Kael stared at the older version of himself.
The man was taller, broader, wrapped in a black battle-worn cloak with runes etched in fading gold. One eye was missing—replaced by a swirling void. The other burned with an eerie silver glow.
> "I don't have time for games," Kael muttered, stepping forward.
But the man didn't move. His presence was heavy—like the weight of centuries rested on his shoulders.
> "This isn't a warning. It's a fork."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Fork?"
The elder Kael raised a finger and pointed at the sky. "The Executioner is more than a weapon. It's a judge. And you've already failed one test."
Thunder rolled across the copper clouds. The Executioner hovered high above, unmoving—but Kael could feel its eyes burning holes through his soul.
---
The older Kael stepped aside.
> "Behind me is the path I took. Rage. Vengeance. The power you crave. The means to fight gods, break fate, tear down the Tribunal…"
He turned and pointed to a broken stairwell veiled in mist.
> "But every choice comes with a price. And I paid it with blood."
Kael hesitated. "Why are you helping me?"
The older version didn't smile.
> "Because if you die now, I die too. And everything we become… never happens."
---
Kael clenched his fists.
Two Fragments pulsed at his side, floating faintly. One red and silver. The other blue and green.
> "What if I forge my own path?"
The older Kael's expression hardened.
> "Then you'd better be ready to walk through fire with your eyes wide open."
And just like that, he vanished—ripped into smoke by the ringing of a deep, divine bell.
---
> System Notification:
Cycle Three: Initiated
Time Remaining: 2 hours
Executioner Threat Level: Monitoring
---
The world reformed around him—same market, same people, same echoing life.
But this time… they noticed him.
Kael stepped forward—and the illusionary citizens turned to face him.
Their eyes were no longer blank.
They were hollow—as if a darkness had been placed behind their smiles.
He stepped back.
> "Seraphon…? You still watching me?"
No answer.
Kael summoned his seal, but the air refused to bend. Magic felt stiff. The rules here were tightening.
> System Alert:
Warning: Echoworld resistance increasing. Soul strain rising.
Then, without warning, they charged.
The echo citizens—hundreds of them—surged toward Kael with disturbing silence. No screams. No war cries. Just motion.
---
Kael's instincts kicked in.
> Command Seal: Aether Pulse!
He slammed the ground with his palm. A pulse of divine force blasted outward, sending bodies flying—but they reformed mid-air, reshaping like smoke and reforming behind him.
> Command Seal: Argent Chains!
Silver chains erupted from his fingertips, snaring dozens of the citizens. But they smiled as they were restrained—teeth growing far too long, eyes stretching across their faces.
Kael stumbled back.
> "They're not illusions anymore… they're hunters."
---
As he turned to flee, a new voice echoed across the square.
> "Stand your ground, boy."
A massive hammer smashed down from the sky, crushing a dozen of the figures in a wave of radiant fire.
A woman landed beside Kael.
She wore gilded armor, her eyes glowing gold, her back crowned with twelve radiant swords that hovered behind her like wings.
> "I've been watching you. I didn't think you'd survive three cycles."
Kael stared.
> "Who… are you?"
She raised her hand. A sigil of the Tribunal pulsed on her gauntlet.
> "I'm the Herald of Judgement. One of the Tribunal's twelve celestial guardians."
Kael raised his guard. "So you're here to kill me."
She shook her head.
> "Not yet. The Executioner has not deemed you irredeemable. I was sent to observe. And… perhaps… to test."
---
Before he could respond, the sky shook.
A fragment storm began.
Crystals the size of fists rained from above, glowing with vibrant energy.
Kael and the Herald both raised barriers—he with his Soul Anchor, she with a divine hymn.
> System Notification:
Rare Event: Fragment Rain (Cycle 3 Bonus)
Collecting fragments grants temporary godlike boons.
Kael leapt, catching one.
The moment he touched it, a flash of memory blinded him.
He saw a battlefield.
A god, weeping as it bled.
A mortal—wearing Kael's face—standing tall over a fallen divine being.
> New Memory Imprinted: Divine Conquest – Memory 1 Unlocked
> Temporary Skill: Wrath of the Forgotten God (Duration: 30 minutes)
Kael dropped to his knees, overwhelmed.
The Herald stared at him with a mixture of awe and fear.
> "You… you saw one of the Forbidden Memories. That means your soul is…"
> "…Ascendant."
Kael rose slowly.
His aura had changed—silver flames curled around his shoulders, and his eyes shimmered with violet light.
> "I don't understand what's happening to me."
The Herald took a step back.
> "Then let me teach you."
She raised her hammer—and charged.
---
Kael barely dodged the blow. The ground behind him disintegrated.
> "What the hell?! I thought you weren't here to kill me!"
> "I'm here to see if you're worthy to defy the Executioner. This is your third trial within the cycle: Combat Against the Divine."
---
They clashed.
Kael summoned all he had. His Wrath of the Forgotten God coursed through him like a storm.
Flashes of combat.
A punch that cracked her armor.
A hymn that burned half of Kael's cloak to ash.
Chains of starlight and rivers of molten judgment.
It wasn't a battle.
It was revelation.
Every strike taught him something new—about the Tribunal, about himself, about the nature of divine power.
And in the middle of that battle—he changed again.
His form shifted briefly—his skin turning black-gold, his eyes splitting into four, his voice echoing with divine resonance.
> "ENOUGH!"
His voice rippled across the city.
The Herald froze.
The citizens fell silent.
Even the sky paused.
---
Kael stood there—hovering, burning with power far beyond mortal comprehension.
The Herald lowered her weapon slowly.
> "You're no longer… becoming. You're already… divine."
Kael shook, the power fading, his knees buckling.
> "I'm not ready for this…"
She caught him before he fell.
> "No one is. But you've survived three cycles. Collected three fragments. Seen a forbidden memory. Endured the Executioner's gaze."
She looked skyward.
> "He will act soon."
---
Suddenly—
The sky cracked open.
And a voice spoke directly into Kael's mind.
> "Cycle Disruption Detected. Divine Instability Registered. Target: Kael Solas. Termination Sequence Accelerated."
Kael's heart stopped.
> Executioner is descending. Immediate danger.
The Herald turned to Kael, face grim.
> "This is where our paths split. If you survive… seek the Tower of Echoes. Your next spark lies there."
She vanished in a burst of light.
And the sky—opened completely.
---
Descending from it was the Executioner.
No longer watching.
But coming.
Its blades spun. Its face was a void. Its hands reached forward, stretching across time.
Kael stared upward, blood dripping from his brow, fire surrounding his body.
> "Then come down and try me."
---
[TO BE CONTINUED]