Chapter 8: Through the Waygate
The Waygate shimmered like a curtain of stars suspended in moonlight. Each ripple of its surface whispered a thousand voices—some begging for release, others screaming in warning. Kael stood at the threshold, his cloak brushing the grass, the wind still around him as if the world held its breath.
Seris stood beside him, armored and ready, her gaze never leaving the swirling gate.
"Once we step through," she said quietly, "we may not return."
Kael gave a faint nod. "I never planned to."
Thalos, his staff humming with blue light, moved toward the gate's edge and traced a sigil into the air. The serpent mark on Kael's hand responded, glowing brighter, resonating with the rune. The Waygate reacted with a sound like distant thunder.
"It's opening properly now," Thalos said. "Where it leads… the gate answers only to you."
"Then let's not keep it waiting," Kael replied.
With a breath, he stepped through.
The world twisted.
---
On the other side was silence.
No wind. No sun. Just endless white fog stretching across a landscape of forgotten ruins and pale stone. The sky above was neither day nor night—it simply was, a sea of pale gray clouds that never moved.
Kael emerged alone. The others would follow, but the gate had separated them for reasons unknown.
The serpent mark on his hand pulsed faintly, guiding him forward. He walked through empty streets carved from ivory and obsidian, the architecture unlike any kingdom he'd known. This was not of mortal making.
This was a realm lost to time.
A memory given form.
He passed statues of winged beings whose faces were smooth and featureless, their arms outstretched as though offering judgment or absolution. Their bodies crumbled under the weight of ages, but the magic here was alive.
Alive and watching.
Kael finally stopped before a massive altar. Its surface was stained crimson, though the blood was long dried.
As he approached, a presence stirred.
"You've returned, Kael."
The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, like wind passing through hollow bones.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
From behind the altar, a figure emerged—a woman draped in black veils, her face hidden, her arms adorned with silver chains that jingled like whispers.
"I am the Keeper of Echoes," she said, bowing her head. "Guardian of the Throne Between Realms."
He felt power radiating from her, ancient and heavy. "What throne?"
"The one you left behind."
Kael stepped closer. "I remember nothing of this place. Or of you."
"You weren't meant to remember until now," she said. "The Abyss claimed your memories as price for your survival. But the girl… she is the key."
"The girl from the temple?"
The Keeper nodded. "She was once your light. The only thing that tethered you to the world beyond shadow. When she fell, you chose to become what you are now… to avenge her."
Kael's heart froze.
"She died?"
The Keeper turned, raising a hand.
The fog swirled and parted to reveal a vision.
A battlefield. The girl—glowing like the sun—stood before a blackened throne, surrounded by enemies. Kael, unrecognizable, clad in armor of obsidian flame, knelt beside her. A sword through her chest. His scream shattered the sky.
Then darkness.
Endless darkness.
"You made a pact," the Keeper said. "To destroy the gods who let it happen. You offered your soul to the Abyss. In return, it gave you power… and a curse. Eternal memory loss, until you were strong enough to face the truth."
Kael stared into the fog. "Then why do I feel her now? Why is she alive?"
"Because someone reversed your fate," the Keeper whispered. "She returned… and with her, your memories."
Kael clenched his fists. The serpent mark burned.
"Where is she?"
The Keeper pointed toward a path beyond the altar, a stairwell descending into shadow.
"She waits at the Heart of Remembrance," the Keeper said. "But beware, Kael. The gods do not wish you reunited. They fear what you both are—what you once were together."
Kael turned to leave, but paused.
"What were we?"
The Keeper's voice was barely audible. "Sovereigns. Of light… and of shadow. Meant to shape the fate of worlds. But you chose vengeance. And now, the world bleeds because of it."
---
Elsewhere, in the temple at the Crystal Pool, the girl stood barefoot before the water, her eyes glowing softly. Visions danced across the pool's surface—Kael in his obsidian armor, his face twisted by rage, his soul darkened by grief.
"Kael…" she whispered. Her heart ached at the sight.
Halden approached, trembling.
"You've seen it, haven't you?" he asked.
She nodded. "We were lovers. Warriors. Bound to something older than time. But when I died, he lost everything."
"And now?" Halden asked.
She turned, her voice firm. "Now I will give him something to fight for… not just against."
From the mist, a figure emerged—Seris.
The girl flinched, stepping back.
Seris raised her hands in peace. "I mean no harm. I came through the gate… I saw your light."
"You're one of his warriors," the girl said.
"More than that," Seris said softly. "I've walked beside him through blood and ruin. But he changes when he dreams of you. His fury lessens. His eyes… they remember kindness."
The girl looked down. "Then help me. We must find him before the gods do."
Seris nodded. "Then we move now."
---
Kael descended the stairwell alone, the walls narrowing as he passed. Flames lit themselves in sconces along the walls, revealing murals painted in blood-red pigment.
Scenes of Kael and the girl, standing before titans. Breaking swords. Cracking heavens.
They had been gods once. Or something worse.
At the bottom, he entered a chamber carved from black crystal. In the center was a pedestal—and upon it, a single rose made of pure starlight.
Kael approached, reaching out.
The moment his fingers touched the rose, his vision exploded.
He saw the girl's death.
His transformation.
The fall of the Celestial Court.
The Abyss opening.
And one final moment—the girl, reborn in light, whispering into the dark:
"Find me… before they do."
Kael collapsed to his knees, breath heaving.
He remembered it all.
The love.
The war.
The cost.
Tears burned in his eyes, foreign and unwelcome.
He rose slowly.
"I will find you," he said aloud. "And I will burn the heavens if they try to stop me."
Behind him, the gate pulsed again.
War was coming.
And Kael was ready.