After the God’s Retreat

The world did not celebrate.

It only breathed.

For a long moment after the dimensional gate shattered, nothing moved. No wind. No sound. Even the dust in the air seemed frozen, afraid to fall.

The sky was finally whole again—but it was not the same sky as before. Faint scars of golden cracks remained, like wounds that had healed but would never fully disappear.

The ground was broken everywhere.

Craters stretched as far as the eye could see. Mountains were split. Rivers had changed their paths. The land looked tired.

Exhausted.

Just like the people standing on it.

Ayon knelt on the ground, holding Kemp tightly in his arms. Kemp’s body was warm—but barely. His golden aura was gone. No light surrounded him now.

Only silence.

Ayon’s hands trembled.

Ayon:
“Kemp…”
(voice breaking)
“Say something…”

Kemp’s chest rose slowly.

Very slowly.

Alir rushed over and dropped to her knees beside them. Her hands hovered over Kemp, afraid to touch him.

Alir:
“He’s breathing… right?”
(tearful)
“He’s still breathing…”

Ajmal approached, leaning heavily on his staff’s broken remains. He knelt and pressed two fingers to Kemp’s neck.

Ajmal:
“…Yes.”
(relieved whisper)
“He’s alive.”

Alir covered her face and cried openly.

Sumit fell backward onto the ground, staring up at the sky.

Sumit:
“…That idiot…”
(chuckles weakly)
“He actually did it…”

Jirsong stood silently nearby, fists clenched, lightning long gone from his body.

Jirsong:
“No god should’ve survived that.”
(pause)
“But neither should a human.”

The Serdihun sisters knelt together, placing their hands over Kemp’s body. Their healing magic glowed faintly—weak, unstable, but persistent.

Serdihun 1:
“Our magic barely responds…”

Serdihun 2:
“But we won’t stop.”

Golden threads of light slowly wrapped around Kemp’s wounds.

Not fixing them.

Only keeping him alive.

Ajmal looked around the battlefield.

The shadow beasts were gone.

The pressure was gone.

The god was gone.

But the cost was everywhere.

Ajmal:
“…Narkaal retreated.”
(pause)
“Not defeated.”
(he sighs)
“But this world survived.”

Ayon lowered his head.

Ayon:
“At what price…?”

No one answered.

Because the answer lay in the ruins around them.

Far beyond the battlefield, the world struggled to recover.

Cities lay broken, but still standing. People crawled out from shelters, staring at the sky in disbelief. Farmers found their lands cracked but not destroyed. Oceans calmed after near-apocalyptic waves.

The world had almost ended.

And yet—

It hadn’t.

In a distant village, an old man looked up and whispered:

Old Man:
“…We’re still here.”

Children cried, not in fear—but in relief.

The world did not know Kemp’s name.

But it felt his choice.

Back at the battlefield, Kemp finally stirred.

His fingers twitched.

Ayon gasped.

Ayon:
“He moved!”

Alir leaned closer.

Alir:
“Kemp? Can you hear me?”

Kemp’s eyes opened slightly.

They were no longer glowing.

Just human eyes.

Tired.

Confused.

Kemp:
“…Why does everything hurt…”

Sumit burst out laughing, then winced in pain.

Sumit:
“WELCOME BACK, HERO.”
(grinning)
“You owe us big time.”

Kemp tried to smile—but failed.

Kemp:
“…Did I…”
(pause)
“Did it work?”

Ajmal nodded.

Ajmal:
“Yes.”
(softly)
“You forced a god to retreat.”

Kemp closed his eyes.

Kemp:
“…Good.”

Alir grabbed his hand tightly.

Alir:
“Don’t you dare fall asleep again.”

Kemp squeezed back weakly.

Kemp:
“…I’m not going anywhere.”

The Serdihun sisters exchanged glances.

Serdihun 1:
“…But he’s changed.”

Serdihun 2:
“His connection to the world… it’s unstable.”

Ajmal frowned.

Ajmal:
“What do you mean?”

Serdihun 1:
“He isn’t fully human anymore.”

Serdihun 2:
“But he isn’t divine either.”

Ajmal looked at Kemp with new concern.

Ajmal:
“…A bridge.”
(whispers)
“He truly became one.”

Kemp opened one eye.

Kemp:
“I heard that…”

Ayon forced a smile.

Ayon:
“Then stay with us.”
(pause)
“We’ll figure it out together.”

As night fell, stars slowly returned to the sky.

Some flickered strangely.

Others shone brightly.

The heroes gathered what strength they had and built a small camp among the ruins. No one spoke much. Words felt too small.

Sumit stared into the fire.

Sumit:
“So… what now?”

Ajmal answered quietly.

Ajmal:
“Now we rebuild.”
(pause)
“And prepare.”

Alir looked up sharply.

Alir:
“Prepare for what?”

Ajmal’s eyes darkened.

Ajmal:
“Narkaal will return.”
(pause)
“Gods do not forget defiance.”

Jirsong cracked his knuckles.

Jirsong:
“Then we’ll be ready.”

Ayon nodded.

Ayon:
“He saw something today.”
(pause)
“Something he never expected.”

Ajmal:
“Yes.”
(soft smile)
“Humanity.”

Kemp listened quietly, staring at the stars.

Kemp:
“…When he looked at me…”
(pause)
“He wasn’t angry.”

Alir:
“Then what was he?”

Kemp swallowed.

Kemp:
“…Lonely.”

Silence followed.

Far beyond reality—

In a place without time or stars—

Narkaal watched the shattered remains of the gate slowly fade.

His true body remained sealed.

For now.

Narkaal:
“…They endured.”

The massive dark eye closed halfway.

Narkaal:
“A fragile species…”
(pause)
“…but dangerous.”

A faint fracture glowed across his essence.

Not physical.

Conceptual.

A wound made by belief.

Narkaal:
“The bridge must be destroyed.”

Darkness stirred.

But not yet.

Back in the mortal world, dawn arrived.

Soft.

Gentle.

Golden sunlight touched the broken land.

For the first time in days, birds flew again.

Ayon helped Kemp sit up.

Kemp winced.

Kemp:
“Remind me never to do that again.”

Sumit smirked.

Sumit:
“No promises.”

Alir laughed through tears.

The world was wounded.

But alive.

The heroes were broken.

But standing.

And somewhere deep in the fabric of reality—

Something had changed forever.

A god had been defied.

And humanity had proven it would not kneel quietly.