Kael's breath came in sharp gasps. His hands trembled as the vision faded, but the weight in his chest remained.
The truth was undeniable.
He had once slain a god.
Liora was still holding onto him, her fingers gripping his arm like a lifeline. "Kael… what did you see?"
He swallowed hard, forcing his voice to steady. "I saw myself… as Ashur."
Her expression tightened. "And?"
Kael clenched his fists, memories flashing like lightning behind his eyes. "I wasn't just a warrior. I was the one who broke the balance. I struck down a god."
Silence.
The words hung between them, heavy as iron chains.
Liora's face was pale. "That means…"
Kael nodded. "I started the war."
---
The Guardian's Judgment
The Guardian observed him, ancient eyes flickering like dying stars.
"Now you see. You were not merely a soldier in the war against the heavens. You were its spark. Its catalyst. Its greatest sin."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Why did I do it?"
The Guardian's voice rumbled, deep and unreadable.
"Because you believed the gods were unworthy of their thrones. And so… you sought to cast them down."
Liora inhaled sharply. "Then he really was the villain."
The Guardian shook its massive head.
"That is where history fails you, child. Ashur was neither hero nor villain. He was… a force of nature. A man who sought justice, but walked a path that led only to destruction."
Kael's hands tightened at his sides.
Justice.
Had that truly been his reason? Or was it something more?
He could still hear the rage in his past self's voice. The despair. The betrayal.
Had Ashur been wrong… or had the gods deserved to fall?
---
A Choice to Make
Kael looked down at his hands—his new hands. The ones that had not yet slain a god.
Was he bound to the past?
Or could he break free?
Liora stepped closer, her voice hesitant. "Kael… what are you going to do?"
The Guardian's gaze bore into him.
"The past does not chain you… unless you let it."
Kael exhaled slowly.
And then, at last, he spoke.
"I choose my own path."
A flicker of something ancient passed through the Guardian's eyes. Approval? Amusement?
Then it rumbled, stepping aside.
"Then go forth. But know this—fate is not so easily denied."
The chamber shook.
The doors at the far end swung open.
Beyond them, the path to the unknown awaited.
Kael stepped forward.
No longer as Ashur.
But as himself.
Whatever came next—he would carve his own destiny.