Darkness.
Silence.
A heartbeat echoing like a drum through the void.
Aiden floated weightlessly again — the same endless black where the golden chains hung suspended around him like stars. Only this time, the void wasn't cold. It pulsed softly with warmth. A strange peace.
He looked down and saw the faint shimmer of light wrapping around one of the chains — not from divine energy, but something gentler. Softer.
Lyra…
Her name drifted through his mind unbidden. He could see flashes — her eyes, sharp and intelligent even in the middle of chaos; her steady voice commanding strategy; the way she never hesitated to fight beside him.
He remembered the way she looked at him during the Titan battle — not in fear, but belief.
It made his chest tighten.
He'd faced monsters, gods, and death itself without flinching.
But this feeling… this was different.
She's strong… smarter than me… and somehow, she still treats me like I'm worth standing beside.
The void rippled faintly with each thought, golden waves spreading across the dark.
He clenched his fists, closing his eyes.
I don't know what this is yet. But I know one thing — I'd burn through every chain, every ounce of pain, every god that stands in my way… if it meant keeping her safe.
The chains around him shimmered — softly humming, almost responding to his emotion.
One even trembled faintly, as if it recognized the truth behind his words.
Then—
"You're thinking too loudly."
Aiden's eyes snapped open.
He was lying on soft earth now, the smell of smoke and ash in the air. The sky above was painted with the warm gold of dawn, the battle's destruction glowing faintly around them.
And there she was — Lyra, sitting beside him, her hair messy from the fight, a cut across her cheek, but her expression calm as ever.
She was staring right at him.
Aiden blinked, groggy. "H-how long was I out?"
"Only a few hours," she said softly. "You stopped glowing after about half of that."
He groaned, trying to sit up, but Lyra's hand pressed lightly against his chest. "Don't move yet. You burned through more energy than your body can handle."
He exhaled, letting his back rest against the broken stone. "Figures."
There was a moment of silence — the kind that felt too fragile to break. The forest around them had gone quiet, birds only just beginning to return.
Lyra's gaze lingered on him a little too long. Her silver eyes reflected the sunrise, shimmering like glass.
"You said something," she murmured suddenly.
Aiden frowned. "What?"
"When you were out cold. You whispered my name."
His heart froze. "I—what?"
She tilted her head slightly, the faintest smirk tugging at her lips. "Something about… protecting me. Burning through chains. Very dramatic."
Aiden's ears went hot. "You… you must've misheard."
"Maybe," she said, her voice teasing, but her eyes softened a moment later. "But for what it's worth… you did protect me. You always do."
She stood then, extending a hand to help him up. Her fingers brushed against his — steady, warm.
When Aiden looked up at her, there was a flicker in her expression — like she had seen something in his eyes. Something unspoken.
For a second, neither moved.
Then she smiled faintly. "Come on, hero. We should regroup before Kael and Mira wake up."
He took her hand. "Right…"
As she turned to lead the way, Aiden followed, his chest still heavy — not from exhaustion this time, but from something deeper, something dangerous.
If she really heard me… then maybe she knows.
Behind them, the faint sound of clinking chains echoed in the wind — not of restraint, but of awakening.
Echoes of the Heart
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Aiden and Lyra walked through the broken clearing, the smell of burnt soil and ozone still hanging heavy in the air. Birds had gone silent again — the kind of silence that made even the wind hold its breath.
Lyra paused, glancing over her shoulder. "You feel that?"
Aiden frowned. "Yeah… the air's heavy."
It wasn't just silence. It was pressure.
Something divine — crushing, suffocating, ancient.
Aiden's instincts screamed a warning.
He barely had time to open his mouth before—
CRACK!
The sound split the world apart.
Lyra didn't even have time to react.
A blur — silver and gold — ripped through the treeline, faster than lightning. It hit her square in the side, sending her crashing through two stone pillars and slamming into the dirt. The ground shook from the impact.
"LYRA!" Aiden shouted, eyes wide with horror.
Dust exploded around her body as she coughed blood, her armor cracked, her breathing ragged.
Aiden's gaze snapped to the source of the attack.
Through the settling smoke stepped a figure — tall, broad-shouldered, wrapped in ancient robes torn by battle. His skin shimmered faintly like molten bronze, eyes burning with a divine blue fire. Every step he took warped the ground beneath him, his presence alone bending the air.
A faint trident symbol glowed on his chest.
A godly aura radiated from him — raw, suffocating divinity.
He spoke, voice calm but layered with power that made Aiden's bones tremble.
"You mortals dare trespass on my land?"
Aiden's pulse spiked. The divine resonance coming off the figure was overwhelming — deeper than any Mythos he'd ever felt. This wasn't a student. This wasn't even a Vassal.
This was a Fallen Titan.
He clenched his fists, the golden shimmer already flaring faintly in his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"
The figure tilted his head slightly, trident forming in his hand from swirling water and divine light.
