(Othvendell)

(Rigvein mountains)

(Continent of Lesken)

Kaelis was embodied ruin and rejection, his very existence a grotesque masterpiece of suffering. His face is a horrific blend of flesh and raw exposed markings, as if his body is slowly being consumed by an ancient, cursed energy. His left eye glows ominously red, a sign of something unnatural festering within him, while his wild, ashen-white hair further amplifies his eerie presence. His arms, etched with intricate crimson sigils and blackened veins, pulse with the same energy that fuels his forbidden craft.  

Draped in tattered, makeshift armor and belts weighed down by tools and chains, he looks more like an executioner than a blacksmith. His Hammer of Uuen, an ominous, rune-engraved weapon, with glowing red runes on it, was far too large for an ordinary man to wield, yet he carries it effortlessly. Wherever he walks, streaks of red energy coil around him like living tendrils, whispering of the god-forged horrors he brings into existence.

The forge roared like a beast trapped within the earth, ancient stone walls trembling under the force of Kaelis’s hammer. Sparks erupted with every strike, scattering like dying stars against the cold, uneven ground. The air was thick with the acrid scent of molten metal and charred stone, each breath he took searing his lungs. Dim red light pulsed from the crystal embedded in the slab before him, its glow casting jagged shadows across the cavern. The hammer in his hands—massive, worn, yet unnaturally weightless in his grip—came down again, sending a deep, resonating boom through the Rigvein Mountains.

His muscles burned, sweat cut trails through the grime on his skin, but he did not stop. He couldn’t.  

He was alone. He had always been alone.

With every strike, the thought echoed in his mind like a curse. Eighteen years in Kalhalla, and not once had he known the warmth of another’s touch, the sound of his name spoken with kindness. His body was a curse, or so the people of Othvendell believed. The red and black rot that consumed half his form was enough to make them recoil in terror, whispering of plagues and curses, of demons and forgotten sins. He had long since stopped trying to explain himself. 

‘What was the point?’

Kaelis exhaled sharply, gripping the hammer tighter.  

"Maybe I should just give them what they want," he muttered, voice raw. "Maybe I should be the monster they already see me as."  

He slammed the large hammer down with both hands, with such force that the cavern groaned, dust cascading from the ceiling like a dying breath. The mountains shuddered, the tremor slithering through stone and soil, reaching even the creatures that lurked in the wilds beyond.  

Outside, a three-eyed vulkris prowled along the ridge, its six legs moving in perfect rhythm. It paused, sniffing the air, its forked tongue flicking between jagged fangs. Nearby, a pair of horned stryxen’s circled above, their cries sharp as knives against the sky. A moment later, a volley of silver-tipped arrows whistled through the air, striking them down before they could react. The vulkris collapsed without a sound, its unnatural eyes darkening as its body grew still.  

Two figures emerged from the shadows, their cloaks shifting like liquid night. The first, a tall man with weathered features, lowered his bow with a satisfied grunt. His companion, a woman with sharp, calculating eyes, knelt to inspect the kills, already pulling a blade to begin the process of harvesting.  

"Is that rotten kid at it again?" the man asked, glancing down toward the forge.  

The woman followed his gaze. Far below, the faint glow of Kaelis’s forge flickered like a dying star amidst the stone.  

"Seems like it," she murmured. "Didn’t even know there was a forge here. We only stumbled on it because of the contract."  

"Yeah, well, let’s not stick around," the man muttered, tightening the straps on his pack. "I don’t like the idea of being too close to whatever the hell he’s doing down there."  

They worked quickly, bagging their prizes before vanishing away from the area..  

Kaelis was unaware of their presence. He struck again, and again, until his arms screamed in protest. But he barely felt it.  

His mind drifted to the past, to the only act of kindness he had ever known—a frail old couple, offering him herbs with trembling hands. His heart had soared for just a moment, a flicker of hope in an endless void. But when he stepped closer, reaching out to accept their gift, they had turned and fled, screaming as if he were death itself.  

He had stood there, stunned, the herbs crushed in his grasp.  

