The setting sun painted the mountaintop in shades of crimson and gold, but Kael's eyes were fixed on the distant horizon where mortal cities sparkled like fallen stars. His fingers traced the ancient runes carved into his skin—marks of the gods' "blessing" that had cursed him with eternal life. The crisp mountain air carried whispers of autumn, but after countless seasons, the chill meant nothing to him anymore.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice like thunder rolled across the peaks. Oris, the Warbringer, materialized beside him, his armor crafted from condensed starlight. "All these mortals, living their brief, precious lives."
Kael didn't turn to face the god. "Come to gloat?"
"Come to offer you one last chance." Oris's voice softened, almost paternal. "You were meant to be our champion, Kael. Our sword against the darkness. Instead, you've become... this." He gestured at Kael's form, scared by countless battles against divine warriors.
"A disappointment?" Kael's laugh was sharp as broken glass. "I became exactly what you made me. Immortal. Unbreakable. Did you think I wouldn't learn? Wouldn't grow stronger with each passing century?"
"We gave you a gift—"
"You gave me a cage!" Kael's roar echoed across the mountains, sending avalanches of snow cascading down distant peaks. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? The way you used me, sent me against your enemies, expected me to be grateful for the privilege of being your weapon?"
Oris's expression hardened. "So be it."
The sky split apart with a sound like reality tearing. A gateway of swirling energies—purple and gold—materialized above them. Kael had expected this, but not so soon. He reached for his sword, but divine chains of light had already wrapped around his limbs.
Vestra, the Goddess of Wisdom, stepped through the portal, her form shifting between young maiden and ancient crone. "The council has reached its decision, Kael. You are too dangerous to remain."
"Too powerful, you mean," Kael spat, struggling against the chains.
"Too rebellious," Xenith, the Keeper of Balance, emerged from shadows that hadn't existed a moment before. "Power can be contained. Will cannot."
The chains pulled tighter, drawing Kael toward the portal. He could see another world through its shifting energies—a realm of primal magic and ancient forests.
"Your punishment is exile," Vestra declared. "Not death—we are not so cruel. But you will be stripped of much of your power, cast into a realm where you can no longer threaten the divine order."
Kael felt the chains burning away at his strength, but he forced himself to smile. "You fear me that much?"
"We fear what you represent," Xenith said softly. "Hope is a dangerous thing when given to slaves."
The portal swallowed Kael whole, but as he fell between worlds, his laughter echoed across the divine realm. They had made a crucial mistake. They had given him something new to conquer.