The cold breath of the mountain winds met Kael as he stepped off the train in the Spanish countryside. He didn't travel with fanfare or backup, just silence and a single bag slung over his shoulder. He preferred it that way.
He took the dirt path alone, winding through a forgotten stretch of forest. Trees leaned close like old companions welcoming him back. Their trunks bore the scars of age and hidden history. This was home. Not because he was born here ,but because the truth had once been whispered to him in the cracks between the wood and stone.
The cottage sat quietly at the edge of a cliff. Teadra's cottage. Untouched, save for the creeping moss on the stone walls and the persistent vines curling through the windows like ghost fingers.
He stepped inside. Dust swirled like spirit smoke in the stale air. The familiar scent of aged paper, dried herbs, and soot still clung to every beam and corner. Books filled the walls, stacked with the chaotic elegance of a mind that sought truth, not order.
Kael lit the fire pit with a breath of mana and collapsed onto the floor beside the old bookshelf.
For the next several hours, he buried himself in texts. Reading every single tome and scroll or whatever held a text on or in it.
One book, Reflections on Celestial Misalignments, discussed the strange fallout of realms realigning every few centuries, hinting at creatures of immense power, once mistaken for gods, now buried in myth.
Another, Tears of the Deep Sky, recounted a poem about an "Emperor of Flame and Storm" banished beneath the roots of reality. The cadence of the words made Kael pause. It didn't read like fiction. It somehow steered something within him and that something seem to tug on his memory although fleeting he clung to it and kept reading.
"Typical grandma, hiding the truth in plane sight, I was so naive to take all this for fantasy" he couldn't help but pause and recount .
After a huge sigh he continued, digging through books about bloodlines, lost languages, celestial tongues, and maps of realms long erased. He scribbled notes, cross-referenced passages, filled pages with fragmented truths.
Piece by piece, he wove a mental tapestry. The picture wasn't complete. But he saw it forming.
As he read into the night, he felt the weight of the truth tightening around his soul. It wasn't just a legacy he inherited. It was a grave he was crawling out of.
-----
"Still no message?" asked Lia, Elara's roommate, peeking over the half-wall between the kitchen and living room.
Elara didn't look up from the television. "No."
"You've been watching the news for two hours, E. What exactly are you hoping to find? A magic message embedded in the stock market?"
Elara didn't respond. The news flicked to a report about a minor earthquake near Germany. Her eyes narrowed for a moment but then relaxed.
Lia walked over and dropped a pillow beside her. "Look, I know he's your… little boyfriend or whatever. But if he bailed, he's not worth it."
Elara sighed sharply " he's not my boyfriend"
Lia continued, oblivious. "Honestly, it's kind of your fault for not telling me anything. All I know is you guys were getting close, then boom...he's gone and now you're moping like some Greek widow."
..... no reply.
Lia frowned. "Seriously, what did he do? Join a cult? Go train with monks?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Elara said, voice brittle but steady.
"Fine," Lia said with a shrug, clearly hurt. "But maybe stop yelling at the news. It's just a war in Eastern Europe and some nerds missing from an archaeology team. Kael probably didn't even have time to say goodbye."
That broke her silence. Elara stood up, voice rising like a flash storm. " That's the problem! He walks in, shifts your world, then disappears like it never happened!!!"
Lia blinked, surprised by the outburst.
Elara turned away, fists clenched. "You think I don't know how crazy this all sounds? That I'm waiting for someone who might not even exist the same way anymore?"
Her voice cracked. She bit it down.
Lia softened but didn't push. Elara didn't explain. Couldn't. Because what could she say? That the boy she was waiting for might be the reincarnated vessel of a forgotten war against heaven itself?
So instead, she just sat back down.
And stared.
---
The wind shifted before he stepped into the chamber, swirling with whispers only he could hear.
The Disciple of Wind stood before his fellow Demi-Gods. His cloak was torn. His breath uneven. His face… unreadable.
"You're late," said the Demi-God of Flame, arms crossed. "We expected your return three days ago."
"I encountered... complications," the Disciple said evenly.
Flame scoffed. "Did you acquire the memory fragment or not?"
"I did," he replied. "But that's not the issue."
