Kael quietly closed the door and sank to the floor, his back resting against the cold wood.
His chest tightened.
Thoughts scattered like shards of glass, too fast, too sharp, impossible to grasp.
He was really here.
He'd come back.
Fifteen years into the past.
Chronas, god of time…
You really did it.
You brought me back to the beginning?
But why this moment?
Why fifteen years ago?
He drew in a deep breath, trying to still the storm in his mind.
He had to think.
He had to understand.
He was 190 now.
The war began when he turned 200.
That was when the demons poured out of the Abyss and descended on the mortal world like a swarm of starving vultures.
The first to fall… was the Vekto Order.
Kael clenched his fists.
That day was burned into him — seared into memory like a red-hot brand.
He'd been there.
He led a squad of heavenly warriors… but he came too late.
The Order was already in ruins.
White walls, consumed by infernal fire.
The torn bodies of students.
Blood, soaking into the earth.
The stench of smoke, of death — of that all-consuming, endless terror from which there was no escape.
And in the midst of that nightmare —
she stood.
The demon princess.
What was her name again?
Damn it, what did it matter now?
She destroyed the Order in mere hours.
And after that?
Two years later, the mortal world fell completely.
Cities turned to ash.
Empires crumbled one by one.
Humans, gods, the ascended — they all died.
But the god of darkness…
Kael froze.
His heart slammed dully against his ribs.
He didn't appear at the beginning.
Not when the war started.
Not when the slaughter began.
He waited.
He waited three years.
And when he came…
he razed the Heavens in just three days.
Kael squeezed his eyes shut, forcing his thoughts into place.
Why?
If the war lasted five years, why didn't the god of darkness intervene?
Was he waiting?
Watching to see what the warriors of the Heavens were capable of?
Gathering power?
He opened his eyes —
a cold spike pierced down to his bones, and something stirred in his veins.
A silent, coiled rage.
What the hell was he waiting for?
What if this was the moment?
What if fifteen years ago… the god of darkness hadn't become what he was yet?
What if he didn't have his true power?
Kael shot to his feet.
His mind worked faster than his body.
He had to think.
He had to figure it out.
True gods awaken their full power when they come of age — at two hundred years.
It's a law of the cosmos, etched into the foundation of the Heavens.
But damn it—
he couldn't be a true god.
A dark divine core could never have been born in the Heavens.
The cosmos simply wouldn't allow it.
For a true god to be born, two things are required.
First — the pure, absolute love between two true gods.
Second — the force of creation itself, the power of the cosmos that forms the divine core.
A black core could never have been born in the Heavens.
And besides…
Kael was the only one born in the Heavens in the last five centuries.
The only true god born from the union of two of the most powerful deities — Supreme God Tauren and the goddess of love, Aphelia.
So then…
If he isn't a true god…
Kael frowned.
Right. Who's next on the list?
The ascended gods.
Mortals born in the human world, who achieved immortality —
and if deemed worthy, were lifted into the Heavens, becoming gods.
But to ascend…
you needed a pure spiritual core.
No one could pass the trials of ascension with a black core.
Kael tensed.
A cold, razor-edged tension rose inside him like a tide.
Damn it.
That meant he wasn't a god.
Not even close.
Then what if the god of darkness… isn't a god at all?
What if he's just a monster—
a creature that took the name?
The demons worshipped him.
The Underworld sang his name.
He could be one of them.
Kael sat on the bed, clutching the sheets in his hands, trying to pull himself together—
to grasp at least one clear thread from the whirlwind in his head.
What do I know about demons?
Gods… their whole system is a damn mess.
Alright. Breathe. Think step by step.
What's their hierarchy again?
First — lesser demons.
Just beasts. Wild, feral things, no human form, no mind.
Then come the standard demons.
Those who've taken on a human shape, but their power's weak. Stronger than mortals, sure—
but no threat to gods.
Next—great demons
Now that's where the real shit starts.
They're powerful. Their blood is soaked in darkness.
How does one become a great demon?
Kael furrowed his brow, straining to remember.
Come on… think, dammit!
That's it!
A great demon can be born in the Underworld…
or become one through dark magic—
a summoner who follows the path of corruption.
Kael dragged a hand down his face.
A grim picture was already forming in his mind.
And then—the last tier.
The Demon Princes.
The apex of the Underworld.
Four princes.
What were their names?
Think… think!
I don't remember.
Does it matter?
