That night, Kael dreamed.
For the first time since the gods fell silent, something answered.
He stood in a vast, broken hall of stone and starlight. Cracked thrones lay overturned, symbols eroded by time and neglect.
A voice spoke....not kind, not cruel.
You walk the path we abandoned.
Kael turned, heart pounding. "Why did you leave us?"
The silence that followed was heavier than any scream.
We did not leave, the voice said finally. We failed.
Kael woke shaking, tears streaking his face.
The gods were not dead.
They were broken.