The silence after the battle was deafening.
Kael clenched his fist, staring at the black mark seared into his wrist.
It pulsed—alive.
Liora stepped closer, her brow furrowed. "Kael… that symbol—"
She reached out, but the moment her fingers brushed against his skin, a surge of dark energy crackled between them.
She yanked her hand back, eyes wide. "It's… rejecting me."
Kael exhaled sharply, shaking his wrist. The mark burned, but not painfully—more like it was… awakening.
The words of the last Watcher echoed in his mind.
"You resist fate… but fate will not resist you."
What the hell did that mean?
---
A Kingdom Long Forgotten
Beyond the bridge, the ruins stretched endlessly.
Towering spires lay in crumbling decay, half-buried in creeping vines.
Statues of nameless warriors stood, their faces worn away by time.
And at the heart of it all—a temple.
Its entrance loomed before them, carved with the same mark that now stained Kael's wrist.
Liora took a cautious step forward. "This place… it wasn't just a battlefield. It was a kingdom."
Kael nodded. "A kingdom that history forgot."
But why?
And more importantly…
Why did he feel like he had been here before?
---
A Voice from the Past
As they neared the temple, Kael's vision blurred.
The air grew thick, pressing against his chest.
And then—a whisper.
A voice he recognized yet had never heard before.
"Kael."
He froze.
Liora turned. "Kael? What's wrong?"
The whisper came again, curling around him like smoke.
"Come. Remember."
The mark on his wrist flared.
And suddenly—the world shattered.
---
The Awakening
Kael found himself somewhere else.
The sky was blood-red.
He stood in the same temple—but it was whole. Glorious. Alive.
And before him—
A throne of obsidian.
And the man sitting upon it…
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
Ashur.
Not a vision.
Not a memory.
The real Ashur.
His golden eyes burned into Kael's soul.
And when he spoke, his voice was both his own and Kael's.
"At last… you return."