The sacred walls of the Silver City shimmered beneath an eternal sky, bathed in the soft radiance of divine starlight. It was once a haven, a sanctuary blessed by the gods themselves. But that light… was about to be extinguished.
In the innermost sanctum, blood stained the marble floors. Nyreth, once a loyal guardian, now stood at the center—his figure cloaked in corrupted black flame. Flanking him were six twisted shadows of former allies: Lillian, Chris, Arden, Kaelros, Lysander, and Rin. Their eyes glowed with void—souls shackled by darkness.
Facing them were Han Jin Hyuk and Eva, bloodied yet proud. They stood not as warriors—but as parents.
"This is betrayal," Han Jin Hyuk said coldly. "We loved you all…"
Nyreth's voice cut through the air, void of remorse. "We only served until the time was right. Jin's heart must be shattered for my goal. That begins… with you."
He gave the signal.
Rin lunged toward the inner chamber—but a golden spear pierced his skull.
Athena, bruised and bloodied, emerged from the shadows, her wings shredded, armor cracked.
"You will not touch them!" she roared, divine wrath blazing in her eyes.
Rin's body fell to ash.
But before Athena could turn—
Lillian, cloaked in stealth, stabbed her from behind. The blade plunged through her back and burst from her chest.
Athena coughed blood, collapsing beside Eva.
"Lillian… why…?" she whispered.
"Because your light has blinded him long enough," Lillian hissed. Then she slit Athena's throat.
With Athena gone, the sanctum shattered.
Han Jin Hyuk roared and charged, divine energy crackling. But it was six against one. Chris and Arden struck him down, spears through his spine. Eva screamed and tried to shield his body.
"You… were our family…" Eva whispered, her blood staining the marble.
Nyreth's voice, cold as winter, whispered back, "Jin must suffer. To be born a god-slayer, he must lose all reason to love."
With a flick of his hand, corrupted mana surged. Han Jin Hyuk roared, shielding Eva with the last of his strength.
They were torn spart.
"Jin… must live," Lillian Whispered.
Deeper inside, Velka and Lia stood firm. Behind them were magical barriers protecting Eirlys and Daemon, still toddlers, wailing in confusion.
Velka's eyes were wild with fury. "Over my dead body."
Lia, her gown soaked in blood and starlight, held up a dying star between her fingers—her final spell.
Then… Lillian appeared again, a dagger stained with Athena's blood.
She threw it—piercing Velka's chest.
"No!" Lia screamed, catching Velka's falling body.
"Jin__I will not forget our happy moments. I love you Jin. I love you Jin." Velka closed her eyes and her hearbeath stopped.
"Jin will avenge this," she whispered with rage. He used her powers and burned Lillians half head. Lillian screamed but she recovered her injury instantly.
Without a warning a second dagger drove into her heart.
Lillian leaned close to her ear. "He'll have no one left. That is the gift we give him."
Lia fell beside Velka, her eyes fixed on her children.
"Forgive us… Jin…"
The room went silent.
From beyond a golden portal stepped Jin and Steve, into a world gone to hell.
Smoke and fire blanketed the Silver City, its once-magnificent towers now blackened ruins. Corpses lay everywhere—gods, spirits, and family.
Steve trembled as he surveyed the destruction.
"This… this wasn't war. This was slaughter."
Jin's eyes darted rapidly, the air choking him with familiarity.
Then Steve muttered, "But… Lia was killed by Laplace's corrupted mana. Why isn't she a corrupted soul?"
Jin didn't look at him. His voice was ice. "Because her death wasn't fate. It was orchestrated. The gods planned this. And Lia… she wasn't of this world. Laplace's power cannot taint her soul."
They stepped into the main hall.
And found them.
Han Jin Hyuk and Eva—torn, scorched, mutilated. Their eyes blank, their arms reaching out even in death.
Jin collapsed.
"FATHER!! MOTHER!!"
He tried to heal them. His divine power surged—but nothing worked.
He screamed. The sound shattered stained glass.
Steve turned away, his face drenched in tears.
Jin stumbled deeper inside.
He found the inner sanctum.
And there—
Velka and Lia, lying together.
He dropped beside them, sobbing. He hugged them, held them like a child refusing to let go of his mother.
"I wasn't strong enough… I wasn't fast enough…I failed… I couldn't protect you _ I'm sorry…"
Steve collapsed to his knees, cursing himself.
Then—
A soft cry.
Jin turned.
Behind the broken altar, two trembling figures—Eirlys and Daemon.
They cried, eyes swollen, reaching for him.
Jin ran, scooping them into his arms.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't protect your Earth… your mother… Forgive me…"
He wept with them. For what felt like eternity.
Then, he rose.
Eyes no longer tearful.
Eyes now burning.
He turned to Steve.
"I entrust them to you."
