The city burned with light.
Not from fire — from fear.
Every mana lamp flickered red.
Every rune in the streets bled faint luminescence.
The air hummed like a thousand whispers overlapping, the collective heartbeat of a city realizing its gods were watching.
I stood in the middle of the chaos, breath slow, eyes lifted toward the sky.
The moon pulsed once, twice — then stilled, a single crimson eye staring down upon the world.
Lirya gripped my arm. "We have to move! They'll seal the city!"
Her voice was drowned out by the tolling of bells.
Deep, metallic, endless.
From every tower, the same cry echoed:
> "Crimson Oath! All citizens to their sanctums! The gods awaken!"
Guards poured into the streets, banners of gold and white streaming behind them. Mages in silver robes carved sigils midair, erecting shimmering barriers across avenues.
Their mana burned blue and gold — the colors of the Arcanum Order.
The crowd parted around me like water around stone.
Whispers spread faster than breath.
> "It's him—"
"The white-haired one—"
"The moon turned red because of him!"
I could feel the weight of their stares. Not hate — awe.
Fear wrapped in worship.
Lirya tugged at me, her hood falling. "Rin—please."
The ground shook.
A column of red light erupted from the center of the cathedral, piercing the moonlight like a spear.
Within it stood a figure in gold armor, long hair whipping in the wind — eyes burning with divine light.
The city knelt as one.
> "The Voice of Order!" someone screamed.
He raised his hand. "Bring me the anomaly."
---
I moved before they did.
Space bent. Air fractured. The first volley of divine arrows never reached me — they froze midair, glittering like glass before crumbling to dust.
Gasps followed, then silence.
I looked up at the armored man through the falling sparks. "You speak for the gods," I said. "Tell them I'm listening."
His expression didn't change. "Then listen well, false one."
He lifted his sword — its edge glowing with runes that burned white-hot.
"By the Oath of Seven Lights, you are bound to kneel before Order."
I smiled faintly. "Order is just fear dressed in gold."
The sword came down.
I raised my hand.
The world folded.
---
Everything stilled.
Even the sound of his heartbeat froze in the air.
The light of his blade fragmented — suspended shards of reality, hanging like starlight.
For a breathless moment, there was only stillness.
And me.
I walked through the frozen battlefield. Past the archers, the chanting priests, the terrified guards — all locked in their final moments.
Their fear was almost beautiful.
> [Spatial Limit Overdrive — 34%.]
[Warning: Temporal bleed detected.]
I ignored the warning.
Reaching the golden knight, I stopped inches away. His eyes still burned — fierce even in paralysis.
"Tell your gods," I whispered, "if they want me… they can come themselves."
I released the field.
Light exploded.
The impact sent waves of distortion through the entire district — walls cracking, air rippling, clouds splitting overhead.
When the dust cleared, the plaza was silent.
The knight lay unconscious, his armor fractured, his sword shattered beside him.
Above us, the crimson moon pulsed again — once, like a heartbeat.
Then, a voice, vast and ancient, filled the world.
> "So you refuse kneeling."
"Then walk."
"Let us see how long you last before infinity consumes you."
The voice faded.
The moon dimmed.
Lirya stood behind me, trembling.
"What… was that?"
"The first god," I said quietly. "And he just made me his enemy."
---
Far away — beyond mountains, oceans, and desert — in cities like Kaelor, Solmere, and Ashveil, the same red moon rose.
Whispers spread.
Some called him savior.
Others, heretic.
And somewhere in the Sanctum of Gods, something ancient stirred.