The Return of the forgotten.
The grand hall of the Celestial Throne trembled as if the very fabric of reality recoiled at the intruder's presence. The air grew thick with an oppressive energy, a suffocating weight that pressed against the chests of the assembled gods. Golden braziers lining the hall flickered unnaturally, their flames twisting into grotesque shapes—faces screaming in silent torment.
Then, he appeared.
A figure clad in shadows so deep they seemed to devour the light around him. His footsteps echoed like distant thunder, each one a deliberate proclamation of his defiance. The gods tensed, their divine instincts screaming of an ancient, forgotten terror.
UNKNOWN FIGURE: (voice dripping with venomous amusement)
"Stop. No one will give any damn oaths to any king."
The words slithered through the hall, carrying an authority that made even the stone beneath their feet shudder.
CAREL (eyes blazing with fury, hand twitching toward the hilt of his sword)
"And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
The figure did not answer immediately. Instead, he laughed—a sound like cracking bones and dying stars—as he descended the steps toward the throne, his cloak of darkness billowing behind him like a living thing.
AKERMOS (teeth bared, power crackling around his fists)
"Come any closer to the throne, and I will erase you."
A smirk curled the lips of KRELIOUS, the self-proclaimed king lounging upon the obsidian throne. His fingers tapped idly against the armrest, his golden eyes gleaming with something between curiosity and cruel delight.
KRELIOUS (softly, almost purring)
"Let him come, Akermos."
A tense silence followed. The god of Knowledge and visions, AKERMOS, hesitated before bowing his head in reluctant obedience.
AKERMOS (gritted out)
"As you wish, my king."
The stranger's laughter deepened, reverberating through the hall like the tolling of a funeral bell.
UNKNOWN FIGURE:
"You should already know who I am by now, King."
KRELIOUS (leaning forward, smile widening)
"I do. You're an Hidis—a being of pure chaos and calamity. You're Kazima."
A gasp rippled through the assembled deities. HENDI, the god of memory and history, staggered back as if struck.
HENDI (voice trembling)
"It's a lie. You're supposed to be dead!"
KAZIMA (spreading his arms mockingly)
"True. And yet, here I am."
HENDI (clutching his temples, as if trying to reconcile an impossible truth)
"How?! We thought you died thirty thousand years ago—during the Battle of the Rulers against the Abyss!"
Kazima's grin turned predatory, his eyes glowing like embers in the dark.
KAZIMA:
"I was gravely injured. Weak. Almost at death's door… but somehow, I was saved."
A pause. The gods exchanged uneasy glances.
KAZIMA (voice dropping to a whisper)
"A dark angel took me into the Domain of the Angels."
The revelation struck like a hammer blow. CAREL recoiled, his face paling.
CAREL:
"What?! How?! What's going on?!"
DAI, the god of cosmic order, slammed his staff against the ground, his usually composed demeanor shattered.
DAI:
"What the fuck is happening in the verses?! How are the angels still alive?!"
Kazima tilted his head, savoring their confusion like a fine wine.
KAZIMA:
"I see. You're all confused. So was I… when I first saw the angel."
CAREL (voice rising in panic)
"They're supposed to be erased from all of creation! So how are they alive?!"
HENDI (clutching his chest, as if the memories pained him)
"We gods fought every last one of them, many centuries ago! The war was deadly, but somehow, we managed to destroy them all!"
DAI (nodding fervently)
"Yeah. We made sure all of them were dead."
Kazima's laughter returned, louder now—a sound that promised ruin.
KAZIMA:
"Oh, my dear, deluded gods… you never truly understood what you were fighting, did you?"
The shadows around him deepened, stretching like grasping claws across the hall.
KAZIMA:
"The angels were never your enemies. They were merely… the first obstacle."
And with that, the foundations of their reality began to crack.
KAZIMA SMILES.
