CELESTIA — Chapter 15: The Kingdom Beyond the Gate
Silence. A silence so deep it felt alive. Râ slowly opened his eyes. Or rather… he felt like he was opening something. Because he didn't really have a body anymore. He was floating. Around him, there was no sky, no ground, no walls. Only a vast white and golden expanse, crossed by gigantic luminous rings suspended in the void like divine mechanisms forgotten by time. Fragments of stone floated in the air. Immense chains hung into infinity. And in the distance… colossal silhouettes seemed frozen within the light. Râ looked at his hands. Or what looked like them. His body was no longer physical. It was made of astral matter, burning, almost solar. He stayed silent for a moment before letting out a breath through his nose. "Well." He looked around. "Am I dead or is this just a very artistic place?" His voice echoed strangely through that universe. No answer.
Râ began to walk through the void. And strangely… the void allowed him to walk. Each step created golden ripples beneath his feet, as if he were walking on an invisible sea of light. He lifted his eyes. Something was taking shape in the distance. A massive structure. A temple. No. A prison. The closer he got, the more he could make out its shape: pillars as tall as mountains, doors covered in unknown symbols, moving frescoes depicting dragons, black suns, devoured stars… and at the center of it all… a throne. And sitting upon it… The Messenger. The dragon. Or at least, the true form of what he had seen in the cave. It was gigantic. Its body was made of dark scales crossed by veins of golden light. Six immense horns crowned its head. Its wings, folded behind it, looked like pieces of night cut out from the sky. And its eyes… were old. Too old. The kind of gaze that had seen civilizations be born and die without feeling anything. Râ stopped at a safe distance, then raised an eyebrow. "Damn. So you're even more impressive in person."
The dragon did not move. Then its voice descended upon the entire world like divine thunder. "You have crossed the Gate." Râ crossed his arms. "Yeah, I noticed. Very nice decoration by the way. A little too golden, but it works." The dragon's gaze remained fixed. "You are not afraid." Râ shrugged. "I've seen uglier things than you." A silence followed. Then, against all expectations… a rough breath escaped from the dragon's nostrils. As if it had almost just laughed.
The dragon slowly rose from its throne. The simple motion made the entire kingdom tremble. Thousands of gigantic chains stirred around it. Râ narrowed his eyes. Then he noticed something. Those chains… were restraining it. Wrists. Neck. Torso. Wings. Tail. The Messenger was not the ruler of this place. It was its prisoner. Râ tilted his head slightly. "So… you're locked up." The dragon answered, "Since before the birth of kingdoms. Before the Djinn. Before Humans. Before Fumetsu was even given to mortals." Râ smiled slightly. "Ah. So you're an old problem." The dragon ignored him, then finally fixed its eyes into his. "You bear the mark of the Sun. And yet… you are not its heir." That sentence made him react. "What does that mean?" The dragon did not answer right away. Instead, it slightly lifted its head. And all around them… the world changed.
Visions appeared in the air. Râ saw an ancient war, giants of light, winged beings, celestial cities in flames, a gigantic woman of white light, and a sun… shattered from the inside. His pupils contracted. "What is… that?" The dragon whispered, "The first fall. The first lie." Then its voice became heavier. "Celestia never told the whole truth." This time, Râ did not joke. He was truly listening.
The dragon lowered its gaze toward Râ's hand. Or more precisely… toward the place where the Arkomb had been destroyed. "The object you broke… was not a key." Râ frowned. "That little devil was guarding it like it was the treasure of the century. You're telling me it wasn't important?" The Messenger replied, "On the contrary. It was a living seal." Silence cracked inside Râ's chest. "…A what?" "A fragment of will. A lock designed to prevent one specific being from entering this place." Râ remained motionless. Then he slowly asked, "…Who?" The dragon stared at him. And for the first time… its eyes seemed almost heavy. "You."
The silence became absolute. Râ blinked, then pointed at his own chest. "Me? Wait wait wait… So all of this mess… the golems, the portal, the stone, the cave… that was all to stop me from coming here?" "Yes." Râ stood speechless for two seconds. Then a slow smile stretched across his face. "…Oh. So I'm dangerous." The dragon did not answer. And that was enough of an answer.
