The door to the classroom slid open with a mechanical sigh.
"Everyone, quiet down," the teacher said, already rubbing her temple. "We've got a new student joining us today."
Rika Veyros stepped into the room with the kind of energy that said she was already over it. Dressed in the regulation uniform, her long dark hair curled naturally at the ends, the kind that looked styled even when untouched. Her eyes swept lazily over the classroom, not with arrogance but unmistakable boredom.
She offered a quick nod. "Rika. Don't bother asking questions."
Some students chuckled. Others raised eyebrows. Elara, already seated at the far end of the room, waved her over with a smirk.
Rika walked to the empty seat beside her without saying a word. The teacher sighed and moved on.
---
Break Period
Rika dropped into the chair across from Kael, arms flopped across the table like she'd just been through a full-on war.
"I feel like I'm being punished," she muttered.
"You kind of are," Elara teased, grabbing a book off the shelf behind Kael. "You brought this on yourself, remember?"
"I didn't think you two would actually go through with it," Rika groaned. "You both know I'm older than most mountains, right? Why do I have to sit through boring lectures with kids who can't even pronounce 'existential'?"
Kael barely looked up from his book. "Call it karma. Or my personal entertainment."
"Brother, please," Rika said with theatrical suffering. "I'd rather face the heavenly tribunals than take another pop quiz."
"You already did," Kael said without looking. "Didn't go so well, if I recall."
Elara giggled into her sleeve while Rika rolled her eyes.
The conversation drifted into silence. Outside, the late morning light filtered through the tall windows, casting a soft warmth over the dusty aisles. The scent of old paper and quiet banter gave the library a rare peace. The three sat close, like a strange little family of mismatched beings, finding comfort in the mundane.
Elara was the one to speak next, her tone casual, like asking about lunch plans.
"So… what's next for you? Did you sort your stuff out?"
Kael tilted his head like he was weighing the question.
"Well, let's see," he said slowly, eyes still on the book. "I have a job that pays nothing. I hang out with two problematic women who never let me rest. Oh, and I've probably ticked off the heavens again. So yeah. All sorted."
He flipped a page.
But his smile faded just slightly as his thoughts drifted.
He had returned the previous day and sorted out his memories, going through them countless times, but he could see that still...there were gaps, still sealed, still hidden. He knew he was caught in a loop. Knew who his enemies were. He remembered fighting, falling, waking up again and again. And he remembered the man with white hair… the one he called grandfather. That was where everything led. But where had it gone wrong?
The memories around his fall were like a smudged painting....there but just out of reach.
What he did know was this: the dragon core he absorbed wasn't just any elemental core. It was neutral. A true origin. The kind of thing that made the emperor dragon emperor. A core that could become anything , fire, wind, time, even the void. With it, Kael finally understood why he had once terrified the heavens.
He was already chaos and order, flesh and concept. The core didn't make him a god. It just removed the limiters.
But still, fate and destiny danced around him like prison guards. He couldn't touch them. Not yet.
Rika rested her chin on her hand, studying him. "So… what happened to Kaanan?"
Elara blinked. "Who's that?"
Kael looked between them.
"Just a name I'm not using anymore," he said. "Kaanan Blade was the guy trying to fix everything. I'm not him. I'm Kael Veyros now. Just a librarian."
Rika scoffed. "Yeah, right."
While the trio were having their rare peaceful time , some guys sauntered into the library like they'd just walked off the set of a second-rate gangster movie. Loud, smug, completely uncaring about the fact that they were in a library where noises weren't allowed.
With all attention on them they walked straight up to the table where the trio sat.
"Hey," one said, grinning at Elara and Rika. "You two look bored. Wanna come hang out with real men?"
Kael didn't even glance up.
Rika leaned back, pretending to think. Then she said loudly, "Sorry. Our boyfriend wouldn't like that."
Elara nodded with a bright, wicked grin. "Yeah, he gets jealous easy."
Kael's eyes closed slowly. "Really?"
The leader turned to him, eyes narrowing. "So that's you, huh? The guy dating both of them? What kind of lowlife are you?"
Kael stood up, adjusted his shirt, and sighed. "You're really going to make me get up for this?"
One of them cracked his knuckles. "You need a lesson in respect."
Kael didn't respond. The first punch came fast, and Kael ducked it with lazy ease. He countered with a jab to the ribs, a short elbow to the shoulder. Another guy grabbed him from behind, pulling his arms back, and the third went for a gut punch. Kael twisted, letting the hit land, but used the motion to send a knee into the attacker's stomach.
It wasn't flashy. No energy bursts. Just fists and sweat and a few sore ribs.
Eventually, all three were on the ground groaning.
Kael sat back down, rubbing his jaw. "Well. That was nostalgic."
Rika clapped slowly. "Ten out of ten. Would watch again."
Elara tossed him a water bottle. "You okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Just missed lunch."
---
Meanwhile, in the Heart of New York City
On the top floor of a skyscraper that overlooked the concrete sprawl of New York, the remaining Demi-Gods gathered. A floor-wide room bathed in digital glow and ancient architecture, lined with murals of the great Martial Wars.
The tension was thick. Some stood. Some paced. Others leaned against the high windows, staring out at the mortal world below.
"He's remembered everything," one said quietly. "Kanaan is now back and walks the earth again."
"We should report this," another added. "The Martial Gods will want to know."
"Then let's do it."
A few nodded. A few grunted. Consensus was building.
That's when someone else spoke.
"I disagree."
Silence.
Heads turned. It was the quiet one. The man who always stood near the back. Unassuming. Neutral. No one even knew his name.
He stepped forward slightly, eyes calm.
"We should wait."
The room was stunned. Not because of what he said, but because he said anything at all.
"We've been watching him for years," another Demi-God replied. "He's always a threat."
"I know," the quiet one said. "But there's a difference, I'm sure you all remembered, he had slaughtered us all, he had come after us all, what happened to death....?? He absorbed him because he was the only one who could escape the fate we were entitled to, but this time why hasn't he come yet?? Stone, earth, wind, water and you sound....you all came back unscathed except for flame who attacked and sight whom he took away for some reason and you all know she's still alive."
They stared at him, then slowly dismissed his words.
"Noted," someone said dismissively. "Let's proceed."
The quiet one returned to his corner, saying nothing else. Some of the younger Demi-Gods lingered by him afterward.
"You really spoke," one whispered, smiling.
He just nodded, then fell silent again.
His element was still unknown. No one had ever seen him in action. Some thought he had none. Others weren't so sure.
---
Elsewhere, Beyond the Clouds
In the realms of the Mid-Heavens, great armies stood in wait. Armor gleamed. Weapons lined up in perfect rows. Creatures of legend roared from their pens.
The generals stood ready.
All they waited for was a single command.
And then the war would begin again.