The silence left behind by Kael's departure was deafening. Eldric stood in the center of the ruined chamber, the weight of his brother's words sinking deeper with each passing moment. The Godslayer pulsed in his grip, its dark power still swirling around him like a restless storm. He wasn't sure if it was the blade or the weight of Kael's warning that made his hands tremble.
"War is coming…" Eldric murmured to himself.
Karis stepped forward, her usual defiant attitude replaced with a rare seriousness. "Do you believe him?"
Seraphine's gaze never left the spot where Kael had vanished. "It doesn't matter whether he's right or wrong. What matters is that we're running out of time."
Eldric nodded slowly, feeling the urgency pressing down on him. The gods were aware of the Godslayer, and the moment he became a true threat, they would strike. He could feel it—like the flicker of a spark before the blaze. The path he walked had always been one of rebellion, but now, it seemed like the only thing standing between him and total destruction.
But there was something deeper, something gnawing at him. Kael had warned him of a greater force—one that wasn't just the gods, but the very fabric of fate itself.
"What did Kael mean by 'the gods won't underestimate you next time'?" Karis asked, breaking him from his thoughts.
Eldric's eyes darkened. "It means they've been watching us all along. Every move we've made, every victory, every defeat—it's all part of some twisted plan."
Seraphine sighed, her eyes distant. "Fate is a powerful enemy. But even the gods can't control everything. There's always a way to break the chains they try to bind us with."
"I'm not just going to break the chains," Eldric said, his voice low but resolute. "I'm going to burn them to ash."
The words hung in the air like a promise.
---
The Gathering Storm
The trio traveled deeper into the forgotten depths of the temple, their steps echoing in the cold, empty corridors. The walls seemed to close in on them as if the very structure itself was aware of their presence. Eldric could feel the weight of the unseen eyes upon them, but it wasn't just the gods watching anymore. The air felt thicker, heavier—as if something ancient was stirring beneath the stone.
Seraphine glanced at the ornate carvings along the walls. "This temple… it was never meant to house just any god. These markings are centuries old. They speak of something far more powerful than anything we've faced."
Karis smirked. "Sounds like a party. Can't wait to meet the next overpowered god-thing."
Eldric ignored her humor, his mind focused on the task at hand. Kael had left them with more than just a warning. He had given them a path to follow—a fragment of a greater truth that could guide them to the source of the divine power that had once chained him. The Forsworn blade had been forged with the power to sever divine ties, and now, Eldric had to learn how to use it to its fullest potential.
But how?
The Godslayer had never been fully under his control. It was as though it had a mind of its own, one that thrummed with ancient rage and pain. And now, the Forsworn stood before him as a possible key to unlocking his true potential—or perhaps his downfall.
"I can feel something," Eldric muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.
Seraphine raised an eyebrow. "What are you sensing?"
"The Godslayer… it's reacting to something ahead. Like it's calling to something." His gaze hardened. "It's drawing me closer."
Karis unsheathed her blades. "I'm not one to ignore a summons. Let's see what it wants."
---
The Heart of Darkness
They came to a large chamber, its ceiling high and lost in darkness. The air here was thick with the scent of aged stone and incense, remnants of rituals long forgotten. The walls were lined with towering statues—gods, demons, and figures half-forgotten by time—each one frozen in eternal silence, their eyes set in eternal judgment.
At the center of the room stood a pedestal, and upon it rested an object that could only be described as a relic. A dark orb, pulsating with power, sat surrounded by cracked stone carvings. The Godslayer hummed in Eldric's grip, the flames from its blade dancing erratically.
"Is that it?" Karis asked, her voice quiet in the hushed chamber.
Seraphine stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "That orb—"
Before she could finish, the orb began to vibrate, its dark energy surging violently. Eldric felt it then—the same pull, the same force that had been guiding him all along. The Godslayer roared, flames spiraling into the air as it responded to the orb's energy.
"Get ready!" Eldric shouted.
A crack split the air as the orb shattered, releasing a burst of blinding darkness. The statues around them seemed to come to life, their eyes flickering with red light. The ground trembled as a figure cloaked in shadows rose from the center of the explosion—a figure neither man nor god, but something in between.
It was massive, towering over them, its form shifting and distorting as if it were made from smoke and flame. Eyes, like burning coals, stared down at them, a voice that wasn't quite spoken but felt in their very bones.
"So, the child of flame has arrived."
Eldric felt his heart race. "What are you?"
The figure's form shifted again, its face materializing like the death mask of an ancient god. "I am the answer to your rebellion. I am the End. I am the one who ensures the gods' will is done."
Karis cursed. "Great. Another god-killer. Just what we needed."
Eldric's hand tightened around the Godslayer's hilt. "Not today."