The sky was painted in hues of gold and ash — neither day nor night, but something caught between.
The air held that kind of silence that comes just before a storm.
The world was holding its breath.
Atop Mount Oryx, a campfire flickered gently, its embers glowing against the cold stone.
Megumi sat beside it, his hands resting loosely on his knees, his golden eyes reflecting the flame. His body looked weary — the faint glow from the divine orb inside his chest had dulled, flickering faintly like a dying star.
Across from him sat Leonidas, polishing his blade without focus. The demon king's armor lay discarded beside him, the smell of iron and smoke still clinging to it. His eyes, once hard and fierce, now held something softer — sorrow.
Ava approached quietly, her steps barely disturbing the dust beneath her feet. She carried Chloe, their child, sleeping peacefully against her shoulder, wrapped in a white cloth.
Megumi looked up and smiled faintly. "She sleeps through everything. Even the end of the world."
Ava sat beside him. "Maybe she knows there's nothing to fear… not as long as her father's here."
He chuckled weakly, his gaze falling back to the fire. "I'm not sure she should think of me that way."
Leonidas raised an eyebrow. "The man who defied gods, dethroned Olympians, and survived the River Styx? She could think worse."
Megumi smirked faintly but didn't answer. The flames crackled between them, throwing light over faces that had seen both heaven and hell.
⸻
A Moment Between Brothers
Leonidas leaned back, his voice deep but quiet. "You know, I still remember the day I met you. You were bleeding, angry, ready to kill anything that moved."
Megumi snorted. "And you nearly did kill me."
Leonidas chuckled, his fangs catching the light. "I would have, too — if I hadn't seen the look in your eyes. You weren't fighting for power… you were fighting because you had nothing left."
Megumi glanced at him, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "You helped me find something again."
"Family," Leonidas said, his tone firm.
Megumi nodded. "Yeah. Family."
A long silence stretched between them — one filled with unspoken things: gratitude, regret, the kind of brotherhood born in battle and pain.
Finally, Leonidas stood, slinging his blade across his back. "I'll keep watch for a while. You two should rest. Dawn will come soon… and when it does, there's no turning back."
He turned toward the cliffs, his silhouette vanishing into the mist.
⸻
The Heart of the Fallen King
Ava placed Chloe gently into a woven cradle near the fire, tucking her in carefully.
Then she sat beside Megumi, close enough for their shoulders to touch.
For a long time, neither spoke.
"You're thinking again," she said softly.
"I never stopped," he replied, his voice almost a whisper. "Every time I close my eyes, I see him — the King of Erasure. It's like he's waiting. Not just to destroy… but to end. Everything."
Ava turned to him. "You're not alone in this. You never were."
He looked down at his hands. The light from the orb pulsed faintly under his skin, and with each pulse came a tremor in the air — small distortions, as though reality itself reacted to his heartbeat.
"I can feel my power fading," he said quietly. "Since the separation, it's not the same. My divinity… it's burning out."
"Then let it burn for the right reason," Ava said. "Not for vengeance. Not for power. For us."
Megumi turned his gaze toward her, his expression softening. "You always know what to say."
She smiled sadly. "That's because I've had practice trying to stop you from blaming yourself."
He laughed — a sound so rare now it startled even him. Then, quieter:
"I used to think the gods were cruel for what they did. Maybe they were. But now… I wonder if I was cruel too. For the lives I took. For the blood I spilled."
Ava shook her head gently. "You were never cruel, Megumi. You were broken. There's a difference."
He reached for her hand. Their fingers intertwined, warm against the cold mountain wind.
For a brief, fragile moment — the Fallen King wasn't a god, or a warrior, or a vessel of cosmic destruction.
He was just a man holding the hand of the woman he loved, watching the stars fade into morning.
⸻
Before the Storm
The first light of dawn crept across the horizon.
Leonidas returned from the cliffs, his expression grim. "The gods and titans are in position. Whatever's coming… it's close."
Megumi stood, the faint light from the orb beneath his skin growing brighter. "Then this is it."
Ava stood too, clutching his hand tightly. "Promise me you'll come back."
Megumi turned to her, his expression caught between sorrow and strength. "I can't promise what I don't control… but I'll fight to make it happen."
She touched his cheek. "Then that's enough."
He kissed her forehead — soft, brief, and trembling. "Take care of her," he said, glancing toward the sleeping child.
Ava smiled faintly, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "We'll be waiting for you."
Leonidas placed a hand on Megumi's shoulder. "Ready, brother?"
Megumi nodded, his aura flickering with gold and black light. "As I'll ever be."
The wind howled across the mountaintop, scattering ash and petals into the air.
The fire went out, and with it, the warmth of the night faded.
Megumi turned one last time to look at Ava and Chloe — a mother and child framed in the first light of dawn — and for a brief instant, his heart hurt more than any wound could.
Then he spread his wings — one angelic white, one shadow black — and took to the sky.
The storm was coming.
And with it, the end.