Shadows of Truth
The air crackled with energy as Kael stood face to face with the Voidborn, the entity whose very presence seemed to distort reality. Black flames flickered around its form, tendrils of darkness seeping into the ruined city like an infection.
Elyra and the old man tensed behind him, their instincts screaming that this was no ordinary foe. This was something beyond mere monsters or even gods—it was an aberration, something that existed outside the natural order.
"Kael," the Voidborn spoke, its voice layered with whispers, each tone belonging to a different entity. "Do you still not remember?"
Kael's golden eyes burned with intensity. "I remember enough. Enough to know that whatever you are, you don't belong here."
The Voidborn chuckled, the sound like the grinding of shattered bones. "And yet, it was your descent that allowed me to take root in this world. You were the tipping point, the catalyst."
Elyra gasped. "That's a lie! Kael isn't responsible for this!"
"Is it?" The Voidborn tilted its head, watching Kael intently. "Even now, you hesitate to deny it. Because deep down, you suspect the truth."
Kael's expression remained unreadable, but the faintest flicker of doubt crossed his mind. Was it true? Had his arrival been the event that allowed this apocalyptic nightmare to begin?
"It doesn't matter." Kael's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Even if I am the cause, I will also be the end."
The Voidborn grinned. "Then let's see if you have the strength to uphold such words."
---
The First Clash
The moment stretched into eternity before the battlefield erupted into chaos. The Voidborn moved first, vanishing into an abyssal tear in space before reappearing behind Kael with a devastating strike.
Kael spun, his divine spear materializing just in time to parry the blow. The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, shattering nearby structures and uprooting the very foundation of the city. Elyra and the old man barely managed to escape the collapsing debris.
Kael countered with a flurry of spear thrusts, each imbued with divine essence, but the Voidborn weaved through them with unnatural fluidity. Shadows coiled around its form, absorbing and redirecting the energy like a living void.
Then, with a flick of its wrist, it unleashed a pulse of black fire that consumed everything in its path.
Kael raised a barrier of golden light, but the force behind the attack sent him skidding backward, his feet carving trenches into the stone. The Voidborn pressed forward, its attacks relentless, its form shifting between reality and the abyss.
Kael clenched his teeth. He had fought countless battles as a god, but this was different. This wasn't an enemy that simply relied on strength. It was something beyond mortal comprehension.
But he was beyond mortality as well.
With a deep breath, he allowed his full power to surge forth. The ground beneath him cracked as golden arcs of energy erupted from his body, illuminating the ruined city like a second sun.