The wind was no longer screaming.
It whispered — low and uncertain — as if the world itself was relearning how to breathe.
Kael stood upon the ruins of what had once been the Sovereign's grand court. Its marble pillars, once towering symbols of dominance, lay split and melted into slag. The obsidian throne, fractured by his blade, bled faint traces of red light that flickered and died.
He was alone.
Or so it seemed.
The air shimmered — faint silhouettes appeared one by one. Companions. Survivors. The few who had endured the storm of gods and madness.
Seren emerged first, her silver hair caked with ash, her armor fractured but her eyes steady. "Kael…"
He turned, wordless.
Behind her came Orin, limping but alive, his once-bright laughter replaced by silence. Then Lysandra — her robes tattered, staff still glowing faintly from the last of her magic. And near them, Elara — her eyes glassy but fixed on Kael as if trying to confirm he was real.
"Is it over?" Orin asked, voice brittle.
Kael didn't answer immediately. He looked toward the horizon, where the crimson clouds were parting to reveal a pale light — not the Sovereign's false sun, but something purer.
"It's never over," Kael said softly. "But… this chapter is."
Seren stepped closer, her voice low. "And Kaelen?"
Kael didn't look back. His grip on his sword tightened. "He gave everything to end the Abyss. To save us all."
The silence that followed was heavy. Lysandra closed her eyes, murmuring a quiet prayer. The wind carried it away like a secret.
But then — a sound broke the stillness.
A rumble. Distant, yet growing. The shattered sky trembled as streaks of golden light began descending, burning through the last remains of the storm.
Orin squinted. "What the hell is that?"
Kael's eyes narrowed — the lights weren't meteors. They were figures. Dozens of them. Winged and radiant.
Seren's hand went to her sword. "Angels?"
"No," Kael said. His voice turned cold. "Judges."
The remnants of the Sovereign's celestial order — the Archons of Aetherium. They had slept beyond the veil, waiting for the moment the Sovereign fell. And now, with him gone, they had come to reclaim dominion over the world.
The lead Archon's voice echoed like thunder across the sky.
"The False God is slain. But sin remains. Mortal hands have stolen divine flame. Balance must be restored."
Kael raised his sword, red aura sparking back to life. "Then come take it."
The Archons descended like a storm of burning wings.