The Return of Sulmento Part I: Shadows of the Past

The sky over Altropolis turns black. Lightning crackles without thunder. Time itself begins to tremble.League of Heroes HQ - Emergency BriefingKaldar stands at the center of the war room, surrounded by Claw, Astralis, Iron Phantom, and Crystal.Claw: The Void Spire is active. Bloodfang's ritual is complete.Astralis: We’re detecting dimensional instability across the planet.Iron Phantom: Sulmento's soul, it's waking up.Crystal: And the Grim Stone is pulsing like a heartbeat.Kaldar's fists tighten. His Echo Core glows faintly.Kaldar: Then we go now. We stop this before it spreads.The Void Spire - Ground ZeroThe League arrives at the base of the spire. The air is thick with corrupted energy. Bloodfang stands atop the altar, arms raised. The Grim Stone levitates, glowing violently.Bloodfang: You're too late, Heroes. The soul has awakened. The Guardian's legacy ends tonight.A beam of dark energy erupts from the stone, splitting the sky. A massive figure begins to form, cloaked in shadow and flame.Sulmento: (Voice echoing) I...have returned.Kaldar steps forward, eyes locked on the forming tyrant.Kaldar: Sulmento, I watched you destroy my world. I won't let you do it again.Sulmento: You watched because you were weak. You failed your people. And now, you'll fail this planet too.Kaldar's energy flares, but the ground splits beneath him. Time fractures ripple outward, pulling the League into alternate realities.Kaldar's Vision - A Broken TimelineKaldar awakens in a twisted version of Altropolis. The city is in ruins. Statues of Sulmento stand where schools once stood. The sky bleeds red.Crystal: (Flickering) This… isn’t real.Kaldar: It's a future where I lost.Crystal: Sulmento's soul is manipulating time, showing you what could be.Kaldar walks through the ruins, seeing echoes of himself broken, corrupted, kneeling before Sulmento.Kaldar: No. I won't become this.A shadow version of Kaldar appears eyes glowing with Grim energy.Shadow Kaldar: You already are. You just haven't admitted it yet.Kaldar summons his Heroic Sword and charges.Battle of the EchoesThe real Kaldar clashes with his shadow self. Blades of light and darkness collide. Each strike sends ripples through the fractured timeline.Crystal: You must defeat him, not with power, but with truth.Kaldar pauses mid-strike. He lowers his sword.Kaldar: I'm not perfect. I failed. But I'm still standing. And I'll keep standing because that's what heroes do.The shadow Kaldar screams and dissolves into light. The timeline begins to stabilize.Back at the SpireKaldar returns to the present. The League is regrouping. Sulmento's form is now complete towering, monstrous, eyes burning with cosmic fire.Sulmento: You survived the vision. Impressive. But it changes nothing.Claw: We're with you, Kal.Astralis: Let's finish this.Kaldar steps forward, Echo Core glowing.Kaldar: This ends now.Sulmento raises his hand. The Grim Stone pulses. Reality begins to collapse.To Be Continued...