The scent of scorched earth lingered in Raizel's dreams.
He stood at the edge of a battlefield, ash falling like snow. In the distance, a woman knelt amid shattered swords and broken bodies. Her hair flowed like silver fire, her eyes dim but still soft. Blood pooled beneath her knees. Her voice was faint, almost a memory itself.
"You have to live… even if it hurts."
She smiled.
Was it peace? Regret? Relief?
Raizel didn't know.
Before he could move, the world fractured. Screams cut through the silence. A baby cried. Swords clashed. Flames roared. And then—nothing.
Raizel sat up in bed, drenched in sweat, chest heaving.
The darkness of the dorm wrapped around him like a shroud. Moonlight crept through the curtains. Fenrir lay beside his bed, silent but alert. The beast's crimson eyes glowed faintly, watching.
Raizel stared down at the small crystal pendant clutched in his palm. A gift from Elijah—one of the only things he had left. The edges pulsed faintly with fading divine energy. A memory stone. A piece of a story burned into time.
He tucked it back beneath his shirt and exhaled slowly.
"It's time they remember who I am."
Fenrir let out a low growl, a sound of understanding. Raizel stood.
Tonight, blood would answer memory.
—
The sun hadn't yet set when Zephyros kicked open the chamber doors.
Chronos looked up from his seat, his expression unreadable as wind swirled violently around Zephyros' form.
"You knew what he was, didn't you?" Ignis spat as he stormed in after Zephyros, fire flaring at his shoulders.
Chronos didn't respond.
"You let us walk into that tournament while that thing watched us like prey," Zephyros snapped, cracking his knuckles.
"You gave up," Ignis growled. "You could've helped us win."
"I saw something," Chronos said finally, golden eyes fixed on the floor. "In Raizel's future. And ours."
Zephyros narrowed his gaze. "What did you see?"
Chronos hesitated. "He's the future we feared."
Ignis stepped forward, flames hissing from his skin. "Then we erase that future."
"You won't survive."
"Maybe," Zephyros said coldly. "But I'd rather die on my feet than bow to whatever that freak is."
Without another word, they stormed out.
Chronos remained seated, silent. His gaze lingered on a future no one else could see.
—
Training in the courtyard came to a halt when Zephyros and Ignis marched toward the great tree.
Raizel sat beneath its shade, legs crossed, Fenrir curled beside him like a shadow.
"Demon-boy," Zephyros sneered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Let's end this."
Raizel looked up, unimpressed. "You're late."
"You humiliated us in front of everyone," Ignis said, fire crackling across his shoulders. "But no more games. No tricks. Just us and you. Tonight."
"A divine duel," Zephyros added. "No rules. No protection."
Students nearby stopped moving. Conversations froze.
Raizel stood slowly, brushing ash from his sleeve. His gaze met theirs—bored, calm, final.
"You really want to die that badly?"
Ignis took a step forward. "You think you're untouchable?"
"No." Raizel tilted his head. "I know I'm untouchable."
Zephyros's lip curled. "What are you?"
Raizel smiled.
"Your first mistake."
—
Orion ran to catch up with him before sunset, breathless. "Master—what are you doing? They're trying to provoke you!"
Raizel looked up at the reddening sky. "Then I guess it worked."
"But if you kill them—"
"I won't," he said softly, a strange coldness in his voice. "They'll do it for me."
Orion fell silent. Something in Raizel had shifted. He could feel it now—not power, not ego—but something deeper. Something ancient.
Dante stood a few steps away, quiet, watching with narrowed eyes. He didn't speak. He didn't need to.
—
Lucien appeared beside Raizel as he walked toward the battleground.
"You're going to kill them," he said, not asking.
Raizel didn't answer.
"Tell me something, Raizel," Lucien continued, golden eyes flickering. "When you kill them… will it be fast?"
Raizel turned to him, eyes glowing with that same unnatural crimson.
"No," he replied. "They'll beg first."
Lucien smiled—but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I can't wait to see what you become."
—
The divine arena stood quiet beneath the dusk sky, surrounded by students and gods. The air was heavier than usual. As if it knew blood was about to be spilled.
Ignis and Zephyros stood across the battlefield, storm and flame building around them.
No one spoke.
Raizel entered in silence. No armor. No weapons. Just him.
Lucien leaned back against a pillar, arms folded. Watching. Always watching.
Fenrir didn't follow. He stayed behind, as ordered.
Ignis raised both arms, and the sky ignited. Zephyros spun, creating a cyclone of compressed wind.
Together, their magic collided in a devastating burst—wind and fire, death and fury. The sky cracked with thunder. The earth quaked.
The entire arena vanished beneath the blast.
Orion shouted, "MASTER!"
Ash filled the air. Smoke covered the battlefield.
Then—movement.
A silhouette stepped through the smoke, slow and steady.
Raizel walked out, untouched. Unburned. Calm.
His red eyes glowed.
"You're not gods," he said quietly. "You're insects."
Zephyros stepped back.
Ignis snarled and summoned more fire.
Raizel raised one hand.
The shadows beneath him pulsed—something beneath the surface stretching, rising.
Lucien leaned forward for the first time.
Raizel smiled.
"Then I'll show you what a real monster looks like."
—
To Be Continued in Chapter 12 – The Execution