Darkness surrounds Kael, not just the night, but the fog of unanswered questions. His body still aches from battle, but it's his heart that burns the most. The world thinks he's a monster. The gods hunt him like prey. And deep inside, he knows… something about him was never ordinary.
The winds howled outside the ruined temple as Kael sat motionless, staring at his own reflection in a cracked mirror. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from a question that clawed at his soul.
"Why… why me?"
Azrion's voice, as deep and ancient as time itself, echoed within him.
"Even now, you still don't understand."
Kael clenched his fists. "Who was that woman? The one who told me about my mark? She knew something… something I don't. She said… 'You were never meant to be ordinary.'"
Azrion was silent.
"Why won't you tell me the truth?" Kael growled. "Why was I born with a faded mark?! Why do I feel like my whole life has been… a lie?"
A long silence followed, heavy like the weight of the heavens.
Then, Azrion spoke—not with anger, but sorrow.
"Because the truth will shatter you."
Kael's eyes widened.
Azrion continued, his voice like thunder behind a veil.
"That mark… it was not meant to fade. It was sealed. Like me."
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
"You said I'd understand in time. That I'd understand my father…" he whispered. "What does my father have to do with all of this?!"
Azrion's voice broke—just slightly.
"Your father… made a choice no man should ever be forced to make. One day, you'll know why he disappeared. Why he left you. Why… he broke everything."
Kael's vision blurred, his chest heavy with pain.
But before he could ask more, Azrion changed.
His voice deepened, raw and filled with ancient grief.
"There was once a god… unlike the others."
Kael's breath stopped.
"He was not like the cowards that hunt you now. He stood alone. Against me. With me. He was…" Azrion's voice trembled, "my equal. The only being I ever feared. And the only one I ever loved."
A chill ran down Kael's spine.
"We fought once… and the stars wept. I don't know if I ever won… or if I lost everything that day."
Kael's heart thundered.
"Who… was he?"
Azrion didn't answer.
Instead, he whispered—
"He is not dead. And if he awakens… this world will learn the meaning of despair."
The fire flickered in the ruined temple. Kael stared into it, broken and burning inside.
His mark was sealed. His father was not what he seemed. Azrion once had an equal… a god who vanished. And the woman who warned him... she was part of it all.
Everything was a lie.
And now, Kael had only one path left.
To find the truth.
Even if it destroyed him.