The sky was ablaze with a fury unlike any Amina had ever seen. The heavens themselves were tearing apart, the stars flickering out one by one like dying embers. It was as though the fabric of reality was unraveling, and at the center of it all, Valec stood, motionless, his eyes closed, his mind lost in the pull of the gods.
Amina could feel it—the tremor of fate itself, vibrating in the air around her. The earth beneath their feet was shaking with the weight of something ancient, something vast and unstoppable. The voice had called to him, and now the world was answering.
"Valec..."
It was more than a call. It was an order. A command that tore through the very core of his being, pulling him toward a destiny he had tried so hard to escape.
Amina stepped forward, her heart hammering in her chest. She couldn't lose him—not like this. She couldn't let the gods take him back into their grip.
"Valec!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos, but he didn't respond. He was lost in the pull of the gods' call, his body rigid, his soul tethered to something far beyond her reach.
The boy stepped up beside her, his eyes locked on Valec with an unreadable expression. "This is what he feared," the boy murmured. "This is the end of his journey. The gods have come for him."
"No," Amina said fiercely, shaking her head. "He's not going back. I won't let them take him."
The boy's gaze softened slightly. "You cannot stop what has been set in motion. The gods' will is as inevitable as the rising sun. But you can choose how it ends."
Amina's chest tightened as she looked at the boy. "What do you mean?"
He turned to face her fully, his eyes dark and heavy with knowledge far beyond her understanding. "Valec's fate is bound to theirs. But he has something they don't expect. He has a choice."
Amina's heart skipped. She reached out, grabbing the boy's arm. "How do I help him? What can I do?"
The boy looked down at her hand, then back up at her, his face hardening. "You must show him the truth. He must see that the gods are not his masters—they are his chains."
Amina's mind raced. "But... how can I do that?"
The boy's eyes locked onto hers, a deep intensity in his gaze. "You must show him the power within him—the power that they tried to suppress. It's in his blood, Amina. It's in all of you. You have the strength to break the chains, but he has to believe it first."
Before Amina could respond, the air around them thickened, and the ground rumbled once more. The sky above them split open with a violent roar, and from the breach, a figure descended—draped in shadows, radiating an aura of cold power.
It was not just a god.
It was the god.
The one who had called to Valec.
Amina's breath caught in her throat as the figure landed before them, the air itself warping around his presence. He was tall, his features obscured by a mask of shifting shadows, his eyes glowing with a golden light that seemed to burn through the darkness. He was the embodiment of the gods' power—their will incarnate.
"You have defied us for the last time," the god's voice thundered, a sound that resonated deep within Amina's chest. It was a voice that could command mountains, a voice that could bend the very earth to its will.
Valec's eyes fluttered open, but they were distant, empty, as though he were no longer truly present. The pull of the god was too strong. He was on the edge of submission, and Amina could see it in the way his shoulders slumped, the way his hands trembled.
"No," Amina whispered, stepping forward, her heart racing. "This isn't him. He's still in there. I know he is."
The god turned his glowing eyes toward her, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "He was ours long before you. He always will be."
Amina's mind whirled. The boy had spoken of breaking chains, but how? How could she fight a god?
In that moment, the boy spoke again, his voice calm but filled with urgency. "The chains are not physical. They are mental. Emotional. Valec's weakness lies in his guilt, in his fear of his past. That's what keeps him bound. But you... you can reach him. You can remind him who he really is."
Amina's heart raced. She knew what she had to do.
She took a deep breath, stepping closer to Valec. Her voice was quiet at first, but it grew stronger with each word.
"Valec, listen to me. You're not a servant. You're not a tool for them to use. You are more than your past. You are more than the chains they've placed on you. You are free. You can be free."
Valec's head jerked up, his eyes momentarily flickering with recognition. But the god stepped forward, his voice booming with rage.
"Enough! Do not waste your breath on him. He is already ours."
The god's hands raised, and the sky above them cracked open, lightning flashing through the dark clouds. A wave of raw power surged toward Valec, threatening to consume him.
But Amina stood firm, her gaze locked on Valec. "Valec, you can break this. You have the power. Don't let them control you anymore."
For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. The world, the gods, the storm—all of it paused as if holding its breath. And then, a shift.
Valec's eyes snapped open, and for the first time, they weren't empty. They were filled with determination. He clenched his fists at his sides, his body trembling as he fought against the pull of the god's power.
"I… I am not yours," Valec said, his voice rough, but growing stronger with each word. "I never was."
The god snarled, his golden eyes flashing with fury. "You are nothing without us!"
Valec's lips curled into a grim smile. "Then it's time you learned what I've become."
With a sudden, violent movement, Valec raised his arms, and the ground trembled beneath them. The air crackled with energy as the chains that had once bound him began to fracture and break apart, piece by piece.
The god's eyes widened in shock. "No... this cannot be!"
But it was too late.
Valec unleashed a burst of raw power, sending a wave of energy that sent the god reeling back. The god's form flickered, his mask cracking as though it were nothing more than fragile glass.
Amina watched in awe as the chains that had bound Valec for so long shattered completely. The god tried to rally, but it was clear—the balance had shifted. Valec was no longer the servant. He was the master of his fate.
The boy's voice whispered in her ear. "The chains are broken. But the battle has only just begun."
And in that moment, Amina knew that they had just ignited a war that would shake the very foundations of the gods themselves.