"There are truths hidden not by secrecy… but by fear."
— Unknown inscription, forbidden wing of the Dominion Archive
The night stretched endless over the Eternal Dominion, as Kaien stood atop the Obsidian Spire, the wind howling with whispers of ancient blood. Even now, hours after the destruction of the arena, the memory of that overwhelming power — not just his own, but something deeper — wouldn't fade.
He clutched his chest, fingers trembling.
"Rahul… why does your name burn inside me like a curse?"
A Forbidden Archive – Beneath Vordrakar Citadel
In a subterranean vault far beneath the capital, guarded by seals forged from elder gods' bones, a gate of pure obsidian pulsed slowly like a beating heart.
Seven ethereal locks rotated… then stopped.
A black mist leaked out.
And within the silence, a voice — calm, controlled, and absolute — echoed:
"It's been long enough…"
A single glowing eye opened within the void.
"Awaken me."
Meanwhile: War Council, Vordrakar Citadel
The great chamber rang with arguments.
Archdukes. Battle-Saints. Strategists. Royal Blood. All gathered under the Domination Banner, yet none dared speak directly to Kaien, who stood silently before the map table.
Next to him sat Valenya, his older sister, cool and deadly.
At his other flank stood Olivia Seraphyne Vaeloria, summoned here not as a guest — but as an equal.
One voice rose above the rest.
Name: Grand Magister Korr Vaell
Title: High Seer of Dominion Law
Rank: S
Role: Politician | Loyalist | Veiled Manipulator
"The duel between Kaien and the Celestial Princess was… an anomaly," Korr said carefully. "But to allow such untested power without royal bindings is a danger, Your Grace."
He looked to Valenya. "It is time the prince is marked — sealed — until his coronation."
The room fell silent.
Kaien didn't move.
Then Olivia stepped forward.
"Seal him?" she said, her tone like frost. "You're afraid because you saw a glimpse of what's coming. You fear the rise of what you can't control."
"You'd dare—" Korr began.
"Enough." Kaien's voice was quiet… but it shattered the table.
Wood splintered. The map disintegrated. And Korr dropped to his knees, coughing blood.
Kaien's aura surged for a brief instant, then disappeared again like a breath held too long.
"I don't need permission," he said. "Because the throne is mine. And you will speak of sealing me… never again."
Valenya cracked a rare smirk.
Same Moment: Edge of the Dominion – Unknown Ruins
Far beyond Dominion space, in a shattered realm of blackened moons, something ancient stirred beneath the ice.
A girl stood alone, clothed in servant garb, sweeping ash from cracked tiles.
Her eyes were dull. Her presence weak.
But the moment Kaien's aura pulsed across the stars…
Her fingers twitched.
In her veins, golden blood ignited.
And the voice of Rahul — not memory, not echo, but voice — whispered:
"You are not what they made you believe."
"You are mine."
The girl fell to her knees, gasping, as the ruins around her shimmered with sigils unseen for 10,000 years.
Name: ??? (To Be Revealed)
Role: Hidden Royal | 1 of the 5 Main MCs
Status: Currently enslaved. Power sealed. Bloodline hidden.
Flashback – 7,000 Years Ago
Rahul the Godslayer stood atop a mountain of dead Seraphim.
He was bare-handed.
Wounded gods crawled behind him, begging. Crying. Forgotten.
And Rahul, with calm eyes that burned through eternity, whispered:
"You don't understand it yet… but mercy is just delayed destruction."
He turned his head.
A young Eon Thalor — trembling, bloody — stood behind him.
"You… you killed them all…"
Rahul nodded. "Of course I did."
"Why?" Eon gasped.
Rahul walked toward him slowly.
"Because they threatened my family."
He passed by Eon without another word, stepping into the wind.
And with his next step… the entire battlefield disappeared into white nothingness.
Present – Olivia's Chambers
Olivia stood before the mirror, hand pressed to her chest.
"That power… that presence…" she whispered.
She could still feel Kaien's aura dancing in her soul.
She had lied to the council earlier. She hadn't just felt Kaien's energy.
She'd seen Rahul's silhouette inside it.
And it had spoken to her too.
"Protect my heir," it had whispered.
"Or the void will return unchained."