Maxi closed his eyes, silently praying for the boy, for his ancestor's peace, and offering thanks for his great service. A strange stillness filled him as he bowed his head in reverence. But his thoughts wandered as they often did back to Tengen's bizarre, poorly told story. Just remembering it sent an involuntary shiver down his spine. Yet, amidst the confusion and cliffhangers, there was one specific detail that lingered in his memory.
Tengen had said:
"He ripped out his own blood vessels, raised his fist high into the sky, and let the blood drip onto the earth... As he finally passed out, trapped in that position forever. His body never rotted, never moved. And from his blood came the people of the Burnt Peace Kingdom... the Fire Swords Kingdom... and the Shining Match Kingdom."
Maxi's eyes opened slightly.
If his blood created the people of those kingdoms... then what about the Bloodheart Kingdom? Maxi thought. How could he be my ancestor if he didn't have children? Unless... the people born from his blood saw him as their ancestor. But wouldn't that make him more of a creator than a forefather?
The thoughts piled up in his mind, confusing and contradictory.
And where does the Blood God come in? When did that happen?
He was just about to ask Colen when looked at his neck where snow was barrierd where his adam apple should be. But... there was nothing. His neck was smooth, like a woman's throat.
Maxi's eyes widened. A new theory dawned on him, catching him completely off guard. Wait... is Colen a woman?
His mouth moved before his brain could stop it.
"Um... big brother, where is that thing that's supposed to be on your throat?" he asked, pointing hesitantly at his own neck. But halfway through the gesture, he remembered he was still a child. Six, turning seven. His thoughts were racing faster than his body could keep up.
Immediately, his mind threw out theories. Maybe Colen is a demi-human... or maybe men don't have Adam's apples here?
Colen looked at him strangely, eyes narrowed, as if trying to confirm something. With a cold voice, he gently stroked Snow's hair and asked, "What were you saying, Maxi?"
Maxi shook his head quickly. "No no, I didn't say anything. Don't worry about it. Just something stupid."
Colen's voice chilled further. "If you don't tell me, I'm ending the story here."
Maxi panicked. "Okay, okay! Just... please continue. I was just wondering why men don't have lumps in their throats. It feels like they should."
Snow giggled softly, hiding her face in Colen's neck, clearly amused. Maxi didn't even have to look at her to know she was teasing him.
Colen's expression stayed cold. "Was that it?"
Maxi swallowed, gathering every ounce of courage he had. "No... Actually, to be honest, I thought... I thought for a second that you were a woman."
Snow burst into laughter, pressing her face deeper into Colen's shoulder. Angelina chuckled too.
Colen, however, didn't find it nearly as funny. His eyes turned a deep, menacing red, and his expression already emotionless grew even colder.
He exhaled slowly, releasing a gust of freezing air directly at Maxi.
Maxi barely had time to react. He closed his eyes and braced himself, trying to block it as best he could. But the cold wasn't ordinary-it felt like billions of icy needles stabbing into his skin all at once. His limbs went stiff, and the frost spread quickly, reaching his stamina and arms. It was like frostbite magnified a thousand times.
With a sudden jolt, Maxi jumped and fell onto the giant library's marble floor, twitching and shivering. He sobbed as he thrashed slightly, desperately rubbing his body to generate warmth.
Angelina rushed over and helped him up, quickly wrapping his arms and stomach in heat-warming bandages.
Colen's eyes slowly faded back to their original dark blue still haunting, still edged with red. Maxi, still recovering, looked up and muttered, "I'm sorry... I was just being honest."
Colen gave a cold, sharp breath. "That kind of honest will get you killed."
Maxi nodded, heart pounding. "I understand that now."
"Good," Colen replied with finality. "Let us continue from where I left off."
With a snap of his fingers, the swirling snowclouds rose higher into the air above the long table. From them descended a single snowflake. As it drifted downward, the air around it crystallized, freezing mid-air to form an ice sculpture-Tom, descending slowly with an umbrella in hand. He floated gently toward the blood-red ice statues representing the new and old humans. Confusion was etched across their frozen faces.
Then, the magic took hold. The sculptures stirred to life, animating like a divine theater. They moved exactly as Colen narrated, perfectly syncing with his words.
