The next morning, Kael woke before sunrise.
He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the window.
The capital was quiet.
For the first time since awakening, there was no battle.
No monsters.
No gods.
No voices.
Just silence.
Kael liked silence.
At least, he thought he did.
A knock came at the door.
"Kael?"
Liora.
He looked toward the door.
"Come in."
She entered carrying two cups of tea.
"You look terrible."
"I slept."
"That's not what I meant."
She handed him a cup.
Kael took it.
Liora sat across from him.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Finally, she asked:
"Do you remember yesterday?"
"Of course."
"The Demon King."
"Yes."
"You erased his entire army."
Kael nodded.
Liora watched him carefully.
"You don't seem bothered."
Kael looked at her.
"Should I be?"
She didn't answer immediately.
"Yesterday, you would have been."
Kael frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Liora looked down at her tea.
"When we were children, you couldn't even kill a bird that had fallen from a nest."
Kael smiled slightly.
"I was eight."
"You cried for an hour."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
For a moment, Kael almost laughed.
Almost.
The feeling disappeared before it reached his face.
Liora noticed.
She always noticed.
"That's it," she whispered.
"What?"
"You almost laughed."
Kael stared at her.
"Is that a problem?"
"Yes."
Her voice became quiet.
"Because you used to laugh easily."
Kael looked away.
He wanted to tell her she was imagining things.
But he couldn't.
Because somewhere inside himself, he knew she was right.
A bell rang throughout the academy.
Students rushed into the courtyard.
The royal messenger had arrived.
A tall knight stepped forward.
"By order of the Crown, Kael Ardyn is summoned to the Royal Palace."
Kael sighed.
"I don't want to go."
Liora smiled.
"You just defeated the Demon King. You don't get to be a normal student anymore."
"I never asked for this."
"Nobody asks for destiny."
Kael looked at her.
"That's a terrible saying."
She laughed.
And this time—
Kael smiled.
A genuine smile.
Small.
But real.
Liora noticed.
She didn't say anything.
The Royal Palace was filled with nobles.
The moment Kael entered, every conversation stopped.
Hundreds of eyes followed him.
Some were afraid.
Some were curious.
Others were greedy.
The king stood from his throne.
"Kael Ardyn."
Kael bowed slightly.
"Your Majesty."
The king studied him.
"You saved Asteria."
"I destroyed the attackers."
"That is what I said."
Kael said nothing.
The king continued.
"Unfortunately, the attack was not random."
An enormous map appeared in the center of the chamber.
Seven red marks appeared across the continent.
"Seven ancient temples have awakened."
The room became tense.
"The temples belong to beings older than the kingdoms of mankind."
Kael looked at the map.
"Gods?"
The king nodded.
"The Seven Sovereigns."
Liora, standing beside him, whispered:
"Seven?"
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"How many have awakened?"
"Six."
The king's expression darkened.
"The seventh has not."
Kael immediately understood.
"Me."
The king nodded.
"The seventh temple is beneath this capital."
Silence.
Suddenly—
BOOM.
The entire palace shook.
The floor cracked.
A gigantic black symbol appeared beneath Kael's feet.
The mark on his palm burned.
[Warning.]
[External Authority detected.]
Kael looked down.
"External Authority?"
The system responded:
[The Seven Sovereigns are attempting to identify the successor.]
Kael smiled.
"Let them."
The palace ceiling exploded.
A massive hand descended from the sky.
The king screamed.
"Protect the palace!"
Royal mages fired hundreds of spells.
The hand continued downward.
Kael raised one finger.
The hand stopped.
Not because he blocked it.
Because reality itself had obeyed him.
Kael looked upward.
"You're wasting my time."
He closed his hand.
The enormous hand disappeared.
Everyone stared.
Then a voice echoed through the heavens.
"SUCCESSOR."
Kael looked toward the sky.
"YOU CARRY THE AUTHORITY THAT BELONGED TO US."
Kael answered:
"I don't care."
The voice thundered.
"SURRENDER IT."
Kael smiled.
"No."
The sky turned black.
Seven enormous eyes appeared above the clouds.
Liora grabbed Kael's sleeve.
"Kael..."
He looked at her.
"What?"
"Don't use that power."
Kael's expression changed.
"You think I can't handle them?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"I'm worried about what handling them will cost you."
Kael went silent.
The seven eyes opened wider.
One of them released a beam of golden light.
Kael raised his hand.
The attack stopped inches from his face.
He could erase it.
He could erase the god behind it.
He could erase every one of the seven beings.
It would take less than a second.
But he remembered yesterday.
The feeling of knowing something mattered—
and being unable to feel why.
Kael lowered his hand.
"Not yet."
The palace guards stared at him.
The king looked confused.
Liora understood.
"You chose not to use it."
Kael nodded.
"I'm going to fight them without Absolute Authority."
Liora smiled.
"Why?"
Kael looked toward the seven gods.
"Because if I can defeat them without losing another piece of myself..."
His hand tightened around his sword.
"...then maybe I can remain human."
The seven Sovereigns laughed.
"Human?"
Their voices shook the continent.
"You are not human."
Kael drew his sword.
"Then I'll prove you wrong."
The first god descended.
Its body was larger than the palace itself.
Kael stepped forward.
For the first time since awakening—
he chose to fight with only his own strength.
And somewhere deep beneath the capital...
something ancient began to wake.
Something that had been waiting for Kael for sixteen years.
TO BE CONTINUED...