On that day, Valerith made a pact with the Gods through the Heirs.
What would Valerith gain from the pact?
What was the pact?
No one knew besides the Gods and Valerith—not even the Heirs the Gods themselves had chosen.
The Gods did not want to descend to the physical realm in person.
Was this because the Gods were afraid?
Or was it because they thought they would vanish upon descending to the physical realm, like the God of Humans?
Or was it an impulse that not even they could comprehend?
They didn't even know what had happened to the God of Humans.
Was it truly safe to descend to the physical realm?
Beyond all this, in the physical realm, humans had already emerged who were—at the very least—as powerful as them: the Elders.
After a long time, the Gods gathered in Aetherion—the high realm where the Gods lived.
The Gods knew that the Elders were far more powerful than the Heirs.
They had also come to understand that the Heirs could never reach the level of the Elders.
Nevertheless, they decided to make these Heirs who represented them in the physical realm even more powerful.
And they wanted to create a rune that would weaken the Elders by the mere existence of the Heirs.
As long as these runes existed, the Heirs would be stronger, while the Elders would be perpetually weakened and unable to use their special powers.
These runes would, in time, come to be known as the "Void Runes."
To create the Void Runes, the Gods wanted to use the Nothingness of the Void, which had existed before all else in the universe.
However, they soon realized that Nothingness could not be combined with any matter.
The power of Nothingness was so intense that the Gods realized anyone who took this power directly could not withstand it, neither physically nor spiritually.
Therefore, each of them sacrificed a part of their own essence, merging it with the Nothingness of the Void.
Thus, they created the Runes.
The Runes they created, thanks to the Gods' own essence, somewhat suppressed and balanced the Nothingness within them.
One Rune was made for each Heir.
But the cost of creating these Runes was very heavy for the Gods, for it had disturbed the balance of their innate essence.
Sylvaeon, the God of Elves, lost his perfection; he began to corrupt and age over time.
Noctarion, the God of Vampires, lost the sensation of satiety; he became constantly hungry.
Hrkahz, the God of Dwarves, lost his power of creation and shaping; even the stone he struck would no longer take form.
Rogg'Luam, the God of Beasts, could no longer silence his instincts; he began to attack everyone.
Aurelion, the God of Angels, lost his Vision of Truth; he could no longer distinguish what was true.
Azmaedoth, the God of Demons, lost the feeling of satisfaction; nothing he did or was done for him pleased him anymore.
The Gods personally placed the Runes they had made into the hearts of their Heirs.
The already powerful Heirs became much more dangerous and mighty with the power of the Runes.
The Gods knew that if their Heirs died, the Runes would also be destroyed—and thus, the Gods' essences would return to their bodies.
Of course, the power of the Nothingness they had balanced with their essences would also be set free.
No matter how powerful the Heirs became with these Runes, the Elders were still a great threat—even to the Gods.
Therefore, weakening them would both make the Heirs untouchable and eliminate this great threat forever.
So, the Elders... How would they be weakened?
It was here that the Gods contacted Valerith again.
Valerith was seen as the most powerful even among the Elders.
His incredible special power and intelligence had made him a great leader, a pioneer, and an unbeatable force in the war against the Heirs and their armies.
Valerith was one of four individuals considered a special threat even among the great threats to the Gods.
But now, one of those threats was on the Gods' side.
What Valerith offered the Gods, and why the Gods listened to him, no one knew.
Afterward, Valerith gave the Gods an hourglass he had made himself.
And he suggested they place a Ket (Inhibition) Curse inside the hourglass, which would be bound to the Runes.
Those afflicted by the Ket Curse could not use the special powers they were born with or later acquired.
The curse completely prevented the use of these powers; however, it did not affect physical abilities (muscle strength, agility, etc.).
When those afflicted by the Ket Curse tried to use their special powers, they felt an unbearable pain.
This pain was as if lava flowed through their veins instead of blood, or as if a thousand knives were stabbing their bodies at once.
No matter how much pain they suffered, they could not use their powers as long as the curse existed.
They would feel pain whenever they tried to use them—they could not even use their special powers in their dreams.
As long as the Runes existed, this curse would also remain in effect.
Even the Gods found Valerith's idea cruel, but it was the most logical and safest option.
The Gods combined their powers and placed the most potent Ket Curse they could create inside the hourglass.
After Valerith took the hourglass from the Gods, he sent a message exclusively to the Elders:
"I have created an item that will defeat the Gods.
