. THE GUILT THAT WON'T BURN AWAY
The sun refused to rise properly that morning, as if even the sky felt ashamed.
Kael sat on the cold stone by the river, his knees drawn to his chest, his breath curling in soft spirals. Drenvale was silent behind him, its cheerful festival torches now replaced by tense whispers and watchful eyes.
He dipped his hand into the water, watching ripples distort his reflection. The moment his fingertips touched the current, a small patch froze solid—then cracked apart with a sharp snap.
He yanked his hand back.
"I can't stay here," he murmured.
"You say that every time something breaks," came Elara's voice from behind.
He didn't turn. "That wasn't something. That was everything. The fire vanished. They saw. I could've..." He stopped. The words tasted like ash.
"You could've what? Controlled it? You were terrified. You didn't cause it—you are the warning. That's different."
Kael chuckled, bitter. "You're getting good at comforting unstable gods."
Elara sat beside him. "Maybe it's my divine calling."
They sat in silence. The river whispered against its banks. Birds dared not sing.
"Do you ever wonder if I was supposed to be born here at all?" Kael asked. "Or if the world just... made a mistake?"
Elara picked up a smooth rock and skipped it across the water. "I think," she said slowly, "that the world makes strange choices. But it doesn't accidentally bring back someone like you. If it did, it's the weirdest cosmic coincidence ever."
He managed a hollow laugh. "I destroyed a universe with a scream. A scream. And now I'm supposed to pretend to be normal?"
"You're not normal," she said. "You're you. That's why I'm here."
He blinked, then turned to her. "Why are you here?"
She grinned. "Because someone's gotta stop you from brooding yourself into a singularity."
Kael lowered his head. A leaf floated by on the water, catching sunlight that barely broke through the clouds. "What if I lose control again?"
Elara shrugged. "Then we figure it out. Together. You're not alone, Kael. You've never been."
. THE WARDEN'S TEMPLE
Drenvale's temple stood like a spine at the village's center. Built of obsidian-black stone and bone-white timber, it was dedicated to Arvion, Warden of Realms—one of the Old Gods.
Few truly believed anymore. The rituals were habit. The priest, Brother Hemel, was more gardener than spiritual guide. The pews gathered dust. Offerings were half-hearted.
But Kael knew better. The old gods watched. He could feel them—some curious, some afraid, and some perhaps remembering what he once was.
He knelt before the statue of Arvion, whose many arms cradled both a sword and a cradle.
"I shouldn't be here," Kael whispered. "I shouldn't be anywhere."
"Then why were you brought back?"
The voice wasn't Elara's. It wasn't Hemel's. It came from the shadows between the columns.
Kael stood, slowly.
A woman stepped into the candlelight. Skin the color of starlight. Eyes like eclipse rings. Robes that shimmered between dimensions.
"I am Y'shari," she said. "Herald of Threads. Messenger of what should not be."
Kael backed up. "You're not from here."
"Neither are you."
She raised a finger, and time in the temple slowed—candles froze mid-flicker, dust hung in the air like drifting stars.
"I bring warning," she said. "The Nullifiers have marked your resonance. One more fracture, and they will break through the Veil."
Kael's throat tightened. "Then take it back. Take me back. Unmake me."
She looked... sad. "We can't. You are woven into this world now. But perhaps... you can be rewoven."
She stepped forward, touched his forehead.
Images. A thousand worlds blinking out. Sobbing children. Screaming skies. Dead suns. Realities unraveling like old thread.
Then: a single hand catching a falling star. A boy standing in a circle of stillness, and choosing grace over rage.
Y'shari whispered, "The world doesn't need a destroyer. It needs a caretaker."
And then she was gone.
Kael stumbled back against the altar. The temple resumed its natural rhythm—the flame flickered, wind whispered, and Brother Hemel coughed from a pew, oblivious to the encounter.
"Caretaker," Kael murmured, "I don't know how."
A tiny glow flickered in his palm. A single flame. Gentle. Alive. Waiting.
He cupped it gently, whispering, "Please... just don't leave me."
. TRIAL BY GODLIGHT
That night, a storm struck Drenvale—not rain, but light.
Purple streaks like gods arguing across the sky. Thunder without sound. The villagers knelt. Brother Hemel wept openly, clutching a tome older than memory.
Kael stood in the center of the square, hair lifting in the charged wind. Elara ran to him.
"You're glowing."
"I know."
"You're scaring them."
"I know."
He held up his hand, and the lightning bent away, arcing around the town in a perfect halo.
The villagers stared. Silence reigned.
Then one boy whispered, "He saved us."
And no one spoke against it.
Kael lowered his hand, trembling.
"I didn't destroy anything," he whispered.
Elara grinned. "That's twice now. You're getting good at not ending reality."
He laughed.
It was the first real laugh in a very, very long time.
"Hey," Elara added, nudging him, "don't get cocky. There's still goats that don't trust you."
"I don't trust them either," Kael replied.
The wind died. The light faded. But something had shifted in Drenvale. A flicker of hope. A possibility.
. A PROMISE AMONG ASHES
After the storm, the town gathered—not in fear, but curiosity. They had seen something sacred. Or dangerous. Or both.
Brother Hemel approached Kael, clutching the ancient tome. "You are touched by the gods," he said, voice quivering.
Kael shook his head. "No. I'm touched by something older."
"But you shielded us," Hemel said. "That makes you ours."
Kael looked out over the villagers. Some afraid. Some in awe. One girl holding a cat stared at him like he was made of lightning.
He turned to Elara. "I'm scared."
She took his hand. "So is everyone else. But now they know you're trying."
Kael squeezed her hand.
"I won't run," he said.
Not this time.
The bell of the temple rang once. A soft, solemn chime.
Far above, among stars hidden by clouds, a ripple passed through the sky like a breath held—and then released.
In the silence, Kael whispered, "Let them come. I won't be alone."
[END OF CHAPTER 4]
(I am going to upload 5 chapter par week so stay tuned)