The wind blew dry across the Plain of the Forgotten.The black flames of Kael's seal danced without wood, without source. Fueled by anti-magic, they formed an unstable, hypnotic halo.Around it, former brigands labored — not out of faith, but fear. They raised rough stone walls, cleared the ground, under the command of a man who rarely raised his voice.A man even the shadows seemed to avoid.
Lyssara returned from patrol, her expression tense."They're coming."Kael raised an eyebrow."How many?""Around thirty. Paladins. And him."She pointed toward the horizon.A lone figure in white armor walked at the front.
No mount. No carriage.
He walked — like a priest delivering final judgment."The White Inquisitor. Malric of Andoras."Kael stood."At last."
On the plain, Malric stopped a hundred paces from the camp.His armor gleamed despite the gray sky. On his back, a golden spear infused with the light of the god Solaar himself.He raised a hand.His men halted, forming a perfect line.
Kael stepped out of the camp, alone.The two men faced each other. Neither spoke at first.
Then the Inquisitor declared calmly,"You have defiled neutral ground, activated a forbidden Seal, summoned dead forces.
In my name, and in the name of the Gods of the High Light, I offer you absolution by flame."Kael smiled."You want to burn me… for building on what you had forgotten.""No. I want to purify what you are about to corrupt."Kael stepped forward. The air vibrated. Grass withered beneath his feet."The Void is not corruption. It is naked truth — the truth you're afraid to face.""You blaspheme.""No. I rewrite."
Malric drew his spear.It sang as it left its sheath, radiating a sacred wave.The sky cleared instantly. Clouds parted. A ray of sunlight struck the weapon.
"If you refuse redemption… then you'll face judgment."Kael didn't flinch.He raised one hand, and the Void closed around him.A black mist cloaked his form like a mantle. His eyes grew darker than night.
"Then come, lightbearer. Let's see what your light still reveals when it falls into the abyss."
Malric charged. A divine dash, flawless. His spear shone like lightning, striking the heart of the seal.But at the moment of impact… it sank into nothingness.The air tore. The ground vanished beneath his feet.
Kael appeared behind him, shadow-blade in hand.
"Too slow."He struck.But Malric twisted with inhuman reflexes, blocked with the shaft, and kicked Kael back.
The ground shook from the force.The soldiers shouted, forming a circle around the fight.Kael landed smoothly. He was smiling.
"You're more than a priest.""I am the hand of the heavens.""And I, their silence."
Kael struck again. This time, the Void danced with him.
Unpredictable attacks, curved, breaking angles, ignoring the laws of physics.Malric countered with structured light — rigid, powerful.
A duel between absolute chaos… and total order.
The ground around the Seal grew unstable. Mana lines opened.A burst of light exploded.
Kael was thrown back. He rolled, stood… but his left hand bled.Malric pointed his spear at him."You're strong. Too strong for a man. That power isn't human."Kael rose.
"I'm not here to be human. I'm here to be more."He raised both arms.And the Seal's zone bent.
All around them, the world changed.The Anchor Seal entered its second stage.Reality's laws were suspended within ten meters.
Fire floated. Wind twisted. Blades vibrated without striking.Kael walked through the broken world.
Malric tried to strike, but his spear slowed in the air as if through water.
"Here, I am sovereign."Kael placed his hand on Malric's chest.And whispered,"No one judges a king on his throne."
A black wave erupted.Malric was blasted out of the circle.
Unconscious.
Broken.
But alive.
Kael dropped to his knees. Black blood trickled from his nose.Lyssara ran to him."You're hurt!""No. I'm… bound."
Malric was recovered by his men. They withdrew. Wordless.The first divine assault… had failed.
And that night, a rumor was born.In the courts, in the temples, in the streets—
A man defeated the Inquisitor.The Void has a name.The abyss is coming.