The night over Elyndra was quiet — too quiet. The stars above burned brighter than ever, as though watching the mortal who dared to challenge the will of the gods.
Samy stood at the edge of the ancient sanctuary, his gaze fixed upon the horizon. The golden seal on his hand shimmered faintly, responding to a rhythm that did not belong to the mortal world.
Laura approached, her eyes reflecting both admiration and worry.
> "You haven't slept since we returned," she said softly. "You're pushing yourself too hard."
Samy's voice was calm, steady, yet burdened with an intensity she had never seen before.
> "I can't rest. The seal is… alive. It speaks in pulses, in light, in memories that aren't mine. Every time I close my eyes, I see her — Flora — standing among the gods. She said there's something hidden within the Pillars themselves. Something that connects us to the divine."
Selene joined them, carrying a tome bound in lunar silk.
> "I searched the archives. There are records — ancient and fragmented — that speak of Ascension. It's a process through which mortals awaken their divine resonance. But it's incomplete. The last mention ends with a warning: 'To ascend is to risk annihilation.'"
Mira frowned, crossing her arms.
> "Then it's suicide."
> "Not if we understand it," Samy replied, turning toward her. "Flora didn't warn me to avoid the truth — she told me to find it. If the gods fear mortals reaching the divine threshold, then that's exactly where we're meant to go."
Lyra, ever the silent observer, stepped closer, her emerald eyes glowing faintly.
> "The seal reacts to your determination. It's synchronizing with the four of us. Perhaps the Pillars are not guardians of the divine — but fragments of it."
A silence followed her words, heavy with revelation. Then, the seal flared — brilliant, blinding gold that illuminated the ruins around them.
The ground trembled. Runes long forgotten ignited beneath their feet, forming a perfect circle of celestial geometry. Samy raised his hand instinctively, and the light obeyed.
> "It's responding to us," he breathed. "To our unity."
Laura grasped her pendant, channeling her inner aura.
> "Then let's guide it. Together."
The moment their energies converged, the air cracked open. A column of radiant energy surged upward, piercing the night sky and painting the heavens in gold and white.
In the blinding glow, each of the Pillars saw a vision.
Laura saw herself standing among infinite stars, her soul blazing with the fire of compassion and will.
Selene saw her mind intertwined with constellations, deciphering the language of gods.
Mira saw her essence merge with the flow of creation, shaping life and harmony.
Lyra saw herself standing between shadow and light, mastering both without losing herself.
And Samy — he saw all of them together, not as mortals, but as forces of balance. In that vision, the seal expanded into a radiant circle — a sigil representing not divine supremacy, but divine coexistence.
A voice resonated through the light, calm and commanding — Flora's.
> "The moment has come, Hero. The Pillars were not created to serve the gods. They were created to succeed them. The seal you bear is not a gift… it's the key to the next era."
Samy's eyes widened, his heart racing as fragments of divine truth crashed into his mind.
> "Succeed them? You mean… replace the gods?"
Flora's voice softened, yet retained an unshakable power.
> "No one replaces eternity, Samy. But eternity renews itself. The gods you met are fading, clinging to their thrones. You and your Pillars are the dawn after their dusk."
The light began to dim, returning them to the mortal realm. The runes faded, but their power lingered. Samy looked at his team — his family — and saw not exhaustion, but purpose.
> "Then we ascend," he said quietly. "Not as gods. Not as servants. But as the next keepers of balance."
Selene smiled faintly.
> "You realize what that means? Every god in existence will hunt us."
> "Let them come," Samy replied. "We don't need to defeat them. We just need to be… unshakable."
The wind howled, carrying divine whispers across Elyndra. The first phase of the Ascension had begun.
And somewhere beyond the veil, Nymera watched in silence, torn between pride and dread. Khaelos laughed, the sound echoing like thunder across dimensions. Siana's gaze burned cold, already foreseeing the inevitable clash.
But Flora, unseen by all, whispered into the void — her voice like the birth of light itself:
> "Rise, Hero of Elyndra. The gods have had their age. Now, let the era of the Ascended begin."