As Adonis crests the top of a hill, he gazes down upon the village that had once tried to kill him and Nyx many years before. The memories flood back, each step toward the village center heavy with the weight of the past. When he arrives at the heart of the village, he sees his mother standing there, her eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and determination. With a trembling hand, he offers her all the ingredients she had requested. Her voice echoes through the quiet, "LET THE CEREMONY COMMENCE, FOR ADONIS IS NOW ON THE ROAD TO BECOMING A MAN."
As night falls, a diverse crowd gathers, their faces lit by the flickering flames of torches. Among them, one figure stands out, cloaked in darkness, lurking in the shadows. There's something eerily familiar about him, but no one can place who he is. Adonis scans the crowd, searching for Nyx, but she is nowhere to be found. A pang of regret washes over him; he wonders if she no longer cares for him as she once did.
Monna, his mother, then hands Adonis the Torch of the Eternal Flame. With a solemn nod, she leads him to the altar, where he is to ignite the sacred fire. Adonis places the torch in the pit, and the flames roar to life, wild and untamed. He then drinks the vials of blood he had painstakingly collected, feeling the warm liquid burn as it goes down his throat. He places the weapons into the fire, watching as they melt and fuse, followed by the rare ores and herbs, which release an otherworldly scent as they burn. Strips of purple, gold, and white begin to weave through the flames, a mesmerizing dance of colors.
Monna and Apollo exchange a glance, realizing that the prophecy was true. As Adonis places the heart into the fire, the colorful strips of light grow larger, enveloping the entire altar. Apollo steps forward and declares, "He is worthy of the title of man, and he is worthy of my blade." Just as Adonis receives the blade, the cloaked figure lunges onto the altar. Apollo reacts swiftly, pushing Adonis out of harm's way, but the figure is quicker, drawing a spear and decapitating Apollo with a single, brutal stroke. The crowd gasps as the Guardians of Fate, Apollo's elite group of warriors, spring into action to avenge their fallen captain. But the figure moves with unnatural speed, cutting down Luminos in a flash before turning his deadly gaze toward Monna.
Before the figure can strike, Atrieocx, one of the most revered warriors, pushes Monna aside and tackles the assailant to the ground. The cloaked figure's hood is knocked off, revealing his identity. Atrieocx's voice trembles as he speaks, "C-Cain... how could you kill your family?" Cain's eyes blaze with fury as he screams, "THEY WERE NOT MY FAMILY! THEY WERE JUST OBSTACLES IN FRONT OF MY DESTINY!"
Atrieocx, now seething with rage, replies calmly, "Apollo was like my brother, and YOU JUST SLAUGHTERED HIM LIKE A PIG. I WILL CUT YOU DOWN, GRIND YOU APART UNTIL EVERY FIBER OF YOUR EXISTENCE CRIES FOR MERCY, YOU INSIGNIFICANT WRETCH!"
Realizing the danger Atrieocx poses, Cain quickly shifts his attention back to Monna after braking free from Atrieocxs grasp, cleaving her legs from her body with a swift swing of his spear. But before she falls, Monna uses the last of her strength to pass her sword and power to Adonis, whispering her final words, "Adonis, my sweet boy, care for your sister and never forget who you are and where you come from. NOW RUN! THIS REALM IS GOING TO COLLAPSE ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE RIM. RUN, ADONIS, SAVE YOUR SISTER, SAVE NYX!"
Adonis stands frozen, his heart shattering as he watches Cain decapitate his mother and then Atrieocx. Rage and despair mingle within him as he draws his father's sword, and with a primal scream, he charges at Cain. Atrieocx, in his final moments, sees Adonis cleave through Cain's chest. Grabbing Freyja, Adonis runs, determined to save Nyx. But as he flees, Cain's body begins to contort and change, transforming into a monstrous, demonic entity known as Odroduc, the Sin of Wrath.
Odroduc escapes through a portal just as the sky above the village tears open, the wrath of the gods descending upon the land. From a distant hilltop, Adonis watches in horror as divine retribution annihilates the village. He has no time to mourn; he must continue his desperate race to Nyx's village. But when he arrives, he finds Valkyries slaughtering the villagers. Just as he reaches out for Nyx, he is pulled through a portal, helpless as he watches the sky erupt in flames and the village is consumed by fire. Freyja slips from his grasp, falling into a place known as the Sanctuary, a refuge for those devastated by the war.
Adonis, however, is taken to the Lost Realm, the home of the Forgotten King and the base of a mysterious clan of assassins known as the Order of Watchers. Falling to the ground in despair, Adonis beats his fists against the earth, his screams echoing in the emptiness. "How could I let her go? Damn it, how could I be so foolish? I-I fucking let her die just after I promised I would be by her side no matter what—no matter wha—" His voice trails off as exhaustion overtakes him, and he blacks out, his dreams haunted by visions of what he has lost.
As he lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness, Adonis's mind was filled with fragmented images—memories of the village, the ceremony, the faces of those he had lost. His mother's final words echoed in his mind, a haunting reminder of the promise he had made, and the mission he had yet to fulfill. But for now, all he could do was lie in the darkness, his body and soul battered and broken, as the weight of his failures pressed down on him like a crushing tide until he fell unconscious.