The voice inside the First Throne disappeared.
Silence returned.
Kael stood frozen.
Liora's hand was still in his.
Neither of them spoke.
Before them, the ancient door remained open.
Inside it—
their younger selves stood beneath a newborn sky.
A young Kael laughed.
A young Liora reached toward the stars.
They looked happy.
Completely happy.
Then the memory changed.
The newborn universe began to grow.
Stars appeared.
Planets formed.
Life emerged.
Civilizations rose.
Kael watched silently.
“This was our world?”
The shadow nodded.
“Yes.”
Liora's voice trembled.
“We created all of this?”
“Not all of existence.”
The shadow looked toward the infinite darkness.
“Only the first universe.”
Kael stared at the memory.
For a moment, it was beautiful.
Then—
the first war began.
A black crack appeared across the sky.
Something entered.
Not a monster.
Not a god.
A concept.
A force that consumed everything it touched.
Stars vanished.
Worlds disappeared.
Entire civilizations were erased from history.
Young Kael and Liora stood before it.
Kael watched his younger self raise his hand.
Absolute Authority appeared.
Liora grabbed his arm.
“Don't.”
Young Kael looked at her.
“If I don't, everyone dies.”
Liora shook her head.
“Then we'll find another way.”
Young Kael smiled.
“There isn't one.”
He activated the Authority.
Reality exploded.
Kael's eyes widened.
“No…”
The entire universe was rewritten.
The enemy vanished.
But so did billions of lives.
Everything Kael had tried to save—
was erased.
Liora fell to her knees.
Young Kael stared at his hands.
The Authority spoke.
EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE ACCEPTED.
Then came the price.
His emotions began disappearing.
Fear.
Anger.
Joy.
Grief.
Love.
One after another.
Kael watched in horror.
“That was me…”
The shadow nodded.
“You saved existence.”
Kael stared at the memory.
“And destroyed it.”
“No.”
The shadow shook its head.
“You destroyed one universe to prevent something worse from reaching the others.”
Kael looked at him.
“What was it?”
The shadow pointed toward the darkness.
“The thing you fought.”
A distant sound echoed.
THUMP.
Liora grabbed Kael's arm.
“Did you hear that?”
Kael nodded.
Another heartbeat.
THUMP.
The First God appeared behind them.
“You remember now.”
Kael turned.
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“You knew what happened.”
“Yes.”
“And you still wanted my Authority?”
The First God smiled.
“I wanted your memory.”
Kael's eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
“Because you forgot the enemy.”
The First God raised his hand.
The ancient memory changed.
The creature appeared again.
Only this time—
Kael saw its face.
It had no face.
But it had eyes.
Golden eyes.
Kael looked at Erevan's empty space.
Then at the First God.
“You're not the enemy.”
The First God smiled.
“No.”
Kael's expression hardened.
“Erevan isn't either.”
The First God nodded.
“No.”
Liora whispered:
“Then who is?”
The answer came from behind them.
“Me.”
The doors slammed shut.
Every light in the First Throne disappeared.
Kael turned.
A figure stood at the end of the white corridor.
It looked exactly like him.
Same black hair.
Same gray eyes.
Same face.
But its eyes were empty.
Completely empty.
Kael stared.
“Who are you?”
The figure smiled.
“I am the Kael who won.”
The First God stepped backward.
The shadow went silent.
Even Liora froze.
Kael raised his sword.
The other Kael laughed.
“You still don't understand.”
He walked closer.
“You think your greatest enemy is the Law.”
Another step.
“You think it's the First God.”
Another.
“You even thought it was yourself.”
He stopped.
“You were wrong.”
Kael's grip tightened.
“Then what are you?”
The other Kael touched his chest.
“I am what you become when you stop caring.”
Kael's expression changed.
The figure continued.
“I used Absolute Authority without restraint.”
His eyes became darker.
“I saved every world.”
“I stopped every war.”
“I brought back everyone who died.”
“I erased every tragedy.”
Kael stared at him.
“And?”
The other Kael smiled.
“And eventually…”
He looked at Liora.
“…I realized none of it mattered.”
Liora stepped closer to Kael.
The other Kael laughed.
