The sky split open.

Thunder didn’t roll—it roared, howled, like a beast wounded by fate. The heavens bled crimson as celestial lightning arced through the skies, searing the firmament. Rain poured down, not water, but something heavier—mixed with ash and divine residue. Olympus itself trembled.

High upon the *Altar of Judgement*, chained by glowing celestial runes, knelt a boy.

*Kyrillos*.

Barefoot, beaten, and broken—not by combat, but by betrayal. His once radiant robes were in tatters, his body scorched with marks of restraint, divine bindings pulsing against his skin.

He was seventeen.

The boy once praised as the Prodigy of the Silver Flame, the Heir of the Celestial Phoenix Sect… now a heretic, condemned by those who once toasted his victories.

Around him stood the *Twelve Grand Houses*, their banners flapping wildly in the divine storm. Faces half-shadowed under golden helms and jeweled crowns, yet none dared look him in the eye. Only one figure, hidden in the rear, wept silently behind a silver veil—*Aphrodite*.

The glow from the Heart of Alethea dimmed as Kyrillos withdrew his hand, but its power lingered in his veins — a burning promise and a dire warning.


Dimitri's voice cut through the murmurs, "We cannot trust Calliope. Her loyalty is a question mark."


Calliope's smirk deepened. "And yet, here I am, the only one who truly understands the Order."


Leonidas stepped between them. "We need every ally — even those with shadows."


Suddenly, a whispered alert from Niko: "Someone moves among us. A spy."


Eyes darted around, suspicion thickening the air.


Sophia's gaze settled on a cloaked figure slipping toward the exit.


The spy dashed through winding alleys, shadows blending with their steps.


Kostas and Andreas gave chase, weaving through ancient ruins as the city seemed to twist and respond to their pursuit.


Cornered in a crumbling amphitheater, the spy dropped the cloak — revealing the cold eyes of Thanos, once a trusted ally.


"I serve a higher cause," Thanos hissed. "You are all pawns in a game far greater than you know."


A Dangerous Truth Bound and brought before the council, Thanos revealed fragments of a plot: the Primordial Order was resurrecting an ancient god — a force capable of rewriting reality itself.


The room fell silent as Kyrillos stood, eyes blazing with determination.


"If this god rises, all we love will perish. We will fight — together."


As night fell over Alethea, the city whispered secrets — and the battle for the future began.


Chapter 27: Shadows Within