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*.

*Chapter 29: Beneath the Temple of Gaia*  


The dawn broke with an uneasy calm over Alethea, but beneath the Temple of Gaia, darkness stirred.


Kyrillos led a select group — Leonidas, Sophia, Andreas, and Dimitri — toward the temple's hidden entrance, a narrow fissure concealed by overgrown vines and ancient stone.


"Stay alert," Kyrillos warned. "The Order won't take kindly to intruders."


Inside, the air grew thick with ancient magic. Twisting corridors led them deeper into the earth, where traps tested their strength and wit.


Calliope's arcane knowledge was crucial; she deciphered glyphs warning of dangers ahead.


In a cavern illuminated by eerie blue crystals, a colossal stone sentinel awakened, eyes glowing like embers.


Leonidas stepped forward, sword drawn. "For Alethea!"


A fierce battle erupted, echoing through the tunnels as steel clashed with stone.


Beyond the guardian, they found murals depicting the ancient god — a titan of chaos and creation, bound centuries ago by legendary heroes.


Sophia traced her fingers over the carvings. "The ritual will break these chains."


A Split Path As they ventured further, the group reached a fork: one path led deeper into darkness, the other upward to a chamber pulsing with energy.


Kyrillos faced a choice that could change their fate.


With a steely resolve, Kyrillos chose the path illuminated by the faint glow — stepping into the unknown, where destiny awaited.
