Heavenbreaker: The Rebirth of the cursed Hero

Chapter 6- WALKING TO CHAINS AND LIES

Kai felt warmth first.

Soft, gentle, familiar.

Then pain , sharp and sudden , flashing through his limbs like needles of ice. His breath hitched as he fought upward through the fog in his mind. Voices echoed around him, muffled and distant.

“He’s waking up”

“Stand back. We don’t know what he is.”

“That blast nearly erased half the arena”

Kai’s eyes snapped open.

A wooden ceiling stared back at him. Lanterns hung from beams. He turned his head slowly, realizing he was lying on a bedding mat inside a medical hut.

But something was wrong.

His wrists were glowing.

Chains , thin, translucent, etched with runes , wrapped around both arms, anchoring him to the bed.

Anti-magic seals.

Kai inhaled sharply. “They… chained me?”

A shadow moved beside him.

Lira.

Her silver hair was messy, her eyes red, but she leaned close as soon as he stirred. “Kai, Kai, are you okay? Say something.”

He blinked rapidly. Lira’s face was inches away, filled with worry. Too much worry.

“How long was I out?”

“Two days,” she whispered. “We thought you… you might not wake up.”

Two days.

Kai’s heart pounded. The ruins. The fragment. The memory. Azeriel. Betrayal. Everything crashed down in a wave of confusion.

Before he could speak, the door slid open.

Raven stepped inside.

Not the usual smug, quietly superior Raven. His face was cold, expression unreadable.

Behind him entered Elder Han , limping, leaning heavily on a staff, bruises across his body.

Four village guards followed.

The air thickened instantly.

“Kai Ren,” Elder Han said, voice hoarse, “we need answers.”

Kai sat up, pulling against the glowing chains. They tightened painfully. “You think I caused the destruction on purpose?”

Raven’s eyes narrowed. “Whether you intended it or not doesn’t matter. People were injured. Property destroyed. And an assassin from the Celestial Realm descended on our village for the first time in centuries.”

Kai swallowed hard. There was no arguing with that. It was all true.

But Lira stepped forward, shielding him slightly. “He didn’t summon that assassin. He was the target!”

“Exactly,” Raven said sharply. “Which means something about him is dangerous enough for the heavens themselves to act.”

Elder Han lifted a hand. “Raven, enough.”

He turned to Kai, searching his face with exhausted eyes.

“Boy… that energy, the black-gold power… we couldn’t identify it. Our mages are terrified. They think it’s an omen.”

Kai felt a chill crawl up his spine.

“What happened after I collapsed?” he asked.

Elder Han sighed. “The assassin vanished. Disappeared the moment your… energy surged again. As if dragged away by some unseen force.”

Kai froze.

Dragged away… or erased?

The fragment’s words echoed in his mind:

“You didn’t fall. You were betrayed.”

Raven stepped closer, folding his arms. “Where exactly did that power come from? Do you even know what you are?”

Kai hesitated.

Tell them the truth?

That he held fragments of a fallen celestial hero?

That assassins from the heavens would keep coming until he died?

That he saw flashes of a past life where he declared war on gods?

They would kill him out of fear.

Or worse… hand him over to the celestial authorities.

Kai looked at Lira.

She watched him closely , not with fear. Not with suspicion.

With belief. Trust.

But trust alone wouldn’t protect her if the truth spread.

Kai looked back at Raven and Elder Han. Their eyes were sharp. Measuring. Ready to act.

So he chose his words carefully.

“I don’t know what happened,” he said quietly. “I don’t know what that energy was. I don’t understand why the assassin came for me.”

Half-truths.

Raven scowled. “Convenient.”

Elder Han held up a trembling hand. “He may be confused. That blast was powerful enough to damage his spirit.”

“Or,” Raven countered, “he’s hiding something.”

Lira stepped forward sharply. “Enough! Kai would never hurt anyone.”

Raven looked at her. “You don’t know that.”

“Yes,” Lira said firmly. “I do.”

Her voice shook the room more than any spell.”

Elder Han exhaled deeply. “Regardless… we cannot take risks. Until we understand your power, Kai, the chains stay.”

Kai’s stomach twisted.

“But you’re not a prisoner,” Elder Han added. “You’re… under protection. For now.”

Raven turned, cloak swaying. “He can’t stay here forever. The Council is coming.”

Kai stiffened. “The village council?”

“No,” Raven said without turning back.

“The Provincial Arcane Council. The ones who enforce magical law.”

Lira went pale. “Raven, you didn’t”

“They had to be informed,” Raven snapped. “A celestial assassin attacked our territory. It’s protocol.”

Kai’s pulse spiked.

If the Provincial Council arrived, they could either take him away , or execute him for “divine interference.”

Elder Han lowered his gaze. “They will arrive by tomorrow morning.”

Kai felt cold.

Tomorrow.

He had until tomorrow before he lost everything.

Lira suddenly gripped his hand despite the chains. “Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll help you.”

Kai opened his mouth, but before he could speak, The system chimed.

A sound only Kai could hear.

“Warning: Second Celestial Assassin approaching. Estimated arrival: 5 minutes.”

Kai’s blood froze.

Five minutes?! Now?!

The hut rattled.

Raven turned sharply. “What was that?!”

Another rumble shook the ground, heavier, deeper.

Elder Han’s eyes widened. “Not again…!”

Lira stepped closer, panic rising. “Kai, what is happening?”

But Kai wasn’t looking at her.

He was staring at the doorway.

A shadow fell across it.

A massive, armored figure stepped inside , helmet shaped like a horned beast, eyes burning blue-white.

The assassin spoke in a low, emotionless voice:

“Target confirmed. Kai Ren. You will die now.”

Kai pulled hard against the glowing chains.

They didn’t break.

Raven drew his blade in a flash of dark flame.

Elder Han raised his broken staff.

Lira stood in front of Kai, trembling but refusing to move.

The assassin stepped forward ,And the ground cracked beneath him.