"Should’ve expected that," he muttered now, shaking his head. "Guess it’s my fault…”

He lifted the hammer once more, his gaze flickering to the pulsing red crystal. It was said that Kalhalla had been formed from the corpses of gods and demons, their war shaping the land, their souls trapped within these very stones. He had searched for answers, for a cure, for any connection between his affliction and the hammer that felt like an extension of himself.  

Nothing.  

Not a single answer. Not a single soul willing to help him.  

But he had a theory—one that no sane man would dare attempt.  

If these crystals held the remnants of gods, then perhaps, just perhaps, he could bring one back.  

And if he could—if he could resurrect a goddess—maybe she would see him. Maybe she would understand. Maybe she would cure him.  

Maybe she would love him or something, anything really.

He let out a bitter laugh, the sound swallowed by the crackling flames.  

"Yeah," he muttered. "Maybe I'll marry her while I'm at it."  

But beneath the sarcasm, the loneliness remained, heavy as the hammer in his grip.  

He knew the truth that no one else wanted to acknowledge.  

He was strong. Stronger than most. His power did not come from Kenda, the magic of this world—it was something else, something foreign, something feared. If he wanted, he could become a monster. He could tear through Othvendell, lay waste to the kingdom that had shunned him. The thought lingered, tempting, poisonous.  

Because despite everything—despite the rejection, the hatred, the fear—he still held onto something fragile and foolish, some hope. That maybe he could still be something more than the monster they already saw.  

He raised the hammer once more, and the mountains trembled.  

The hammer came down one final time.  

A deafening crack split the air, the sound tearing through the mountains like the roar of a dying god. The red crystal on the stone slab flared violently, pulsing with an otherworldly brilliance. Black and crimson energy spiraled from Kaelis’s hammer, fusing with the crystal’s core, resonating in perfect harmony. The ground quaked, the very bones of the Rigvein Mountains trembling under the force of what he had done.  

Then, everything went still.  

For a heartbeat, there was silence—deep, suffocating, as if the world itself held its breath.  

And then—  

A cataclysmic explosion erupted from the forge.  

“Tch!” Kaelis exclaimed.

The blast was instant, a tidal wave of raw, unrestrained power. The force ripped through stone, shattering the cavern walls, vaporizing the forge in a blinding inferno of red and black light. The very mountain seemed to scream, a shockwave of destruction cascading outward, sending debris flying like divine shrapnel.  

Kaelis barely had time to react.  

The explosion hurled him backward, the sheer force dragging his boots across the ground, stone fracturing beneath him. He twisted his body, dodging a chunk of molten rock by mere inches. A wicked grin spread across his face. His crimson eyes gleamed in the chaos, his heart pounding with exhilaration.  

‘I did it..?! No way..I'm that good?’

He straightened, brushing dust from his tattered cloak. The remains of the explosion still crackled around him, fragments of his once-dark forge now nothing but smoldering ruins. Yet, amidst the destruction, something stirred.  

A radiant figure stood where the crystal had once been.  

Kaelis took a step forward, his breath catching in his throat.  

She was unlike anything he had ever seen.  

“Whoa..”

Her form shimmered with ethereal beauty, her entire being seemingly sculpted from pure diamond. Her arms, crystalline and flawless, caught the light with every movement, reflecting a thousand fragmented rainbows across the ruins. A luminous halo of diamond hovered above her head, rotating ever so slightly, refracting the light into a divine spectrum. Her hair was silver and white, flowing unnaturally, as if gravity itself hesitated to tether her. Her eyes—pure white, untainted by any mortal imperfection—held an ancient wisdom, yet a softness that rivaled the radiance of the stars.  

Slowly, she turned toward him.  

Kaelis stood frozen, unable to move, unable to breathe.  

She lifted her delicate hand, gazing at it with a serene, contemplative expression. “My power…” she murmured, her voice as soft as a whispering breeze. “It is but a fraction of what it once was.”  

Her gaze shifted to Kaelis.  

“Did you save me?”  

Kaelis got a strange feeling, suddenly feeling like a child standing before a goddess—because he was. He managed a nervous nod.  

The goddess blinked, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then, without warning, she stepped forward and embraced him.  

Kaelis’s entire body locked up.  

‘Huh…?!’

All thought evaporated from his mind.  

