REAWAKENING

What was once a lush forest nestled among sky-kissing mountain peaks had been reduced to a leveled, barren wasteland. In the center of that devastation, shockwaves rippled out for kilometers, trembling the earth with every clash.

Hannah, in her Kantar Manifestation state, was locked in battle with a demon. The two forces seemed equal in power—pillars of their Kantar energy rose like twin towers around them as they collided again and again at speeds invisible to the naked eye.

After what felt like their third clash, the demon leaped back, eyeing Hannah carefully. Its blue eyes narrowed as steam poured from her body, and she let out a sharp cry of pain.

The demon muttered in a calculating tone, “As I thought. Her exhausted body can only maintain the Kantar Manifestation for so long. She was so weak she couldn't even properly control her Kantar… I'm lucky I waited until after she fought my brother. I had no idea she was hiding something like this under her belt. If she had used that technique at full strength… I would’ve died for sure.”

Meanwhile, Hannah staggered, scowling through the haze of pain. Damn it. I didn’t realize it would be this hard just to sustain this form, talk less of actually fighting in it efficiently. My body’s been sluggish this entire fight…

Just as her consciousness started to fade, she heard a sharp female voice yell from somewhere beyond reality.

“Kali! What the hell are you doing giving in so soon? The great celestial Kali, losing to a demon hybrid so easily? You should be ashamed!”

Hannah opened her eyes slowly and found herself in a world filled with glowing purple flowers. At the center of that ethereal realm stood a beautiful woman with flowing purple hair, dressed in a white gown. Her expression was stern as she addressed Hannah.

“Are you going to let him die?”

Seeing her, Hannah sighed and replied, “Olethros... we’ve tried everything. Even my body’s given out on me.”

Olethros looked confused. “Since when did you succumb to the limits of a human body? You’ve regained your celestial powers—you seem to forget that.”

Hannah chuckled lightly. “We both know that even though I kept my powers, I’m no longer a celestial. I stepped down to walk among mortals, remember? Shu agreed to act as my temporary replacement until I’ve had my fill of this world. So for now, I’m still human.”

Olethros puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms like a pouting child. “Not true! You can always reawaken your celestial form if you want!”

Hannah blinked, confused. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

Olethros smiled, almost mischievously. “That boy of yours... he’s special, you know. He wrote in the Enkairadion that you’d be able to access your celestial form again, if certain conditions are met. First, you're in a near-death situation. Second, you’ve done everything in your power to fight back. And the last one...”

Hannah’s eyes widened with anticipation. “Last condition? What is it?!”

“There isn’t a last condition,” Olethros said with a grin. “You’ve already fulfilled them all. Now, all you have to do is fuse with me, and you’ll become Kali once more.”

Hannah gave a breathless laugh, then reached out and grasped Olethros’s hand. “That boy... he worries about his mum a lot, doesn’t he? To have written this… It’s insane.”

Olethros nodded gently. Her form dissolved into glowing purple particles of Kantar that were absorbed into Hannah’s body. The peaceful field of purple flowers was instantly consumed by fire and molten rock—the Kantar world collapsing and reforming into one of ash and magma.

In the real world, only seconds had passed.

From the demon’s point of view, Hannah had just collapsed. But then, the steam stopped abruptly. Her eyes snapped open, and her body, once bruised and battered, was fully healed.

Her form had changed.

Her skin now radiated pure purple Kantar, and her eyes burned like violet fire. She stared at the demon with a calm fury, her voice now thundering like a storm:

“End of the road for you.”

Before the demon could react, she was inches from his face, her hand resting on his shoulder. Pain shot through his body as it began to disintegrate—erased from existence by a single touch.

In her celestial form, Hannah could erase anything or anyone with ease.

Just as she was about to finish him, however, an image flashed through her mind—a grotesque demonic face smiling at her.

She froze.

Then, without explanation, she let go. The demon fell, gasping, his body rapidly regenerating as he knelt, completely drained, steam rising from him.

Hannah, meanwhile, stared at her hand in shock. Her celestial form dissolved. She collapsed, her body now devoid of Kantar—overdrawn and broken.

The demon staggered upright, panting heavily. “I should finish her now,” he muttered, dragging his weakened body forward.

But just as he reached out a hand—

Slice!

His arm hit the ground, severed cleanly.

A familiar voice rang out:

“Marcel, right? I suggest you scram… before you lose something you can’t regenerate.”

Marcel turned, eyes wide.

Standing before him was a man in his early twenties with bright red pupils and shoulder-length, slightly spiky black hair. He wore a black leather jacket over a long red shirt, black sweatpants, and white sneakers.

Recognition struck Marcel instantly. He didn’t hesitate. He ran.

The man smirked and turned to Hannah, placing a hand on her unconscious body and slowly channeling his bright red Kantar into her. Then, he walked over to Hanz’s limp form and looked down at him with a wistful smile.

“Hanz... it feels so weird seeing you this young . Don’t worry, Mum and I will always protect you-until you become the strong man I met all those years ago.”

Hannah stirred. The Kantar he gave her had stabilized her just enough. Her eyes opened halfway, and when she saw the man, she froze.

Then, in a raspy, astonished voice, she whispered:

“Shu...? What the hell are you doing here?”