No.
The fact remains: the four Demon Princes are the most powerful beings in the Underworld.
Their power rivals that of the gods.
Kael clenched his fists.
Disgusting bastards.
Alright, keep going.
You can't become a Demon Prince.
You have to be born one.
Only the union of two great demons, blessed by the raw power of the Underworld itself, can produce something that vile.
But… are they born powerful?
Or does their strength grow with age—like the true gods?
No one knows.
Damn it, no one knows.
But if the god of darkness isn't a god at all… then he's something else.
Which means—he might be weaker than he looks.
Kael rose to his feet again and started pacing the room, unable to sit still.
Thoughts were clicking into place—
each one a link in a chain he'd never seen before.
That creature—the one who dared call himself the god of darkness…
He was most likely a demon.
Fine. Four princes.
During the war, Kael had seen three of them.
Three bastards with power to rival the gods, whose cruelty knew no bounds.
But the fourth…
He'd never seen the fourth.
Could it mean that the god of darkness was the fourth Demon Prince?
But if that's true—
Why was he stronger than the other three combined?
Kael stopped in his tracks, brow furrowed.
Is it possible… for a Demon Prince to grow stronger with time?
Can their power evolve?
No answer came.
No one truly knew how the princes' powers worked.
They were absolute evil—unchanging, eternal, the apex of darkness.
But if the god of darkness was stronger than the princes…
Then he was something more.
Kael clenched his jaw.
What if he was born of two Demon Princes?
Shit.
Yes!
One of the demon lords had been a woman.
She could've given birth to a creature like him.
That would explain everything.
Why he wasn't a true god.
Why he wasn't ascended.
But still wielded power to rival them all.
But more importantly…
Right now—in this time—
He might not have reached his full strength yet.
He might still be growing.
Still becoming what he would one day become.
And if that's true…
Kael froze.
A cold light flared in his eyes.
He could be found.
And killed.
Like stealing candy from a child.
Kael sank onto the bed with a heavy breath, shoulders slumping.
Fine.
Chronas hadn't sent him to this time by accident.
He'd chosen it.
The moment before the god of darkness had gained his true strength.
But damn it—
Kael didn't have his strength either.
His jaw tightened. Fingers curled into the bedsheets, knuckles white.
Why?
Why not leave him in the body forged in battle?
The one that had tasted war, fire, divinity?
Why this young body?!
"Chronas, you bastard…" he growled, punching the mattress in fury.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!"
And then—
A flash.
A memory flared through his mind like lightning.
"Save my son."
Kael froze.
Shit.
Of course.
He'd sworn that damn celestial oath.
He bound himself with it.
Which meant… as long as that oath held, he couldn't regain his true power.
"You bastard!" he roared, throwing his head back. "You're the god of time—could've at least told me where your son is!"
He glared at the ceiling like Chronas might actually hear the string of curses now spilling from his soul.
Silence.
Kael groaned, dragging both hands down his face.
"…Fine," he muttered. "I'll deal with the god of darkness first.
Then I'm finding your damn son."
He exhaled hard, dragging a hand down his face, trying to gather the shattered pieces of thought.
So… he had to go to the Underworld.
And find that thing.
Kael dropped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
That bastard.
He was always in a mask.
Always cloaked.
Even wore those damn gloves.
What did he even look like?
No one knew.
Why wear a mask if you're invincible?
What the hell was he hiding?
Kael clenched his fists.
Just a sick fuck. That's all he was.
But how do you find someone no one's ever seen?
How do you hunt a demon when you don't even know his face?
And for fuck's sake—the Underworld was huge.
An entire world of demons.
He let out a long breath, rolling onto his side.
Alright.
First, I need to actually get to the Underworld.
Then I'll figure it out.
Kael sat up abruptly, shook off the fog in his head, and stood.
The water in the basin was ice-cold, but that only helped. It bit into his skin, snapped him out of his spiral. He splashed his face, stripped off the sleep-heavy clothes, and pulled on the formal uniform of the Vekto Order—fast, sharp, like armor for war.
A deep breath.
He opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
************************************************
Mini Backstage Dialogue:
— Kael, are you seriously planning to track down the God of Darkness in the Underworld?
— Why not? I'll just knock on his door and say, "Hey, I'm from the future. Mind if I kill you?"
— Solid plan. Just one thing—he's masked, gloved, and doesn't exactly have GPS.
— …Damn.