He had never been hugged before.  

‘No way this is actually happening…!’

His arms hung stiffly at his sides, his brain completely shutting down. If someone were to hit him with an axe right now, he would not feel it.  

The goddess, unaware of his existential crisis, held him gently, her warmth unlike anything he had ever known. There was no fear in her, no hesitation—only peace, only gratitude.  

“What is your name?” she asked softly, pulling back slightly to look at him.  

“Hehe, Kaelis,” he croaked, his voice cracking embarrassingly.  

Freina smiled. “I am Freina, goddess of diamonds, radiance, and beauty.”  

Kaelis could only nod, still frozen in place.  

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Freina tilted her head slightly. “Are the Hellbound slain?”  

Kaelis, still in shock, nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah. Totally. Dead. All of them. Super dead.”

Freina chuckled, the sound like chimes in the wind. “I knew we would win.”  

She reached for his hand, her diamond fingers cool yet comforting against his skin. “Come. Let us explore this land together.”  

Kaelis blinked, finally snapping back to reality. “Oh! Uh, yeah! Sure!”  

He led her away from the ruins, his steps lighter than they had ever been.  

‘This is actually happening!’

A short while later, they rode atop the skeleton of a mythic beast, its massive four-legged frame carrying them smoothly across the rugged terrain. Its eye sockets burned faintly with the remnants of Kenda, the lifeblood of this world, keeping it moving despite its lack of flesh.  

Freina glanced down at the creature, curiosity flickering in her radiant eyes. “What is this?”  

Kaelis leaned back slightly, grinning. “In Kalhalla, when creatures die, their skin decomposes, but their skeletons remain. Kenda flows through everything—people, animals, even the land itself. It keeps their bones moving, letting them continue their purpose even after death. But eventually, the Kenda fades, and the skeletons shatter.”  

Freina absorbed the information with quiet fascination. “A cycle of endless purpose…” she murmured.  

Kaelis grinned wider, turning toward her. “So, where are we headed?”  

Freina smiled at him. “Wherever you wish to go.”  

Kaelis’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He pointed ahead. “The capital of Othvendell!”  

Freina’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of surprise crossing her features. “Othvendell…? Then this world is…” She placed a hand over her chest.

Kaelis nodded. “This is Kalhalla…”

Freina inhaled sharply, her diamond halo shimmering. “This..was the world we were meant to create... But the demons and the Hellbound tried to stop us.”  

She turned to him, her radiant presence unwavering. “Then let us go, Kaelis. Show me the world I was meant to see.”  

Kaelis’s heart hammered in his chest.  

‘This is my moment! I’m going to walk straight through the capital with a goddess at my side..They're all gonna be jealous,’ he thought, barely able to contain his excitement. ‘Can’t wait to see the look on their faces..’

With a grin, he urged the skeletal beast forward, Freina’s hand still in his.  

The capital of Othvendell hummed with life, a city of endless motion, laughter, and the scent of a thousand different spices carried on the wind. The streets were wide and open, paved with smooth stone and lined with buildings built not for war, but for comfort, each adorned with colorful banners and merchant symbols from lands far and wide.  

This was a city of wanderers, of retired legends, of those who sought peace after a life of battle—yet never quite let go of adventure. And today, it was about to witness something no one would ever forget.

Kaelis strode through the streets, his chest puffed out, his grin shamelessly smug. His tattered cloak billowed behind him dramatically despite the lack of wind, his every step exaggerated as if he were a king returning home from war.

‘Haha! That’s right! I better see some bowing.’

At his side, Freina glided gracefully, her radiant form turning heads wherever they passed. Diamond arms glimmered under the sun, her silver-white hair flowing as if untouched by the mortal world, and her pure white eyes held a serene, celestial glow.

The reaction was instant.

A group of merchants dropped their goods, a bag of golden fruit spilling across the cobblestone as their mouths hung open.  

A retired hunter, a burly man with scars covering his arms, spat out his drink so hard it nearly knocked over the man beside him.  

A few younger adventurers gawked shamelessly, one even letting out a dramatic, “By the gods, I have seen an angel.”  

Some, however, were a little more…concerned.  