Suddenly, the luminous rings in the sky began to turn. The chains vibrated. The entire temple let out a monstrous rumble. Râ looked up. "Uh… is that normal?" The dragon answered immediately: "No." The kingdom had just reacted. As if it had recognized Râ's presence. As if it wanted to… erase him. The floor of light cracked. Then dozens of forms emerged from the void. Warriors. No… guardians. They were gigantic, humanoid, covered in white and gold armor, with faceless helmets, and each one carried a weapon: spear, hammer, sword, bow, celestial chains. Their aura was overwhelming. Râ looked at them in silence, then exhaled. "Well. I was starting to think this place was getting a little too quiet."
The first guardian charged. Its spear split through space at divine speed. BOOOOOOM. Râ dodged at the last second, sliding across the luminous floor before leaping forward and smashing his astral fist into the guardian's chest. KRAAAASH. The giant stepped back once. Then only once. Râ landed, and his smile faded slightly. "…Ah. They're solid." The second guardian appeared behind him. BAAAAAAAAAAM. A celestial hammer strike exploded against his back and sent him flying through several floating pillars. Râ rolled across the ground, stood up immediately, spat out a bit of golden light… and burst into laughter. "OHHHH! NOW we're talking!" He raised his arms. "Then come all at once!" And they did.
The battle exploded throughout the entire sanctuary. Râ struck with raw solar violence. Every punch created waves of heat and bursts of light. But the guardians answered with terrifying discipline. One attacked him from the front. Another from the sky. Two others tried to seal him with their chains. Râ fought like a beast born for chaos. He grabbed one guardian by the head and smashed it into a pillar. He ripped away a celestial chain and used it to crush another giant. He dodged a rain of divine arrows before jumping so high he reached one of the floating rings, then used it as support to descend like a living meteor. BOOOOOOOOOOM. Three guardians were blown away in a single strike. But then a fourth one drove a blade into his shoulder. Râ gritted his teeth, then slowly looked down at the blade. "…Bad idea." He grabbed the guardian's arm… and tore it clean off. The arm fell into the void. The guardian stepped back. Râ breathed slightly heavier. He looked at his wounded shoulder. Even in his astral form… he was bleeding light. The dragon, still chained, was watching. Then it spoke. "You fight like a star that refuses to die." Râ wiped the glowing blood from the corner of his mouth, then smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
After several minutes of battle, the guardians fell one by one. Broken. Destroyed. Scattered throughout the kingdom. But one remained. The largest one. The one that had not moved yet. A black and gold guardian, larger than all the others, holding a gigantic sword whose blade looked like a piece of the night sky itself. Even Râ felt it immediately. That one was not like the others. The dragon whispered, "The Judge." The guardian slowly raised its sword. And pointed it at Râ. Then… a voice from nowhere echoed throughout the entire kingdom: "FORBIDDEN IDENTITY DETECTED. ERASURE PROCEDURE." Râ raised an eyebrow. "…Excuse me?"
Then The Judge vanished. And reappeared directly in front of him. SLAAAAAAAAASH. Râ barely had time to cross his arms. The impact split the world in two. His astral body was launched for miles, tearing through arches, chains, and floating stone masses before crashing violently into the temple stairs. He remained on one knee. Silent. Then he slowly raised his head. And this time… he was no longer smiling. The Judge was already descending toward him. Slowly. Like an inevitable execution. Râ stood up. His solar aura began to burn around him. Stronger and stronger. More and more violently. The dragon slightly widened its eyes. As if it had just felt… something ancient.
Râ lowered his head. His hair lifted slightly under the heat. Then he whispered, "…Okay." He clenched his fist. A blinding light exploded around him. "If this kingdom really wants to erase me…" He raised his head. His eyes had become solar. "Then it's going to have to do a lot better than that." The Judge charged. Râ charged too. And just before the impact… the entire kingdom began to tremble. Because something… had finally begun to awaken inside him.
END OF THE CHAPTER