---
Location: Vanguard Academy — Central Spire Courtyard
The divine bells tolled twelve times. Not once. Not twice. Twelve.
A dozen sacred rings meant one thing: a new term had begun. And this year, it came with a spectacle.
Kairo adjusted the lopsided jacket on his shoulder and side-eyed the massive crowd gathered in the courtyard. Golden banners fluttered overhead, marked with house sigils and symbols of the gods. Students from all five Divine Houses stood in strict formations—disciplined, elite, dressed to intimidate.
Then there was Kairo. Slouching. Barely awake. Wearing a secondhand uniform two sizes too big, sipping a mystery-colored energy drink.
"Look alive, scum," muttered a passing instructor.
He raised his drink in salute. "Yes, sir. Vibrantly rotting."
Up ahead, a shimmering platform hovered above the marble tiles. Seven thrones floated midair. Only six were occupied.
The Pantheon Council had arrived.
Each god radiated more pressure than a collapsing star. Faela's voice soothed like rainfall, while Vexar's presence alone felt like law sharpening its blade. Elyra's gaze pierced minds. Serin barely seemed to be there—until your skin felt like it had shifted timelines.
Velra just sat still, watching Kairo with a weird expression. Pity? Interest? Judgment?
Then—the empty throne.
Its frame was cracked obsidian, scorched by ancient war. No one looked at it. No one dared.
Suddenly, a voice boomed across the courtyard, echoing from the floating amphitheater.
"Welcome to Vanguard Academy!"
It was Headmaster Dreylen, a towering man with glowing tattoos and a voice like thunder wrapped in a lecture.
"Each of you has been chosen, branded, and bonded. But remember—only the worthy rise. The rest…"
He waved a hand toward the distant training field, where last year's failures were now janitors and kitchen staff.
"…will mop."
The crowd laughed—except for Kairo, who was too busy scanning for exits.
Then something strange happened.
Dreylen's voice paused. A divine bell rang thirteen times.
Everyone froze.
"That—That's impossible," Luna whispered from the House of Celestial Boundaries. "There's no thirteenth bell…"
But Kairo felt it. Deep in his chest. Like something ancient had just woken up.
A message blinked in his vision—visible to no one else.
> [WARNING: Prime of Wrath Acknowledged.]
[Dormant Seat Reactivating…]
[All Eyes of the Pantheon are Now Upon You.]
Kairo blinked. "Uh… guys? I think I just got cursed."
---
The council stirred.
Velra's eyes widened. Elyra leaned forward. Serin's gaze sharpened. Vexar stood.
"There is an anomaly among us," Vexar thundered.
Kairo held up his drink. "If it's about this—yeah, I probably shouldn't have drank it."
"Name yourself," Vexar commanded.
Kairo cracked his neck and sighed. "Kairo Blaze. I was just trying to pass orientation without dying, but uh… surprise?"
A ripple of divine energy surged through the crowd.
Elyra smiled. "The War God stirs."
---