The world was still.
Snow blanketed the northern plains once more, covering the scars left by divine fire. The great battle was over — but silence rarely meant peace.
Arden sat atop the highest tower of Wolf Fang Citadel, the cold wind cutting through his tattered cloak. In his hand, he held the fragment of a divine feather — all that remained of Seraphine. It glowed faintly, pulsing like a dying heartbeat.
"She fought for her belief until the end," Arden murmured. "Even if it was wrong… it was still conviction."
Behind him, soft footsteps approached. Celestia stood there, her radiance dimmed — her once-golden halo now little more than a faint shimmer.
"She was my sister," she whispered. "And yet, I couldn't save her without destroying her."
Arden glanced at her, his expression calm but heavy. "You gave her peace. That's more than Heaven ever gave her."
Celestia looked up at him, sadness deep in her silver eyes. "You still call it Heaven, as if it deserves that name."
He smirked faintly. "Force of habit. I'll just call it what it is now — the enemy."
By dawn, the war council gathered once more.
Maps covered the long oak table, marked with crimson ink. Reports from scouts littered the surface — sightings of strange lights in the eastern skies, angelic sigils carved into mountain cliffs, and villages struck by divine lightning.
Einar slammed his gauntlet against the table. "They're testing us! Heaven's dogs are probing the borders again!"
Lirian nodded grimly. "Every night, I sense wings in the clouds. They don't attack — they watch."
Celestia spoke softly, "They're gathering intelligence. The Celestial Throne won't underestimate you after Seraphine's death."
The room went silent.
Arden's eyes glowed faintly as he studied the map. "So Heaven knows my name now."
Captain Rayne chuckled nervously. "The whole continent knows it, my lord. You're being called The Godslayer of the North."
Arden exhaled slowly, almost amused. "That'll make diplomacy easy."
But his tone hardened. "If Heaven is preparing for war, we need to move first. I won't wait for the skies to open above my people's heads."
Einar grinned savagely. "What's the plan?"
Arden's gaze turned toward Celestia. "We storm their gates."
Far beyond mortal sight, within the sea of clouds above the world, a massive gate of radiant gold and marble loomed — the Gates of Heaven.
Angels filled the vast courtyard beyond, kneeling before a colossal throne of light. Upon it sat a figure veiled in radiance, voice echoing like thunder through the halls of eternity.
"Seraphine has fallen."
A murmur spread through the countless ranks of divine beings.
"Fallen," repeated the figure. "By mortal hands."
Lightning cracked across the heavenly firmament.
A towering angel with crimson wings — the Archseraph Valion, Commander of the Fourth Legion — stepped forward. "It is blasphemy, my lord. The mortal dared to touch the divine. Command me, and I will bring his realm to ash."
"You will not," the voice said coldly.
Valion froze. "My lord?"
The light upon the throne shimmered.
"This man — this Arden of the North — carries a power forbidden even among gods. He wields Qi infused with divine essence. His existence is a fracture in the Law itself. We must understand him before we destroy him."
Another voice, softer yet filled with venom, spoke from the shadows — a female figure cloaked in silver feathers.
"Seraphine's essence was absorbed by him," she said. "If left unchecked, he may ascend beyond the reach of Heaven."
The light of the throne flared. "Then the decision is made. Summon the Choirs. The Gates will open once more."
Thunder rolled through eternity.
"We shall remind the world of Heaven's wrath."
Back in the mortal realm, days passed like whispers before a storm.
Arden's soldiers trained day and night. Qi-forgers crafted weapons capable of piercing divine shields, mages etched runes that could withstand heavenly flame. Direwolves howled at twilight, sensing the tension in the air.
Celestia stood upon the citadel's balcony, her long hair dancing in the northern wind. "They're coming," she murmured.
Arden approached, wearing black armor engraved with golden sigils — armor forged from the remains of Seraphine's blade.
"How long?" he asked.
Celestia closed her eyes, listening to the faint hum of divine energy across the sky. "A week… maybe less."
He nodded. "Then we finish preparations tonight."
He turned to leave, but Celestia caught his arm. "Arden… when they come, they won't just attack you. They'll erase everything — the North, your people, your name."
He looked back at her, eyes steady. "Then I'll carve my name into Heaven itself."
Celestia's expression softened, sorrow and admiration mixing in her gaze. "…You remind me of the first dawn. Bright, stubborn, and destined to burn."
He smiled faintly. "Then stay close — so you can see how bright I can get."
As night fell, the northern sky shimmered faintly — streaks of silver and gold swirling like fireflies among the stars.
To ordinary eyes, it was just a beautiful aurora.But Celestia saw it for what it truly was.
"The Gates are opening," she whispered.
Arden stood beside her on the ramparts, hand resting on Heavenbreaker's hilt.
The sky cracked — and from the heavens, faint angelic hymns began to echo across the world.
The war between Mortal Qi and Divine Law had begun.