Chapter 9
Kael's patience was wearing thin.
He'd asked Astrili the same question three different ways.
She'd avoided answering three different ways.
"You're a terrible conversationalist," Kael finally said, crossing his arms.
Astrili's lips curved faintly. "Or perhaps you're simply a poor listener."
Nyx leaned against the wall, her crimson gaze never leaving the white-haired woman. "Enough games. You know something. Tell him, or I'll—"
"—Do nothing," Astrili finished smoothly. "Because you, shadow-born, know I'm not your enemy. At least… not yet."
The room grew colder. Even Kael felt a chill at the way her words slid into the air.
Astrili rose from the dais, her white robes shifting like they were underwater. "Very well, Riftbearer. I will tell you something. Not the way out… but the truth of what you stand in."
She paced slowly, her bare feet silent on the stone.
"This world was not always a graveyard of monsters and ash. It was once a realm of gods. Celestial courts ruled the skies, their light feeding a thousand thriving worlds. But… greed seeps even into divine veins. The gods turned on one another, wielding powers that tore the very fabric of reality. What you now call the Dead World is but a shadow of the battlefield they left behind."
Kael frowned. "And the monsters?"
"Remnants," Astrili said simply. "Twisted echoes of divine soldiers, born from the fragments of cosmic energy left to rot."
Nyx tilted her head slightly. "And you? Why chain yourself in the middle of it?"
Astrili's smile didn't reach her eyes. "I did not chain myself."
Before Kael could press further, she stopped and turned to face them fully.
"I will not give you the path out," she said, "but I will offer something else. A test. Pass it, and I will lend you my strength. Fail… and you will die here."
Kael smirked faintly. "Why does every ancient being love trials?"
Nyx rolled her eyes. "Because it's more fun to watch you struggle."
"Charming," Kael muttered.
Astrili raised her hand, and the floor beneath them rippled like water. The air thickened, the stone walls bleeding into darkness.
When the world settled, Kael stood in an endless void. Black ground. Starless sky. And from the shadows, something began to crawl into shape — a towering figure clad in fractured armor, its face hidden behind a helm that dripped molten light.
Its voice was the grind of stone.
"Riftbearer. Prove you are worthy to lead even the fallen."
Kael drew his blade, feeling the pressure of the void pressing in on him. "You sure this is legal?"
Nyx's voice echoed from somewhere unseen. "If you die, I'll take your stuff."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Kael muttered.
The armored figure lunged, faster than its size should allow. Kael barely blocked, the impact shaking his arms to the bone. Every strike radiated cosmic energy, forcing him back step by step.
I can't win with brute force.
Then, instinct surged — the same one that had saved him against the dragon. He reached into the air around him, feeling the raw cosmic energy swimming like invisible tides. It burned in his veins, begging to be unleashed.
He obeyed.
The blast tore from his palm, a spiraling surge of energy that split the void itself. It struck the armored giant full in the chest, shattering it into fragments of light that dissolved into nothing.
The darkness faded. They were back in the tower.
Astrili watched him in silence for a long moment. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled — not faintly this time, but with genuine, amused approval.
"Well done," she said. "It seems you may survive longer than I expected."
Kael sheathed his weapon. "So you're coming with us?"
She gave a graceful bow of her head. "For now. I will walk beside you, Riftbearer. And perhaps… when you are ready, I will tell you what you truly wish to know."
Nyx's expression tightened. "You're playing a long game, Sage."
Astrili's eyes glimmered like ice. "And you, shadow-born, should know that the longest games… have the highest stakes.