Kaelen lay on the ground, breathing heavily. His body felt like lead, his divine energy flickering like a dying flame.
Lyria, Thorne, and Umbra sat around him, their bodies battered and bloodied. The battlefield was eerily silent, the once-roaring flames of Avarion now reduced to nothing but embers in the wind.
It was over.
They had won.
And yet…
Something felt wrong.
Kaelen tried to push himself up, but pain shot through his chest, reminding him of the massive wound Avarion had inflicted earlier. Though it had healed, he could still feel it.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
"…It's too quiet," Umbra muttered, his sharp eyes scanning the ruins around them.
Kaelen nodded slowly. "Yeah. I don't like it."
Lyria frowned. "What do you mean? We won. Avarion is gone. His power was completely destroyed."
Kaelen wanted to believe that.
But something in his gut told him otherwise.
Then—
The ground rumbled beneath them.
Kaelen froze.
Thorne's hand tightened around his sword.
Umbra vanished into the shadows.
Lyria slowly reached for her bow.
And then—
A deep, chilling voice echoed through the battlefield.
"Foolish mortals."
Kaelen's heart stopped.
No.
No, that wasn't possible.
Avarion was dead.
They had seen him shatter into dust.
And yet—
The sky turned black once more.
A crimson glow filled the heavens, and the ground beneath them cracked open, releasing a pulse of raw, chaotic energy.
Then, out of the shadows, a figure emerged.
Avarion.
But… not the same Avarion they had fought before.
His body was larger, his armor darker, his flames no longer red or black—but pure white, like an infernal star.
His eyes burned with limitless rage.
Kaelen's blood ran cold.
"…No way," Thorne whispered.
Avarion smiled.
"Did you truly believe Wrath could be destroyed?"
Kaelen's hands trembled.
They had barely won the first fight.
And now…
Avarion was back.
Stronger than ever.
And this time—
There was no escape.
Season 5: The God-King Chronicles
Chapter 10: A Warning from Wrath
The air grew heavy, as if the entire world was being crushed under an unseen force.
Kaelen could barely breathe. His golden aura, which had once blazed like a sun, flickered weakly.
Avarion—or what should've been his ashes—stood before them, his form even more terrifying than before.
Lyria tightened her grip on her bow, but her hands shook.
Thorne raised his sword, but his usually unyielding stance wavered.
Even Umbra, who always remained calm in the face of death, was frozen like a shadow against the wall.
Kaelen swallowed hard. "This… this isn't possible."
Avarion chuckled, his voice echoing through the ruined battlefield like a storm rolling over the horizon.
"Oh, Kaelen… you still don't understand, do you?"
Kaelen clenched his fists, ignoring the burning pain in his chest. "I killed you."
Avarion took a step forward, and the ground beneath him cracked apart, lava bubbling to the surface.
"You destroyed my form," he admitted. "But Wrath is not a mere body. Wrath is eternal."
Kaelen gritted his teeth. "Then why are you just standing there? If you're so eternal, why haven't you finished this?"
Avarion smiled. "Because I didn't come here to fight, Kaelen."
Kaelen and his friends stiffened.
Avarion's flames flickered, not in aggression—but as if restraining themselves.
"I came to warn you."
A cold chill ran down Kaelen's spine.
"A warning?" Lyria whispered, barely believing the words.
Avarion's smile widened. "You think I'm your greatest enemy, don't you?"
Kaelen remained silent.
Because until five seconds ago, that had been the truth.
Avarion exhaled, his divine flames dimming slightly. His expression turned serious.
"There is something far worse than me."
The earth trembled beneath them, as if reacting to his words.
"Something that will consume not just this world, but every realm, every god, every existence."
Kaelen's heart pounded in his chest.
"…What could possibly be worse than you?"
Avarion tilted his head. "Something that even Wrath cannot destroy."
Silence.
Then, Avarion turned, looking up at the crimson-smeared sky.
"I do not wish to see this world burn before I have the chance to rule it myself."
Kaelen let out a breath, realization settling in. "So that's it. You're not warning us because you care. You're warning us because you don't want someone else to take your throne."
Avarion chuckled. "Now you're catching on."
Kaelen crossed his arms, his wounds still throbbing. "And what exactly is this 'thing' we should be worried about?"
Avarion's smile faded.
For the first time, Kaelen saw something unusual in his expression.
It wasn't pride.
It wasn't arrogance.
It was unease.
Avarion turned back to him, eyes burning.
"The God of the End."
Kaelen's stomach dropped.
Thorne took a step back. "That's a myth."
Avarion's flames flared dangerously.
"Tell yourself that when it arrives."
Kaelen exhaled.
Everything in him wanted to deny it.
But if Avarion was willing to give a warning instead of a death sentence, then whatever was coming…
Was something that even Wrath feared.
And that meant they were in serious trouble.
TO BE CONTINUED…