The battlefield was silent for a moment—an eerie hush that swept over the ruins like the breath of the abyss itself. Kael stood at the heart of the scorched land, blood streaking down the side of his face, his body trembling from the clash with the corrupted Archons.
But something was changing.
Inside him, the Entity stirred again not violently, not with chaos, but with intent. It whispered in a tongue older than stars, a language only the soul could understand. Kael's eyes flared with silver as constellations mapped themselves behind his irises.
Then he saw it.
Not just the battlefield.
Not just the enemy.
He saw the Celestial Nexus, buried beneath layers of memory and shadow an ancient star, once revered, now forgotten and sealed in the farthest edge of his consciousness. The Entity pulsed, guiding him to it. It wasn't just power. It was purpose.
"Why now?" Kael murmured. "Why show me this?"
A voice not the Entity's answered. It was softer, almost paternal.
"Because you are ready, Kael. You've chosen to fight not for vengeance, but for balance."
His knees buckled, but the celestial seal on his chest burst open in radiant light. Every scar, every pain, every moment of despair was drawn into that core. His body hovered, limbs outstretched, as starlight bled from his skin. The ground split beneath him, not from force but from ascension.
The corrupted Archons charged.
Too late.
Kael raised his hand. A single word etched itself into the sky—"Equinox."
The battlefield transformed. Stars descended in waves, forming an astral dome that engulfed the enemy. Space bent. Time warped. The corrupted fell to their knees, shrieking, as the divine resonance crushed the darkness inside them.
Kael wasn't just channeling the Entity now.
He was becoming the Celestial God.
And in the swirling dark beyond the dome, the Abyss… watched.
Smiling.
Waiting.