The library trembled under the weight of an unseen force. The very air crackled with energy, as if reality itself were straining to hold its form. The instant Kael's fingers traced the ancient script on the diary's cover, his mind was wrenched from the present, yanked into the swirling chaos of forgotten memories.
Then something shattered, it was like a thin veil or glass that stood between his brain and memories , information came crashing in as he winced a little but with a light shake of the head, he focused.
A pulse of energy surged from his body, sending books flying from their shelves and shattering the massive glass windows. Screams erupted from the few remaining patrons as they scrambled for the exits, their instincts screaming at them to flee. But escape seemed impossible.
He stared at the figure that stood in domineering obsidian armour with a golden glow forming his outline.
Kael barely had time to brace himself before the entity lunged. The impact sent him crashing through multiple bookshelves, wood and parchment exploding into the air like a paper storm. Instinct kicked in his body, despite his forgotten past, he reacted with the precision of a warrior long accustomed to battle. He twisted midair, feet slamming against a falling shelf, with a burst of energy he launched himself forward to meet his foe.
With a single motion, an instinctive flick of his wrist summoned a swirling vortex of energy around his fist. His punch connected with the Martial God's chest, sending ripples through the air like a stone shattering a still lake. The entity staggered but did not fall. It let out a guttural growl, ancient and primal, before retaliating.
"Sunder Strike."
The Martial God uttered the words like a decree, and a vertical slash of pure energy raked across the library floor. Marble cracked, the ground split, and the impact sent Kael hurtling backward, slamming into the wall across the huge library reducing it to splinters.
Pain flared through his body, as he flew into the streets of central city bashing into cars in his wake , but with the pain came something else. Clarity. The moment of impact unlocked another fragment of his past.
He had fought these beings before. He had bested them. His fingers curled, gripping the air as if to summon the power that once obeyed him. The elemental forces, the laws of existence they were once his to command. He only had to remember.
"Awaken."
The word escaped his lips without thought, and the whole city trembled with a majestic hum.
Fire erupted in swirling spirals from his fingertips, water coalesced from the shattered pipes, and the very granite road beneath his feet twisted, bending to his will.
The Martial God hesitated, just for a fraction of a second he had seen the man known as Kaanan blade right in front of him because that was a foe who had eliminated him once, he didn't know what went wrong that made him this was but he wasn't going to take any chances. He had thought that killing Kael now that he was clueless would have been easy but reality told a different story.
Those fraction of a second was all Kael needed.
He shot forward, his footwork an instinctual dance of precision, dodging the entity's incoming strikes. His counterattack was swift .A storm of elemental fury. Wind, ice, and lightning converged into a spear of raw power, piercing through the Martial God's armor. The entity let out a resonating cry, an otherworldly sound that echoed through dimensions.
The Martial God was about to rage on but when he looked at the amount of devastation he had to think about retreating.The very streets outside bore the scars of their clash. Cars flipped over, streetlights snapped like twigs, and entire blocks lost power as arcs of energy ruptured electrical grids. Civilians ran in terror, and media drones captured the devastation in real time, broadcasting it globally.
Elara had barely managed to take cover when she saw Kael and the Martial God battling in the open. She was frozen in place by fear and by the weight of realization. She had read his name in the book. Kael Veyros. And now she was witnessing something that defied all logic. She had made her guesses after reading the seemingly ordinary words in the book, she realized it was some sort of diary. But she continued reading and now she couldn't help but stare at the young man who looked to be in his early twenties. There were golden cracks all over his skin and he looked as though he could shatter at any moment.
Kael, despite his raw power, was beginning to falter. His attacks were becoming sluggish, his mortal frame unable to sustain the ancient strength coursing through him. He was powerful but he was no longer celestial. He could feel the strain in his muscles, the burning exhaustion that mortal flesh was never meant to endure.
The battle was taking longer than he had expected, he had noticed the martial god's hesitation and was expecting him to retreat but after a slight withdraw of his chaotic energy he entered into a battle of attrition, because he could also see Kael's predicament. The battle of attrition took its toll. The Martial God, sensing its advantage, pressed forward. Kael knew he couldn't keep up much longer.
---
Far from the battlefield, the President of the United States sat in his war room, watching the live broadcast with a grim expression. The reports coming in labeled the situation as a national-level catastrophe. But to him, it was more than that. This was an anomaly, an opportunity.
"This is beyond normal warfare," he muttered, eyes narrowing as Kael's name flashed across the feed. "I want that man brought in."
"Sir, he's highly dangerous...."
"All the more reason to keep him contained."
Orders were dispatched immediately. Military convoys were mobilized, high-tech restraints prepared. The objective was clear "capture the anomaly before the world could ask too many questions."
Back at the battlefield, Kael was on his knees, chest heaving, blood seeping from countless cuts and bruises. The Martial God raised its weapon for the final strike.
Then the air exploded with blinding light.
A high-frequency pulse wave surged through the battlefield, which caused a slight pause in the action of the martial god . Helicopters roared overhead, dropping stun grenades, while armored troops descended from the sky in full force. The Martial God, sensing the situation sneered . Giving on last look at the tired Kael before vanishing into the ether , its mission incomplete.
Kael barely had the strength to lift his head before he felt reinforced restraints clamp onto his wrists. A wave of suppressive energy flooded through him, dulling his connection to the elements.
Elara, who had been caught in the chaos, was also restrained. Her protests fell on deaf ears as she was dragged toward one of the secured transports.
Inside an armored vehicle, Kael sat motionless, his breath ragged. Across from him, the President himself stepped into the cabin, exuding authority.
"You caused quite the scene," the President said, observing him carefully. "And I have questions."
Kael barely reacted, but the President continued. "You are a national-level threat. That much is clear. But more than that, you are an opportunity. Someone like you… is wasted running free."
Kael finally looked up, his eyes dark with exhaustion. "I didn't choose this fight."
The President smirked. "And yet, you fought."
He leaned in, voice lowering. "I don't know who you are, Kael Veyros. But you are going to tell me everything…."
Kael exhaled slowly. He lifted his eyes which had gone dark from rage, his instincts were screaming to bash the smug smile out of the old man's face but he didn't have the strength to fight back , atleast not yet. And right now, he needed time. Time to heal, time to sort through the fragments of his resurfacing past.
So he let himself be taken.
Elara, seated beside him, gave him a cautious glance. She was now tangled in something far beyond her understanding. But the moment she had opened that book, her fate had been sealed alongside his.
And none of them were prepared for what was coming next.