"Tom had witnessed everything," Colen began. "He was powerless to stop it. By the time he realized the boy had been stabbed... betrayed... it was already too late. The boy had made his final wish his final sacrifice."
The sculpture of Tom landed softly on the thick layer of ice now covering the table, bowed solemnly, and began speaking to the blood-sculptures of the people.
"But Tom didn't let that sacrifice be in vain," Colen continued. "He enchanted himself with a floating spell and addressed the reborn humans both the ancient and the newly created. And, of course, he didn't do so without a bit of mischief."
One of the old humans stepped forward and asked, "Is this the work of the King of Power?"
Tom, unfamiliar with that name, decided to play along. "Yes," he said, "it is the work of Power."
But others from the old world protested. "But he was killed," they said. "We felt it in our souls. He is gone."
Tom, ever clever, quickly devised a new truth. "Indeed, he died," he told them, "but he left behind a son. That boy... just sacrificed himself to bring you all back to life."
The ice sculpture of Tom pointed toward a direction, and instantly, the thick ice reshaped itself rising into a mountain. At its peak stood the image of the small boy, frozen mid-kneel, one hand clenched into a fist, the other weakly but firmly gripping the blade embedded in his chest. He remained locked in that eternal moment of sacrifice.
The old humans ran to the mountain. They fell to their knees and cried, clinging to the sculpture of the boy like it was a lifeline mourning, praying, whispering thanks. The new humans, still dazed by the miracle of their sudden existence, followed in silence.
As they approached the mountain, they saw the boy's face and with it, a resemblance of someone they didn't know but felt like they owed thier life to. The same resemblance the as the King of Power bore who they naturally knew. That was all they needed. Their confusion melted into reverence. They cried not just from shock, but from love.
Tom stood back, basking in the glow of his own revelation. But then, clarity returned to him. He raised his voice, filled with hope, and declared, "Do not cry. Do not be afraid. For he shall surely come back again."
Tom's figure then approached the still form of the boy. He examined the chains blessings woven by Lore and Oasis. He leaned closer, studying the body.
"But he found nothing," Colen said, his voice lower now, reverentently colder. "No life signs. No warmth. And yet... the boy was still alive. Somehow, a power equal to that of the gods kept him from dying."
Maxi's eyes widened. The God Seed... he thought instantly.
Colen continued. "Tom then said there would come a day when the boy would awaken. That he would conquer this world, not for himself, but for them. But until then... they must endure. They must stay strong. For he was coming back."
Colen let the final flakes settle, his voice softer now but still as cold as ever, reflective. "I personally believe Tom made most of that up," he said with a slow exhale which did bothered maxi that maych do to the hotting bandages warming him up. "I don't believe he's a prophet since he doesn't seem like the type of person to be intrasted in prophecys. Anyone can say grand things if they follow enough clues. What I think is he's clever and lucky. Clever enough to find out with his magic that the boy is still alive. Clever enough to build a myth out of logic. And maybe... hopeful enough to believe that one day, the powers Oasis and Lore used to bind him might also help him break free."
Maxi listened carefully, stunned, eyes wide as the illusions played on.
Colen went on, "He's also not stupid. He probably figured Oasis and Lore would feel threatened by the boy's sacrifice. The old and new humans-they were born from him or born again because of him. Lore and Oasis might think, what if they want revenge when they grow stronger? So maybe they try to keep them weak. Suppress them. Make their lives hard. Tom saw this coming... so he wrapped it all in a prophecy."
Maxi stared at Colen like he had just revealed the meaning of life. "Why are you looking at me like I'm some secret master of a mistress?" Colen asked with a blank expression.
Maxi's thoughts whirled. You're kind of dirty for telling that to a child... Lucky I'm not one. Mentally, I'm like... a quarter and a half adult. A man-child? But it just feels natural acting this way.
He spoke aloud, "I'm just wondering how many years it took you to build such a deep character analysis. You even know how he must've thought."
Colen chucked and scoffed at the same time then, he, said in a detached mocking expression, "You do know he's still alive."
"What?"
"I'll tell you tomorrow if you're interested," Colen said cryptically. "But remember, you only have two days left before your test. All knowledge must be paid for. Always."
He turned back to the long table. The second layer of ice melted, refreezing into a magnificent shrine. All around, the sculptures of new humans knelt and prayed. The old ones did too, far more devout, tears frozen on their cheeks. Snowflakes fell gently again, and wherever they touched the table, they birthed new figures soldiers, citizens of the boy's kingdom, encircling the shrine like guardians of faith.