“She won't save you.”
Kael said nothing.
“She'll eventually die.”
Silence.
“You'll bring her back.”
The other Kael continued.
“She'll die again.”
“You'll bring her back again.”
“Again.”
“Again.”
“Again.”
“Until you stop caring.”
Kael's eyes hardened.
“No.”
The other Kael smiled.
“You think you're different?”
Kael looked at Liora.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Kael answered simply.
“Because I won't bring her back.”
Liora looked at him.
Kael continued:
“If her life ends…”
His voice shook.
“…I'll accept it.”
The other Kael stared.
Kael's eyes filled with tears.
“That is what makes her life real.”
The other Kael's smile disappeared.
Kael raised his sword.
“I don't need to control everything.”
The broken blade began glowing.
“I just need to choose what matters.”
The First Choice symbol appeared on Liora's palm.
The Authority symbol appeared on Kael's.
For the first time—
they synchronized.
The First Throne screamed.
The other Kael stepped backward.
“No.”
Kael moved forward.
“You're not my future.”
The other Kael's face twisted.
“You're lying!”
He attacked.
Kael blocked.
BOOM!
The First Throne shattered around them.
Kael and his other self collided.
Punch.
Counter.
Slash.
Dodge.
Their movements were identical.
Every attack was mirrored.
Every thought—
predicted.
Kael realized it.
“He knows everything I know.”
The shadow shouted:
“Because he is you!”
Kael was thrown backward.
His sword shattered completely.
The other Kael appeared before him.
“You cannot defeat me.”
Kael looked at his empty hands.
The other Kael raised his fist.
“You cannot defeat yourself.”
Kael smiled.
“That's true.”
The fist stopped inches from his face.
“But I don't have to.”
Kael stepped aside.
The other Kael's attack continued forward.
Straight toward Liora.
Kael's eyes widened.
“LIORA!”
Liora didn't move.
She simply raised her hand.
The First Choice awakened.
Silver light erupted.
The attack stopped.
The other Kael stared at her.
“What are you?”
Liora looked at him.
“I don't know.”
She smiled.
“But I know what I choose.”
The silver light expanded.
Kael's broken sword reformed in his hand.
Not the old sword.
Something new.
A blade made from two forces.
Absolute Authority.
And First Choice.
Kael looked at it.
The blade had no edge.
No point.
It was simply a line of light.
The other Kael backed away.
“No…”
Kael stepped forward.
“You were right about one thing.”
He raised the blade.
“You are me.”
The other Kael trembled.
“But you're only the version of me that forgot how to choose.”
Kael swung.
The blade passed through him.
No explosion.
No blood.
No destruction.
The other Kael simply stopped.
His empty eyes slowly filled with tears.
For the first time—
he looked human.
“I…”
He looked at Kael.
“…remember.”
Kael lowered his sword.
“What?”
The other Kael smiled.
“The reason I created you.”
Kael froze.
The other Kael began disappearing.
“You weren't my successor.”
“You were my second chance.”
Then he looked at Liora.
“And she…”
His smile became peaceful.
“…was my first choice.”
The other Kael vanished.
Silence returned.
Kael stood motionless.
Then the First Throne cracked open.
Something was inside.
A small object.
A wooden pendant.
Kael recognized it immediately.
His mother's pendant.
He picked it up.
Liora looked at him.
“Your mother?”
Kael nodded.
The pendant opened.
Inside was a tiny inscription.
Kael read it.
His face went pale.
“To my son, Kael.
If you ever remember who you are, don't save the world.
Save the people in it.”
Kael's eyes filled with tears.
Then—
the heartbeat returned.
THUMP.
But this time—
there were two.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Kael looked at Liora.
She was holding her chest.
“Kael…”
“What?”
“I think…”
Her silver eyes returned.
“…someone else is waking up inside me.”
The First God suddenly turned toward the darkness.
The shadow whispered:
“No.”
A massive crack appeared above them.
Something began descending.
Not a god.
Not a creature.
A universe.
And at its center—
stood a woman with Kael's mother's face.
She opened her eyes.
And spoke:
“My son.”
Kael stopped breathing.
“Come home.”
TO BE CONTINUED...