his mother's arms, his fate unknown.
"Neo..." Lyra whispered shakingly as she watched him carried out of the hall.
---
When Neo opened his eyes, he wasn't in the clan hall.
He sat on an white chair in the center of a perfectly square, featureless room. The walls, floor, and ceiling glowed faintly, though no light source existed. The space wasn't oppressive — but it was so sterile, so untouched, it felt like standing inside a divine thought.
Across from him stood a single ornate door, tall and gleaming, carved of white marble inlaid with gold, depicting golden outstretched wings and blazing suns. It radiated such overwhelming holiness that even Neo felt a tickle of forced comfort just looking at it.
Neo groaned, running a hand down his face. "Dragged into another mental space? Great. You'd think the angels could at least send a polite invitation instead of ripping me out of my own body."
A faint shuffle behind him. Neo turned and blinked.
Celeste was here. Not her usual floating, playful, half-distracted form, but her true angelic self. She stood behind his chair, draped in flowing robes of white and gold, wings unfurled with radiant light spilling from each feather. Her celestial aura hummed with authority.
She looked down at herself, eyes widening. "Wait—what the heck?"
Neo blinked once, then burst out laughing. "Now that's hilarious. You actually look like an angel for once, not a game addict."
Celeste's cheeks flushed faintly. She crossed her arms, pouting with indignation. "I am an angel, you brat! Don't laugh at me just because you're jealous I pull this off better than you pull off that suit."
Neo smirked, wiping at his eyes. "Sure, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Or should I say—whatever helps you lose at video games at night."
Celeste stomped a glowing foot, light sparking. "Rude!"
Their banter ended when Neo's expression suddenly stilled as a memory resurfaced unbidden.
"…Wait. Didn't Avon mention once that the angel of Fate has a grudge against me?"
"Huh, you have beef with Moira?!"
"Moira... Who's that?"
"Uh, that's what some of us lesser angels call Fate although she doesn't like it. Her true name is Moirael." Celeste replied sheepishly. "She's a serious stickler for the rules. Total bummer."
His throat tightened. The Angel of Fate. The one who had cursed him with endless bad luck in his past life until his death.
Neo gulped. "Well, crap." He straightened, forcing a small smirk onto his lips. "Avon better have thought this through. He has to be there too, right? If I'm being thrown into this, he better not be skipping out."
Celeste tilted her head, her playful grin dimming. "He should be there as he is a member of the council... Although he was never really much of a...hard worker."
"That makes me feel so much better ." He replied sarcastically.
"Don't worry, he gotta show up this time, and if he's not… I'll drag him in myself."
Neo looked back at the radiant door. His heartbeat quickened, not with fear — but with anticipation. For the first time, he was going to meet the others like him. The reincarnated souls chosen — or cursed — to be Paladins that would save this world.
"Well, I guess I have no choice."
He exhaled once, slow and steady. Then he stepped forward, boots clicking softly on the featureless white floor.
His hand hovered near the door.
"This is going to be interesting." Neo murmured, a small smile tugging at his lips.
And with that, he reached for the handle.