The moon above the Refuge had turned red.
Diana noticed it first. A warrior always watches the sky.
"The gods have sent their first test," she said.
Sarive stood beside her, chest still sore from his battle at the Mirror Gate. "Which god?"
She unsheathed her sword, forged by Hephaestus himself. "Not a god. Something worse."
Hope's Nightmare
That night, Hope screamed.
She thrashed in her sleep, lightning flashing from her skin. Her voice echoed in multiple languages—some older than time itself.
Sarive rushed to her bedside. As he reached for her, a blast of divine energy launched him into the wall. Cracks split across the Refuge walls.
Zatanna appeared in a flash, chanting backward.
"Ssertni ekawa morf ygrene fo sdrocsE!"
Hope calmed. Her breath returned to normal. But the bed burned with golden fire.
Zatanna turned to Sarive. "She's dreaming of the future again. Each time she does, her power gets harder to contain."
"She said a name while asleep," Sarive muttered. "Mal'Kar."
Diana stiffened.
"That's not possible," she said. "Mal'Kar was sealed in Necra. He shouldn't even know she exists yet."
Sarive stood. "Then something's changed."
Arrival of the Storm Scout
The Refuge gates creaked open to a cold wind.
A warrior walked in, wrapped in a dark blue cloak, frost still clinging to her boots. Her skin was grayish-blue, her eyes like frozen steel. She held a staff crackling with storm energy.
"I am Miko of Thrymfell," she said. "Your storm has begun."
Zatanna raised a hand cautiously. "Why are you here?"
Miko bowed her head to Diana. "I bring news. Vorgos the Unraveler has united factions of Olympus, Asgard, and the New Gods. They've formed the Trine Pact—a secret alliance to capture Hope and erase Theonix from all time."
She looked at Sarive.
"And they've sent an assassin already. A godslayer made of silence."
The Assassin: Veylak, the Voiceless Death
In the forest outside the Refuge, trees fell silently.
No wind. No breath. No warning.
Veylak moved without a sound. A being of black armor and pale skin, no face, no heart. He was born from the void between gods—created by Mal'Kar to destroy without mercy.
His blade was made of crystallized stillness—one strike, and reality near it would shatter like glass.
He approached the Refuge now.
Training of the Warrior
Diana grabbed two training blades, tossing one to Sarive.
"These aren't just swords. They're soulbound—linked to your will. Hephaestus forged them to adapt to your rage, your mercy, your discipline."
Sarive caught the blade. It shimmered gold in his hand.
"What do I do?"
"Simple," Diana said. "Don't die."
The Battle Begins
The sky split open as Veylak descended.
Zatanna summoned a circle of protection around Hope. Miko summoned a storm. Diana faced the assassin head-on.
Sarive stepped forward.
"I've got this," he said.
"You're not ready," Diana warned.
"I wasn't ready when I got here. I wasn't ready when I faced myself. But I still stood. And I'll do it again."
He leapt forward—fast as a comet—and clashed with Veylak.
Clash of Will and Silence
Veylak moved like liquid death.
Every swing of his blade erased the sound around it. Sarive's sword sparked with golden fire, matching Veylak strike for strike.
But Veylak never tired. Never bled. Never slowed.
The silence became overwhelming. Sarive couldn't hear his heartbeat. Couldn't hear his thoughts.
Until—
Hope's voice cut through the void.
"Sarive."
His eyes snapped open.
He activated a new surge of his power—not just strength. Not just speed.
Something deeper.
His body glowed as gold markings crawled up his arms.
And for the first time, he spoke a word that wasn't his—but ancient.
"ZI'VAKAR."
The blade in his hand shifted, becoming longer, curved, etched with divine sigils. A golden energy roared from him.
He struck Veylak.
The assassin exploded into silent shards of darkness.
Aftermath: A Warning from Miko
The silence broke.
Birdsong returned. Wind stirred the leaves.
Sarive dropped to one knee, panting. Diana touched his shoulder.
"You summoned something new," she said. "What was that word?"
"I… don't know," Sarive said. "It just came to me."
Zatanna frowned. "We'll need to study that. It felt like a Primordial Command. The kind only gods use to shape reality."
Miko stepped forward. "That wasn't even the true battle. It was a whisper of what's coming."
She pointed her staff to the sky—where three constellations now glowed blood red.
"The Trine Pact will send more. Stronger."
"And next time," she said, "they won't come for you."
"They'll come for her."
Final Scene: Mal'Kar's Prison
In the dark realm of Necra, Mal'Kar closed his book of names.
Veylak's name faded.
"No matter," he whispered. "The boy bleeds like any other. And now… he speaks the language of the old gods."
A bony smile split his face.
"He is becoming what I feared most."
"A wild god."