Time flowed differently for gods and those who existed in the Void. Days, months, or even centuries could pass in what felt like moments. For Kael Draven, the journey from mortal to god stretched over what mortals might call decades, though to him, it was a blur of battles, pain, and transformation.
---
**Lyr** had become more than his companion in the Void. She was now his partner, his equal, and officially, his **goddess girlfriend**.
Their relationship, if it could be called that, was unlike any union the realms had ever seen. Their endless passion burned with a ferocity that resonated through the cosmos, their power intertwining in ways that defied comprehension.
Where once Kael had craved her only as an object of desire, he now found himself drawn to her mind, her power, and the unwavering strength that mirrored his own. Lyr, for her part, had surrendered to the idea of truly being with Kael. She had stopped resisting her feelings, embracing the chaos of their love as something divine in its own right.
"You've changed," Lyr said softly one day as they rested in the Void, her golden eyes tracing the sharp angles of Kael's face.
Kael smirked, his silver eyes glinting with amusement. "And you haven't?" he asked, his voice low.
Lyr laughed, the sound musical and warm. "Perhaps," she admitted, leaning closer. "But I like this version of us. The realms don't know what to do with two beings like us together."
Kael chuckled, pulling her closer. "Let them watch," he said. "Let them fear."
---
But Kael's newfound godhood was not earned easily.
**Hades**, the Lord of the Underworld and one of the most powerful High Gods, had taken him under his wing.
At first, Kael had been defiant, his silver eyes gleaming with arrogance as he stepped into the burning halls of Hades's domain. "I don't need a teacher," he had growled, his dark magic crackling around him.
Hades had smirked, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. "You think you're strong?" he had asked, his voice deep and resonant. "Then prove it."
The first lesson was brutal.
Kael charged at Hades with all the power he had, his dark magic surging in chaotic waves. But Hades didn't even flinch. With a single sweep of his hand, the High God summoned flames so intense that they consumed Kael's shadows, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"You're reckless," Hades said, his tone cold. "And weak."
Kael snarled, his silver eyes blazing as he struggled to his feet. "Weak?" he growled. "I've destroyed gods. I've conquered realms!"
Hades stepped forward, his presence suffocating. "Those were ants compared to the High Gods," he said. "If you fought one of us now, you'd die before you could blink."
---
For the first time, Kael felt the crushing weight of his own limitations.
Hades didn't just teach Kael how to use his power—he forced him to confront his weaknesses. Each lesson was a grueling test of strength, endurance, and will.
Kael was broken down, torn apart, and reshaped under the watchful eye of the God of Death. He learned to control the Void's chaotic energy, to wield it with precision instead of blind fury. He learned to fight with strategy, to anticipate his opponent's moves and exploit their weaknesses.
But more than that, he learned what it truly meant to be a god.
"It's not about destruction," Hades said one day, his crimson eyes locked onto Kael's. "It's about balance. A god's power isn't just in what they can destroy—it's in what they can create, what they can protect."
Kael had scoffed at first, his silver eyes gleaming with defiance. But as the lessons continued, he began to understand.
---
Months turned into years, and Kael's transformation became undeniable.
The once-reckless mortal who had defied the gods and wielded the Void like a blunt weapon was gone. In his place stood a being of unimaginable power—a god who could command the shadows with a thought, who could stand toe-to-toe with the High Gods and hold his ground.
When the day of his ascension finally came, the celestial halls trembled with the force of Kael's transformation.
Lyr stood at his side, her golden light blending with his shadows as he took his first steps as a god. Her golden eyes sparkled with pride as she placed a hand on his arm. "You've earned this," she said softly.
Kael smirked, his silver eyes blazing. "It's just the beginning," he said.
---
Kael's ascension sent shockwaves through the realms.
The gods who had once feared and hated him now spoke his name with a mixture of awe and reverence. Some sought to align themselves with him, hoping to gain favor with the newly ascended deity. Others plotted in the shadows, wary of what Kael's rise to godhood would mean for their own power.
But none could deny that Kael Draven was no longer just a mortal wielding the power of the Void. He was a god—a being of strength and ambition unlike any they had ever seen.
And he wasn't finished.
---
Under Hades's guidance, Kael continued to grow stronger.
The High God of Death pushed him to his limits and beyond, forcing him to confront challenges that would have destroyed lesser beings. Kael faced trials in the deepest pits of the Underworld, battling creatures born of darkness and despair. He stood before the River Styx, his power tested against the souls of the damned.
Each trial honed him, shaping him into a weapon of unparalleled strength.
But Hades's lessons weren't just about combat.
"You have the power to destroy," Hades said one day, his voice calm but firm. "But what will you do with it? What will you leave behind when the destruction is over?"
Kael's silver eyes narrowed as he considered the question. For so long, his only goal had been power—consuming it, wielding it, using it to bend the realms to his will.
But now, with Lyr at his side and the weight of godhood pressing down on him, Kael found himself questioning what came next.
---
Lyr was his anchor through it all.
Her golden light tempered his shadows, her laughter cutting through the weight of his trials. Where Hades pushed him to his limits, Lyr reminded him of who he was beneath the power.
"You don't have to do this alone," she said one night, her voice soft as they lay together in the Void.
Kael smirked, his silver eyes gleaming. "I never do," he said, pulling her closer.
---
By the end of his training, Kael was no longer the man he had been.
He had learned to wield his power with precision, to balance destruction with creation. He had forged alliances with gods who once despised him and earned the respect of beings who had once seen him as nothing more than a threat.
But most importantly, he had found something he hadn't even known he was searching for: purpose.
Kael Draven was no longer just a destroyer.
He was a god.
And one day, he would be a High God.
The realms would tremble, not in fear, but in anticipation of what he would create.