The Silence Before the Chaos
The battlefield was eerily quiet. The last echoes of Kael's devastating attack faded, leaving only the distant crackling of flames and the wind whispering through the ruins.
Kael stood amidst the destruction, his body still pulsing with lingering energy. He had won, but the fight had left him with more questions than answers. His memories remained fragmented, elusive. *I was never your equal. I was always above you.* The words had come from his mouth, but they felt like echoes of someone else—someone he had once been.
Elyra finally broke the silence. "You vaporized him. Just like that." Her voice wavered between awe and unease.
Kael turned to her, the golden glow in his eyes fading. "No. He's not gone. Not entirely."
The old man nodded grimly. "Veydris was merely the beginning. If he was hunting you, others will follow. They will not allow you to reclaim your past."
Kael exhaled, gripping his blade. "Then I'll find them before they find me."
---
### The Gathering Storm
The battle had been noticed. Across the ruined world, unseen eyes turned toward the rising storm of power. In the depths of forgotten temples, in the highest reaches of the sky, and even among the creatures that had inherited the apocalypse, whispers spread.
*The lost god is returning.*
Far to the north, in a fortress untouched by time, a figure sat upon a throne of obsidian. Cloaked in shifting darkness, his fingers tapped against the armrest in thought. "So, the seal has begun to break. Interesting."
A kneeling figure before him, draped in tattered robes, spoke with reverence. "Shall we act, my lord?"
The figure chuckled. "Not yet. Let him grow. Let him remember. And when the time is right… we will *welcome* him back."
---
### A New Path
Kael, Elyra, and the old man moved quickly. They had no time to linger. The underground chamber had revealed many secrets, but the true answers still lay ahead.
"Where do we go now?" Elyra asked, reloading her weapon as they navigated through the broken city.
The old man stopped at the base of a shattered monument. He knelt, brushing away dust to reveal ancient inscriptions. "This city was once a place of power, long before the apocalypse. There are other places like this—hidden across the world. If you are to regain your memories, we must find them."
Kael studied the carvings, his fingers tracing over symbols that felt both foreign and familiar. "Then we start now."
But before they could move, the air shifted. A low, guttural growl echoed from the shadows.
Something was watching them.
---
### The Hunt Begins
Elyra turned sharply, raising her gun. "We're not alone."
From the darkness, eyes gleamed like embers. A massive figure emerged, its body twisted by the virus yet unnervingly deliberate in its movements. Unlike the mindless hordes Kael had fought before, this creature *thought*—its presence radiating a sinister intelligence.
"Finally," it rumbled, its voice a guttural mix of hunger and amusement. "I've found you."
Kael instinctively readied his blade, his heart pounding. *Who are you?*
The creature's lips curled into something resembling a smile. "Your past. And your future."
Without warning, it lunged.
---
### A Clash Beyond Mortals
The force of the attack shattered the ground. Kael barely managed to react, twisting out of the way as the creature's claws carved deep trenches into the earth where he had stood. The sheer speed and power it displayed were beyond anything he had faced so far.
Elyra fired, her bullets striking true—but the creature barely flinched. Instead, it turned its glowing eyes to her, amused. "You think mortal weapons can harm me?"
Kael moved before it could retaliate. In a blur of motion, he struck, his blade colliding with the creature's arm. Sparks and energy erupted from the impact, and for the first time, the beast staggered.
It let out a deep, rumbling laugh. "Yes… *yes!* You are waking up. Good. Show me more!"
Kael's grip tightened. He didn't know what this thing was, but he could *feel* it—this was no ordinary enemy. It was something connected to him, something that had been waiting for him to return.
"Fine," Kael muttered. "You want a real fight? You've got one."
As his power surged, the ground beneath him cracked, and the sky above them darkened. The battle had truly begun.