“Oi! You! Diamond lady!” A grizzled man, still in partial armor, narrowed his one good eye at Freina. “Are you… alright? Has that rot-covered bastard taken you hostage?”  

Freina blinked, tilting her head in confusion. “Hostage?”  

A few others murmured in agreement, their gazes flickering between Kaelis and Freina with suspicion.  

Kaelis threw up his hands, incredulous. “Huh?! Really?! I walk in here, looking like a damn legend, and that’s your first thought?!”  

Freina simply smiled and placed a hand on Kaelis’s shoulder. “Kaelis is beautiful and should be treated as such.”  

The street fell into a stunned silence.

Kaelis choked on air.  

His whole body stiffened, his brain short-circuiting as he tried to process what just happened. His face turned red instantly, and he stumbled backward, flailing his arms like a dying bird.  

“W-Wha— B-Beautiful?! ME?!” His voice cracked spectacularly, drawing a few chuckles from the crowd.  

‘Yes..compliment me in front of them!’

Freina merely nodded, her expression completely sincere.

The reactions varied.  

A young adventurer clutched his chest, as if personally wounded by those words.  

A merchant leaned over to his friend, whispering, “What kind of sorcery is this?”  

A group of retired warriors looked at each other, then at Kaelis, then at Freina, and all collectively nodded, as if finally acknowledging something they had long denied.  

Kaelis spun around, still flustered, and decided he needed to change the subject before his heart exploded.

“A-Anyway!” He cleared his throat loudly, throwing an arm around Freina’s shoulder in an exaggerated ‘cool guy’ move. “Welcome to Othvendell! The beating heart of trade, adventure, and—” He gestured grandly. “The Black Ledger!”  

Freina’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. “The Black Ledger?”  

Kaelis smirked. “Oh, you’re gonna love this. And sorry if i'm talking, so much, i'm not used to this at all.”

He led her through the bustling streets, past open-air markets where traders bartered exotic wares, past taverns filled with stories and laughter, past resting warriors polishing weapons they swore they’d never use again. 

And then, they arrived at the Black Ledger.

A massive stone hall, its doors engraved with thousands of names, some crossed out, some glowing faintly with Kenda energy. Inside,*a grand hall stretched endlessly, filled with adventurers, hunters, and mercenaries discussing contracts over wooden tables.  

“You took the contract to kill the Minotaur?”

“Hell yeah. Was a breeze, really.”

Kaelis grinned, gesturing around. “This is where the real work happens.”  

He turned to Freina. “So, in Kalhalla, adventurers take contracts that involve finding, gathering, or exploring things. They’re the ones searching for lost ruins, missing artifacts, rare beasts. Hunters, on the other hand, take contracts that involve killing someone or something. They explore too, but they’re more about brute force.”  

Freina watched the hall, her expression thoughtful. “Are you an adventurer or a hunter, Kaelis?”  

Kaelis’s smirk faltered slightly. He scratched the back of his head. “Well… I’m trying to be one or the other.”  

Freina tilted her head. “Trying?”  

Kaelis sighed. “Yeah, well… turns out people don’t exactly wanna work with a guy covered in rot. Can’t get a job, can’t get a team, can’t even walk into half the places without someone looking at me like I’m about to start a plague.”  

Freina stepped forward and placed her hand over his.

“You are beautiful the way you are.”  

Kaelis spazzed out again.

“W-Woman, you can’t just say things like that!” He almost tripped over his own feet.

Freina simply giggled, her soft, radiant laughter like chimes in the wind.

As they left the Black Ledger, Freina suddenly stopped.

Her gaze locked onto something in the far distance, beyond the city, beyond the rolling hills.  

A colossal tree stood against the horizon, its trunk impossibly wide, its branches stretching toward the heavens. Its bark shimmered with white and golden runes, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.  

Kaelis followed her gaze and sighed. “Ah… yeah. That’s the World Tree.”  

Freina’s eyes widened. “It’s… beautiful.”  

Kaelis nodded. “It’s insane honestly. He crossed his arms. “Explorers all over the world, have been trying to reach it for centuries.”  

Freina turned to him. “And?”  

Kaelis smirked. “The closer they get… the further away it becomes.”  

