The next morning, the winds shifted.
Not with weather—but with intention.
From the north, a storm rolled across the sky in unnatural spirals. Clouds shaped like wings. Thunder crackling in perfect rhythm. And riding the edge of that storm was a single figure—arms outstretched, electricity coiling around his skin.
Kairen, Bearer of the Skybrand.One of the Five Mirrorborn.
He descended like a comet—his landing turning the ruined plaza of Velmora into a crater. Valen instinctively stepped in front of Riku, blades ready.
But Riku, or Elyos, raised a hand.
"He's not here to kill. Not yet."
Kairen rose from the smoke, tall and lean, with silver streaks in his wild black hair. His left eye burned blue like a bolt trapped in crystal.
He stared directly at Elyos.
"You remember it, don't you?""The name. The war. The betrayal."
Elyos nodded. "Enough to know you weren't on their side."
"Then prove you still aren't one of them," Kairen growled."Duel me. Here. Now."
⚡ The Mirror Duel: Memory vs Power
Valen stepped back as lightning surrounded the plaza. Kairen's weapon appeared—a glaive shaped like a lightning bolt, its arc ever-shifting.
Elyos summoned nothing.
He simply stood.
"You want to see if I'm still Riku. If I'm still me," Elyos said."Fine."
The duel began with no countdown.
Kairen dashed forward—his movement breaking the sound barrier. He struck with precision, his glaive targeting not the body, but the soul. It was an ancient technique, meant to shatter reborn minds.
But Elyos dodged.
Not because of speed—but because he knew where the strikes would land. He had seen this duel before.
"You fought me like this when you doubted my leadership once," Elyos whispered."Back when I was still building the system."
Kairen's eyes narrowed. "You're bluffing."
"No. I created the cheat-code system, Kairen.""To give humans power that rivaled gods… but only at a cost.""A cost I didn't tell anyone—not even you."
⚙️ World Detail: The Cheat-Code System
Centuries ago, when the gods locked the world's magic behind divine contracts, Elyos created an underground countermeasure—a system where souls could rewrite themselves after death.
One ability.One chance.A soul-deep cheat.
But the cost?The rest of your potential would be sealed forever.No matter how strong the ability, the soul was cut, focused into a single blade—unable to grow again.
Elyos had made this…...because he had no other choice.
Back in the duel, Kairen spun into the air, lightning bursting from every pore.
"Then why did you lie?!" he shouted."You made us trust it! Trust you!"
Elyos whispered a word.
A single, ancient symbol formed in the air. Not a spell, but a command.
The lightning stopped.
Kairen dropped to the ground, breath ragged, as if the storm had been pulled from his lungs.
"Because if I told you what it truly cost… you would've never fought beside me." Elyos said.
Kairen looked up, eyes full of conflicted rage. "So what now? You want me to follow again?"
Elyos shook his head.
"I don't want followers. I want freedom. From them. From what I was.""And if you still want to fight the gods, then we need to stop tearing each other down."
Valen stepped forward. "We're not the enemy. They are."
A long silence followed.
Then, Kairen stood slowly, slamming his glaive into the ground.
"The others won't trust you easily.""Especially not the Twins. Or the Deathless One."
"Then I'll make them remember, too," Elyos said."One by one."
As the storm faded, the three stood at the edge of Velmora, the ruins now humming with ancient resonance.
In the sky, far off, a great bell rang.
The gods had noticed.
And the Hunt had begun.
End of Chapter 17