The room was softly lit by floating red mana lanterns, their glow warm and steady against the stone walls. The air smelled faintly of herbs and old parchment. The scent of a clan that had guarded forbidden knowledge for centuries.
Eiden and Fennaro sat across from each other at a low wooden table.
Two cups of steaming tea rested between them, thin curls of vapor rising into the quiet.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
It wasn't an uncomfortable silence.
It was the silence of two people who had lived lifetimes together, and apart.
Finally, Fennaro exhaled and broke the stillness.
"I must ask…" he said softly. "Now that you have your body back… what will you do?"
Eiden lifted his cup, took a slow sip, and set it down with a quiet clink.
"Well," he began, "first, I need to talk with Iris about her little extermination of the twelve‑tailed wolves."
Fennaro raised a brow.
"Why?"
Eiden leaned back slightly.
"The man who was with me four days ago, Bengie. We made a deal. He helped me get my body back. In return, I promised to stop Iris from killing the twelve‑tailed wolves his people rely on for strength."
Fennaro nodded slowly.
"Ah. I see."
Eiden continued, voice calm but thoughtful.
"And… I also want to reunite with the rest of the Seven Great Sages. I remember Vaelus keeps a small cottage somewhere in these lands. I need to find him. He may know where Iris is."
Fennaro let out a low grunt.
"Damn Vaelus. I hate that time‑magic‑using son of a bitch."
Eiden smirked faintly.
Fennaro looked up, irritation flickering in his eyes.
"Vaelus the Chronomage is one of the few mages I despise with my entire soul. Out of all the Seven Great Sages, he's the one you can't speak to without him acting out. He's like a walking demon. All elves are calm... except him. Vaelus is just—"
"A walking flame, right?" Eiden finished.
Fennaro blinked, then smirked.
"Yeah. That's the word."
He lifted his tea and took a sip, letting the warmth settle him.
"So why," he asked, "of all people, do you think he knows where Iris is?"
Eiden's expression didn't change.
"I, Vaelus, and Iris have one thing in common: we love to fight. So we get along more than the others. And Vaelus is likely the one who stayed in contact with her the most while I was gone."
Fennaro nodded slowly.
"Got it…"
Eiden set his cup down.
"Tonight, I'll head out to find his cottage. It should be west of here, somewhere deep in the woods."
Fennaro's shoulders slumped slightly.
"Oh… I see."
He tried to hide the disappointment in his voice, but Eiden heard it anyway.
He hadn't even been back long enough, and already he was leaving.
Eiden's expression softened.
"Don't worry," he said. "I'll visit again."
Fennaro's eyes lit up, but just a little.
"Hmph. Alright. I'll be waiting, Eiden."
The tea between them steamed quietly.
Two old friends.
One newly reborn.
One who had waited nineteen years for his return.
And the world outside shifted, sensing the First Divinity's next move...
The sun had long vanished beyond the horizon.
The sky was a deep, endless black, the kind that swallowed sound and light alike.
Only the moon remained, hanging high and silver, its glow spilling across the Redcrest Clan's courtyard like liquid frost.
Eiden stood before the open gate, cloak brushing softly against the ground.
Beside him, Fennaro lingered, arms crossed, trying, but failing to hide the heaviness in his eyes.
"You will visit, right?" Fennaro asked quietly.
"Of course," Eiden replied.
Fennaro exhaled, relieved.
"Good. Now let me lower the barrier—"
Before he could even raise his hand, Eiden vanished.
A soft pop of displaced air echoed.
He reappeared outside the barrier, hands in his pockets.
"See ya."
And then he was gone again.
Swallowed by the night.
Eiden materialized in a dense forest, the air thick with the scent of pine and damp earth.
The trees towered above him like ancient pillars, their branches blotting out the moonlight.
Only fireflies drifted through the darkness, glowing faintly like wandering souls.
Eiden lifted his hand.
A small flame ignited in his palm.
Soft
Warm
Floating just above his skin.
He let it hover beside him like a lantern.
He walked.
For hours.
The forest was silent except for the crunch of leaves beneath his boots and the distant hoot of night creatures.
The flame cast long shadows across the trunks, making the woods feel alive, like they were watching.
Then, finally...
A faint glow appeared between the trees.
A cottage.
Small.
Old.
Warm light flickering through the window.
Eiden smirked.
"Found you."
He took a step forward...
And something shot toward him.
Fast.
A spark?
A beam?
A blade?
He didn't know
Only that it was moving at a speed that would've killed anyone else instantly.
