Chapter 107 – Ashes of Hope

The world moved on, but Aria could not.

She stood before the charred mark where Kael had vanished, the soil blackened, air still humming with divine residue. Every breath scraped her lungs like fire. Her hands trembled, her magic refusing to answer her call.

“He was never meant to exist,” the war goddess’s words echoed in her skull. “The fracture is no more.”

Aria clenched her fists until blood dripped between her fingers. Lies.

The gods had already departed, returning to their thrones above the veil. Mortals bowed in renewed worship, terrified of divine wrath. Across kingdoms, temples rang bells in triumph, declaring the “False Hero” undone.

But not all celebrated.

Rumors spread in whispers—Kael had stood against gods and scarred the sky. His defiance lived in hushed voices, in taverns, in the prayers of the broken. Some cursed him. Some revered him.

And Aria… she carried the weight of both.

She staggered forward, planting her staff into the earth. A faint crack of lightning answered—a weak spark, but enough. She whispered into the wind:

“You’re not gone. I’ll find you… wherever they’ve cast you.”

The earth quivered, just once.

Far beneath, where no mortal eye could see, the abyss stirred again. The erased gods whispered louder this time, their voices pulling at the edges of reality.

And in that abyss, something vast… and familiar… began to awaken.