The air in the grand hall of the Cronoverse was thick with tension, a silent storm brewing beneath the surface of divine civility. Kazima, the god of war and rebellion, stood amidst the assembled rulers, his lips curling into a knowing smile—one that carried the weight of countless battles fought since the dawn of creation.
"Most of our damn battles," he began, his voice resonating like thunder through the vast chamber, "the ones we've fought since the beginning of time itself—the rulers have always been a part of them. Some of our greatest wars? They were even orchestrated by the rulers."
His words hung in the air, heavy with accusation. The other gods exchanged glances, some shifting uncomfortably, others narrowing their eyes in suspicion.
CAREL INTERJECTS
Carel, the god of wisdom and strategy, stepped forward, his golden eyes gleaming with curiosity. "What then are you trying to say, Kazima?"
Kazima's expression darkened, his gaze locking onto each ruler in turn. The playful smirk vanished, replaced by a look of cold determination.
"The rulers have become a problem to us all," he declared, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "And by that, they all need to be eliminated."
ZIELAN'S FURY ERUPTS
The hall erupted in chaos. Zielan, the usually calm ruler, slammed his fist into the ground, sending shockwaves through the very fabric of the Cronoverse. His aura exploded outward, a maelstrom of raw power that threatened to tear reality apart.
"Right before the king and us rulers," Zielan roared, his voice shaking the heavens, "you dare to talk about destroying our entire race? How dare you, Kazima!"
The other rulers unleashed their energies in response, their combined might filling the universe with an overwhelming pressure—except for Krelious, the king of gods, who remained eerily calm, his crimson eyes watching the scene unfold with detached interest.
THE FIRST BLOW IS STRUCK
Zielan wasted no time. In an instant, he vanished from his place and reappeared before Kazima, his fist already mid-swing. But Kazima was no fool—he had expected this. With a grin, he raised his own fist, meeting Zielan's strike head-on.
BOOM!
The collision of their blows shattered the grand hall, reducing it to rubble in an instant. The shockwave expanded outward, obliterating entire kingdoms within the Cronoverse, reducing them to dust in the blink of an eye.
Before they could clash again, a figure blurred between them—Krelious. With a single motion, he seized Zielan's wrist, halting his attack, then turned and slammed Kazima into the ground with such force that the planet split open for miles.
KRELIOUS' WARNING
The assembled gods and cosmic beings stood frozen in shock. Never had they seen someone so effortlessly overpower Kazima—one of the strongest god's in existence.
Krelious loomed over the fallen god, his voice calm but laced with lethal intent. "Enough, Zielan." Then, turning to Kazima, he added, "And you, Kazima… I will forgive you this time. But if you should say something stupid like this again, you're dead."
KAZIMA LAUGHS IN DEFIANCE
Kazima coughed, blood trickling from his lips, but he pushed himself up from the rubble, laughing. "If I was still the same god I was 30,000 years ago," he mused, wiping his mouth, "I would have been dead the moment you slammed me into the ground. It's only thanks to the training of the angels that I'm still alive."
KRELIOUS' WRATH UNLEASHED
Krelious' patience snapped. In a blur of motion, he seized Kazima by the throat, lifting him effortlessly into the air. His grip was like an unbreakable seal, crushing the very breath from Kazima's lungs.
But before Krelious could deliver the final blow, Sted—the ruler of mercy and balance—stepped forward, placing a hand on Krelious' arm. "Spare him," Sted urged, her voice firm.
Reluctantly, Krelious released his hold, letting Kazima drop to the ground. The rebel god coughed violently, gasping for air, but even now, defiance burned in his eyes.
KAZIMA'S FINAL WARNING
Slowly, Kazima rose to his feet, his body battered but his spirit unbroken. He met Krelious' gaze, his voice a chilling whisper.
"Your strength and power are unbelievable, King Krelious," he admitted. "But it will not be enough to save you… or your race… from what is coming."
The words lingered like a curse, a prophecy of doom that sent a shiver through even the mightiest of gods.
NEXT CHAPTER ✓
ACT 19: THE OATH BREAKERS.