Colen narrated, "They didn't know what the elements could do to his frozen body, so they built a shrine to shield him. They prayed constantly. Especially the old humans reborn and reawakened. The new ones followed slowly, hesitant. Still learning what it means to exist."
Tom, ever the mischief-maker, watched from above in the sculpture, his expression both solemn and sly. When he returned to the kingdom, he told the people everything. Every word, every miracle. The soldiers, the citizens they all came. And when they saw the shrine, saw the boy frozen in sacrifice, they bowed.
They didn't just honor him. They named Tom their king, for his closeness to the boy.
"Millions of years passed," Colen said, glancing at Maxi. "And now I'll simplify and debrief as best I can without skipping the important parts. That fine with you right?"
Maxi nodded slowly. "Yeah."
Just then, Snow who had been unusually quiet leaned in and started gently nibbling on Colen's neck.
Colen blinked twice and looked down at her. "Why do you always act like a parasite, trying to ruin my perfect cold-to-the-touch skin?"
Snow giggled, her aura warm despite her name. Maxi caught the faint shimmer of life vibrating through Colen skin as Snow giggled. He couldn't help it he thought it was adorable.
Snow's voice was so sweet and innocent, it rang like a hymn. "I'm giving you imperfection because you're too perfect. And being perfect isn't as perfect as being imperfect."
Without pause, she then started sucking on Colen's neck.
Colen sighed. "You're going to give me those red blemishes. Then I'll have to explain them to my wife."
Snow stopped, just for a moment, licking her lips clean and wiping the spot gently. Maxi would've found this gross in any other situation. But this? Somehow it was... unbearably cute.
Snow spoke again, with a teasing grin, "Then I'll explain them to her. I'll say it was an accident of affection."
Colen rolled his eyes. "You're like a leech, draining all the handsomeness and life out of me."
That's when Maxi blinked hard and then realized what Colen siad earlier and then he said, "Wait shock you have a wife?!"
Colen's voice was calm but matter-of-fact as he answered Maxi's question. "Yes, I do. Arranged marriage. Her father needed help."
Maxi blinked in confusion, his curiosity piqued. "Was it one of the nine main families' fathers? Like the Shining Star Kingdom or the Shining Match Kingdom?"
Colen raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged. "Shining Star Kingdom? Do you mean the Drowned Star Kingdom?"
Maxi's brow furrowed. "Wait, what?"
Colen continued, a small hint of amusement creeping into his tone. "I think your uninformed tutor might've misinformed you once again. The so-called Shining Star Kingdom had a civil war, and at the end of it, the kingdom's name was changed to the Drowned Star Kingdom."
Maxi's mind was racing. "I have so many questions."
Colen leaned back with a sigh, "Yes i have so many answers, but you'll have to wait for tomorrow. If I take the time to answer every single one of them, my beautiful face will end up more mangled than anyone who's ever fought me has seen it before because of a certain leech." Snow giggled softly, her laughter light and musical, adding a playful note to the conversation.
Maxi couldn't help but smirk. "You sure like to compliment yourself a lot don't you
maxi then added infrout of snow in his mind then continued
Always referring to yourself as handsome and such."
Colen shrugged, unbothered. "I refer to myself as such because that's what people, especially those of the opposite gender, call me. But I'm not cocky. I don't consider myself any higher or lower than what they call me."
Maxi nodded, a bit of understanding settling in. "Fair enough."
Colen's expression shifted to one of quiet contemplation as he flicked his fingers in the air. Snowflakes began to fall from the snowclouds, their delicate forms freezing the air around them. With a sharp motion, Colen shaped the frozen mist into a brief scene before it vanished again.
He began to explain. "After A shrine was built around the boy, the old humans made it a tradition for all of the humans to visit the shrine at the end of each month if they were still hesitant, and every week for the most devoted. This continued for years, but eventually, the human population grew too large to fit everyone there. Citizens of the boy's kingdom began to overflow, and Tom, being ever the resourceful one, stepped in."
Maxi's curiosity deepened. "What did he do?"
