Velmora's sky shattered.
Ash stood in midair, his aura blazing—no longer just crimson, but a swirling vortex of black and silver, laced with ancient runes.
> "Vareth," he whispered. "You should have stayed dead."
The god bellowed, its voice shaking mountains.
> "YOU DEFY THE LAWS OF CREATION! YOU ARE A BLIGHT UPON THIS WORLD!"
Chains of light lashed out—each one a divine command, each one meant to bind and erase souls.
Ash snapped his fingers.
The air burned.
The chains unraveled mid-flight, their energy devoured by his dominion.
Vareth's void-like face twisted with fury. It raised both arms—divine spears formed in the sky, raining down like a holy storm.
Ash smiled—cold, sharp, and furious.
He raised his own hand, and Crimson Dominion surged—spreading out like a thousand spectral blades. Each one met a divine spear, shattering it.
But Vareth wasn't just a brute. It remembered.
> "SEER'S LIGHT," it roared.
Ash's eyes widened—Vareth's chest split open, revealing a seething, burning core of silver.
A light like Elya's magic.
It was trying to use her power against him.
But Ash didn't waver.
He pulled his hand back, and the sky twisted.
Primordial Arcana—forbidden magic even among gods.
> "You were always a jailer, Vareth," he whispered. "But I? I am the thing you tried to lock away."
The air froze.
The wind howled. Space cracked.
And then Ash spoke:
> "Absolute Dominion."
Reality bent.
Vareth's body strained—divine light flickered, its chains snapping one by one.
The students below saw nothing but a vortex of darkness and flame.
But Ash saw the truth.
He saw the god's fear.
> "You cannot… this world… will end…"
Ash's smile widened. "Then die with it."
His magic surged.
The sky split.
Vareth's body shattered, divine fire exploding in all directions.
But before it was erased, the god's voice whispered one last time.
> "Your chains… will find you again… Kaelith…"
And then silence.
The world returned.
Ash hovered in the air, breathing heavily. His body flickered, burns searing his arms, silver light pulsing in his chest.
But he was alive.
---
Below, Elya stared, pale and trembling.
She remembered now.
Kaelith. Her betrayal. His power—an endless, monstrous hunger for more.
She remembered why she had tried to kill him.
But now… she didn't want to lose him.
Lyssara flew up, catching Ash as he nearly collapsed.
"Ash!" she shouted. "Are you—"
"I'm fine," he muttered, though his vision blurred.
Rhiessa and Arin landed beside them, both tense.
"That… that was a god," Rhiessa whispered. "You just… killed a god."
"Not my first," Ash murmured.
But inside, he felt a cold knot in his chest.
The silver light—the Seer's Light—it was burning him. Every time he drew on his forbidden power, it grew.
And if he kept using it… he wasn't sure if he'd survive.
But he couldn't let them see his fear.
Instead, he looked down at Elya.
Her tear-filled eyes met his.
"You're… still you," she whispered.
Ash smiled—soft, bitter. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't."
But before she could respond, a shadow passed over them.
The Headmaster appeared, his face pale.
"Ash… we have a problem."
---
Inside the academy, a council of instructors, warlocks, and guardians gathered.
And in the center… a massive, burning rune—glowing red on the academy's main hall.
> "This appeared the moment you killed the god," Veradin whispered. "A sigil. A warning."
Ash's eyes narrowed. "From who?"
The Headmaster's voice shook.
> "From the Council. They've declared Velmora a Heretical Zone. They've sealed the academy's borders. They're coming… with an army."
Ash's smile f
aded.
"I see. They're that desperate."
Lyssara laughed, her eyes gleaming. "Well, we have an army too. Right?"
Ash's gaze turned cold.
"Not yet. But we will."