The forest was quieter than yesterday. The sunlight, barely reaching the thick canopy, created shifting patterns of light and shadow that made every tree seem alive. Kairo walked beside Selene, the hum of Aether in his veins steady, but his thoughts weren't. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was… unusual. Among the Pantheon, some abilities didn't quite follow the rules he had been taught. Some, like Raijin's combination of lightning and subtle shadow manipulation, or Selene's control of light and illusions, felt almost unnatural—too precise, too powerful.
He brushed it off with a shake of his head. Perhaps he was imagining things. Still, a faint unease settled in his chest. Why do some of them feel like… dual gods? he wondered, the thought whispering like a shadow at the edge of his mind.
Raijin, sensing his silence, teased, "What's wrong, storm boy? Afraid the shadows will bite you?" Lightning flickered along his arms, bright and playful.
"I'm not afraid," Kairo replied evenly, though he couldn't quite match the casual tone. He adjusted his stance, sparks of Voltis dancing along his skin in anticipation of the unknown.
The first creature appeared suddenly, coalescing from shadows into a lithe, obsidian form. Its eyes glowed faintly gold, and it moved with the grace and awareness of something more than mere instinct. Kairo's mark throbbed faintly, warning him that control would be crucial.
The Pantheon reacted as one. Selene whispered Luna, creating illusions that danced around the creature. Darius followed with Tide, water twisting into protective barriers, while Raijin hurled bolts of lightning in tandem. Kairo let Voltis flow through him, keeping a delicate balance of power. Every strike, every dodge, required precision; one mistake could hurt someone.
As the battle unfolded, Kairo noticed again the subtle duality in some members. Raijin combined elements he shouldn't have been able to control. Selene's illusions carried energy signatures that seemed to belong to another god entirely. And yet, Akairo had never mentioned this, never explained it. The thought lingered like a shadow he couldn't shake.
Despite the chaos, the team subdued the creature without major incident. Exhausted, they gathered together, laughter returning—but it felt lighter now, almost forced. Selene glanced at Kairo. "You're thinking too hard again," she whispered, though her tone carried warmth.
"I just… notice things," he said quietly. "Nothing more."
But deep down, Kairo knew it was more than that. Something was off. Something about this group, about the powers they wielded, didn't fit the rules he knew. A faint, simmering doubt formed in his mind, subtle yet persistent. I'll figure it out eventually, he thought. For now, survival—and control—were all that mattered.
Akairo's voice carried across the forest, calm and distant. "You performed adequately. But remember: hesitation and doubt will kill you. Learn your limits."
Kairo nodded silently, the words sticking to him like ice. He didn't yet understand why, but the feeling he carried—the sense that something was wrong—would grow stronger with each mission. The storm was quietly forming, and he was at the center of it, unaware that the calm before the tempest was about to end.