The storm moved before the wind.
A ripple in the world.
A silence louder than war.
On the edge of the Gate's new doorway, Laga stood unmoving—watching the golden-eyed boy with a stillness that screamed louder than any weapon.
The boy had stopped speaking. The Gate Shard floated behind him, pulsing with light from dimensions unknown. Every energy signature in the world tilted, off balance, unsure whether to worship or destroy what had just awakened.
Mira stepped forward, pale. "You don't understand what you've opened."
"I understand more than you ever did," the boy said.
"No," she hissed. "Not even your father dared this."
The word father rang through the air like a forbidden bell.
Laga's shoulders tightened.
The boy's lips curled slightly. "He didn't dare… or he wasn't allowed?"
Laga's voice cut in, sharp and cold: "Enough."
The boy turned.
Finally, he faced Laga directly.
"I've walked the map backwards," the boy said. "I've seen the seven hidden tombs. The altars buried in sky cities. The memory scrolls under glass oceans. I know who you are."
Laga raised one brow. "Then you know that the man you're trying to be… died before he was born."
The boy stepped closer. "Then explain why I carry his mark."
He raised his hand again.
This time, he didn't summon energy.
He didn't attack.
He simply opened his palm.
And there, pulsing just under his skin, was a sigil.
Not one ever recorded.
But one that Laga, Mira, and every ancient council member feared:
A three-fold glyph—fire, shadow, and silence—interlocked as one.
Laga whispered, "Impossible…"
---
Twenty-Five Years Ago – The Night of the Rift
There had been thirteen masters.
Thirteen stars aligned on the last Gate before it was sealed.
But only one survived the final breath of power that shattered reality and built it again in secret.
His name was never recorded.
Only his purpose: To become a myth so terrifying that no kingdom would dare chase truth again.
He had no followers.
No temple.
No heirs.
But legend said he whispered one vow before vanishing:
> "If they bind me, I will split myself across time."
> "If they bury me, I will grow from the bones."
> "If they erase me…"
> "I will return in silence."
---
Present – Solis
Mira fell to her knees again. Her voice was barely a breath. "He has the mark…"
"Not possible," Laga said. "The glyph was sealed."
"He didn't steal it," Mira said. "He was born with it."
Laga's fists clenched. "That sigil... it belongs to the First One."
The boy didn't blink.
"I'm not your enemy," he said quietly. "But I'm not your soldier, either."
Laga studied him. Slowly, then deeply.
He moved like a ghost. Spoke like a prophet. And carried presence like the deadliest kings.
"You claim to be his?" Laga asked. "The one erased from time?"
The boy stepped even closer, until they stood breath apart.
"I am what he became when silence finally listened."
---
Elsewhere – Black Chamber, Saeed's Hidden Temple
Saeed sat alone in a steel chamber, the floor beneath him glowing with maps of ancient cities long erased.
He had seen the pulse. Felt the Gate open.
But it was what he saw after that chilled his heart.
In the reflection of the chamber's silver wall, his own eyes had briefly flashed gold.
Not from power.
But from recognition.
He stood up quickly and called the others.
Toma appeared first, then June and Leo. Kai joined in remotely, voice broken with disbelief.
"He's not a weapon," Kai said. "He's a warning."
June spoke next, staring at the satellite feed of Solis.
"If he's who I think he is…"
Leo finished it:
"…then even Laga might not be enough."
---
Solis – The Decision
The wind began to howl again, tugging at the edges of the Gate's energy.
The boy turned to the glowing portal behind him.
"You sealed a prison and called it protection," he said. "But in doing so, you hid not just danger… but hope."
Mira stepped forward. "What if the world's not ready?"
He looked back at her gently. "Then we help it grow."
Laga remained silent.
The weight of centuries pressed into his chest.
This boy—this impossible child of a forgotten legacy—was forcing him to confront the truth:
He had not prepared the world for freedom. Only for control.
"You'll start wars," Laga said.
The boy shrugged. "So did you."
Laga narrowed his eyes. "What's your name?"
A pause.
And then, the boy answered softly.
Not with a title.
Not with power.
But with a name Laga hadn't heard in twenty-five years.
A name whispered only once… on the last night of the Rift… by a woman who vanished after bleeding out in Laga's arms:
"Elior."
The Gate behind him pulsed once—then shattered completely, revealing a world of lightless stars and unspoken truths.
Elior stepped into it.
And vanished.
---
In the Council's Tomb – Dimensional Core
One of the ancient thrones cracked.
Another voice spoke.
"She gave birth to him…"
"And he carries the mark."
"The Gate is open. The Rift returns."
"Then the time has come."
"To awaken the Father."