Freina’s expression turned thoughtful, her gaze lingering on the distant tree.  

Kaelis, meanwhile, grinned mischievously.

‘Oh, I can’t wait to show her off at the capital gates. They’re gonna lose their minds!’

The streets of Othvendell were alive with noise, movement, and the endless hum of trade. Merchants hollered over their stalls, adventurers haggled over maps and enchanted weapons, and travelers exchanged stories over steaming cups of spiced mead.  

But today, something was different.  

Something was horribly different.  

Because Kaelis was winning.  

And everyone hated it.  

He strutted through the capital streets like a man who had just conquered the world, his tattered cloak billowing dramatically (despite, once again, the lack of wind). His eyes gleamed with smug confidence, his chin held high like a victorious warlord returning from battle.  

At his side, Freina walked with serene grace, her very presence radiant and divine. Her diamond arms glowed faintly in the sunlight, her silver-white hair flowing like silk, and her pure white eyes held a warmth that softened even the hardest of hearts.  

And Othvendell lost its collective mind.  

The Jealous Masses  

The moment the people saw them, chaos erupted.  

"How? HOW?!" a young adventurer screamed, gripping his head in disbelief.  

"What kind of twisted fate is this!?" a noblewoman wailed, nearly fainting into her servant's arms.  

"HE DOESN’T DESERVE THIS!"  

People flooded the streets, some trying to get close to Freina, others forming angry mobs of disbelief around Kaelis.  

The town criers, who had been in the middle of announcing important news, stopped mid-sentence, their voices trailing off as they caught sight of the pair.  

"—and so, Duke Altheon’s scandalous affair with—"  

"…Sir Eldric, the famed dragon slayer, has returned from the east with news of—"  

"…The master blacksmith, Orin the Unyielding, has forged—"  

Silence.  

They all stared.  

One crier dropped his scroll. Another slowly removed his hat, as if mourning the death of logic itself.  

From the upper balconies of the Guild Halls, several influential figures observed the spectacle.  

Members of The Silent Blade Quill, a guild of scholars and scribes, whispered among themselves.  

"Is that the wretched outcast?" one murmured.  

"The one even the Apostles spoke about?" another replied.  

"How… Did he pull this off? Someone is actually making contact with him?”

Meanwhile, across the street, a group of heavily armed warriors from The Red Crimson Gauntlet, a feared mercenary guild, watched with folded arms.  

One of them, a grizzled veteran with a scar over his eye, scoffed. "I heard he’s always alone. Guess that changed."  

A younger mercenary gritted his teeth. "Guarantee he’s forcing her to walk with him. Everyone within the 3 kingdoms of this continent knows him, no one dares to get near him.”

The other guild members nodded solemnly in agreement.  

As Kaelis continued his victory lap, a sudden, ethereal melody filled the air.  

Freina stopped in her tracks, her pure white eyes narrowing slightly, as if sensing something… familiar.  

Floating above a small plaza, Nyxra, the legendary harpist, played her golden harp. She was a vision of elegance, her white robes flowing as if untouched by gravity, her hood covering half of her face, while strands of golden hair peeked through.  

Her voice was hauntingly beautiful, her song carrying through the streets like a gentle lullaby.  

Kaelis nudged Freina. "That’s Nyxra. She travels from kingdom to kingdom, playing her music. People say she’s been around forever, but no one knows where she’s really from."  

Freina kept staring, her gaze lingering on Nyxra longer than necessary. She could feel it—a faint, familiar power within her.  

But before she could say anything, Kaelis had a brilliant idea.  

‘Wait! That’s it!’

Kaelis, in his infinite pettiness, decided to make things worse.  

"Hey, Freina." He grinned. "Wanna go on a bunch of dramatic dates?"  

Freina, as always, remained sweet and soft-spoken. "What are dates?”

“Having fun..? I think? Yeah, doing things together and stuff like that.”

“Oh, okay that’s fine. Let’s go.” Freina smiled.

 1st Date – The Marketplace Stroll  

Kaelis walked through the bustling Evermarket with Freina on his arm, casually buying expensive things just to flex.  