With this item, our victory will be inevitable. Trust me.
I need all of you; I need the strength of all of you.
Tonight, I will be waiting for you at the ruined Lux Dolaris Church.
— Valerith"
All the Elders who received the letter set out for the Lux Dolaris Church.
Only one among them, Elder Yuria, ignored the letter and did not go to the church.
When all the Elders arrived at the church, Valerith greeted them warmly.
Some Elders formed groups and talked among themselves, some sat alone at the side, and others chatted with Valerith.
Valerith had already guessed that the only one who wouldn't come would be Yuria.
"I suppose Yuria isn't coming," said Valerith with a slight smile.
"If I were her, I wouldn't bother with an invitation from someone I challenged to a duel and lost to either," said Elder Eldrian in a mocking tone, appearing behind Valerith and walking forward to sit on a piece of stone.
Valerith laughed for a moment after Eldrian's words.
"You're right, Eldrian. Perhaps it's for the best that someone who has already fallen victim to her own ambition doesn't come here," said Valerith.
"Enough of this idle chatter. Get to the reason you summoned us, Valerith," said Elder Shiken, looking at Valerith and Eldrian with a cold expression.
After Shiken's words, the other Elders silenced their conversations.
Even among the Elders, Valerith, Shiken, Eldrian, and Yuria were very special.
The other Elders couldn't even bring themselves to join the conversation of this trio out of fear.
Valerith looked at Shiken for a short moment, then smiled and turned to the Elders to speak:
"I told you, my friends, that I found an item that will end this war.
And believe me, this item will end our fifty-year-long war today."
The Elders were quite surprised by Valerith's words.
Whispers began among them; while some were excited by Valerith's words, others were still cautious.
Valerith's words didn't seem convincing to them; they looked at him with suspicion.
Valerith took a covered object brought by his servant into his hands.
The Elders gathered around Valerith.
Valerith uncovered it, revealing a golden, shining hourglass.
Its brilliance was dazzling.
With a light touch from Valerith, the hourglass rose into the air and began to float slowly.
"With this item I have created, we can close the age of the Gods, never to be opened again.
We can take revenge for the humiliation our race has suffered from the other races.
We can rule all worlds without a God of our own," said Valerith.
His tone was gentle and proud; he had a reassuring voice.
"This floating hourglass is what will end our war?" said Eldrian, squinting at the hourglass.
"Yes," said Valerith in a firm voice.
"I assure you, this is no ordinary hourglass.
Using this hourglass, we can rewrite reality itself.
We can be the masters of everything."
After a momentary pause, he added:
"My only request of you is that you transfer a tiny amount of your power into this hourglass.
In the reality I create, I will render the Gods powerless, and you will be there to finish them off."
"Can you do that? Can you really create a new reality?" asked an Elder.
Valerith smiled and looked at the man.
"Yes, I can do that.
While I manipulate the Gods with my power and make them experience a different reality, you, my friends, will be able to step outside the reality I create with the tiny bit of energy you transfer to this hourglass.
When the reality ends, the Gods will be weakened—and you will be there to finish off the weak Gods."
The Elders were swept up in enthusiasm by Valerith's words.
They all began to cheer in unison.
Valerith's speech was very persuasive; the other Elders would not dare to question his word anyway.
Most were already satisfied and excited by what Valerith had said.
They transferred a small amount of their power into the hourglass.
Eldrian and Shiken looked at each other.
"You first, cold prince," said Eldrian with a smirk.
Valerith turned his chin toward Shiken and lightly touched the hourglass.
The hourglass floated through the air toward Shiken.
The cheers around them grew louder.
After looking at the hourglass for a moment, Shiken looked at Valerith and used his power to transfer a small piece of energy into it.
The other Elders applauded Shiken and cheered for him.
Valerith smiled gently and nodded.
Shiken took the hourglass and handed it to Eldrian.
Without a second thought, Eldrian transferred a small amount of energy into the hourglass with a smirk on his face.
The cheers grew even louder.
The Elders would finally be able to get their revenge on the Gods.
It was Valerith's turn.
Valerith took the hourglass in his hand, and all the Elders were cheering for him.
Eldrian was smirking, while Shiken sat with an unreadable expression, watching Valerith.
"This war will end today," said Valerith.
The smile on his face vanished.
He clenched the hourglass with his hand and shattered it.
The impact of the explosion was immense.
All the Elders collapsed to the ground in agony.
The sounds of cheers were replaced by screams and cries of pain...