For a few seconds after the final blow, the world was quiet.
Too quiet.
Ash and smoke drifted through the ruined arena, curling around the jagged stones that once marked the boundary lines. The stands were a mess of shouting, disbelief, and awe — the sound of thousands trying to make sense of what they'd just witnessed.
Kairis stood in the center of it all, breathing hard.
The taste of iron filled his mouth. His shirt was torn open, ribs bruised, arms trembling from strain. Every breath felt like dragging glass through his lungs.
But he was still standing.
And that was enough.
A golden shimmer descended from above the arena — the projection of the Network Council's crest.
> "Victory confirmed. Apostle of Void — Kairis Ash."
The voice boomed across the arena, regal and deep.
> "By the will of the Constellations and the acknowledgment of the High Network, you are hereby declared the victor of the Awakeners' Grand Gathering."
The crowd erupted.
Some in admiration.
Some in fear.
To the humans watching from the strongholds, he wasn't a man anymore — he was a weapon, a walking calamity.
A bright blue panel appeared before him, flickering with golden data lines.
[RANK SELECTION AVAILABLE]
Choose Title:
1. Dragon Rank
2. God Rank
3. Abyssal Rank (Recommended for Apostles)
Kairis didn't hesitate. His hand, bloody and shaking, hovered over the third.
[Abyssal Rank Confirmed.]
> "From this day forth," the voice of the announcer roared, "Apostle of Void, Kairis Ash — Abyssal Rank Awakened, Apostle of the Creator's Shadow!"
Thunderous applause followed.
But he didn't hear it.
Because the moment he blinked—
The world shifted.
The arena, the crowd, the sunlight — gone.
Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.
A horizon that didn't exist.
And before him… sat Him.
Lucien Dreamveil.
The God of the Void.
The Creator of Aetherys.
He sat on a throne of stillness — made not of stone, but of compressed reality itself. His form was both there and not there, flickering between human and something far beyond. His eyes, like collapsing stars, stared directly into Kairis's soul.
Kairis froze. The pressure alone made his knees want to buckle.
Lucien's voice was calm, but it rippled like an echo through time itself.
"You've done well… Apostle."
"...Lucien," Kairis muttered, his tone cautious, reverent yet defiant.
A faint smirk curved the god's lips. "Still that mortal arrogance, I see. Good. I chose correctly."
The void behind him pulsed, showing glimpses of countless universes — galaxies swirling in his shadow, stars birthing and dying in silence.
Lucien extended his hand. Floating there was a small, black key. Its form constantly twisted — neither metal nor matter, but something in-between.
"Take this."
Kairis hesitated, but reached out. The moment his fingers touched it, the key pulsed, sinking into his palm as black symbols briefly flashed across his skin.
"What is this…?"
Lucien leaned forward slightly, his eyes glowing with quiet amusement.
"A door to your next sin."
Kairis frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Lucien's gaze deepened, and for a moment — Kairis saw entire civilizations burning behind those eyes.
"When you reach Level 20, use it. The realm it opens is… the true trial of an Apostle. It will either shape you into what you are meant to become—"
His tone darkened, almost whispering.
"—or erase you completely."
Kairis didn't reply. He could feel his heartbeat pounding against his ribs, echoing in this void where time didn't flow.
Lucien stood, towering over him. "I will give you something else… something you need now."
He raised a hand, and an orb of pulsing black light drifted toward Kairis, sinking into his chest.
> [NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED: GRAVITY DOMAIN — LV.1]
Creates a 50-meter field where the Apostle has complete control over gravitational direction, force, and flow. Allies unaffected. Duration: 1 minute.
The god's voice softened, the edge fading to something faintly amused.
"You've done well, Kairis Ash. Continue to earn your existence."
Before Kairis could speak, the void cracked—
And the world snapped back.
He gasped, hand clutching his chest as he stumbled backward.
He was standing at the edge of the arena again, the crowd roaring around him. The sunlight burned his eyes after that endless black.
He blinked rapidly, the god's words still ringing in his skull.
> When you reach Level 20... open it.
He looked down at his hand — faint black sigils still shimmered briefly before fading.
Kairis exhaled slowly.
"Guess that's not something I should rush into…"
That night, he left the stronghold quietly. The roads were quiet, lined with flickering lights and broken buildings patched together after the endless wars. The smell of smoke and metal lingered in the air.
He reached the fortified shelter near the harbor — the one where Elyra and Aeren waited.
Inside, his little brother was asleep on the couch, curled up with a blanket. Elyra was sitting beside him, cleaning a blade, her silver hair falling across her face.
When she looked up and saw Kairis in the doorway — bloodied, exhausted, but alive — her expression softened.
"You're back."
"Yeah." He managed a faint smile. "Still in one piece."
She stood, crossing her arms. "Barely."
He chuckled weakly, leaning against the doorframe. "Won the whole damn thing though."
Elyra shook her head but couldn't hide the smirk tugging at her lips. "You're insane, you know that?"
"Runs in the family."
He glanced at Aeren, who stirred slightly, mumbling in his sleep. For a moment — just a brief moment — Kairis felt peace.
The apocalypse outside could burn, the gods could scheme, the void could whisper.
But here, seeing his siblings breathing, alive and safe — that was his reason.
He sat down beside them, closing his eyes for the first time in what felt like days.
And in the depths of his mind, the key pulsed faintly—
as if the void itself was watching.