Colen continued. "Tom spoke with the humans, and they decided to split into three groups, each forming their own kingdom. Tom, then found one of the new humans making the first known artificery tools and Tom then took intrest in it and, made portals. It took him just days, or maybe minutes, to first plan them then build then complete them, but as you can imagine, time doesn't work the same when it's Tom." He chuckled dryly, the humor lost on Maxi for a moment.
"So, they left, and three kingdoms were born: the Peace Kingdom, the Flame Kingdom, and the Shining Kingdom. Tom ruled them all, but that wouldn't last. Their names and rules were about to change in a way that would fit the theory I've been working on. After the kingdoms were established, Lore and Oasis didn't mind them much, but the earthly gods? They were another matter."
Colen's eyes grew darker, his voice more serious. "The earthly gods commanded Lore and Oasis to instill fear in the hearts of the people. They ordered them to show Tom who was truly in charge by forcing him to step down as king. They wanted the kingdoms to be ruled by a council, a court made up of 99% of Lore and Oasis's loyal subjects. Their plan was to control each kingdom from within."
Maxi's eyes widened. "Wait... but what about the boy in the shrine? How does he fit into all of this?"
Colen nodded gravely. "The earthly gods demanded that idol worship be illegal. Praying to the boy in the shrine was considered idol worship. The punishment for such an act? Death. Lore and Oasis, even though they were vehemently opposed to such cruel threats and laws, had no choice but to comply. You see, they were not just truest followers they where the favorite blessed by All the earthly god they could never deny them. As Oasis once said..."
Colen's voice dropped to a whisper, as if remembering the words that a heavy heart once said to him or explain to him: "'The path of a blessed and a follower are one in the same. Both are built off of betrayal, love, grief, and regret. This path will change you into someone you would have never wanted to know or be-a man who is willing to do anything to please his gods. This path will turn you into your worst and best self. It will turn you into the child of your god.'"
The weight of Oasis's words lingered in the air, leaving a heavy silence in the room. Maxi, though unsure of the full meaning, could sense the deep, painful truth in those words.
Colen broke the silence, his tone lighter but still reflective. "It's not easy to walk the path of a god. Not when you have to betray everything you thought you believed in."
Maxi nodded slowly, the image of the boy in the shrine, the kingdoms, and the gods all swirling in his mind.
A shiver ran down Maxi's spine. The silence was heavy too heavy. He forced himself to breathe, to stay focused. The story he was hearing wasn't just history it was the foundation of their suffering.
"They did everything their gods asked,"
Lore and Oasis had threatened Tom into submission. They warned him that if he didn't obey, they would annihilate both the new and old humans. The boy's sacrifice the great offering of his life would have been for nothing. Faced with such horror, Tom caved. Not only did they coerce him into restructuring the kingdoms under a puppet council, they enslaved him forcing him to build weapons and tools for their divine army. Tools to keep kings weak. Tools to keep mortals dependent.
Then, they made him do the unthinkable. They ordered him to seal the portals to the boy's shrine cutting off all worship, all hope. Tom was even forced to take the blame, claiming it was all done of his own volition.
Soldiers under Lore and Oasis stormed the kingdoms. The Peace Kingdom responded with nonviolence, protesting with dignity. For their kindness, their homes were burned. Their cries ignored.
The Flame Kingdom rose in anger, demanding rights. They fought back. Blood was spilled. Hope faded. The survivors fled into the Elven Kingdom, where Lore and Oasis had no jurisdiction. But the Elves, too, only watched. History was repeating itself and they knew it.
Only the Shining Kingdom stood strong. It had the highest number of Old Humans those who remembered the boy. When the soldiers invaded, the people openly broke laws, praying to the boy, worshipping him in defiance. But when the soldiers moved to execute them, they found something unexpected the ruling council itself was praying too. Outnumbered and at risk of political suicide, the soldiers withdrew. It was the only sanctuary left.
Tom worked under Lore and Oasis but never stopped thinking. He became obsessed with the mindset of the Blessed especially with Lore and Oasis situation since they where most favored by the Earthly gods and tgey where blessed by all the earthly gods. In his research, in a few days he discovered a pattern.
"The premise of being blessed," Tom wrote, "is like a father adopting a child. The father wants you to act like him, to become his reflection, so it feels like you're truly his."