Eiden dispelled his flame and summoned a shield of pure mana just in time.
A curved blade slammed into the shield, aura crackling violently.
The force pushed through the barrier, inch by inch, splitting it like glass.
Eiden's eyes narrowed.
The shield shattered into mana particles.
The blade stopped a hair's breadth from his forehead.
Eiden teleported behind the attacker, hand already on his katana's hilt.
But he froze.
Green rings snapped into existence around his body, orbiting him like chains of light.
He couldn't move.
"The hell…?" he muttered.
A voice chuckled in the darkness.
"Hehe… looks like I caught myself some fresh meat."
Eiden's eyes narrowed.
I know that voice…
Another voice called out, a soft feminine voice...
"Hey, get a flame. I need to see this idiot's face."
A torch ignited.
Warm light spilled across the clearing.
Two figures stood before him.
A woman with long black hair, crimson eyes, and a sharp, dangerous beauty.
A man with reddish hair, spiked teeth, and a grin that radiated pure chaos.
Iris and Vaelus.
Both froze.
Their eyes widened.
"…Eiden?" Iris whispered.
Eiden smirked.
"Hello, Iris, Vaelus. It's been a while."
The green rings dissolved instantly.
Eiden opened his mouth to speak.
But Iris moved first.
She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.
Her body trembled violently.
"You had us worried, Eiden," she whispered, voice cracking. "You had everyone worried. We almost fell apart when we heard you died."
Eiden felt warmth spreading across his shirt.
Tears.
Her tears.
Her grip tightened, as if she feared he would vanish again.
Eiden sighed softly, placing a hand on her back.
"Iris…"
He didn't finish.
Because for the first time in nineteen years,
the Seven Great Sages were slowly beginning to reunite.
And the world trembled.
Iris's voice trembled, barely holding itself together.
"How can I even look you in the eye right now..."
Eiden gently cupped her face, lifting her chin with both hands.
"Shhh. Shhh," he whispered as he brushed the tears off her cheeks with his soft thumbs.
Her breath hitched.
"See?" he said softly, meeting her gaze. "Not hard, is it? You managed to look me in the eye."
A shaky laugh escaped her.
"Y‑you asshole…" she muttered, gripping his robe tighter, fingers curling into the fabric as if anchoring herself to him. She pressed her forehead back into his chest, shoulders trembling.
Vaelus cleared his throat.
"Eiden," he said, pointing with his thumb, "my cottage is that way."
He sheathed his curved blade with a quiet click.
"Please. Follow me, both of you."
His voice was soft...
Unusually soft.
Vaelus, the walking flame, the hot‑headed Chronomage, was serious.
He understood the weight of this moment.
This wasn't the time for arrogance.
This was the time for truth.
Inside the Cottage
The cottage was small, warm, and dimly lit by a single lantern.
The wooden walls creaked softly with the wind.
A kettle hissed on the stove.
Iris sat on the small bed, hands wrapped around a cup of tea.
Her eyes were still damp, lashes trembling as she stared at the floor.
Eiden and Vaelus sat at the tiny table, barely big enough for two.
Silence filled the room.
A heavy, suffocating silence.
Finally, Vaelus spoke, not with his usual fiery tone, but with a calm, low voice.
"Eiden… after you killed Uzak'me, the leader of the Ten Celestials, and you were pronounced dead… the rest of the Celestials retaliated."
Eiden's eyes sharpened.
"What happened?"
Vaelus exhaled.
"We think they kidnapped Seraphaine..."
Eiden's chair scraped the floor as he leaned forward.
"What? She's the fifth strongest of us. How-"
"They all attacked her at once," Iris interrupted quietly.
Her voice was hollow.
"Well… all nine of them."
A long silence stretched.
Iris took a deep breath, steadying herself.
"She was helping a village in the south. Healing them. Protecting them. When we felt her essence flicker, like a candle being smothered, we rushed there."
Her hands tightened around her cup.
"But all we found were fragments of her armor and blood. Not her grimoire. Not her sword. Nothing else. Just..."
The room felt colder.
Much colder.
Vaelus continued.
"I argued with Iris. I told her Seraphaine wasn't dead or captured. Because Morvath said he'd keep an eye on her. He suspected the Celestials would target one of us eventually."
Eiden nodded slowly.
Morvath, the Umbramage, was unpredictable, but not careless.
Vaelus went on.
