~Laurent The forest bent. Not physically — not at first — but the air thickened, the way it does right before a storm tears the sky open. The presence pressed on my senses like a giant hand. I turned. And there he was. A massive silhouette stepped out from between the trees, and each step made the ground shiver like it feared him. He was tall enough for his head to brush the lowest branches, built like something carved from mountains, muscles stacked like slabs of earth. And yet… his eyes held curiosity. Not hunger. Not malice. Just… excitement. “What are you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. He grinned — a wide, sharp grin that split his beard. “I am Targan,” he said, voice deep enough that the trees vibrated. “Titan God. Devourer of stone. Breaker of realms.” He sighed almost wistfully. “And finally… finally… seeker of a worthy challenge.” I blinked once. “Challenge?” I echoed. “Is that why you came here?” “I felt your power crack through the sky,” Targan said, tapping

~Laurent Targan’s finger trembled as he pointed into the distance, but the direction he gestured toward might as well have been the entire horizon. “The Celestial Vale…” he whispered, jaw tight with equal parts respect and fear. I followed his line of sight. Mountains layered into mist. Forests so dense they looked like endless shadows. Sky streaked with gold pulses — so faint I wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t looking for them. I had no idea where that was. I hate when the world refuses to make sense. I stepped back from the Titan, letting the dust settle around my boots. “So,” I said, “how far is it?” Targan let out a tired snort. “Far.” “How far is far?” “Far enough that mortals die on the way.” He laughed. “And even gods avoid that path.” I narrowed my eyes. Right. Of course. Convenient. I crossed my arms. “So… you’re taking me there.” His head snapped up. “No.” I blinked once. “…What?” The Titan pushed himself up onto one elbow, wincing only slightly. He s

~Laurent I stepped through the door. Or… what felt like a door. It wasn’t wood or stone — it didn’t even have an edge. It was just a frame of suspended light, humming like a heartbeat. The moment my foot crossed the threshold, the entire world changed. The sounds behind me faded. The air thickened. The light shifted. I exhaled slowly and kept walking. The passage opened into a vast chamber, and the first thing I noticed was how silent it was. Not peaceful-silent. The kind of silence that feels engineered — too deliberate to be natural. A chill brushed the back of my neck. Great start. Then I sensed him before I actually saw him: a pressure in the air, like standing too close to a storm that hasn’t decided whether to break or wait. A soft, warm light rippled through the hall. A voice followed. “You walk with confidence for someone who has never stepped into a god’s domain before.” I turned. A man — no, a god — stood at the center of the chamber. Tall. Regal. Hair flo

~Laurent The soldiers lunged. Metal screamed against marble. The entire sanctum erupted into motion—fast, brutal, chaotic. Aurelion flickered out of sight and reappeared several feet away, light bending around him in streaks of gold and white. His body blurred through the air as he dodged blow after blow. Every strike from the corrupted legion cracked the floor, sending webs of light rippling outward. He didn’t retaliate. Not once. I realized, with disbelief, that he was holding back. “Don’t hurt them!” Aurelion barked between movements, his voice splitting the chamber with godly authority. Don’t hurt them? I barely sidestepped a corrupted soldier swinging a celestial halberd, the blade whistling past my face close enough to shear the edge of my sleeve. His eyes—those dead, black eyes—locked on mine, unblinking. I clenched my jaw and prepared to strike. Just one hit. Enough to shatter the corruption crawling through his veins. But before I could move— A shadow passed overh

~Laurent The moment the words left my mouth — “Watch me.” — the air snapped. Vyrath didn’t move. Didn’t twitch. Didn’t even blink. He just smiled. I launched myself forward anyway, shoving every ounce of strength into my legs. The floor cracked beneath me as I blurred forward, Shadow Step swallowing my form and spitting me out behind him. My fist cut through the air— And met a wall of invisible force. Telekinesis. He caught me without touching me, fingers barely lifted. The pressure around my arm twisted, and pain flared through the bone. I ripped myself free and spun back, landing in a crouch. He didn’t even look at me. “I had hoped,” Vyrath murmured, “that you would begin with something… creative.” I grit my teeth and flickered to his left, trying a different angle. Kinetic Manipulation kicked under my skin, launching me like a bullet. He stepped aside lazily, letting me pass. “You move like him,” he said. “Don’t,” I hissed. “Like your father.” He