The battlefield above the Palace of Origins had become eerily silent.For thousands of years, the gods had ruled from beyond the heavens without opposition. Entire civilizations had risen and fallen beneath their watchful eyes and Never for once had a mortal pointed a weapon toward them with the intention of winning, yet Keiran stood there, his sword in hand, while the World Tree illuminated the night behind himThe divine messenger's expression remained unreadable“Your resistance changes nothing” it declared. “The outcome has already been written”Keiran slowly rolled his shoulders “I've never been a fan of people deciding my future for me”Silver energy continued to swirl around him. With every passing second, fragments of memories surfaced within his mind. It was a battlefield beneath the stars.The First Guardian smiled as he stood before the World Tree, Titans and humans sharing a meal and then, fire started, followed by screams.The heavens opening while Keiran clenched his fis

Those two words lingered heavily within Keiran's mind long after the meeting ended.One month until the Heavenly Gates opened, one month until the King of the Gods descended, one month until the fate of countless worlds would be decided.For the first time in years, Keiran felt the weight of time pressing down upon him.He had always believed there would be another battle but now, tomorrow had a deadline and somehow, that frightened him more than facing an army of gods.That evening, Keiran stood alone upon one of the palace balconies overlooking the Titan Kingdom. The city below remained lively despite the events of the previous day.Titans and humans could be seen walking side by side throughout the streets.A sight that would have been considered impossible just a few weeks ago“It still feels strange, doesn't it?”Keiran turned to find Aether standing beside him.“What does?”“Knowing that the people we've hated for thousands of years were once our allies” Keiran smiled faintly.“

The following week, the Capital transformed into something it had never been before.It was no longer merely the center of the Empire as it had become the final gathering point of the world.Tents stretched for miles beyond the city walls as armies from every nation continued arriving. Titans worked alongside human craftsmen to expand the training grounds, while scholars from different kingdoms gathered to exchange knowledge regarding the ancient war against the gods.For the first time in recorded history, there were no borders, only allies and despite the impending end of the world, life somehow continued.“Left flank, tighten your formation!”General Aurora's voice echoed throughout the western training grounds as thousands of soldiers practiced their movements.Nearby, Anthony personally supervised the elite units while Wesley met with various leaders to finalize preparations.Meanwhile, Marcus had somehow convinced several Titan warriors to participate in an arm-wrestling compet

The Capital did not recover quickly from Caelum's visit and for the first time since learning about the gods, humanity had seen one up close without bloodshed.and somehow, that had frightened them more.The Second God had smiled, he had laughed and had placed a flower in Isabella's hair, that was unsettling.However, none of that remained the center of attention by the following morning.because everyone was asking the same question“What do you mean Marcus shouldn't exist?”Marcus sat at the center of Keiran's living room while everyone stared at him“I don't know!”“You're the one who was addressed!” Anthony exclaimed.“And I would love to know why!” He uttered Selene frowned “Think carefully, have you experienced anything strange?”Marcus opened his mouth before slowly closing it again“How strange are we talking?”Everyone remained silent “Because Keiran regularly dreams about ancient trees, and apparently, Titans used to babysit humanity, so my standards for strange have changed

A few days left and the number had become impossible to ignore..Every morning, the bells of the Capital rang once for each remaining day until the Heavenly Gates opened. It had become a tradition that spread throughout the world, a reminder that time continued moving forward, regardless of whether they were ready.Today, the bells rang fourteen times. Keiran stood atop the palace walls, quietly watching the sunrise“It's strange, isn't it?”He didn't need to turn around to recognize Aether's voice.“What is?”“How peaceful the world becomes right before it changes forever”The Titan King stood beside him, his golden eyes fixed upon the horizon“Three thousand years ago, it was much the same”“you were also here?” Keiran asked “I was” he replied Keiran had almost forgotten that sometimes. Aether wasn't merely a king, he was a survivor and the last witness to an age long forgotten*Were you afraid?” Keiran askedAether smiled sadly “Terrified”The answer surprised him“You?”The Titan