Kaelen stood alone at the edge of a cosmic precipice.
He had felt the invasion.
Felt the Carnival resisting.
Felt Lyssara intervene.
He gripped Judicium tighter.
I'm falling behind.
Ithariel appeared beside him.
You cannot defeat him through strength alone.
Kaelen's voice was firm.
Then show me what I'm missing.
The God of Fate hesitated.
Then revealed something forbidden:
The Thread Beyond Certainty.
A path where Kaelen abandoned pure order.
Where he accepted uncertainty.
Where he embraced paradox.
You would lose perfection, Ithariel warned.
Kaelen stepped forward anyway.
I don't need perfection. I need victory.
The Thread pierced his chest.
His armor changed.
White-gold darkened with streaks of shifting silver.
His eyes no longer glowed rigid light
They shimmered unpredictably.
Third Ascension awakened:
The Paradox Knight
Now he could:
Stabilize chaos
Adapt to absurdity
Bend his own fate temporarily
He was no longer just Order.
He was evolving.
Lorien felt it instantly.
Oh
He leaned forward on his throne.
He's learning.
And he smiled.
Now it's interesting.