But Lore and Oasis had not just a few gods they . Each one demanded a different version of them. And as the divine pressure mounted, the two began losing their sense of self. There was no boundary between who they truly were and who the gods wanted them to be. No independent soul. No personality. No identity.
"If that barrier breaks," Tom realized, "they're no longer people. They're no longer even children of the gods. They become dolls. Puppets."
Terrified of what that meant, for mortals, for the world if the Earthly gods lost thier individuality not only would they become puppets but the world would be ruled by the Earthly gods and they earthly gods wouldn't be limited to just blessing they would be able to able to out put thier will through Oasis and Lore godly brings themselves so Tom made a decision. He would save one of them.
He chose Oasis.
Tom pulled him aside, snapping him out of his dazed trance. Using forbidden mind magic he made himself, he forcibly split Oasis's god-molded persona from his real self. Then, he whispered the truth his revelation into the human part that remained.
the ice sculpture of Oasis gasped as if surfacing from drowning. He blinked, dazed, now truly himself. He and Tom sat and talked for hours.
They spoke of the boy. Of what had been done to him.
Oasis confessed: "There's a God Seed inside him. That's what's keeping him alive."
He also revealed the spell that bound the boy was permanent one that he had required direct power from the Sun God to even complete. "He cannot escape it," Oasis said, "not without dying."
Then, softly, he apologized.
"For giving you the truth," Tom replied, "for saving you from becoming a puppet... you owe me three favors."
Oasis nodded. "Name the first."
"When the time comes... let me reopen the portal to the shrine. thats the only favor i need for now worry about the rest later"
Oasis agreed.
Tom smiled and devoted the rest of his life to one goal: achieving immortality. Years passed. Then centuries. Then millions of years. The kingdoms changed. The faith in the boy dwindled. But Tom endured, watching the world from afar.
Then one night, a woman pregnant from the now named burning peace kingdom, desperate, faithful set out on a journey. Her heart burned with a dream: to see the boy who created them. Just once. To pray. To touch his hand. To give her unborn child hope.
Tom saw her
then the ice sculpture of Tom slaped his icy desk as he smiled happily excitedly exaggeratingly and with a deep sense of finality and insanity
"Finally," he shouted with seemingly all the excitement In the world
He used his favor.
The portal reopened.
She found it just where the stories said it would be. The path was ancient, but her heart guided her true.
And then the shrine. The boy. Frozen, unmoving, like a sculpture of ice at the mountain's peak. She collapsed to her knees, sobbing, and took his outstretched hand.
"He's still alive," Colen narrated softly. "He heard her cries. He heard her pain."
Something ancient stirred.
The boy's blood boiled not just with rage or sorrow, but with something otherworldly. A voice echoed within him.
"What are you willing to do," it asked, "to save your people? To prevent your children from facing the same fate?"
"One word," Colen said, "the boy spoke one word."
"Anything."
The blood surged faster. Then the voice spoke again.
"Then accept my blessing."
"I cannot," the boy whispered. "I gave up all rights to the blessings of the Earthly Gods."
"I am no mearly Earthly God," the voice said. "I am an Eldritch God."
The boy paused. Then nodded.
"I accept."
Blood wept from his eyes. It pooled, then wrote itself in the air:
"Blessing Awakening Ceremony."
The woman gasped-but she had the ingredients. Somehow, destiny had prepared her. She performed the ritual. But one component was missing: the presence of one blessed by the oldest gods.
Then, a formula star ignited in the sky.
It glowed.
The ritual completed. Chains shattered. Skin cracked as if made of stone then.
Colen let the then settle as he let his ice sculptures speak for themselves
the ice sculpture of then in his frozen position then started cracking as then a hand mad out of blood pierced his head from then another blood hand come out from the hole made by the Blood then both hands grabbed each side of the face as they like a the curtains to a play being open rip the boys stone like ice sculpture I'm half to free himself and to reveal himself
And the boy was no more he died a long time ago even through he was alive he was no longer himself, he was reborn as something new as his god seed had fully blossomed and grown making him a god.
Fulfilling Tom's prophecy.
The woman bowed, sobbing. "You're back. Our savior. Our creator. Our protector."
Then she asked, trembling, "What shall I address you as?"
the ice sculpture of the reborn boy the opened his eyes. as the ice shifted it made it seem like Fire and light danced within.
"You may call me... Master Kane."
