The First King stared at Liora.
For the first time since Kael had met him, the ancient being looked uncertain.
Kael noticed immediately.
"You're afraid of her."
The First King didn't answer.
Liora stepped forward.
"I've never seen you before."
The First King slowly shook his head.
"No."
His eyes remained fixed on her.
"You haven't."
Kael frowned.
"Then what do you mean when you say she destroyed you?"
The First King looked at Kael.
"She hasn't done it yet."
Silence.
Liora's face went pale.
"What?"
The First King pointed toward her.
"In my original timeline, there was a girl exactly like you."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Exactly?"
"Same face."
"Same voice."
"Same soul."
Liora stepped backward.
"That's impossible."
The First King smiled.
"That is what I thought."
The black tower began to shake.
Seraphine shouted:
"Everyone leave!"
The citizens of the Outer Realm fled.
Kael didn't move.
"Tell me everything."
The First King laughed.
"You think you deserve answers?"
"I think I'm going to make you give them to me."
Kael raised his sword.
The First King disappeared.
BOOM!
Kael was thrown across the bridge.
He crashed through a wall of stars.
Liora screamed:
"Kael!"
He stopped himself in midair.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
He looked at his hand.
It was trembling.
Not from fear.
His body simply couldn't keep up.
The First King appeared in front of him.
"You are powerful."
He punched Kael again.
BOOM!
"You are talented."
Another strike.
BOOM!
"But you are still inexperienced."
Kael crashed into the ground.
The First King raised his hand.
"Absolute Authority."
The entire realm froze.
Kael couldn't move.
Liora couldn't move.
Even Seraphine was frozen.
The First King walked toward Kael.
"You think your power is yours."
He knelt beside him.
"It isn't."
Kael glared at him.
"Then whose is it?"
The First King smiled.
"Mine."
A black symbol appeared on Kael's chest.
Pain exploded through his body.
Kael screamed.
The First King was pulling the Authority out of him.
[WARNING.]
[Core integrity: 71%.]
[Authority transfer detected.]
Kael clenched his teeth.
"Get..."
His fingers moved.
"...away..."
The First King laughed.
"You cannot stop me."
Kael looked toward Liora.
She was frozen.
Her eyes were open.
She could see him.
But she couldn't move.
Kael remembered what the remnant had told him.
She gives you a reason to stop.
He couldn't lose that.
Not yet.
Kael forced himself to stand.
The First King frowned.
"How?"
Kael's body shook.
"I don't need..."
He raised his broken sword.
"...to be stronger than you."
The First King stared.
Kael smiled.
"I only need to make one choice."
The First King understood too late.
Kael wasn't attacking him.
He was attacking the Authority itself.
His sword struck the black symbol.
CRACK.
The transfer stopped.
The First King was thrown backward.
Kael collapsed.
Liora suddenly regained movement.
She caught him before he hit the ground.
"Kael!"
He looked at her.
"I'm okay."
"No, you're not!"
She held his face.
"You're bleeding."
Kael smiled weakly.
"I've had worse."
"You always say that."
"Because it's usually true."
Liora's eyes filled with tears.
Kael noticed.
"Why are you crying?"
"Because you're an idiot."
He almost laughed.
This time, the laugh came.
Small.
Weak.
But real.
The First King watched them.
His expression darkened.
"That laugh..."
Kael looked toward him.
"What?"
The First King whispered:
"That is exactly how she laughed."
The First King raised both hands.
The stars around them began disappearing.
Seraphine screamed:
"He's collapsing the Outer Realm!"
Kael stood.
"How do we stop him?"
"You can't!"
Seraphine looked at him.
"That is the First King's domain!"
Kael looked at Liora.
"Then we leave."
Liora blinked.
"What?"
Kael grabbed her hand.
"We can't win here."
The First King laughed.
"Running?"
Kael looked over his shoulder.
"No."
A black door appeared behind him.
"I'm choosing where we fight."
The First King attacked.
Kael opened the door.
The attack struck.
The universe split apart.
Kael and Liora jumped through.
The door closed.
The First King's attack disappeared into empty space.
He stood alone.
Then—
he smiled.
"You still don't understand."
Kael and Liora landed somewhere completely different.
Kael immediately fell to one knee.
Liora caught him.
"Kael!"
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
She looked at his chest.
The black mark had spread.
Thin black lines now ran across his skin.
Kael stared at them.
"How bad?"
Liora didn't answer.
That was enough.
Kael closed his eyes.
The system appeared.
[Authority core damaged.]
[Emotional erosion: 3.7%.]
Kael opened his eyes.
"Only 3.7?"
Liora looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
Kael hesitated.
Then he told her.
Everything.
The emotional erosion.
The missing pieces.
The possibility of eventually losing the ability to love.
Liora listened without interrupting.
When he finished, she asked:
"How much have you lost already?"
Kael looked away.
"I don't know."
She stepped closer.
"Then I'll help you remember."
Kael looked at her.
"How?"
Liora smiled through her tears.
"Every time you forget something about yourself..."
She placed her hand over his.
"...I'll remind you."
Kael stared at her.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then—
"Thank you."
Liora smiled.
"You're welcome."
A distant sound interrupted them.
DONG.
Kael looked up.
A giant moon hung above them.
Then another appeared.
Then another.
Seven moons.
And on each moon stood a figure.
Liora whispered:
"Are those..."
Kael nodded.
"The remaining Sovereigns."
The system appeared.
[Seven Sovereigns have entered the battlefield.]
[Escape probability: 0%.]
Kael smiled.
"Good."
Liora stared at him.
"Good?"
Kael stood.
"If we can't escape..."
His eyes sharpened.
"...then we stop running."
He looked toward the seven moons.
"But this time..."
The black mark on his palm began glowing.
"...I'm not fighting alone."
Liora stepped beside him.
The two stood together beneath seven moons.
And somewhere far away—
the First King opened his eyes.
He had found them.
"Begin the Second Awakening."
The seven moons shattered.
TO BE CONTINUED...