"They are my last hope. If I fall, let them live. Raise them as your own."
Steve gasped. "What? No—I should stay. I should fight beside you—"
Jin shook his head. "You can't. You're bound by oath. But they… they are all that remains of hope. You're the only one I can trust."
Steve's lips trembled. "I'll raise them… as my own. I swear it. I will protect them, even if the Vast Expansion turns against me"
The silver city, once the cradle of divine harmony, now lay in ruin—a graveyard of light, scorched under a crimson sky. Smoke curled around the remnants of shattered spires and temples where laughter once rang and lullabies once floated in the breeze.
Jin fell to his knees amidst the carnage, cradling his two children—Eirlys and Daemon—tightly in his arms.
They were so small. So delicate.
Their bodies trembled not from understanding, but from instinct. The smell of death, the weight of grief, the unnatural silence—it filled the air like poison. And yet, in Jin's arms, they still sought warmth… the warmth of a father they barely knew.
Eirlys's lashes fluttered against her tear-streaked cheeks as she looked up at Jin, reaching out with her tiny fingers. He held her hand gently, letting her grasp his thumb as though it were her anchor to a world that was slipping away.
"My Eirlys…" he whispered, voice hoarse from tears and screams he hadn't yet released. "You have your mother's will… eyes that once saw stars, not smoke. Eyes that dreamed of peace."
He kissed Eirlys's forehead first, breathing in her scent like it was the last bit of light in the universe. His tears fell freely now, hot against her soft skin.
"You are the last of our hope, Eirlys. You carry her song. You carry my dreams. One day, maybe… just maybe… you'll smile again without this weight."
"Promise me you'll smile one day. Not because the world gives you a reason—but because you carry the strength to smile anyway. You will be the hope they never wanted to survive."
Her soft coo broke him.
He turned to Daemon, who was resting against his chest. The boy had stopped crying—too tired, too young to know this sorrow, but sensing it all the same.
"My brave little lion," Jin murmured, voice trembling as he pulled Daemon up to meet his gaze. "You don't even know how to say 'father' yet. And now I won't be there when you do."
A bitter laugh escaped him, broken and raw.
"You should have known bedtime stories, not war songs. But remember this… even if the world breaks you, even if the stars fall—do not bend. You're not just my son… you're my final heartbeat. My will. And I need you to live. Even if I don't. Even if I vanish into shadow and war. You must live, Daemon. You are my heart. My legacy. You were born from love, not hate. Carry that flame, Daemon… carry it when I can't."
Jin's tears fell freely, painting the children's cheeks with the sorrow of gods.
Behind him, Steve stood silent, his face pale with guilt and disbelief. His hand shook as he opened the portal.
"Father…" he said softly, almost pleading. "The portal's ready…"
Jin didn't look at him yet. He was too busy memorizing every inch of his children's faces. Their warmth. Their scent. Every twitch of their fingers.
He turned to Steve at last, he smiled.
"Steve. Please protect them. Raise them. Not as warriors. Not as tools. But as people. Let them be children. Let them grow in a world without blood on their hands."
"I swear it," Steve said, swallowing his guilt. "I'll protect them with everything I have. They'll know who their parents were. I'll teach them to honor your name."
Jin nodded, but tears continued to fall.
He kissed both Eirlys and Daemon one last time, whispering so quietly it was almost a breath:
"Forgive me."
The air twisted with light as Steve summoned the portal. Golden and warm—like the sun they would never see again. Jin walked to the edge of it, cradling them in his arms for the final moment.
"I'll see you in the next life, my children. In dreams, in wind, in every breath you take."
He passed them to Steve with shaking hands.
As the portal swallowed them, Eirlys reached out one last time. Daemon cried out, a raw, primal sound that pierced Jin's heart like a thousand blades.
Then they were gone.
The portal closed.
And the silence that followed… was worse than death.
Jin stood there, surrounded by ruin, his hands empty.
His eyes burned—not with grief anymore, but with wrath ancient and cold.
He turned to the shadows and whispered:
"…Come forth."
Jin turned.
The air trembled.
"Come forth."
His voice rumbled across the burning heavens.
His shadow expanded—a tidal wave of abyssal power.
From it emerged:
Bellon, the Knight of Silent Mourning, obsidian armor cracking with cursed oaths.
Todra, the Thunder Frog, a storm in every breath.
Kong, the Black Giant Ape, a walking apocalypse.
Eian, a floating abomination of infinite eyes, each one blinking chaos.
Basilisk, the coiled Servant King, hissing prophecies of death.
Vionka, the Dark Phoenix, wings blacker than despair.
Ainez, the Warlock Giant, dragging a staff taller than mountains.
Jin stood before them—his body trembling not from fear… but fury.
"Nyreth… you took everything from me."
His shadow flared like a burning crown.
"You will pay the price."
"War begins."