Beneath the heavens and beyond the boundaries of time, a path forgotten by all living beings was opening once more.
It was called The Veil of Reality—a path carved in the age before gods.
Only three could walk it now: Kai Dragon, bearer of Divine Magic and ruler of realms, Zerith Nocturne, the marked shadow of the Firstborn Flame, and Iris Dragon, the youngest of Kai's descendants… and the one born beneath a firestorm.
They stood at the gate—an obsidian ring floating above a void sea, pulsing with multiversal energy.
Kai held the key of starlight and bone gifted by Lilith, the Goddess of Life. He turned it once in the air.
> Click.
Reality cracked.
Before them unfolded the first of five impossible doors—the Rifts of Reality.
Each Rift guarded by the broken laws of existence.
Each Rift a trial of what it meant to be divine… and what it meant to remain mortal.
---
Rift One: The Rift of Chaos
A thunderous roar greeted them as they stepped through. The sky churned in colors never seen, rivers flowed uphill, and time moved in pulses. Lightning rained upward, and the land screamed.
Here, reality itself defied logic.
Zerith stumbled. Iris screamed as her own magic tried to rebel. Her Creation Magic began crafting monsters from air and thought.
Kai quickly shouted, "Focus! Anchor your mind! Cast Holy Domain!"
Golden light burst from Kai's palm, stabilizing a radius around them. "Walk slowly. Ignore the madness. Trust only what you feel inside."
Zerith clenched his jaw. "Then let's move."
At the heart of the Rift, they faced The Lord of Chaos, a being with a thousand faces shifting every second.
"You bring Order here," it hissed. "Then take with you a piece of my truth."
With a wave of its hand, it released a paradox storm—but Iris reacted first. With her voice steady, she invoked:
> "Creation Override: Define Reality."
The paradox shattered.
The Lord of Chaos screamed and dissolved, and the first gate opened.
---
Rift Two: The Rift of Time
Here, they aged forward and backward with every step. Trees grew and died around them. Zerith fell into a vision of the world burning in reverse.
Kai grabbed his shoulder. "Stay present."
A being cloaked in eternal sand appeared: Chronalis, the Warden of Time.
"You seek the Core? You must prove your will cannot be broken by the past or future."
Each of them was forced into their worst moment.
Zerith saw himself accepting the Flame's whisper.
Iris saw herself losing control—turning an entire village into crystal dragons when she was five.
Kai saw the moment he first awakened Divine Magic… and saw his own mother die to protect him.
They screamed—but none fell.
Together, they broke free, hands linked in light and shadow.
Chronalis bowed. "Pass, and remember… not all futures are written."
---
Rift Three: The Rift of Emotion
Nothing visible.
Only feeling.
They walked through a fog that stripped away barriers. Guilt. Fear. Regret. Pride.
Zerith dropped to his knees. "I… I was weak. I let it in."
Iris held his hand. "You were human."
Kai walked with a heavy heart. "I gave myself to prophecy… and never let myself grieve my parents."
A mirror appeared—one for each of them. Reflections that screamed, laughed, wept.
But none looked away.
They embraced their pain.
The fog lifted.
---
Rift Four: The Rift of Memory
A garden of ghosts. Each step summoned a memory not just of themselves—but their bloodline.
Zerith saw Kai as a child, reckless and full of light. He saw himself by Kai's side… and the moment he turned away.
Iris saw her father, Riven, fighting for her when others feared her Creation power. She saw her grandmother, Marsha, gifting her the first enchanted staff.
Kai saw his children, his friends… and Lilith weeping after she birthed Divine Magic itself.
They walked forward, silent.
The gate opened, no words needed.
---
Rift Five: The Rift of Flame
This was it.
The final boundary between the known and the forbidden.
A realm of fire—but not heat. This flame burned not the body, but the soul.
The ground was a mirror of lava. The sky, a river of pain. In the center floated a black sun, and within it: the Origin Core.
The Firstborn Flame's heart.
Zerith's mark burned white-hot.
Iris collapsed, screaming, her hand glowing with the same symbol.
Kai stepped forward, slamming his hands into the burning ground.
"DIVINE SEAL: SOUL SHIELD!"
A dome of gold wrapped around them—but it cracked.
The Core spoke—not in words, but truths.
> "Zerith Nocturne. My blood runs through you."
"Iris Dragon. My spark lies within your birth."
Kai roared, "Then TAKE IT BACK!"
But the Core laughed.
> "Only if they choose to return what was given."
Zerith staggered to the front. "You gave me nothing. You branded me. You hid inside me like a parasite. I REFUSE YOU!"
He plunged his hand into his mark and shouted:
> "DARKNESS RELEASED!"
His soul burst into black light—not consumed, but cleansed.
The brand shattered.
Then Iris stepped forward, trembling, barely able to stand.
"I… I was born from light and storm. But I choose who I am now. Not you!"
She raised her staff, tears pouring from her eyes.
"Creation Magic: Rewrite My Birthright!"
Golden chains erupted from her hand and latched onto the black sun.
For a moment, everything froze.
Then—
> CRACK!
The Core screamed.
Light burst from within.
The two brands disappeared.
Zerith collapsed into Kai's arms, breathing freely for the first time in centuries.
Iris fell to her knees, exhausted—but smiling.
The Origin Core pulsed once more.
> "You have denied me.
But others will not be so strong."
And then it vanished, sealed behind infinite walls of Divine Flame.
---
Return to the Realm
Lilith herself greeted them as they exited the final gate.
"You did what few ever could," she whispered. "You faced the source. And you said no."
Kai turned to his granddaughter and his oldest friend.
"It's over."
Lilith shook her head.
"It's begun. The Flame will seek new bearers. But today, you triumphed. And I name you all…"
She raised her hand, and symbols of light etched into their foreheads.
> "Guardians of the Origin."