The Disciple of Sight leaned forward, her third eye swirling like a galaxy. "Then speak clearly. What happened?"
The Disciple took a breath, closing his eyes. "My system crashed in his presence."
A murmur spread across the council.
" Crashed?? That's impossible," muttered the Disciple of Earth.
" He has changed, after he absorbed light he grew more powerful than the last time and there is something else this time" the Demi god looked around before he continued. "he now remembers, I don't know how much he remembered but whatever little part he remembers seem to be on a terrifying side, he became more restrained and that caused the crash."
"Your DNA is bonded to the system," Sight said slowly. "It shouldn't malfunction unless—"
"Unless Kael did something to it," he finished. "And I believe he did. Not intentionally. But his presence ,his energy, although at that time it seemed as if he wasn't present anymore like he left even though he was standing right in front of me, his existence was interfering with the entire construct. As if the surroundings itself obeyed a different physics. One older than our systems."
"And what next?" Flame asked. "Did you fight?"
"I confronted him," the Disciple said. "He was waiting for me. Not to strike, but to talk. He looked different… changed. So I needed to know what I was facing at the time."
"He spoke to you?" Earth asked, voice full of disbelief.
"Yes. He offered negotiation."
Flame laughed bitterly. "And you considered it?"
"I considered survival," the Disciple replied. "If I had fought him then and there, I would not have returned."
Silence.
"I've faced Kael before. This… was something else. He no longer seeks war. But he no longer fears it either. And I don't believe he sees us as the final enemy."
"Really?? I never knew you were so naive." asked Sight.
The Disciple turned toward her. " you'll all face him at some point, so I'll be waiting to here your accessments after that, that is only if you come back alive ."
Flame slammed a fist on the table. "He's dangerous. A heretic."
"He's aware," the Disciple said. "But he no longer cares. He sees through us now. Through the systems. The roles. The bloodlines."
Earth looked troubled. "And what would you have us do? Strike before he awakens fully?"
The Disciple met their eyes. "He's already half awakened. He just hasn't decided what he wants to become because he still needs the rest of the fragments."
The Demi gods fell silent for sometime.
"I'm tired and need some rest, I just hope you all aren't foolish to ignore my warning, only a few of you here can defeat me, and the only one who could match my speed which was light, has already been absorbed by him....but I saw no other outcome that death if I had attacked, I hope you all can understand this point"
The disciple of wind this words hanging on the mind of his brethren and departed the premises completely.
---
Kael was sipping old jasmine tea outside the cottage when he heard tires crunching gravel.
Black SUVs. Government plates. At least six agents.
He sighed. "Could've just gave a call or send a mail ."
They approached, weapons holstered but fingers twitching. One agent ,a tall, serious man in a black overcoat stepped forward.
"Kael."
"No code name? Secret handshake?"
"Cut the jokes," the agent said. "There's been a string of attacks on major research labs and archives across Europe."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "I've been reading books in the woods."
"We've been tracking you. We know you're up to something but the US needs your help right now as we speak ."
"What do you want?"
"We want your help. In exchange, we're prepared to give you access to certain black sites, secured archives, and handpicked specialists. You'll have discretion to gather them at will. But in return, you have to come with us right now ."
Kael leaned back. "So let me get this straight: I help with your… little terrorist problem, and you give me access to hidden knowledge?"
The agent didn't flinch. "Yes."
Kael smiled faintly. "i don't work for you , you can go back now, as you can see I'm busy."
"Then we'll assume you're rogue. And treat you accordingly."
Kael stood and chuckled, dusting off his coat. " Quick advise. Let's not test that yet."
He walked toward the cottage ignoring the officers behind him.
"Kael please don't make it difficult for us, this is a message from the president himself, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't nessecary"
Kael paused, turning over his shoulder. " Then get him to call me, I'm busy"
As though on cue the officer's phone rang, he took a look at the screen and stretched his hand towards Kael.
"Seriously...." Kael turned and took the phone he placed it on his ears in silence for sometime before throwing it back to the officers.
" Congratulations, you got yourself a new job, none of you leaves this cottage"
Kael turned and disappeared into the woods.
The officers stood frozen as his words registered in their minds.
"Fuck!!! Damn mosquitoes!!!"
One of them cursed out but Kael was long gone.