Kairo stood amidst the scorched remains of the battlefield, smoke curling around his feet like serpents. The last sparks of divine energy from Kaelus's shattered form still danced in the air before fading into the dusk.
He wasn't the same man who had entered the Ember Wastes.
And the world would soon realize it.
---
> "You alright?" Jarek asked, gripping his shoulder.
Kairo nodded slowly. "Yeah. But… something's different."
He could feel it—beneath his skin, inside his veins. The Codex had changed him. That Titan Rune—it wasn't just a spell. It was an awakening.
Then, a sharp pain tore through his chest.
Kairo stumbled back, clutching his ribs.
> "Kairo?!"
A symbol flared to life across his chest, glowing gold and red—a radiant sigil, burning into his skin like a celestial brand.
> "What the hell is that?" Jarek muttered.
> "It's a Divine Mark," came a voice behind them.
They turned to see Nalia, the shadow rogue who'd been tracking them since the Obsidian Forest. She stepped into view, cloak fluttering in the wind, her twin daggers sheathed at her hips.
> "You just killed an Arbiter of the Sky. You think the gods are going to let that slide?"
Kairo's eyes narrowed. "So they put a target on me?"
> "No," Nalia said, tossing a small crystal into the air. "They did worse. They noticed you."
---
That night, the three of them camped beneath the skeletal remains of a titan beast. Its ribcage formed a crude shelter from the whipping winds, and a small fire crackled between them.
Kairo couldn't sleep.
The brand on his chest pulsed like a heartbeat, warm and ever-present. It was a link—he could feel it.
Not just to Kaelus… but to something watching beyond the veil.
> "There's a reason people don't fight Arbiters," Nalia said softly, sensing his thoughts.
> "Because they're too powerful?"
> "Because they belong to the Celestial Pantheon. Killing one is like setting fire to a temple—satisfying, sure, but it brings down a whole empire on your head."
> "Let them come," Kairo replied, gripping his spear. "I'm done hiding."
---
But Jarek wasn't convinced.
> "You don't understand, kid. The gods don't just kill their enemies. They break them. Twist them. Turn them into examples."
> "I've been broken before," Kairo said, voice low. "And I came back stronger."
---
The next morning, the sky was unnaturally quiet.
No birds.
No winds.
Just a silence so complete it gnawed at the edges of reality.
> "Something's wrong," Nalia said.
Suddenly, the clouds parted—not from weather, but by force.
Descending slowly from the sky was a floating monolith of obsidian and gold, glowing with celestial runes.
Kairo stood. "Is that…?"
> "A Herald," Nalia whispered, backing away. "They've sent a Herald."
From the center of the monolith emerged a figure robed in white and gold, face obscured by a luminous veil. She didn't walk—she glided, barefoot, suspended by invisible will.
Her voice echoed like the toll of a temple bell:
> "Kairo Velar. You have slain an Arbiter. You are Marked. By decree of the Celestial Court, your soul is now forfeit."
Kairo stepped forward, eyes hard.
> "Then come take it."
---
To be continued...