By IMERPUS RELUR
--
Lightning crackled as the sky cracked open fully, revealing an obsidian gate spiraling with rings of red law-sigils. Veridon's voice echoed again—this time not only across Auren's world, but across other divine domains.
> "Let all who shape races hear: a god without lineage shall now stand before the Tribunal of Blood."
The law-sigil above Veridon pulsed. The land beneath Auren's feet folded like paper, and in a blink—
He was gone.
---
– The Tribunal Plane:
A massive coliseum carved from glowing laws and shifting timelines surrounded him.
Above, a dozen thrones floated—each occupied by towering gods, their faces hidden behind veils of ancestry. Threads of bloodlines flowed from their feet like rivers into the arena floor.
Behind Auren stood his Remnari—unchained, but watched.
And in front of him, Veridon stood in the center of the arena, arms spread wide like a holy executioner.
> "We gather not to punish," he declared,
"but to weigh the worth of a race born without divine seed or heritage."
"This… is the Trial of the Bloodless."
A scribe-god spoke, quill scratching space itself:
> "Name of Defendant?"
Auren's voice rang out.
> "Auren Ixiel."
> "Lineage?"
> "None."
Gasps echoed across the stands.
Another god murmured, "A stray soul… claiming divinity through remembrance alone?"
The scribe asked, "What is your plea?"
Auren stepped forward, his voice steady.
> "I do not plead for mercy. I plead for recognition."
> "These people—my people—are not born from conquest or desire… but from sorrow, memory, and compassion. If blood is what defines godhood… then perhaps godhood has forgotten its heart."
For a moment, silence.
Then Veridon raised his hand, and a blade of ancestral fire descended into his palm.
> "Then let your race survive one test of blood."
A roar split the skies.
From the gate behind him emerged a monstrous divine creature—a Lineage Beast, forged from the DNA of twenty gods: wings of drakes, claws of titans, venom of serpents, and armor of thunder.
Its purpose: to erase any race that defies ancestral law.
Eléa's voice echoed from within Auren's heart.
> "You cannot fight it with strength. But you are the god of remembrance. Make it remember…"
Auren closed his eyes.
Reached deep.
And released the Tear of Return.
---
A Divine Memory Pulse is released.
The Lineage Beast froze mid-charge. Its claws twitched. Its wings flickered. It staggered… and let out a strange, guttural whimper.
> Auren spoke gently. "Who were you before you were turned into a weapon?"
And the arena shook.
Images burst from the beast's form: fragments of the gods it was made from—children laughing, forests burning, stars dying. It screamed—not in rage, but in anguish.
The gods in the stands leaned forward.
One tore their veil off and whispered, "…It's weeping."
The Lineage Beast collapsed.
And for the first time in the Tribunal's history… it bowed.
To a god with no lineage.
To remembrance.
---
[Trial Passed.]
[Your Race is now recognized by the Divine Council.]
[New Title Acquired: Bloodless Rememberer.]
[New Domain Unlocked: Memory Sanctum.]
---
Veridon turned, fists clenched, expression unreadable.
> "The law bends today," he said quietly. "But do not think it breaks."
He vanished.
And the tribunal faded.
---
Auren stood once more in his world.
The Remnari now glowed not only with memory—but with recognition.
They had no bloodline.
No ancestral favor.
But now… they had a place among gods.
And far, far above, the Watchers blinked once more.
This time, two of them smiled.