Deep beneath the scorched remains of the Kingdom of Falthorne, a place long thought reduced to ash during the Doomsday War, something stirred.
Long-forgotten spells cracked apart as the ancient vault—sealed by divine blood and cursed with silence—began to crumble.
A whisper, like wind through bones, passed through the dark:
> "The world remembers the light...
But it has forgotten the shadow."
A single figure stepped into the torchless gloom, eyes gleaming like faded stars. His cloak was tattered, his hair as white as winter frost. He bore the mark of a Demigod upon his chest—a sigil twisted by time.
His name was once Zerith Nocturne.
A Demigod of the first generation. A survivor.
And the world believed him dead.
---
A Forgotten Legacy
Zerith had been one of Kai Dragon's earliest allies—before even Valen, before the kingdoms had united. A master of Darkness and Spirit Magic, he had once walked beside the young Demigod King, lending his shadow to the light.
But when the war broke out, Zerith vanished without a trace.
Some said he died.
Others said he betrayed them.
The truth was far more complicated.
He had foreseen something… something no one else had.
> A time where light would reign so brightly… that shadows would no longer have a place to hide.
And so, Zerith hid—not from fear, but from purpose.
He had prepared. He had waited.
And now, with the multiverse stabilized and the last of the chaos sealed, he returned.
---
Meanwhile in the Palace
Atop the sunlit balcony of the Dragon Palace, Kai Dragon stood watching the sky, his divine senses tingling.
Marsha appeared beside him, her white robes flowing with wind and enchantment.
"You feel it too?" she asked.
Kai nodded slowly. "A familiar presence... one I haven't felt since before the Doomsday."
Marsha placed a hand on his shoulder. "Is it a threat?"
Kai hesitated.
"I don't know. But it's a Demigod. Of my generation."
---
The Grandchildren Gather
Inside the crystal training hall, Aurin, Mira, Tyros, Kael, and Iris trained under the watchful gaze of their parents and royal mentors. Ever since unlocking their true potential after the Echo of Despair trial, they had begun mastering techniques passed down through divine lineage.
Today, however, they were summoned early by Kai himself.
In the throne room, the air was tense.
Kai stood in full royal attire, holding a glowing scroll sealed with Time Magic.
"I called you here for something… unexpected," he began. "A figure from my past has returned."
He unfurled the scroll, revealing a blurred image—a man shrouded in tattered shadows.
"His name is Zerith Nocturne. He was a friend. A Demigod like me. We thought he died... but it seems he chose exile instead."
Iris tilted her head. "Why would he return now?"
Tyros' eyes flashed white. "He's moving toward us. Slowly, deliberately. No deception. No ambush. He wants to be seen."
"Then we meet him," Kael said simply, his hands tightening around the hilt of his blade.
Kai nodded. "But not with hostility. We do not yet know if he returns as friend or foe."
---
The Reunion
Zerith arrived just as dusk painted the skies purple and gold.
He came alone, walking through the palace gates unchallenged, his presence opening doors without words. The guards instinctively lowered their weapons, sensing the power of an ancient Demigod.
In the throne room, silence greeted him.
Kai stepped down from his seat, his cape trailing behind him like starlight.
"Zerith."
"Kai," the man whispered, voice like wind on broken stone. "You've aged with purpose."
"You've vanished with mystery."
The two stood face-to-face, the energy between them heavy but not hostile.
Zerith glanced toward the five grandchildren.
"I see your legacy stands strong."
"And you've missed much," Kai replied.
Zerith's gaze turned sharp. "Not by accident."
---
The Warning
Over a private meeting later that night, Zerith finally explained his disappearance.
"I foresaw it," he murmured. "Before the war, before the prophecy even became known. I saw the true threat—not Doomsday, not void storms… but something deeper."
Kai listened intently. "Go on."
"The world is balanced now because of you," Zerith said. "But that balance was built by Divine Magic. And Divine Magic… has a source."
Marsha frowned. "Lilith, the Goddess of Life?"
"No," Zerith said. "She is a guardian of the balance. But not the source. Something older exists beneath the multiverse. Beneath time. It has no name. No form. But it feeds on divine power."
Kai's expression hardened. "Why tell us now?"
"Because your grandchildren," Zerith said, turning toward the stars outside, "are awakening something that hungers."
---
Seeds of Dread
Later that night, Iris sat awake in the tower observatory, watching the stars flicker.
Beside her, Mira quietly asked, "Do you think he's telling the truth?"
"I saw something strange in his soul," Iris admitted. "It's like… his divine spark is cracked. Not dead. But… used."
Mira shivered. "You think he made a pact?"
"I don't know," Iris whispered. "But I think our real trial hasn't even begun."
Down in the lowest vaults of the palace, Zerith stood alone.
He pulled back his sleeve, revealing a strange mark burning beneath his skin—an ancient symbol, one not even Kai would recognize.
A voice echoed softly in his mind:
> "The light shines too brightly now...
It is time for the dark to speak."