"Oh, this rare silk from the eastern isles?" He said loudly, holding up an absurdly luxurious cloth. "I think I’ll buy it. Freina, do you like it?"  

Freina nodded. "It’s lovely."  

Kaelis threw a handful of Ledger Stones down without even haggling.  

The merchants gawked.  

The surrounding adventurers gritted their teeth.  

One noblewoman threw herself on the ground in agony.  

2nd Date – The Floating Tea House  

Kaelis and Freina drank tea on a floating platform above the Suncleft River, the reflection of the golden trees shimmering in the water below.  

Kaelis sipped dramatically, smirking at the glares he was getting from a group of adventurers at the next table.  

One of them slammed his fist on the table. "Even the gods have abandoned us!"  

Another adventurer clutched his chest. "I can’t take this anymore."  

Freina, still oblivious to the chaos she was causing, simply smiled. "This tea is wonderful, Kaelis."  

Kaelis smirked even harder.  

3rd Date – The Whispering Stones  

Kaelis and Freina stood among the legendary Whispering Stones, where old warriors carved their final words into the cliffs. The golden light of the setting sun bathed them both, making the scene almost too poetic to handle.  

Kaelis held Freina’s hand.  

The crowd behind them seethed.  

"I SWEAR I’LL PUSH HIM OFF THE CLIFF."  

Finally, Kaelis and Freina stood at the very edge of Othvendell’s highest cliff, overlooking the endless plains below. The World Tree loomed in the distance, its golden runes shining like stars.  

Kaelis stood dramatically, the wind finally cooperating and making his cloak billow properly.  

Behind him, the crowd had grown massive.  

Some people had given up on life.  

Some contemplated actually pushing him off.  

One man was writing a tragic poem about this day.  

Kaelis grinned triumphantly, holding Freina’s hand like a victorious hero.  

"This… is the greatest day of my life."  

‘I know I came here to show off, but this feeling..it’s amazing..I feel important, no—feel like I belong. I first figured out I can free the souls from the crystals and forge them back to life when I was trying to make something a while back, trying to create my own cure to this damned rot…then I decided I wanted to forge a goddess, maybe be accepted like this. I can never tell which gods are in which crystals, I just wing it. But this right here..was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m proud of myself for the first time in awhile..!’

The wind howled softly over the cliffside, sweeping across the golden plains below. The World Tree stood in the distance, monolithic and eternal, its white bark gleaming under the light of the twin moons. The golden runes etched into its surface pulsed faintly, their patterns shifting as if alive.  

Freina’s gaze lingered on it, something deep and uncertain stirring within her. She turned to Kaelis, her pure white eyes reflecting the runes' glow.  

“Why does the World Tree have runes?” she asked softly. “It was never designed to be that way.”  

Kaelis blinked, caught off guard by the question. He glanced at the colossal tree, scratching his chin. “Well… the Apostles put them there. Supposedly, they keep the world intact.”  

Freina’s brows furrowed slightly. “Why?”  

Kaelis exhaled slowly, folding his arms as he stared at the tree. “I think it has something to do with the Sundering.”  

Freina’s expression darkened slightly.  

Kaelis continued, his voice lower, more thoughtful. “The gods and the Hellbound demons fought, and they mostly ended up killing each other. Their bodies were used to craft Kalhalla, their souls sealed in the red crystals. But… no one really knows why the Apostles intervened after that. Why they put those runes on the tree. Why they keep the kingdoms at a distance from certain things. It’s like they’re scared of something.”  

Freina inhaled sharply.  

Then, she stopped.  

The air around them shifted.  

The once-lively crowd following them fell into silence. A stillness spread through the cliffs, pressing down like a suffocating weight. Even the wind seemed to falter.  

Kaelis turned to her. “Freina?”  

Her body trembled.  

Her diamond-like fingers clenched into fists.  

Then, a single tear fell from her pure white eyes.  

A tear of blood.  

Kaelis’ heart stopped.  

More tears followed, crimson streaks running down her flawless cheeks. Her movements became unnatural, static-like, flickering between stillness and sudden, frantic twitches. Her breath came in uneven gasps, her radiant form flickering between light and shadow.  

Kaelis stepped toward her, panic rising in his chest. “Freina? What’s wrong? Talk to me!”  

