They emerged from the Under Crypt beneath a cracked sky.
Kael's body still trembled from the surge of Devourer essence. The Omega System had rewritten parts of him again. Muscle, memory, even instinct.
He felt… less human.
But Elyra didn't speak of it. She simply walked beside him, her chain gently swaying, her steps light but weakening—though Kael didn't yet notice.
Her eyes flickered more often now. Sometimes she blinked and forgot where they were. But she smiled when he looked at her.
She hid it well.
🌌 System Log:Soulbound Limit ExpandedCurrent Skills: 7 Active | 2 Sealed
⚠️ ALERT: Divine Observer DetectedSource: Unknown Pantheon SeatThreat Level: █████
🔔 Passive Triggered: [Eyes of the Fallen]– You are being watched.– Actions now echo across divine channels.
Kael stopped mid-step.
Above him, the clouds twisted. Not with wind—but attention. Something vast, something ancient, had just noticed his heartbeat.
He felt it reading his name, like a god flicking through pages of forgotten scripture.
📖 "Kael the Stormborn. Oathbreaker. Chainmaster. Star-Blooded Traitor.""You return… unfinished."
🛕 Elsewhere: The Throne Beyond Flame
A thousand miles—and a dozen realities—away, an ancient throne stirred.
Not with a king. But with a presence.
Seated upon a shifting mass of wings and glass, a voice whispered to a council of silence.
"Shepherd him. Or shatter him. The God of Lightning walks again."
🏚️ Back to Kael:
The skies calmed, but the weight lingered.
Kael glanced at Elyra. "Something saw me."
She nodded. "They will all see you, now. You stole from them. You lived."
"But I still don't remember why they hated me," Kael muttered.
Elyra looked away, her hands trembling behind her back. The veins at her wrist glowed faintly. Memories—sealed ones—were leaking.
A side effect of the chain she gave him. A part of her soul had begun to unravel.
She dared not tell him. Not yet.
Not when he had finally started looking at her like someone he needed—not just someone who remembered him.
🎯 New Quest Unlocked:Name: "The One Who Remains"Target: Thalor, Last Warden of the Pantheon FlameLocation: Ruins of Eredhal
Reward: [Pantheon Map Fragment] + [Divine Key: Memory Vaults]
Kael turned toward the mountains beyond the dead city.
He could feel the pull. Another divine key—one step closer to unlocking the truth.
📜 Side Note:Memory Vaults may contain your sealed Divine Identity.⚠️ Warning: High mental instability risk. Suggested Memory Anchor: [Prophet Elyra]
Kael clenched his fists.
He would go. He would break through. He would burn the truth out of the gods who locked him in silence.
And if his past was worse than he feared?
Then so be it.
🌙 That Night: A Campfire in Ruin
They camped near the skeletal remains of a shattered cathedral bell.
Kael sat sharpening a blade made from broken starlight. Elyra tended to the fire—face pale, breath soft.
Every few moments, she clutched her chest.
He didn't see.
Instead, he asked: "Back then… before I fell… what was I like?"
Elyra stared at the flames. "You were… terrifying. Beautiful. Lonely."
He waited.
"You built empires and destroyed cities. But at night, when you couldn't sleep, you'd come to me with questions no god should ask."
Kael glanced up. "What questions?"
She smiled faintly.
"'Do I deserve to be loved?'" she whispered.
Kael said nothing. He just stared at the fire until it flickered silver, until the sky moaned again.
🔔 Passive Skill Unlocked: [Memory Resonance Lv.1]– Presence of soul-bound companion strengthens memory triggers.– Risk: If the companion is unstable, feedback may occur.
🌒 Late That Night
Elyra stood away from the camp, cloak wrapped tight.
Her breath came in short gasps. Her vision fractured—images of burning temples, of Kael in chains, of herself screaming as gods tore her soul apart.
She touched her chest.
And pulled free a small shard of sealed memory, cracked and bleeding mist.
⚠️ WARNING: Prophet's memory anchor destabilizingLink to Divine Chain: 72% degraded
She fell to her knees, clutching it.
"I can't let him know," she whispered. "He needs me to be strong."
But the memory whisper had already begun to seep out.
And in the echo, a terrible phrase repeated:
"If he remembers everything… he will destroy us all."
💀 End of Chapter 4