EPISODE 32 – The Storm Before the Awakening
The forest surrounding the Ruins of Th'Zaron was unnaturally quiet, as though the trees themselves were holding their breath. Felix, Tunde, Lana, Rhea, and the others had been traveling for hours, the map of the ancient scrolls glowing faintly in Felix's hand. It pulsed with magic—one step closer to finding the key that could bring Kael back.
Lana, though, had barely spoken. She walked with her arms folded, her eyes shadowed. The once-fiery warrior now seemed only a flicker of who she was. Rhea did everything she could—jokes, soft encouragements, even mild teasing—but nothing reached her.
"I know he's gone," Lana whispered once when they camped. "But I still feel him... like a heartbeat waiting to echo."
Tunde, meanwhile, was sitting on a rock, repeating the same line from a spellbook with a scowl. "By the power of Nef'rezz and the sixth moon... I conjure a—wait no, not a frog again!" Poof! Another croaking frog appeared. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS A FROG?!"
Felix chuckled. "Maybe the universe thinks you're more of a toad kind of guy."
"Man, the universe needs to check its glasses," Tunde muttered.
The team approached the edge of a cliff. Below, a crumbled temple carved from obsidian stone lay half-buried in the earth. "This is it," Felix said. "The scroll's signal ends here."
They descended carefully. The moment their boots touched the ancient steps, a tremor shook the ground. The sky dimmed unnaturally, as if the sun was being swallowed.
A low growl echoed across the ruin.
"Please tell me that's your stomach," Rhea whispered.
"Even I can't growl like that," Tunde said, unsheathing his dagger.
From the shadows, creatures began to pour out—tall, skeletal warriors with spiked limbs and hollow eyes. Their armor was made of obsidian glass, etched with runes no one recognized. Behind them, the air twisted... and a vortex opened.
From it stepped a creature unlike anything they'd seen—a demon lord with skin like molten rock, wings of blackened bone, and eyes of searing white flame.
"You dare defile the resting place of the scrolls?" it thundered.
Lana raised her sword. "We don't care who you are. Step aside."
"Ah, the grieving widow," the demon sneered. "Still clinging to a corpse."
That was the moment the battle erupted.
---
The Chaos Unleashed
Spells flew through the air like streaks of neon. Felix raised walls of enchanted flame while Rhea vanished and reappeared behind enemies, slicing with blades coated in moonlight. Lana's eyes burned with purpose as she hacked her way through three at once. Even Tunde, half-trained and more chaotic than coordinated, was managing to conjure explosive bursts of wind, slamming enemies against stone.
But the numbers kept coming.
The demon lord summoned fiery spears from the sky. One clipped Felix's arm, sending him sprawling. Rhea screamed, teleporting just in time to block another blow with a shield spell.
"TUNDE! Get us some backup!" she shouted.
"I'M TRYING! BUT THE SPELL BOOK IS ON FIRE!" he yelled back, holding up a charred book with a tiny flame still flickering.
The team was pushed back against the wall of the ruins. The vortex widened. More horrors emerged—creatures made of shadow and teeth. The ground cracked.
"We can't hold much longer!" Felix shouted.
And then—just as the demon lord raised his hand, ready to strike a blow that would've obliterated them all—
The sky cracked.
---
The Return
A storm rolled in without warning—clouds spinning like a vortex of fury. Lightning blazed in the heavens. The ground rumbled, trees bending from a force not of this world.
From the magical glass pyramid hidden deep in the mountain crypt, light exploded. A single bolt of ancient lightning tore through the clouds, blasting toward the battlefield with a roar like the scream of creation itself.
Every creature on the battlefield paused.
The lightning struck the earth right in front of the team.
From the crater, energy pulsed in blinding waves. The demon lord hissed and stumbled back, shielding its face.
The smoke cleared.
And standing there—eyes glowing white-gold, body surrounded by flickering arcane symbols, hair tousled by wind that seemed to bow to him—was Kael.
His presence felt wrong... but in the best kind of way. Like something beyond this world had just re-entered it.
"You... were warned," Kael's voice echoed. It sounded like a thousand echoes layered as one.
The demon took a step forward.
Kael raised a hand—and the skies answered.
A column of lightning, the color of pure soulfire, slammed into the battlefield. Half the enemy army was instantly vaporized. No scream. No chance.
Kael didn't blink.
Lana fell to her knees. Tears fell, but her mouth curved into a trembling smile.
"Kael..."
---
The Ancient Power Within
Kael turned toward them, slowly. The glyphs on his arms and chest faded slightly, revealing his familiar form beneath the divine power. But he looked... different. More.
"You died," Rhea said quietly, unable to believe it.
"I did," Kael replied. "But death and I had a conversation. And I won."
Tunde, staring wide-eyed, mumbled, "Okay but like... did death cry? 'Cause I would've cried."
Kael cracked a smile, but it quickly faded. "This power... it's not just mine. It's borrowed. Old. Dangerous."
Felix frowned. "Borrowed from who?"
Kael's eyes darkened. "A god so ancient its name was forgotten by even the demons."
He fell to one knee, groaning. Sparks flew off his skin.
Lana rushed to his side, holding him. "You came back... you came back."
Kael looked into her eyes. "I had to. For all of you."
Behind them, what remained of the enemies retreated back into the vortex, howling in rage.
Kael stood again. "The scrolls... we need them. This was just a piece of what's coming."
Felix picked up a partially burned scroll from the wreckage. "We've got it. But Kael—what are you now?"
Kael looked up at the sky.
"I'm what the world hoped would never return."