Seven months had passed since the thirteen survivors carved their first shelters into the mountainside.
Seven months since they had watched three hundred lives turn to dust.
The gods had been silent since then.
Too silent.
Kael didn't trust silence.
He stood on the highest ledge overlooking Elandra, the mountain wind tugging at his cloak. The city below shimmered faintly with mana lines that pulsed through the crystal architecture like veins. From above, it looked alive—breathing. A kingdom born from suffering.
Behind him, Seris approached, her steps light as always.
"You look like a statue," she said. "Brooding suits you."
"I'm listening," Kael replied without turning.
"To what?"
"The world," he said. "It's too still. Even the air feels like it's waiting."
Seris crossed her arms. "You think the gods will strike again?"
"I know they will." His jaw tightened. "They want entertainment. And they hate that we've survived this long."
Seris smirked faintly. "Then we give them another reason to hate us."
Kael almost smiled. "Already working on it."
---
Later that day, the city buzzed with training. On the valley floor, Lyra and Ryn sparred with their twin-blade spear, their synchronized movements almost dance-like. The others drilled with mana-infused weapons, each creating unique techniques from the magic of creation Kael had taught them.
The power of the thirteen had grown beyond what any of them could've imagined.
Daren could manipulate gravity, pinning boulders in the air.
Seris wielded shadows like serpents, cloaking herself in invisibility.
Lyria could shape healing energy into both shield and blade.
Kael himself—he'd begun to master something far greater.
Creation and Destruction intertwined within him. The seven marks on his chest were no longer dormant; each represented a fundamental aspect of this world—fire, ice, storm, shadow, life, metal, and void. He had learned to call upon them briefly, though each use burned through his body like molten steel.
He knew this power wasn't natural.
It was given. A curse disguised as a gift.
But he would use it anyway.
---
That evening, they gathered in the center of Elandra for the first official council. The thirteen stood around the crystal throne as Kael addressed them.
"We've survived the gods' first test," he began. "We've built a home. But survival isn't enough. Every wall we build, every tool we make—it all depends on one thing."
He raised his hand. Energy crackled faintly around his palm. "Freedom."
Lyria stepped forward. "You mean to strike back?"
Kael nodded. "Soon. But first, we grow stronger. The mountains around us are rich in mana veins. If we can channel them into forges, we can create weapons capable of harming even divine energy."
Daren grinned. "Weapons to kill gods. I like it."
Lyra looked hesitant. "If they notice—"
"They already notice," Kael said quietly. "They're always watching."
As if on cue, thunder rolled across the sky. The air shimmered. Everyone froze.
The clouds above Elandra churned violently, forming a spiral of light and shadow. The ground trembled. Then—silence. A soundless pressure crushed the air.
Lyria whispered, "Kael…"
He looked up. "They're here."
---
The sky tore open.
A rift of light split the heavens, and from it descended a being of impossible size—a creature made of molten gold and black fire, wings spanning the entire valley. Its eyes were hollow voids, yet they burned with cruel intelligence.
The voice that followed shook the mountains.
> "THE SECOND GAME BEGINS."
"SURVIVE THE DIVINE BEAST."
"FAIL, AND YOUR KINGDOM SHALL BURN."
The creature roared, and the sound shattered stone. Mana storms erupted, ripping through the valley.
Kael drew his sword. "Everyone—DEFENSIVE FORMATION!"
The survivors scattered into their preplanned positions. Daren anchored barriers of gravity, pinning falling boulders midair. Lyria raised walls of luminous energy around the central district. Lyra and Ryn leapt into the air on wings of mana, striking the creature's flank with spear and spell.
The beast's tail swung, smashing into the mountain with a sound like thunder. Crystals exploded. Dozens of homes shattered.
Kael sprinted toward it, the seven marks on his chest blazing. "SERIS—SHADOW THE EYES!"
Seris vanished into smoke, reappearing along the creature's neck. Blades of darkness struck at its glowing eyes. It screamed, staggering.
Kael leapt.
Aether surged around him, shaping into twin blades—one of light, one of shadow. He struck downward, carving across the beast's throat. Sparks of divine blood sprayed, burning the air.
The creature stumbled, but didn't fall. Its wings flared, releasing a wave of black fire that swallowed the valley in light.
Lyria screamed a spell—her energy barrier expanded, catching most of the blast, but it shattered under the force. She collapsed, bleeding from the nose.
Kael hit the ground hard, smoke rising from his armor. He forced himself up.
"Get her clear!" he shouted to Daren.
The giant turned again, fury incarnate. Its eyes locked on Kael.
"Come on," Kael muttered. "You want a show? Then watch me!"
He reached inward, past pain, past fear, to the core of his marks. All seven ignited at once. Light exploded from his body. The world slowed—time itself seemed to buckle.
For a heartbeat, he felt everything: the wind, the heartbeat of the mountain, the pulse of every soul in Elandra. Power surged like a tidal wave.
He thrust his blades forward. "Divine Severance!"
A line of pure light erupted from his strike, cutting through the beast's chest. The creature shrieked, its body tearing apart in a storm of gold and black flame. The explosion rippled across the valley, flattening trees, shaking the mountains to their roots.
When the light faded, silence returned.
The creature's massive corpse lay sprawled across the valley floor, dissolving slowly into motes of golden dust.
Kael fell to one knee, gasping. Blood dripped from his mouth. His body felt like it was being ripped apart from within. But he was alive.
So were his people.
---
Hours later, Elandra stood battered but unbroken. The survivors gathered in the plaza as Kael leaned on his sword, exhausted but unyielding.
Lyria limped toward him, eyes shimmering. "You did it."
We did it," he corrected softly. "All of us."
Seris grinned through a split lip. "Think the gods enjoyed the view?"
Kael looked up at the sky, which had begun to heal its wound. "Let them watch," he said. "They'll see what fear looks like soon enough."
Daren stepped forward, holding up a fragment of the beast's heart—solid gold, pulsing with faint light. "This fell from it. Still alive, somehow."
Kael took it, feeling the heat pulse in his palm. Inside it, he sensed something ancient—divine energy condensed, pure and volatile.
Lyria frowned. "That could kill you."
Kael closed his hand around it. "Or make me stronger."
She reached for him, concern in her eyes. "Kael, don't—"
He looked at her, his expression softening. "I'm done being their pawn. But to end this, I need their power turned against them."
Seris crossed her arms. "You're going to absorb it?"
Kael nodded slowly. "Piece by piece. Until I can reach them."
The others fell silent. They knew it was madness—but also inevitability.
Kael turned to the golden heart one last time. "If gods can bleed," he whispered, "then gods can die."
---
That night, Elandra burned with quiet celebration. The people sang for the first time—songs from worlds long lost, carried on the cold wind. Children danced between glowing fires, their laughter echoing across the valley.
Kael sat alone near the lake, the golden heart hovering above his palm, its light reflecting in his eyes.
Lyria approached, sitting beside him silently. After a moment, she asked, "Do you ever wonder what they were before all this?"
"The gods?" he asked.
She nodded. "Before they became monsters watching us like toys."
Kael was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "Maybe they were like us. Survivors who stopped caring what life cost."
She leaned against his shoulder. "Then promise me something."
"What?"
"When we reach them… don't become one of them."
He looked down at her, the firelight catching the gold in her hair. "I promise," he said quietly. "Even if I have to destroy myself to keep it."
For the first time, she smiled without sadness.
And for a fleeting moment, Kael forgot the gods, the pain, the revenge—everything but the warmth beside him.
But far above, beyond the stars of this cursed sky, divine eyes opened once more.
Their amusement had turned to unease.
The entertainment was becoming rebellion.