The Veil's wind howled like a mourning dirge carrying a stench of ash and decay with it. Kael stood on the border between his domain and the Realm of Light without moving. The divine artifact's glow reflected in his gold eyes while still pulsing softly in Elaine's trembling hands. Each pulse appeared to resonate with the air itself, rippling through the area between them like a heartbeat that's out of rhythm.
Elaine hadn't moved from her spot since her statement. Her golden hair caught the flickering light and her gaze remained steady, clearly unshaken by the storm raging around them. Kael found himself both quite impressed and annoyed by her calmness. He'd seen quite a number of strong warriors fall and crumble under his presence and yet here was this saintess, fragile in body but irritatingly unyielding in spirit, proclaiming him as the Chosen of Light with a confidence that bordered on absurdity.
Kael lips curled into a smirk that did not quite reach his eyes. "You believe me to be a saviour?" he asked his voice low and lined with mockery. "You stand there while clutching that broken little trinket as if it has not lied to you."
Elaine took a cautious step forward, her boots were crunching against brittle earth. "The artifact revealed the truth," she said firmly, her voice loud and clear against the howling wind. "It spoke of balance, of light and shadow united in harmony; and it illuminated in your presence.
Kael's smirk dropped, his annoyance flaring into something shaper and colder. He stepped closer and the shadows around him intensified, twisting like serpents ready to strike. "You are misunderstanding an accident for providence" he said. "That relic, it did not recognise purity; it recognised power and… I can assure you, Saintess, there is not anything divine about mine."
Elaine's grip on the artifact became tighter but she did not flinch. "Power does not lie," she contradicted. "You saved that child life. You could have chosen to just let her die, but you didn't. That was not any accident."
Kael slowly inhaled, holding back the desire to laugh. This was the issue with idealists; they just see what they wanted to see shaping reality to fit their fantasy. He had healed the girl all because he was bored, just a trivial experiment with no thought for any consequence. Yet here stood Elaine, clinging to the belief that his action had been some kind of grand and selfless gesture.
"Do you know what I see when I look at you?" Kael asked, his tone soft but laced with venom. "I see a woman so desperate for meaning that she is so willing to rewrite the story in her head to just make me her hero."
Elaine's jaw tightened and her calm façade cracking for the first time. "And what do you see when you see yourself?" she retorted. "A monster? A tyrant? Is that the story you have chosen for yourself?"
Kael froze, the question striking a nerve he hadn't even noticed was exposed. The wind looked to stop with him the silence stretching tight like a bowstring.
"Careful, little Saintess," he finally said, his voice a low dangerous whisper. "You're treading a delicate path."
Elaine held his gaze, and for a passing instant Kael saw something in her eyes that made his stomach unpleasant. It was not pity, he would have torn her apart for that. It was something way worse. Belief, raw and resolute.
Before he could summon a retort, the artifact pulsed again, brighter this time. Its light flared outward in a blinding wave, forcing both Kael and Elaine to shield their eyes. When the light receded, the air between them shimmered, and a figure began to form—a translucent, ghostly projection of a woman clad in radiant armour.
Kael's breath caught. He recognised her immediately. Lyssara, the Veiled Goddess, her face as celestial and haunting as he remembered. She had been the only deity who had granted him even a hint of mercy before his fall and her appearance here right now could only seriously mean trouble.
"Kael Deryn," the projection declared with her voice echoing as though carried on a thousand winds. "Your actions have awakened forces beyond your control. The artifact has chosen you as its keeper and with it the mantle of balance."
Kael's eyes had narrowed, his hand twitching toward the hilt of his dagger. "I didn't ask you for your insight, Lyssara" he said coolly. "And I most surely did not ask you for this artifact's 'blessing.' Take it back."
Lyssara's image flickered her expression was unreadable. "The choice was never yours to make," she said. "The artifact's activation has set events into motion that cannot be undone. Forces gather against you, both mortal and divine. You must choose whether to stand up to meet them or be consumed by their flood."
Elaine stepped forward with hope flaring in her eyes. "Then it's true," she said. "Kael is the Chosen of Light."
Lyssara's gaze shifted to Elaine, and for the briefest moment, a small shadow of sadness crossed her face. "He is chosen," she said, her tone heavy with meaning. "But whether he is light or shadow is still yet to be determined."
Kael felt a flicker of unease, quickly smothered by his growing frustration. "Enough," he snapped, his voice cutting through the tension. "I don't need riddles or cryptic warnings. If forces are gathering against me, they'll be dealt with like all the others. I'll crush them underfoot and leave nothing but ashes in my wake."
Lyssara's image began to fade, her voice lingering as the light dimmed. "Beware, Kael Deryn. The balance you mock may yet claim you."
And then she was gone, leaving only the faint hum of the artifact in her wake.
Kael turned to Elaine, his temper barely contained. "You've brought nothing but trouble," he said, his voice like steel. "Take your artifact, your prophecy, and your delusions, and get the hell out of my sight."
Elaine didn't move. Her resolve had hardened, her faith burning brighter than ever. "You can't run from this, Kael," she said. "The world is watching now. The gods are watching."
Kael's eyes flashed with golden light, his anger finally boiling over. "Let them watch," he snarled. "And let them learn what happens to those who stand in my way."
Before Elaine could respond, the ground beneath them rumbled, a deep and rough vibration that sent cracks splintering through the earth. Kael's senses flared warning him of a nearing presence, a power vast and suffocating pressing down on the Veil like an impending storm.
From the distance came a sound like thunder, and then a voice, a voice that shook the air and carried with it the weight of divinity.
"Kael Deryn," it thundered. "You dare to defy the will of the gods?"
Kael's lips curled into a smile, cold and sharp as a blade. "Finally," he muttered. "A distraction that's worth my time."
The horizon darkened and shapes began to appear from the gloom, armoured figures cloaked in divine light, their weapons shining with the rage of the heavens. At their forefront stood a man Kael recognised right away, Eldrin Varess, Elaine's brother and one of the gods' most zealous champions.
Elaine gasped, her hand flying straight to her mouth. "Eldrin... no..."
Kael stepped forward, his shadows writhing eagerly around him. "Saintess," he said without turning back his voice low and laced with menace. "You wanted to see a saviour? Watch closely."
And as the champion charged forward, Kael unleashed his magic, the world erupting into chaos.