"We all know Morvath can teleport others through touch. And he can erase parts of reality, create portals, hide mana signatures… I believe he rescued her. Teleported her somewhere dormant. Somewhere the Celestials can't track."
Eiden placed a hand on his chin.
"That's possible. But have you heard from him? Anything at all?"
Iris and Vaelus both shook their heads.
"Not since that day," Iris whispered.
Eiden leaned back, thinking.
"So Morvath likely has her hidden. But he can't risk contacting you two. For one possible reason."
Iris raised an eyebrow.
"And what reason is that?"
Eiden's voice dropped.
"The Ten Celestials are hunting the Seven Great Sages… from strongest to weakest. And they're watching the rest of you. Right now."
Iris and Vaelus exchanged a look.
"You might be right," Vaelus said. "But we aren't certain that's the—"
He stopped.
Mid‑sentence.
Because all three of them felt it.
A surge of mana so heavy it made the air vibrate.
Eiden stood instantly.
"You two, beside me. Now."
Iris and Vaelus rushed to his side.
"Vaelus," Eiden said, voice low and sharp, "on my signal, you will cast a dome. I sense something-"
A beam, wide enough to swallow acres, tore through the forest, vaporizing trees, soil, and the cottage in a single instant.
The world turned white.
Then black.
A cloud of dirt and ash exploded into the sky.
When the smoke cleared, Iris and Vaelus stood inside a layered magical dome, breathing hard, but alive.
A high-feminine laugh echoed through the clearing.
"Haha! Don't tell me you little shits are scared now! What? Don't have your precious Eiden to protect you anymore? Haha!"
The dust settled.
Six silhouettes stood in the distance.
Six beings radiating mana so dense it warped the air.
6 of the 10 Celestials.
Seraphyx, Celestial of Light, who wore a white mantle with gold trim, light‑woven armor plates, and a thin rapier of pure radiance at her hip.
Umbrael, Celestial of Shadow, who wore a drifting black coat, shadow‑stitched boots, and twin shifting daggers strapped across his lower back.
Vael'Torin, Celestial of Gravity, who wore reinforced dark armor with floating metal shards orbiting his shoulders, and a massive gravity‑runed war‑hammer on his back.
Kharos, Celestial of War, who wore jagged red battle armor, heavy boots, and a colossal blood‑stained greatsword strapped diagonally across his back.
Elyndra, Celestial of Time, who wore layered blue‑white robes marked with shifting sigils, and a slim staff with a suspended hourglass strapped to her back.
Solmara, Celestial of Stars, who wore a dark‑violet celestial dress reinforced with armor plates, and a long curved star‑forged glaive resting across her back.
Solmara stepped forward, smirking with absolute confidence.
"Now," she said, "let's be honest. We failed to kill or capture your other friends. They've gone into hiding. And you two will tell me exactly where they are."
Iris and Vaelus exchange glances before turning their attention back to the Celestials.
"So Vaelus was right after all..." Iris thought to herself.
Solamara raised a hand, starlight gathering in her palm.
"But first… I want this to be entertaining."
Solmara's smile sharpened, thin and cruel.
"I'm going to use Shwall on the both of you… while I drag this out… while I make every second feel like it's tearing through you from the inside."
She tilted her head, voice dropping into something almost delighted.
"I want to hear you choke on your own breath. I want to feel your strength slipping away piece by piece. I want you to understand exactly how helpless you are before I'm finished."
Her fingers tightened around the star‑forged glaive, the air trembling around her.
"I want this to hurt."
"I want you to feel your nerves ache while I pull them out."
"I want you to feel-"
She never finished...
Her head slid cleanly off her neck.
A perfect cut.
Her body stood for a moment, swaying, before collapsing.
Blood poured out in a violent rush, soaking the ground.
Silence.
A silence so heavy it felt like the world stopped.
Kharos looked down at her corpse.
"…Idiot."
Seraphyx stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
"You two," she said, "I never knew you were capable of something so skilled we didn't even detect it."
Vaelus dispelled the shield.
Vaelus unsheathed his blade, aura crackling around him.
His green robe marked with glowing green symbols, reacted as his sword hung at his side.
Iris stepped forward beside him, palms filling with swirling blood.
Her eyes glowed crimson, her red robe and red cloak whipping in the wind as her aura surged.
The battlefield shifted.
The remaining Celestials finally understood...
These two weren't prey.
They were predators who had simply been holding back.
They stood ready.
But they weren't the ones who killed Solmara.
And the Celestials knew it.
Something else was here.
Something stronger.
Something ancient.
Something they feared.