When Hope Begins to Crack — The Power of a True God

The sky screamed.

That was the only way to describe it.

As gold and shadow collided, the air itself seemed to cry out in pain. Clouds tore apart like cloth. Lightning twisted unnaturally, black and gold mixing together. The ground beneath the heroes shattered into floating chunks, rising and falling as if gravity had forgotten its duty.

Kemp flew backward through the air, crashing hard into a broken cliff. Stone exploded around him.

Kemp groaned but forced himself up, his golden aura flickering.

Kemp (thinking):
“This power… it’s heavier than before.”

Narkaal hovered in the sky, untouched.

No wounds.
No cracks.
No sign of effort.

Just darkness, calm and endless.

Sumit landed nearby, flames still burning around his fists, though weaker now. He wiped blood from his mouth and laughed bitterly.

Sumit:
“Heh… yeah… definitely a god.”

Ayon struggled to stay in the air, using wind magic to keep himself from falling.

Ayon:
“This is insane! One attack nearly wiped us out!”

Below them, Alir rolled across the ground, barely avoiding a wave of dark energy that tore through the land like a blade. She fired three arrows of light.

They struck Narkaal.

And vanished.

Not blocked.

Not deflected.

Simply erased.

Alir’s eyes widened.

Alir:
“They didn’t even touch him…”

Jirsong charged from the side, lightning dancing around his body. He leaped high, spear glowing as he aimed straight for Narkaal’s chest.

Jirsong:
“TAKE THIS!”

The spear struck.

CLANG!!!

A sound like metal hitting an unbreakable wall echoed across the battlefield.

The spear shattered.

Jirsong was thrown backward, spinning through the air before crashing down hard.

Serdihun 1 and Serdihun 2 rushed toward him instantly, their healing magic glowing desperately.

Serdihun 1:
“Hold on! Stay awake!”

Serdihun 2:
“Healing spell—full output!”

But even as their magic flowed, Jirsong coughed blood.

Jirsong (weak smile):
“So… this is what it feels like… fighting a god…”

Ajmal raised his staff high, ancient symbols glowing bright blue and gold.

Ajmal:
“Everyone! Fall back! We cannot fight him head-on!”

He slammed his staff into the ground.

A massive magic circle formed beneath the heroes, shielding them as a wave of darkness slammed into it.

The shield cracked instantly.

Ajmal screamed in pain as the backlash tore through his body.

Ajmal:
“Ghh—!”

Kemp rushed forward, placing a hand on Ajmal’s shoulder, channeling golden energy into him.

Kemp:
“Don’t push yourself alone!”

Ajmal breathed heavily.

Ajmal:
“This… this is not a battle of strength…”
(pause)
“It is a battle of existence.”

Narkaal finally moved.

He descended slowly, feet never touching the ground, darkness flowing like smoke around him.

Narkaal:
“You resist well… for beings made of fragile flesh.”

His voice carried no anger.

Only certainty.

Narkaal:
“But understand this… every second you fight, your world weakens.”

He raised his hand.

The black gate behind him—the dimensional breach—expanded.

It grew larger.

Wider.

Deeper.

The air around it twisted violently.

Ayon panicked.

Ayon:
“That gate is getting bigger!”

Ajmal’s face turned pale.

Ajmal:
“He’s anchoring himself to our reality… the longer this battle continues, the easier it becomes for his true body to descend.”

Sumit clenched his fists.

Sumit:
“So what? We’re supposed to just give up?!”

Ajmal shook his head.

Ajmal:
“No. But we must change how we fight.”

Kemp looked at him sharply.

Kemp:
“Explain.”

Ajmal steadied himself, staff glowing brighter.

Ajmal:
“Narkaal is not just attacking us physically. He exists across layers of reality. Every strike we make only touches the surface.”

Alir:
“Then how do we hurt him?!”

Ajmal:
“We attack his connection.”

Everyone froze.

Ajmal continued:

Ajmal:
“That gate… is his weakness. It binds him here. If we damage it—if we disrupt its balance—we weaken him.”

Narkaal watched them calmly.

Narkaal:
“You believe you have found hope.”

He spread his arms.

Narkaal:
“Hope is an illusion.”

Darkness erupted outward.

A storm of shadow beasts formed—twisted creatures born from pure void, screeching as they descended upon the heroes.

Kemp shouted:

Kemp:
“Formation! Protect the healers!”

Sumit charged forward, flames roaring.

Sumit:
“COME ON THEN!”

He punched through a shadow beast, fire tearing it apart—but two more replaced it instantly.

Ayon summoned a massive wind barrier, slicing through the creatures, though sweat poured down his face.

Ayon:
“They keep coming!”

Alir climbed to higher ground, firing arrow after arrow, each one glowing brighter than the last.

Alir:
“I’ll cover you!”

Jirsong forced himself up, grabbing a broken spear fragment.

Jirsong:
“I’m not done yet.”

Serdihun sisters stood back-to-back, healing magic spreading across the battlefield, keeping everyone barely standing.

Serdihun 2:
“Our energy is dropping fast!”

Serdihun 1:
“We can’t keep this up forever!”

Ajmal raised his staff once more, chanting in an ancient language.

Ajmal:
“Seal of Origin… Chain of Reality…”

Golden-blue chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around the dimensional gate.

The gate trembled.

Narkaal finally reacted.

Narkaal:
“…Interesting.”

He snapped his fingers.

The chains shattered instantly.

The shockwave threw Ajmal back violently.

Kemp caught him just before he hit the ground.

Ajmal coughed, blood dripping from his mouth.

Ajmal:
“I’m… sorry… I failed…”

Kemp clenched his jaw.

Kemp:
“No. You showed us the path.”

Kemp stood tall.

His golden aura flared brighter than ever before.

Kemp:
“Everyone… listen to me.”

The heroes looked at him.

Kemp:
“We can’t win by fear. We can’t win by doubt. This god feeds on despair.”

He pointed his spear at Narkaal.

Kemp:
“But as long as we stand… as long as we fight together… this world still has hope!”

Narkaal tilted his head slightly.

Narkaal:
“Hope…”

For the first time, something strange flickered within the darkness.

Not anger.

Not rage.

Something closer to… memory.

Narkaal:
“I once believed in hope.”

The heroes froze.

Narkaal’s voice grew deeper.

Narkaal:
“And it betrayed me.”

Darkness exploded outward.

Kemp raised his spear.

Sumit ignited fully.

Ayon summoned his strongest wind.

Alir pulled back an arrow glowing like a star.

Jirsong stepped forward, lightning crackling wildly.

Serdihun sisters pushed their healing magic beyond their limits.

Ajmal struggled to his feet, staff shaking but glowing.

Ajmal:
“This is it… if we fall here… everything ends.”

Kemp shouted:

Kemp:
“THEN WE DON’T FALL!”

They charged.

Narkaal raised one hand.

The world slowed.

Time itself seemed to hesitate.

Narkaal:
“Let me show you the true power… of the First Shadow.”

The darkness behind him formed a massive eye—ancient, endless, watching everything.

The sky split open.

The gate pulsed violently.

And the heroes realized—

This battle was no longer just about survival.

It was about whether hope itself deserved to exist.