THE DEVIL'S BRIDE
Episode 37: The God Who Lied
By Rapwizzy Debaron
The heavens tore open.
Kael's blade—burning with blue-gold fire—split the air like a scream, cutting through realms and reaching into the bones of eternity. The three old gods didn't even have time to defend themselves.
One fell with a shattered cry.
Another vanished in light.
And the last?
He smiled.
---
"You've awakened," said the smiling god.
He looked young. Too young. With hair like starlight and a face carved from forgotten dreams. But his eyes held centuries.
Kael breathed heavily, the sword shaking in his hand.
"I told you not to return," Kael hissed.
Lucien blinked. "You… know him?"
Kael nodded. "He was my brother. Once."
---
The god took a step forward. "I didn't lie to you, Kael. I only hid the parts you weren't ready for."
Evelyn stood beside Kael, her fingers laced with his. "Who is he?"
Kael's voice was hoarse. "His name is Auren. He was the god of knowledge. And he betrayed me."
---
Auren bowed mockingly. "I gave you your first name, Kael. I told you you'd be a savior."
"You made me a weapon," Kael spat.
"And the world needed one."
Lucien growled, stepping forward. "Why return now?"
Auren's smile faded.
"Because the real threat hasn't come yet. And without Kael fully awakened—this realm will fall."
---
A cold wind rippled through the battlefield.
Seraphina, barely alive, began to laugh weakly.
"You see? None of us are heroes. Just survivors of prophecy."
Kael turned to Auren. "You used me before. You won't do it again."
"I don't need to," Auren said softly. "You're already becoming who you were. The others will feel it. The Council Beyond Flame… they'll come."
Lucien stiffened. "They're still alive?"
Auren's eyes gleamed. "And they remember everything Kael did the first time."
---
Kael gripped his chest. A fire pulsed inside him, one that didn't burn skin… but memory.
Visions:
Cities crumbling under his flame.
A woman—his wife—crying as she ran from his throne.
A baby, taken away in the night.
And Auren… watching it all, whispering lies into the wind.
---
Kael roared, a sound that split clouds.
"No more secrets!"
The sword responded—growing brighter, larger, as though it remembered too.
Evelyn reached him. "Kael, don't lose yourself. You're not what they say."
Tears burned down his cheeks. "But what if I am?"
"Then be more."
---
Auren stepped back, vanishing slowly.
"I'll return when the Council comes," he said, fading into mist. "Try not to burn the world before then, brother."
---
As silence returned, Seraphina finally passed out.
Lucien placed a hand on Kael's shoulder. "We have time. Not much. But enough."
Kael closed his eyes. "Then let's use it."
Evelyn held his hand, whispering:
"We fight for who you are. Not who you were."
---
To be continued…
Auren has returned.
The Council stirs.
And Kael must choose what kind of god he will be.
Vote if your chest is tight.
Comment: Should Kael embrace his past, or bury it
?
Follow @RapwizzyDebaron — Episode 38 will bring us to the edge of Kael's former kingdom… and the shadows that await him there.