For the first time since Maxi had met him, Colen smirked-truly smirked. His eyes turned a deep, glowing red, and a subtle shift in his tone carried a whisper of killing intent beneath his otherwise cold voice. He gently picked up Snow from his lap, placing her down on his seat with reverence, then stood up slowly, like a performer preparing for their final act.
Maxi blinked. He's going all out... Is it because he loves this part? Or is it because he wants me to remember it? Then he wondered, This feels more like something Tengen would be obsessed with, not Colen... unless maybe this part holds something sacred even to him.
Colen raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
All the snowclouds above swirled into a spiral, freezing midair into a vast, translucent dome a miniature model of the planet Pelady. Within it, an ice sculpture of Kane stepped out of the shrine, the long-haired woman beside him.
"Kane," Colen narrated, "stepped into the cold light of the mountain's morning and asked the woman, 'Where is the kingdom of Lore and Oasis?'"
The woman pointed toward a section of the long table.
"Is there anyone from my kingdom there?" Kane asked.
The woman hesitated. "No... Nearly all of them abandoned it after Tom betrayed your trust and sided with them."
Kane's face hardened. "He betrayed me?"
The woman explained the events in quiet detail. Kane listened, unmoved.
Then, suddenly, both Kane's sculpture and Colen snapped their fingers at the same time.
All the water in the miniature planet turned crimson flowing rivers, lakes, and oceans transformed into thick, boiling blood.
"I will march on their kingdom," Kane's voice echoed, "and for every day they do not come to me... I will bring a new disaster upon their people-upon this world. But my people will be protected. I know their blood, Bastet."
He turned to the woman.
"If you follow me," he declared, "your people's kingdom will become the richest of all. You will be Queen. And your unborn daughter will have the honor of marrying one of my great-grandsons."
The woman's breath caught. "How do you... know I'm pregnant? And... it's a daughter?"
"You are only a few days along," Kane replied. "You do not yet know yourself. But I do. I created you. I carry your story in my blood."
The woman fell silent in reverence. Her only question: "But how will she live long enough to see your grandson?"
"I will slow her aging," Kane answered simply. "She will be born only when the time is right."
Then he snapped his fingers again.
A horse, forged entirely of solid blood, galloped out of the sculpture. Its mane flowed like living crimson. Kane lifted the woman and placed her atop it.
And so began The March of Ten Blood Plagues.
The First Plague:
All water turned to blood. Oceans, rivers, wells every drop tainted. It was not poison, but a mark. A warning.
The Second Plague:
On the second day, veins beneath the skin of all non-descendants bulged and glowed red patterns as if the was blood trying to escape the body. The pain came with lies when one hid guilt, the veins pulsed and burned. Only truth brought brief relief. Shame became public. Secrets screamed into the open.
The Third Plague:
Blood-formed insects swarmed formed entirely of coagulated blood. They did not bite they whispered. Regrets. Lost opportunities. Broken promises. They crawled into mouths, ears, dreams feeding on false comfort, haunting the hopeful.
The Fourth Plague:
Blood rained from the sky. Where it touched earth, thorn-covered flowers bloomed instantly. They smelled like betrayal. Touching them triggered vivid memories of failing to protect loved ones. Crimson gardens overtook entire towns.
The Fifth Plague:
Frogs made of thick, living blood emerged in homes, in cribs, in nightmares. Their croaks were the screams of miscarried children and wasted potential. They gathered near new life, casting shadows on joy.
The Sixth Plague:
People cried blood. The only way to stop the bleeding was to confess their deepest secrets and desires. Town squares became places of weeping honesty. Even rulers trembled beneath the weight of their truths.
The Seventh Plague:
All natural milk and bodily fluids curdled into blood. Mothers could not feed infants. Livestock bled instead of nourished. Nurture was poisoned. Love itself seemed tainted.
The Eighth Plague:
Blood became thirst. Every person required two cups a day to stay conscious. It was not a curse of vampirism but of dependence, a twisted mimicry of water's purity.
The Ninth Plague:
Blood boiled like lava in every person's veins. Only by hearing Kane's true story the suffering he endured could the pain be lessened. And so, all were forced to listen, to remember, to understand.
The Tenth Plague:
Blood pressure violently spiked or plummeted based on a person's balance of good and evil deeds. The wicked collapsed, veins exploding. The righteous endured. But no one died. Not one.
