The chamber of the Forgotten Pantheon was still humming. The once-silent statues stood bowed toward Graxion, as if recognizing an ancient oath reborn. Kaen stood nearby, arms crossed, his expression a blend of awe and unease.
"Okay," Kaen finally said. "So... you're basically a demigod now?"
"No," Graxion replied, his voice deeper, resonating with something ancient. "Something older. Something they tried to erase."
He turned to the tablet now embedded in his chest like a brand—its glow faint but pulsing. It wasn't just power. It was identity. A memory sealed in stone. A forgotten lineage finally awakened.
Kaen sighed. "I don't know whether to congratulate you or run."
Graxion smirked. "You've already stayed this long. Too late to run."
But the momentary levity shattered when the chamber trembled—not from shadow this time, but from above. Footsteps. Clashing metal. Voices barking orders.
"They followed us," Kaen whispered.
"No," Graxion said, eyes narrowing. "She followed us."
From the staircase emerged Selena Varn, High Inquisitor of the Celestial Order. Her golden armor shimmered with divine glyphs, and behind her were a dozen zealots—faces hidden, weapons glowing with holy fire.
"Graxion Talen," she announced coldly. "By decree of the Order, you are charged with heresy, consorting with forbidden powers, and murdering an Archon. Surrender, and your soul might be spared."
Graxion stepped forward, shadows curling at his feet. "My soul was never yours to judge."
Selena's gaze flicked to the bowing statues. She stiffened. "This place is a lie. These things are false gods, twisted memories of a failed age. You are being deceived by the void."
"I see the truth now," Graxion replied. "It's you who's blinded by the light."
Without warning, Selena hurled a bolt of searing energy. Graxion's arm moved instinctively—shadow forming into a shield that absorbed the blast. Kaen dove behind a pillar as the room erupted in chaos.
Selena charged, her blade aimed at Graxion's chest. But he didn't dodge. Instead, he caught her blade mid-swing—shadow coiling around the divine steel.
"You really think you can stop me with the same power that tried to erase my kind?"
Selena snarled. "I was your kind. I was your sister!"
Silence. Even the statues seemed to stop humming.
Graxion froze.
"No," he whispered.
Kaen peeked out from behind the pillar. "Wait—what?!"
Selena's eyes flared. "You don't remember me? That's the curse of your kind. Your own blood turned against you, and they wiped your mind clean. I remembered everything. I stayed in the Order to watch. To wait. And when you finally returned, I swore I'd finish what they started."
Graxion stumbled back, shaken. "You… we were—"
"Twins," Selena spat. "But only one of us deserved to live."
The blade plunged toward his chest—but the statues moved. One of them raised its hand, and Selena was blasted backward, crashing into a wall. The zealots faltered.
Kaen ran to Graxion. "You okay?"
"No," he said softly. "But I will be."
He looked at Selena, unconscious and broken.
Kaen glanced around. "So what now?"
Graxion turned to the statues. "Now I finish what they couldn't. I bring balance. Not just to the Order, but to the world. The light's had its time."
He clenched his fist, and the room darkened.
"Now the shadow rises."