Chapter Six: Blood Written in the Stars
In the aftermath of the battle, news traveled faster than fire.
Every kingdom, every hidden cult, every forgotten bloodline—heard the same whisper: A Vessel has awakened.
And in the darkened halls of the Crimson Order, preparations began for a war centuries in the making.
**
Meanwhile, Kain wandered through the ruins, his mind heavy with questions.
Why him? What did it mean to carry an Origin Vessel? And who were the other Chosen?
Suddenly, the ground trembled underfoot.
In the sky above, a rift cracked open like shattered glass—another Gate.
From its heart, a figure descended: a girl, no older than Kain, wrapped in a cloak of silver threads, her eyes glowing faintly like twin moons.
The moment her feet touched the ground, every shadow in the city recoiled.
Vera whispered inside Kain's mind:
"Another Marked One... but different. She holds a pure Vessel."
The girl opened her palm.
In it burned a small sigil—a symbol resembling intertwined serpents.
She spoke, her voice echoing unnaturally:
"I am Lyra of the Third Gate. You—Kain—bearer of Vera—you must come with me.
The Thrones are stirring. If we don't move now, everything will be devoured."
Kain narrowed his eyes.
He didn't trust her... but he could feel it—an invisible chain linking their fates together.
From the broken gate behind them, a new threat began to emerge: black-armored beasts, soulless and born from the rift's corruption.
No time for doubt.
Kain summoned Vera's fragment once more, light enveloping his arms.
Lyra raised her hand, and silvery flames danced along her fingers.
Side by side, two Chosen—two living Vessels—prepared to face the darkness that had already begun to claw at their world.
The war was no longer coming.
It had already begun.