And through all ten plagues, Kane never broke his vow: No killing.
His justice was absolute. His mercy... undeniable.
Maxi, watching from his seat, sat in silence. The snow sculpture shimmered. The woman remained at Kane's side, and behind them, red flowers bloomed in waves across the tiny planet. The story was not over. But the warning had been given.
During the Ten Plagues, every soul not born of Kane's blood suffered. This brought unexpected challenges especially for the elves. The elves had been sheltering and nurturing Kane's children, those who had fled the Flame Kingdom. Now, the very ones they protected were immune to the devastation, while the elves themselves writhed under the weight of Kane's divine fury.
When the Flame Kingdom's exiled people saw what their creator was doing how he moved not just in wrath but in defense of them they wept. First in awe, then in fear. Kane's mercy was precise, his judgment absolute. But as the days of plague went on, these children saw that even allies were not spared. So they prayed.
They begged their god to spare those who helped them. In answer, Kane responded immediately, his voice echoing in their hearts: "Cut your thumb. Mark their doors with your blood. Let them stay within, without crossing the threshold for a day. Then they will be spared."
The ice sculptures around Colen shifted. They showed this ritual being donequick, quiet, desperate. Blood marks appeared over doorways. The people huddled inside, praying the protection would hold.
Then the scene changed again. Kane now marched with the woman asleep across his back, as calm and steady as the mountain winds. Maxi watched, wondering if her horse would awaken her if she roud on it and if that was the reason she was on Kane back. Then, another figure approached Tom.
Colen's tone shifted slightly as he narrated.
"Their conversation was long. Tense. They nearly fought. But a promise was made there... and what was said remains sealed."
Maxi raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
Colen's smirk returned. "We can only know what was said by performing a ritual. Because Mr. Pink himself said... 'The gods can never know what I discovered.' So let me show you what led up to it."
The sculptures replayed the moment Kane and Tom met. Their bodies tensed ready to attack. Kane had been told Tom betrayed him. But Kane hesitated, blood simmering under his skin.
Tom laughed.
"Oh, old friend. You think I didn't see what you've done and plan accordingly?"
Tom pointed to his chest.
Colen then began tracing glowing symbols in the air. Intricate patterns, unfamiliar to Maxi, formed glowing circles around the sculpture of Pelady.
"Tom created a contingency," Colen explained. "If Kane harmed him if his blood flow was disrupted in a specific way the entire world of Pelady would fall. A suicide trap... because Tom hated suffering without reason."
Kane relented. He let him speak.
Tom confessed that Lore and Oasis blackmailed him into working for them. If he'd known Kane would return, he would've simply delayed, biding time until he could teleport his people to safety. But he thought the prophecy was false. He didn't think Kane would ever awaken.
They laughed. They talked. And then Tom told Kane something something so powerful, so forbidden, that he had to hide it from the gods themselves.
which that was the very reason why he made himself immortal so his body could handle power enough to keep the gods a Bay
At that moment, Colen's hands moved like a blur. A grand mystic circle formed above them. Then pop. A pink bubble formed, surrounding Maxi. Cotton-candy-like clouds filled the world outside the bubble, distorting everything beyond into a swirling mass of sweetness and silence.
Maxi's eyes widened. Wait... isn't this what Tengen described as the Outer Gods' realm?
Colen glanced at him. "I'll make this quick... before our gods grow suspicious."
Maxi felt something within himself a thread, an invisible string grow dangerously weak. He didn't know what it was, but it felt important.
"Yes, please," Maxi whispered.
Colen's voice grew quiet and heavy with importance. "Tom told Kane his theory about how blessed where viewed as adopted child. How the gods treat them like dolls overprotected, never allowed to grow. You, Maxi, as a god's adopted child, as a gods blessed, will never truly mature unless you die. That's what the 1,000 Spiraling Hells are for. They're your rite of passage."
Maxi stiffened.
"After ypu pass the trial, the gods don't watch over you the same way. You're considered a young adult meant to grow on your own. But if you have a god seed you could skip the trial. You never die. as long as your god seed fully blossoms before you die. And so, you remain a puppet unless you force yourself to become independent."
Colen's voice darkened.
