Down on one knee, Kael stared at the ground, thoughts rushing. Behind his eyelids, images flashed - what he once knew refused to fade. A city glowing bright stood there, silent. Soldiers cloaked in light marched through memory. Cold metal wrapped around his wrists returned each time he blinked.
Fight after fight, he walked away unbroken.
Banished into silence by hands that bowed low in past years.
A sudden gasp pulled air deep into his chest when he rose upright. Clenching his hands tight, each knuckle turned white. Though someone tried to wipe him from time itself - they did not succeed.
Today, dread of his comeback would grip them.
A glow rose from the old stone's carvings, brightening bit by bit. From within, a hum answered - Kael recognized it before he understood.
Fingers met the chill of rock, pressing slow.
The ground rumbled.
A sudden burst of light came from the glowing symbols, dancing in loops and curves about his still figure. Centuries-old dust vanished into air when the stone structure showed what it really was - an opening.
A whisper filled the air. "The Forsaken Lord rises once more."
A beat thudded in Kael's chest. The word rang like something half-remembered. Could it have been him long ago?
Mid-stride in thought, the gate's energy flooded his body. Then silence.
Memories surged.
Not images but names.
Forever bound by their verdict. That court above all courts decided his fate.
Locked deep by fate itself. The Four Chains of Sealing - old, unyielding, shaped long ago to hold what should stay buried. Not built with steel but something older. Him. Trapped because they had to be.
Betrayal wore a face he knew too well. This was the person who pushed hardest when others hesitated.
A cold ripple ran through him when he heard that surname.
"Aetherion, the Timekeeper."
Wide awake, Kael opened his eyes suddenly.
Someone else who controlled time had turned against him.
A whisper of thought lingered behind his eyes. It stayed there, cold and slow.
"Beware the ones who sealed you away before for they will come again."
It wasn't just one of them - he'd already been targeted. Once that happened, the rest wouldn't stay far behind.
Flickering light caught Kael's face as he stepped away from the gate, those pale eyes sharp with fire. Should they try wiping him out once more, time wouldn't bend so easily now - its weight had shifted.
Falling wasn't going to happen now. He'd made sure of that.
Once he ruled as the Celestial Sovereign.
Something bigger waited ahead for him now.
Then came the moment he stumbled upon Aetherion.
Bent low again by his presence, time gave way without protest.