The night air bit at Rael's skin as he stood at the edge of the ancient battlefield where he had fought the highest demon. The sky loomed cloudy and low, as if mourning the conflict that had just taken place days ago. The earth still bore the scars—craters charred with residual magic, shattered stone and fractured pillars strewn about like bones. Rael stepped slowly over the torn ground, his boots crunching softly as he approached the shattered altar where the summoning ritual had almost succeeded.
Eris's tearful face, the blood-red runes, and the suffocating aura of despair still haunted his memory. She had almost been sacrificed to awaken the Nameless God. If he had been a moment too late… he shook the thought from his head.
"I need answers," Rael murmured to himself. "That demon wasn't acting alone."
He knelt before the cracked altar, placing a hand on the surface. It was cold and slick with the residue of ancient magic. His eyes narrowed. This wasn't just a random site—it was constructed specifically to channel divine energy. The sigils weren't just demonic. They were of eldritch design—ancient, predating even the recorded histories of Eldoria.
"Nameless God," he muttered, scanning the marks. "You were here once… or you sent your voice through this place."
Suddenly, a pulse of killing intent washed over him. A sharp, focused pressure from behind a collapsed pillar to the east. Rael didn't hesitate. With a single breath, he activated his Second Awakening.
Radiant Ascension.
His hair flared to glowing white-blue, flowing in the breeze like threads of starlight. His eyes shimmered with a piercing gold. Light burst around him, casting the ruins into stark contrast. Time seemed to grind to a halt as Rael whispered:
"Solar Lockdown."
The world froze.
He moved like a phantom. In the five seconds of halted time, he crossed the distance, spun around the crumbling pillar, and grabbed the cloaked figure hiding behind it. The instant time resumed, the demon assassin found a blade at his throat, eyes wide in shock.
"Wha—?! How did you—?!"
Rael slammed him to the ground, knee on his chest. "You should have stayed hidden."
The demon struggled, but Rael's blade was pressed firm. The assassin's aura rippled with chaotic dark energy, his crimson eyes glaring.
"You're one of the Demon King's underlings," Rael stated coldly. "Sent to clean up this site?"
The demon remained silent, lips drawn tight.
"Who is your master? Who built this altar?"
Still silence.
Rael narrowed his eyes. "I don't have time for loyalty games."
He stood and drew a small glowing rune from his belt—a sigil of solar binding. He etched it onto the demon's chest with his finger. Light flared, burning into the demon's skin, drawing a howl of pain.
"Speak. Or I keep going."
The demon thrashed. "You… bastard…!"
Rael's tone turned cold. "You think I'm merciful because I saved your kind once? I only saved Eris. You're just another cog in their twisted game."
He activated a second rune, burning a crescent of sunlight along the demon's arm. The assassin screamed.
"FINE! I'LL TALK!"
Rael eased the light, but did not remove the blade.
"The Nameless God… he's not just watching anymore," the demon spat. "He's moving. The altar… it was meant to anchor his descent. The sacrifice would've been the final tether."
Rael's jaw tightened. "So that demon I killed was only a fragment?"
"Worse," the assassin hissed. "It was one of the four generals of the Demon King, who serves directly under the Nameless God."
Rael's eyes narrowed. "Four generals?"
"You killed the weakest one," the demon said, trembling. "The others… they'll come. One by one. They'll complete what he couldn't."
Rael stood slowly, withdrawing his blade. "So that's what this is. A prelude to war."
The demon suddenly laughed. "You don't stand a chance. You think your light can stop Him?"
Rael's face was stoic. "I don't need to stop Him today. Just enough to delay Him tomorrow."
With a swift strike, he knocked the demon unconscious, then bound him in chains of condensed light. He would bring the captive back to the Academy's underground holding cells. But first, he turned back to the altar.
He traced his hand along its cold edge.
"Father… Mother… this god… is the one who destroyed our world." His voice was low. "I will not let him do the same to this one."
The memory of his parents' final moments—his mother's final scream, his father's desperate last stand—burned in his mind like embers of a dying flame.
Rael turned and vanished into the night.
---
Back at Arcane Academy, the headmistress stood on the tower balcony, watching the moonlight ripple across the clouds. She felt his presence before she saw him.
"Back already, Rael?" Lira Moonshade asked without turning.
Rael stepped into view, holding a glowing chain around the unconscious demon's neck.
"I found something… and someone. We need to talk."
Lira's expression grew grim. "I'll prepare the chamber."
As Rael followed her, his mind spun. The power he had awakened—Radiant Ascension—was still unstable. He needed control. Mastery.
Because the next general wouldn't be as merciful.
---
That night, under the hidden vaults of Arcane Academy, Rael began his own silent war. Not just against the demons.
But against the god who destroyed everything he once loved.