The universe screamed.
Not metaphorically.
Every star shook.
Every planet trembled.
Every dimension folded inward as the golden-eyed figure stepped through the crack in reality.
Kael stood silently.
His broken sword was still in his hand.
Liora stood beside him.
The First King remained on one knee.
For the first time since Kael had met him—
the First King looked insignificant.
The golden-eyed being looked at him.
“You.”
The First King lowered his head.
“Creator…”
Liora's eyes widened.
Kael glanced at him.
“You know him?”
The First King slowly stood.
“I know what he is.”
The golden-eyed being smiled.
“Then tell him.”
The First King looked at Kael.
“That is Erevan.”
Kael waited.
“The First Existence.”
Silence.
“The being that existed before time. Before space. Before the first universe.”
Kael looked toward Erevan.
“And he created the Law?”
“Yes.”
The First King swallowed.
“He created the Law because existence became unstable. Without rules, reality collapsed whenever beings like us used power beyond limits.”
Kael looked at the enormous eye behind Erevan.
“So the Law exists to control Absolute Authority.”
Erevan answered.
“No.”
His voice shook the Outer Realm.
“The Law exists to control you.”
Kael's eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
Erevan smiled.
“Because Absolute Authority was never meant to belong to a human.”
Kael said nothing.
Erevan raised one hand.
The Law appeared behind him.
Millions of white symbols covered the darkness.
RULE ONE — NOTHING MAY EXIST ABOVE THE LAW.
Kael stared at it.
Then another line appeared.
RULE TWO — ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY SHALL SERVE THE LAW.
A third.
RULE THREE — THE HOLDER SHALL NEVER REJECT EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE.
Kael slowly smiled.
“So that's your problem.”
Erevan tilted his head.
“What?”
“You're not angry because I used Absolute Authority.”
Kael raised his sword.
“You're angry because I found a way around your rules.”
Erevan's smile disappeared.
“Yes.”
The word was almost a whisper.
Then—
BOOM!
Reality exploded.
Kael vanished.
Erevan's fist passed through the place where Kael had been standing.
Kael appeared above him.
His sword descended.
CLANG!
Erevan blocked it with one hand.
The shockwave destroyed an entire dimension.
Liora was thrown backward.
“KAEL!”
Kael disappeared again.
Punch.
Block.
Kick.
Counter.
Slash.
The two beings moved faster than thought.
The First King watched in disbelief.
“He's keeping up…”
Liora landed beside him.
“Can Kael win?”
The First King didn't answer.
Liora grabbed his collar.
“Can he?”
The First King looked at her.
“No.”
Her expression hardened.
“Then help him.”
The First King stared at her.
“You don't understand.”
“I understand that you're standing here doing nothing.”
His eyes darkened.
“If I interfere, Erevan will erase me.”
Liora released his collar.
“Then don't interfere.”
She turned toward Kael.
“Just believe in him.”
The First King froze.
Those words—
He had heard them before.
Long ago.
In another universe.
From another girl.
A girl with Liora's face.
The same eyes.
The same voice.
The same stubbornness.
His expression changed.
“She really is the same…”
Liora looked at him.
“Who?”
The First King whispered:
“The girl who killed me.”
Before Liora could respond—
Kael crashed through a mountain of dead stars.
He stopped himself.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
Erevan floated above him.
“You cannot defeat me.”
Kael wiped the blood away.
“Probably not.”
Erevan frowned.
Kael smiled.
“But I don't have to.”
He raised his sword.
Erevan's eyes narrowed.
“What are you planning?”
Kael looked at the Law.
Then at Erevan.
Then at Liora.
“I've been thinking.”
The broken sword began to glow.
“Absolute Authority lets me change reality.”
The Law trembled.
“But every time I change reality…”
Kael continued,
“…the Law demands a price.”
His eyes became cold.
“So what happens if I don't change reality?”
Erevan's expression changed.
Kael pointed the sword toward himself.
“What happens if I change the thing making the choice?”
The Law screamed.
“PROHIBITED.”
Kael smiled.
“Exactly.”
The black mark on his palm returned.
But this time—
it was different.
Instead of spreading across his skin…
it formed a single word.
CHOICE.
The System appeared for the first time since the Ninth Chapter.
AUTHORITY CORE REACTIVATED.
WARNING.
THE CURRENT ACTION HAS NO PRECEDENT.
CALCULATING COST…
Kael waited.
The System flickered.
COST: UNKNOWN.
Kael laughed.
A real laugh.
Small.
But real.
Liora's eyes widened.
“Kael…”
He looked at her.
“What?”
“You laughed.”
Kael blinked.
Then smiled.
“I did.”
For one brief moment—
he felt completely human.
Erevan stared at him.
“That is impossible.”
Kael raised his sword.
“No.”
His smile disappeared.
“It's simply something you didn't plan for.”
The Law descended.
Millions of rules surrounded Kael.
Erevan commanded:
“Erase him.”
The Law obeyed.
Kael disappeared.
Liora screamed.
“KAEL!”
Silence.
The First King closed his eyes.
Then—
A heartbeat.
THUMP.
Another.
THUMP.
Another.
THUMP.
Kael opened his eyes inside the darkness.
He was standing in a familiar place.
His childhood home.
His mother's kitchen.
His old wooden chair.
His mother's voice came from behind him.
“Kael?”
He froze.
Slowly—
he turned.
His mother stood there.
Smiling.
“Come eat.”
Kael's eyes filled with tears.
For a moment—
he wanted to believe it.
Then he noticed something.
The window.
There had always been three cracks in it.
This one had four.
Kael closed his eyes.
“This isn't real.”
His mother smiled.
“Stay.”
Kael's hands trembled.
The Law whispered around him.
“YOU CAN HAVE EVERYTHING YOU LOST.”
His mother stepped closer.
“Stay with me.”
Kael looked at her.
His heart hurt.
He could feel it.
The grief.
The love.
The longing.
All of it.
Then he smiled through his tears.
“I already lost you once.”
He touched her face.
“I won't lose myself trying to get you back.”
The illusion shattered.
Kael opened his eyes.
He was standing before Erevan.
The golden-eyed being stepped backward.
Impossible.
Kael's black mark had disappeared.
The Law was collapsing.
Erevan stared at him.
“What are you?”
Kael looked at his sword.
“I don't know.”
Then he looked at Liora.
“But I know who I am.”
Liora smiled.
Kael raised the broken sword.
“I am Kael Ardyn.”
The universe went silent.
The Law cracked.
Erevan's eyes widened.
And somewhere beyond the edge of existence—
another heartbeat answered Kael's.
THUMP.
Kael froze.
Liora heard it too.
“What was that?”
The First King slowly turned toward the darkness.
His face became pale.
“No…”
Kael looked beyond Erevan.
Something was approaching.
Something that even Erevan feared.
A voice emerged from the darkness.
“You finally remembered.”
Kael's eyes widened.
The voice continued.
“Now remember who your father was.”
Erevan turned around.
For the first time—
absolute terror appeared in his eyes.
“Impossible…”
A shadow appeared behind him.
And the shadow had Kael's eyes.
TO BE CONTINUED...