The flames of battle still echoed across the valley the stranger had escaped. Ash fell from the skies like black snow, covering the broken earth in silence. But he kept walking. His coat torn, his dark hair flowing wildly in the wind, his eyes reflecting a thousand stars hidden behind layers of rage and mystery.
A crack thundered through the clouds. He looked up.
A ripple tore through the sky itself. It was not lightning. It was something far older. A fracture in the world. From it descended a golden orb. Not just light. It was a Beacon Core, one of the last remnants of the ancient Celestial Guardians.
His heartbeat stopped and then raced. He ran.
The moment he touched the Core, the universe screamed in his mind. Time broke. Space bent. Visions, ancient and horrifying, poured into his soul.
He saw himself surrounded by gods. He saw Kaelos slaughtering planets with a single breath. He saw his friends, dead, bloodied, screaming for help he could not give.
But then came a voice. A girl's voice. Not just anyone. It was Karen Valis. Her voice echoed not in his ears but in the strands of reality. Gentle like moonlight and sharp like a blade.
"You must awaken the Phantom Mode. Or this universe will fall."
He staggered back. The Beacon Core burned into his chest like a second heart. He collapsed to the ground as cosmic veins of starlight began pulsing through his body.
His vision blurred. Power clawed into him but it was too much. He screamed, a deep raw roar that split the rocks nearby.
Somewhere far above, in a hidden fortress in the floating city of Zepharion, a council of ancient heroes watched.
"He touched the Core. He wasn't supposed to survive."
"But he did," said a voice cloaked in white mist. "He is not normal. That one carries the blood of the lost Starborn."
A silence followed. Then laughter. "So the prophecy begins."
Meanwhile, back in the ruins, the stranger stood again. Changed.
His hair glowed faintly silver-blue. His aura rippled like a galaxy in motion. Stars orbited his fingertips. He was not just human anymore. He was something else.
From the distance came a howl. No, not wind. Wings.
A monstrous creature descended from the mountains. It was twelve feet tall. Its body covered in black obsidian scales. Its eyes glowed red. Its claws left molten trails in the dirt.
The Sky Terror. A beast summoned only when the balance of the world is disrupted.
He did not back away.
The beast roared.
He vanished.
In a blink he reappeared above it, slamming his knee into the creature's skull. The shockwave shattered nearby cliffs. The beast stumbled but retaliated instantly, spewing a vortex of violet flame.
He raised his hand.
Space twisted.
The flame vanished before reaching him.
"I don't have time for you."
He extended his palm.
"Star Drive."
A burst of cosmic energy surged through the air like a meteor storm. Stars formed behind him then shot forward in a spiral that pierced the beast's chest. It roared again, but this time in agony.
He landed. The beast collapsed. Breathing heavily, it tried to rise.
He walked toward it.
"I didn't want to kill you."
The beast's eyes flickered. For a moment it showed something strange. Recognition.
He froze. A memory returned. A forgotten one.
This was not just a beast. It was a fallen Celestial Mount. Once, long ago, it had served the Celestial Guardians.
He kneeled beside it.
"I'll remember you. I promise."
With a cosmic breath, he sent the creature's soul into the stars.
Above him the clouds parted.
Karen Valis stepped through.
Clad in violet armor glowing with lunar light, her eyes shining with wisdom far beyond her years, she looked down at him with both sorrow and pride.
"You're not ready for what comes next," she said quietly.
"I don't care."
"You will."
She turned. Behind her stood three others. Warriors of incredible strength.
One held a thunder bow. Another carried a staff etched with flames that flickered even in the daylight. The third was silent, his body wrapped in shadows, a sword shaped like a crescent moon resting on his back.
"These are your allies now," Karen said. "Chosen by gods just like you."
The one with the bow stepped forward.
"I'm Zeran. Chosen of Hyperion. And I don't trust you yet."
He narrowed his eyes.
"I don't care what you trust. As long as you fight."
Zeran smirked.
"You've got fire. Good. We're going to need it."
Karen raised her hand.
The Beacon Core floated between them.
"This is one of seven. If Kaelos gets even three, the entire universe will collapse. You're not just fighting for yourself anymore."
He looked at the Core. Then up at the sky.
"Then I better become something stronger than a god."
The clouds swirled. Somewhere far beyond, Kaelos opened his eyes for the first time in centuries.
He smiled.
"Let the war begin."
To be continued...