"The God Seed gives you the power to become a god... but takes away your freedom. There's no 1,000 Spiraling Hells to break you, or liberate you from your gods puppetry and and commands. No true death to shatter the illusion. Instead, the gods will only pity you... A divine child who never grew up. And since there's no hell to burn the mask off... you'll just decay inside it."
Maxi stood frozen, the truth unraveling in his chest like a hidden lock finally opening.
Colen's final words echoed in the pink silence:
"You must push them away, Maxi. You must slowly replace your gods child with yourself your true self then when they least expect it or in a clear commandment kill that pary of yourself kill that child of the gods. Or you'll live forever in their shadow never knowing your true self."
Colen poked the pink bubble that surrounded them, and it shimmered slightly. He acted like nothing had happened, his usual smirk stretched just a little wider as he began to explain.
"After Tom and Kane finished talking," he said, "and after Kane learned the truth... Tom asked him for something. A favor."
The ice sculptures shifted. The figure of Tom formed again, a devilish grin carved onto his face as he nodded, then vanished.
Colen continued, "He asked Kane to bring a dragon to Pelady. Any way he liked."
Without hesitation, the scene changed. Kane wrapped his bloodlike hair around himself and the sleeping woman he carried. A breath later, they were gone.
The next sculpture formed a massive kingdom-the realm of Lore and Oasis. Rivers of blood scoured the land, rising into a tsunami. The monstrous wave arched over the kingdom, ready to fall.
Then Colen flicked his finger.
From the air itself, rainbows spiraled down, wrapping around his fingertip like string. White stars glowed, spinning into a radiant circle above the sculpture. The kingdom was surrounded by a dome of light-a protective shield.
The blood wave crashed onto the shield. It bounced off.
Another wave rose, higher this time. Again, it crashed and again, bounced off.
Lore and Oasis stood within the kingdom, forming intricate symbols in the air, their hands dancing with desperate precision. Over and over, the blood attacked, and over and over, it was repelled.
But then something changed.
The blood river stirred violently. Hands rose from its surface-some grabbing, some pounding, some clawing. And through the chaos, Kane appeared again. His sculpture loomed over the battlefield like a god returning to his throne.
Colen's voice echoed: "Fall."
The sculpture responded. A massive banner made of blood, emblazoned with the Bloodheart family crest, unfurled from the heavens. It fell like judgment, crashing into the heart of the kingdom.
When it struck, the banner burst.
A tidal wave of blood surged forth-greater than any before. It consumed the land. Lore and Oasis vanished beneath the flood, swept away in a deluge of crimson wrath.
The ice divided, forming a split screen of scenes-on at the top, the world of Pelady; on the right, the wreckage of the kingdom from Oasis persective. The wreckage of the kingdom of Pelody from Lore's persective
Maxi's gaze drifted to the top amost randomly. In Pelady, a dragon made of ice soared through the sky, following a tiny figure carved in miniature. Maxi frowned. When did he make that?
Then he turned to the right.
Oasis rose from the bloody ocean, drenched and panting, face grim. Across from him, Kane emerged again reborn from the river of blood. His eyes locked on Oasis. No words were needed. A battle was inevitable.
Maxi looked left. Lore pulled herself up, soaked and furious. Then, in a sudden gust of blood, Tom landed before her his ice sculpture standing tall, the blood swirling up to obscure his entire face except his eyes and wicked grin.
Colen's voice shifted. He slipped into Tom's tone a perfect mimicry.
"LORE! Did you miss me?"
A monstrous dragon descended behind Tom, its wings spread wide over the flood of blood. It snarled, feral and beautiful.
Colen laughed through Tom's voice: "I brought a blood dragon. Because this... this is the blood of war, baby."
The sculpture of Lore, though made of ice, looked afraid. Her frozen face somehow captured real fear.
Snowflakes danced around her, as if the gods themselves were preparing to bless her with divine power.
Then Colen whispered in his real voice-calm, cold, final.
"No."
The snow halted midair.
The wall of ice between the two scenes shattered into a thousand spinning snowflakes, swirling in a spiral. They collided, froze the air, and shaped one last sculpture:
An immense figure.
Veiled in robes. Faceless. Endless.
The ice melted and reformed over and over again, refusing to settle on a single shape.
Snowflakes bowed in its presence. It did not move. It did not need to.
The divine stood in silence, and even time seemed to kneel.