"Once, I was worshiped as Proteus, Keeper of Tides — servant to Poseidon, guardian of the seas."
His voice deepened, echoing through the clearing. "Now, I am forgotten. And this land… remains mine."
Aiden took a step forward, his body trembling with both rage and focus.
Lyra groaned, trying to push herself up, blood staining her sleeve.
"Aiden… stay back… he's too strong…"
He didn't listen.
He turned his head slightly toward her — his blue eyes burning brighter, the faint trace of gold seeping in.
You hurt her… you're not walking away.
A small pulse of light flickered across his chest — one of the twelve golden chains glowing faintly. The faint clang of divine metal echoed deep within him.
Proteus smirked, lowering his trident. "You dare defy me, little mortal?"
Aiden's voice came out low, steady, dangerous.
"No."
"I'm going to bury you."
The air exploded as Aiden charged — his fist shattering the sound barrier, the ground erupting beneath his feet.
Proteus raised his trident to block — and the impact sent a shockwave ripping through the forest, trees snapping like matchsticks.
Lyra, struggling to stand, shielded her eyes as light consumed the battlefield — divine energy against divine defiance.
When the dust cleared, Aiden stood panting, one knee bent, his shirt once again shredded to ribbons — muscles tensed, golden sparks dancing across his veins.
Proteus looked down at his cracked trident, surprise flickering in his godly eyes.
"Impossible… a mortal body shouldn't—"
Aiden straightened, his eyes now glowing gold and blue in perfect resonance.
"I'm not just mortal."
"I'm the one who breaks gods."
The chain inside him blazed — Chain II: Hydra's Wrath — awakening with a thunderous roar.
His aura surged like a storm.
And this time, the Titan looked afraid.
The forest was shaking under the weight of their clash.
Every strike cracked the sky — every impact sent shockwaves that leveled the trees around them.
Aiden moved like a storm given flesh. His blows carried enough force to split the earth, golden sparks bursting from his arms with every swing. But Proteus… Proteus was something else.
The Fallen Titan didn't move — he flowed.
Every gesture of his trident was like the tide: graceful, unstoppable, eternal.
Aiden ducked beneath a swing, slammed his fist into Proteus's ribs — the sound was like metal on metal. The Titan barely flinched.
"Your strength is impressive, little mortal," Proteus rumbled, spinning his trident. "But you mistake defiance for divinity."
Aiden spat blood and glared up at him. "Funny… because right now, I'm the one still standing."
He roared, surging forward, his fist cloaked in golden light —
CRASH!
Proteus caught his punch effortlessly, divine energy rippling out from the contact. His glowing eyes narrowed.
"Arrogant."
The trident shifted — faster than lightning.
Before Aiden could react, the Titan drove the weapon straight through his chest.
The world went still.
A wet sound split the air — the trident bursting out through Aiden's back, divine energy crackling violently through his body.
Lyra screamed.
"AIDEN!"
He staggered, breath catching in his throat. The glow in his eyes flickered, blood pouring from his lips. He looked down at the weapon impaling him — the divine metal humming with Poseidon's echoing power.
Proteus leaned closer, his expression cold, almost pitying.
"Now you understand, mortal. The gulf between gods and men cannot be crossed."
Aiden's fingers twitched — still gripping the Titan's wrist. His voice came out hoarse but steady.
"You… talk too much."
The Titan frowned — then his eyes widened as golden cracks began spreading from Aiden's wound.
Crack.
Crack.
CRACK!
Light exploded outward — raw, blinding, divine.
Aiden's blood burned gold. His muscles tensed, his heart pounding like thunder. The pain didn't fade — it fed him.
His chain — Chain II: Hydra's Wrath — had fully awakened.
The more he bled, the stronger his divine energy surged.
He grabbed the trident still embedded in his chest, his grip tightening until the divine metal began to tremble. Proteus' expression faltered — just for a second.
"Impossible—!"
Aiden roared, ripping the trident free — blood and golden light spraying across the battlefield.
The wound sealed almost instantly, glowing with the power of the Hydra. His eyes blazed brighter than before — molten gold swallowing the blue.
"You made one mistake," Aiden growled, his voice layered with something ancient, something divine.
"You thought I was human."
He lunged forward, fist cocked back, the force of his step cracking the earth.
When he struck — it wasn't a punch.
It was a divine judgment.
The blow connected with Proteus's chest, and the Titan was launched backward through the forest — trees and stone disintegrating from the impact.
The ground trembled for miles.
Aiden stood in the silence that followed, chest heaving, blood dripping from his chin — but his body still burning with godlight.
Lyra stared in awe, disbelief written across her face. "Aiden… your wound—"
He turned slightly toward her, giving a faint smirk. "Guess dying's not my thing."
But even as he said it, the golden light flickered again — and the pain caught up. His legs buckled, and he dropped to one knee.
Proteus was gone, but his words lingered in the echo of divine wind.
"You carry Hercules' curse… and his burden. Beware, child — every chain you break brings you closer to the gods… and further from being human."