The crowd murmured behind them, voices filled with uncertainty and fear. Some whispered prayers, others took cautious steps back.  

Freina’s trembling hand slowly rose.  

She pointed at Kaelis.  

The gesture was slow, deliberate.  

And it lasted for seconds that felt like eternity.  

Kaelis' breath caught in his throat.  

‘Why is she pointing at me?’  

His fingers twitched.  

‘Did I say something wrong?’  

His heart pounded against his ribs.  

‘No, this… this isn’t right.’

His throat felt dry, his body locked in place.  

‘She’s looking at me like I’m… something else!’

Before he could open his mouth, a radiant crest formed at the tip of her finger—intricate runes spiraling outward in a circular pattern.  

Kaelis barely had a moment to react before a massive diamond, covered in blinding radiance, erupted from it. The blast tore through the air like a celestial spear, slamming into Kaelis with devastating force.  

His entire left side exploded in agony.

His vision blurred as searing pain ripped through his body. His left arm—gone. Blood sprayed into the air, his flesh torn apart in an instant, gore splashing to the left of him. The sheer force of the attack sent him flying, his body crashing through trees, flipping violently as he bashed against rock and splintered wood.  

Each impact shattered the world around him, his breath leaving him in ragged, wet gasps. He coughed, blood spilling from his lips as his body finally skidded to a stop, his boots dragging deep trenches into the dirt.  

“AGHH!” Kaelis screamed.

The onlookers on the cliffs erupted with mixed reactions.  

Some cheered.

“Haha! Kill that rotten brat!”

“Hell yeah!”

Some simply stood in horrified silence.  

Some were too stunned to process what had just happened.

“What the hell…what’s gotten into her?” 

Kaelis groaned, forcing himself to sit up. Blood drenched his tattered clothes, pain pulsing through every fiber of his being. He clenched what remained of his left shoulder, his fingers digging into torn flesh.  

His breath was ragged, but he looked up.  

Freina floated above the ground, her form now truly divine—terrifyingly so.

Behind her, the same radiant crest spun slowly, glowing with celestial power. Her diamond halo pulsed in sync, hovering over her head like a crown of judgment. The wind howled as her presence grew heavier, the sheer force of her energy rippling outward, tearing leaves from trees and cracking the ground beneath her.  

Kaelis gritted his teeth, his one remaining hand twitching as he forced himself to move.  

He reached forward.

A red crest formed before him, its markings jagged and erratic—chaotic compared to Freina’s divine symmetry.

With a sudden burst of energy, his hammer materialized.  

The massive red warhammer, covered in glowing crimson runes, slammed into his grip. 

The very moment his fingers wrapped around the handle, the air changed.  

A thunderous shockwave erupted from him, sending red and black lightning crackling outward. The winds howled, trees bending violently under the force. The dirt beneath him cracked, energy surging through the land.  

Freina’s eyes, still flickering in erratic static, locked onto him.  

Her presence alone disintegrated the trees, the sheer force of it cutting through the land like a blade.  

Kaelis, despite the searing pain in his body, steadied his stance. Blood dripped from his wounds, his grip on the hammer tightening.  

‘I should’ve known…I should’ve known it was too good to be true..fuck it all! Damn it all! Why can’t I just be happy for once? It’s embarrassing..what’s wrong with me? I look helpless and pitiful in front of everyone..after showing off..dammit! But at this point, I don’t know what’s wrong with Freina..but I can’t die here. I can’t…I still have too much to do, I don’t wanna leave here without at least being cured..or being at least loved on and shit like that. If I’m gonna survive..I have to destroy her.’

Freina’s voice echoed, layered with something ancient, something deeply woven into the fabric of the world itself.  

“The power… of the Hellbound… the demons… your weapon…”  

Her glowing, flickering eyes narrowed.  

“I will destroy all you demons! For the realm of the gods…”  

Their mere presence alone was **tearing the world apart.**  

The trees collapsed into dust.

The winds roared like a storm.

The cliffs trembled beneath the weight of their raw power.  

From above, hunters and adventurers watched, their faces filled with awe, fear, and anticipation.  

The battle was inevitable.