Darkness.
That was the first thing Sid felt when he slipped away from Lucien's arms. One moment he was pressed against his brother's chest, hearing the ragged sound of running feet. The next, the world dissolved.
No ash, no sky, no pain. Only blackness stretching without end.
Then—light.
A pale shimmer rose beneath his feet, like a floor forming itself out of nothing. Shapes swirled in the air — not clouds, not mist, but threads of memory and time. His chest heaved, but the crushing weight of the god above was gone. Here, he could breathe.
"Where… am I?" Sid whispered, his voice echoing strangely.
"You are between."
The voice was calm, deep, endless. It came from everywhere at once — from the floor beneath him, the air above, even from inside his own chest. Sid turned, his fractured arm glowing faintly, and then he saw him.
A figure stood across the glowing expanse. He was not gigantic like the god who had descended. He wore no cloak of stars, no veil of light. Instead, he looked… human. A tall man, dark hair flowing like liquid night, eyes bright with golden fire that seemed too deep to look into. His robes were simple, white edged in silver, but every thread shimmered as though woven from eternity itself.
Sid's breath caught. His body trembled even before the man spoke again.
"I am Aureon," the figure said. "Primordial God of Eternity. The first flame of order. And you, child… you are my vessel."
Sid staggered back, shaking his head violently. "No… no, I'm not. I'm no vessel. I didn't ask for this! I didn't—"
"You did not choose," Aureon said gently, stepping forward. The sound of his steps rang like bells, each echo stretching far into the black void. "But I did. I chose you."
Sid's heart pounded. "Why me? Why put… put this—" He clutched his burning arm, wincing. "—inside me?"
Aureon studied him for a moment, then raised a hand. Light unfolded in the air between them, forming images: Sid as a child, curled up alone in the ruins; Sid reaching for Lucien's hand; Sid standing bloodied against Hollow swarms.
"I saw a boy who bore suffering," Aureon said softly. "A boy who would never yield, even when broken. That defiance… that resilience… was what eternity needed. Not a saint, not a god. A mortal who could walk the edge between both."
Sid's throat tightened. "You… put this spark in me on purpose. All this time, I thought it was an accident. A curse."
Aureon's eyes glimmered. "It was never an accident. You carry me because I willed it so. But now you must decide how that will is used."
A crack split through the void.
Sid spun around, and out of the darkness, chains burst forth — massive, black, burning. A colossal claw shoved through the floor, dragging itself into sight. A voice thundered, shaking the space itself.
"LIES. TRICKERY. YOU ARE MINE, VESSEL."
Ravh'Zereth.
Sid's knees buckled under the pressure of its presence. The black dragon-like silhouette writhed, bound in chains of gold, its eyes twin furnaces of shadow. The sight alone pressed agony into Sid's skull.
"No—no, not here too," Sid gasped. "Not both of you—"
The god of eternity and the demon of abyss stared at one another, their power sparking in the air between them.
Aureon's tone hardened. "You will silence yourself, Ravh'Zereth. He is mine."
The demon roared, straining against the golden bindings. "He is the abyss's vessel! The chain may glimmer, but shadow gnaws at his marrow. He burns with my flame, not yours!"
The void cracked further, shaking under their combined fury.
Sid clutched his head, screaming. "Stop it! Both of you—stop!"
The voices quieted, but their presence pressed against him from both sides. Aureon stepped closer, calm but unyielding. Ravh'Zereth strained and hissed in the distance, its chains rattling like thunder.
"You stand between us," Aureon said, his golden eyes burning. "Two fires rage in your soul — one divine, one abyssal. The world cannot bear both. You must choose."
Sid's chest heaved, his fractured arm blazing with both gold and black veins. Sweat ran down his face as he stared at Aureon. "Choose? Between you and that monster?"
Aureon's gaze did not waver. "Yes. If you embrace me, the demon core is sealed forever. You will wield eternity's fire, pure and unbroken. But if you turn to him…" He glanced toward Ravh'Zereth, whose laughter rumbled like earthquakes. "…then the abyss consumes. Shadow unbound. A vessel of annihilation."
Sid's hands shook violently. He looked from one to the other — the calm god offering fire of order, the raging demon chained but burning with freedom.
"I don't want either!" Sid shouted. His voice cracked, raw and desperate. "I just… I just want to be me. To live, to fight with my own hands, not as someone's weapon!"
Aureon's expression softened. "That is why you were chosen. Because you alone have the will to say those words. But know this — the time for refusal is ending. The descent of the divine has begun. The abyss gathers. If you do not choose, both will tear you apart."
Ravh'Zereth's laughter thundered, its chains grinding. "Let him tear! Let the vessel split! He will break, and in that breaking, I am free!"
The void shuddered, cracks widening. Sid fell to his knees, clutching his burning arm, his scream lost in the clash of divine and abyssal voices.
Then — silence.
Aureon knelt before him, lowering his gaze to Sid's level. His voice was quiet, but each word carried the weight of eternity.
"You are not alone, Sid. You are my spark. My vessel. But whether you walk as god, demon, or something beyond… that is for you to decide."
Sid raised his eyes, trembling. "And if I decide wrong?"
Aureon's golden gaze flickered like a flame. "Then eternity itself will end."
The void split completely, and Sid was hurled backward into blinding light.
When his vision cleared, he was once again in Lucien's arms, the battlefield spinning around him. His skin burned, his arm shone like molten glass, and two voices echoed faintly in his skull — one of order, one of shadow.
Lucien's worried face hovered above him. "Sid! Can you hear me?"
Sid's lips trembled. His throat burned, but the words escaped anyway.
"He's real. Aureon. He… he put it in me. The spark. It was him all along."
Lucien froze, confusion and fear warring in his eyes. "Aureon? The god?"
Sid's gaze drifted to the fractured sky, where more divine light bled through the cracks. His voice was hoarse, hollow.
"They're all coming, Lucien. Gods, demons, all of them. And they all want the same thing… me."