Aiden's vision blurred. Lyra caught him as he collapsed, her arms trembling from the weight.
He looked up at her weakly — eyes still faintly glowing.
"Lyra… are you okay?"
She nodded, clutching his face, anger and fear in her gaze.
"You idiot. You almost—"
He smiled faintly, voice slurred. "Worth it."
Then the light faded — and he went limp in her arms as the golden chains within him rang like distant bells.
The golden light faded into twilight. The forest was silent again — only the faint crackle of scorched leaves and Lyra's heavy breathing breaking through the quiet.
Aiden's body went limp in her arms. His pulse was faint but steady; his chest, though torn and bloodstained, was already knitting together under the golden glow of his Mythos.
Lyra's heart hammered in her chest. For a terrifying moment, she thought she'd lost him.
"Idiot… stupid… reckless—"
Her words broke apart as tears finally fell, streaking through the dust and blood on her face.
Aiden stirred weakly, his voice hoarse.
"You're… crying again…"
Lyra froze — then laughed through her tears. "You're impossible."
His eyes fluttered open, faintly golden in the dim light. "Guess I'm harder to kill than he thought."
Lyra's breath hitched. She didn't think — she just moved.
She threw her arms around him, holding him tight against her chest.
He grunted softly from the sudden pressure, but said nothing — just let her hold him.
For a moment, the world fell away. No gods. No Titans. No chains.
Just her heartbeat pounding against his, fast and frantic.
"Don't ever do that again," she whispered into his shoulder. "You scared me half to death."
He smiled faintly, voice a rasp. "Can't make any promises."
She pulled back just enough to meet his eyes — and before she could stop herself, she leaned in and kissed him.
It wasn't dramatic or perfect — it was raw, desperate, full of relief and emotion she hadn't realized she'd been holding back.
Aiden froze at first, then slowly returned the kiss, his trembling hand brushing her cheek.
When they finally broke apart, her eyes were glossy, searching his.
"You're insane, you know that?"
He grinned weakly. "Yeah… but you're the one hugging me in the middle of a warzone."
She laughed softly, resting her forehead against his. "Shut up, hero."
For the first time since the Great Sundering, the stars above Helios' forest shimmered — faintly golden, as if the gods themselves had paused to watch.
And in that fragile, quiet moment…
Aiden realized that no divine echo, no Titan, no chain —
could compare to this.
The wind whispered through the ruins of the battlefield — the scent of ash and ozone heavy in the air. The divine light that once lit the forest had faded, leaving behind only the quiet hum of Aiden's residual aura.
Lyra still held him close, his head resting against her shoulder, her heartbeat finally beginning to slow. The soft glow around his wound had dimmed; his breathing was shallow, but steady.
The silence broke.
"Ugh… what the hell happened…"
A voice — groggy, sharp, familiar.
Lyra turned to see Kael Drakon, sitting up among the rubble, hand on his head. His crimson hair was matted with dirt, and his Mythos mark — the flaming sigil of Ares — still faintly pulsed on his arm.
A few feet away, Mira Solen, their team's healer and wielder of the Mythos of Eir, groaned as she pushed herself up, pale but alive.
"My barrier… shattered halfway through the blast," Mira said weakly. "Did… did we win?"
Lyra exhaled, the corner of her mouth twitching into a small, tired smile. "Aiden won."
Kael blinked, still dazed. "You mean that weakling who could barely hold his own during the trials?"
Then his eyes landed on Aiden — slumped against Lyra, shirt torn, golden veins still faintly glowing beneath his skin. The earth around him cracked and scorched from the force of his power.
Kael's smirk faded. "...Oh."
Lyra shot him a look that could kill. "He fought a Titan and survived. You might want to watch who you're calling weak."
Kael raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright — point taken."
Mira's soft voice cut through. "I can heal some of his external injuries, but whatever's inside him… it's not normal." She knelt beside Aiden, hands glowing with gentle white light. "It's like he's burning from the inside out… but his body's adapting."
Lyra brushed a lock of hair from Aiden's face, her touch lingering. "That's just who he is. He breaks limits… even when it kills him."
Kael crossed his arms, still staring at the devastation. "You're telling me this kid took down a Titan? Alone?"
"Not alone," Lyra said quietly. "But he's the reason we're alive."
A soft breeze rolled through, carrying the faint metallic chime of divine chains — distant, fading into the night.
For a moment, they all stood there, the four of them — battered, bruised, but alive.
And though no one spoke it aloud, they all felt the same thing:
Something had changed.
Aiden Cross wasn't the "weakest student" anymore.
He was something else.
Kael finally sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess I owe the guy a drink when he wakes up."
Mira smiled faintly. "If he wakes up."
Lyra looked down at Aiden again, determination flashing in her silver eyes.
"He will."
The others exchanged a glance — something unspoken passing between them.
Because deep down, they all knew this was just the beginning.