The sky above the mountains remained torn apart by the storm long after the clash between Perun's lightning and the dragonfire power of Drakar had shattered the heavens, for even as the thunder slowly faded into the distance and the dark clouds crawled across the horizon like wounded beasts seeking shelter, the air itself still trembled with the remnants of a power that had just passed through the world like the heartbeat of an ancient titan, and even the mountains that had stood for thousands of years seemed slightly lower, as if they had bowed before the battle that had just taken place, acknowledging a force that had managed to break even the wrath of the heavens.
Drakar stood among the ruins of shattered stone, where rock had been split, melted, and scattered like fragments of a world that could not withstand the collision of two overwhelming powers.
His wings slowly faded, dissolving into the air as dark sparks of energy.
The golden runes beneath his skin still burned.
Selene approached carefully, as if even a single wrong movement could disrupt the fragile balance of power that now held within his body.
"Did you… win?" she asked quietly.
Drakar stared at the horizon where the storm was slowly retreating.
"No."
He paused briefly, his voice deeper now.
"I survived."
Selene said nothing.
Because she understood.
For the gods, that was worse.
At the same time.In the Hall of Pantheons.
The air was heavy.
Because the death of Perun had already been felt by the fabric of reality itself, and even the roots of the World Tree, from which the hall was formed, trembled faintly as if reacting to the loss of one of the forces that kept the world in balance.
Zeus stood beside his throne.
Lightning slowly moved between his fingers, reflecting his inner anger.
"Enough."
His voice thundered across the hall like distant, inevitable storm.
"One god has fallen."
His gaze turned cold.
"Another has been wounded."
Thor stood nearby.
His eyes were dark.
"He has grown stronger."
Odin slowly lifted his head, his single eye gleaming with quiet knowledge.
"He is evolving."
Zeus responded sharply:
"He is a threat."
Veles chuckled softly from the shadows of his throne, his laughter like the whisper of marshes at night.
"A mortal who frightens gods…"
His eyes gleamed.
"That is almost beautiful."
Zeus struck the stone with his fist.
Thunder rolled across the hall.
"We will no longer act separately."
He raised his hand.
"The hunt begins."
Silence filled the hall.
Thor tilted his head slightly.
"Who will you send?"
Zeus answered with a single word.
"The Hunters."
And in that very moment the air in the center of the hall trembled, as if reality itself parted to make way for something that did not belong among gods nor mortals.
Figures began to emerge from the darkness.
Not gods.
But not human either.
Their bodies were covered in divine runes that glowed with cold, merciless light.
Their eyes burned with power that did not belong to them.
They were warriors created for a single purpose.
To hunt.
Those who could kill gods.
One of them stepped forward.
His armor was dark as a starless night.
His voice was cold as steel.
"We will find him."
Zeus nodded.
"He carries the power of gods."
"He carries the power of a dragon."
His eyes flashed.
"Bring me his head."
Far away in the world of mortals.
Drakar suddenly lifted his head, as if something unseen had brushed against his awareness.
Selene noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
His eyes narrowed.
"They're moving."
"Who?"
Drakar answered quietly.
"Not gods."
He tightened his grip on the chains.
The runes flared with golden light.
"Worse."
Selene felt a chill.
"What could be worse than gods?"
Drakar smiled.
But this smile was cold.
"Those the gods send when they are afraid."
And in that very moment the air above the mountains cracked.
Not like a rift.
Like a wound.
Darkness split open.
And from it stepped a figure.
Tall.
Wrapped in dark energy.
Its eyes burned with divine light.
It looked directly at Drakar.
"So…"
Its voice was quiet.
But heavy.
"It's you."
Drakar slowly raised his chains.
"And you are?"
The figure answered without hesitation.
"The First Hunter."
His armor ignited with runes pulsing with cold power.
"The one sent to kill those whom the gods cannot kill themselves."
Selene whispered:
"This is bad…"
Drakar answered calmly.
"No."
His eyes burned gold.
"This is interesting."
The Hunter tilted his head slightly.
"You're not afraid."
Drakar smiled wider.
"I've already killed a god."
His wings slowly began to form again, unfolding behind him like the shadow of something ancient and inevitable.
"Let's see…"
His voice became quiet.
"How quickly I learn to kill hunters."
And above the mountains, the storm began to gather once more.
But this time, it was not the storm of gods.
It was the storm of the hunt.
Because now the game had changed.
And the hunter and the prey…
did not yet know which one would become the trophy.