Kael's mind drifted between reality and the abyss. Darkness stretched endlessly, yet somewhere in the void, a pulse , faint and distant , it called to him. Memories flickered, disjointed and broken. A battle against an overwhelming foe, a desperate attempt to rewrite existence, and then… nothingness. The weight of mortality pressed against his soul, foreign yet inescapable.
Then, a sharp intake of breath. His senses exploded into awareness.
Kael's golden eyes snapped open, his body stiff as though encased in stone. Blinding fluorescent lights loomed above him, sterile and unfeeling. His fingers twitched against the cold surface of the bed. The muffled beeping of monitors filled the air, and the faint scent of sedatives clung to his nostrils. He turned his head slightly, his gaze settling on the reinforced glass enclosing him. Beyond it, men in lab coats scrambled in a mix of excitement and fear.
"Subject is awake!" A scientist's voice cracked through a communicator. "Alert the president immediately!"
Kael exhaled slowly, willing himself to sit up. Pain rippled through his body not the pain of battle, but the unnatural weakness of a being stripped of his essence. He was no longer a celestial force. He was… now a mere mortal.
A door hissed open, and a group of military officials entered, their expressions masked yet unable to fully hide their wariness. Behind them, a man dressed in an immaculate suit stepped forward, his presence alone commanding attention.
The president of the United States Aldrich kane
Kael studied him, and the president, in turn, studied him.
"Mr. Kael,"
the president spoke at last, his tone carefully measured. "You've been unconscious for over a month. During that time, we've been… studying you."
The president stated directly, he has been a ruler for sometime now and he knew one thing about powerful men was they don't like been treated like a fool, so he chose the direct approach staking everything. It's either a do or die, he knew within him, it was just an impression or illusion though, because the Kael before him could die from just a single bullet to the brain.
Kael remained silent.
"We don't know what you are. We don't know why you were fighting in the city, but I suspect youdo."
Kael flexed his fingers, noting the absence of power that once answered him instantly. He sighed in slight frustration although he had expected this.
"I assume you didn't wake me up just for introductions," Kael finally said, his voice slower and raspier than it should be.
Kane offered a thin smile. "We have a proposition. You see, your presence is… let me say disruptive. Your existence is an anomaly, and anomalies are either contained or utilized."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "And which do you plan to do?"
"That depends on you." Kane clasped his hands behind his back. "We can offer protection, resources, information. In return, you work with us. Help us understand what you are."
Kael chuckled, the sound devoid of amusement. "I have no interest in serving your government."
He stood slowly, his body protesting.
The president squinted and the military immediately pointed their guns, he wasn't going to take any chances, although he wasn't sure the guns were enough to take him down but seeing the position he stood at he was quite confident of escaping and trapping Kael in the facility, although he saw how he broke the reinforced glass and wasn't sure the facility would hold but he was sure that it could buy enough time for preparations.
Kael seeing the reactions couldn't help but chuckle. He was just a librarian over a month ago and now here he was....
"But information… that I need." he added making the president heave a huge sigh of relief.
Kane inclined his head slightly. "Then let's call it a partnership."
Kael didn't hesitate. "Fine."
He was immediately led outside the facility with new cloths on and a few bodyguards that would lead him to his newly arranged apartment.
Elara stood outside the facility when Kael emerged, her arms crossed, her face unreadable. "Took you long enough," she muttered before exhaling in relief.
He smirked, something faintly familiar in the gesture. "I had to have a little chat with your government."
"And?"
"I'm free. For now." he said pointing behind him..
Elara frowned but nodded. "Then let's get back to work."
---
For the next few weeks, Kael and Elara fell into a routine. Their days were spent buried in ancient texts, old manuscripts, and any material that held even a sliver of truth about his past. Libraries, historical archives, and underground collectors became their new haunts. Kael's presence drew wary glances, but his face was unknown to the world, making their search easier.
Elara proved invaluable, her passion for history fueling their efforts. She pored over texts with relentless curiosity, deciphering old languages and piecing together clues while Kael could somehow understand ancient texts and languages quite well which aided there search to go smooth sailing.
"Look at this," she said one evening, sliding a heavy tome across the table. "There are mentions of celestial anomalies throughout history, but this one… this one describes a warrior who fell from the heavens. A 'Godslayer'"
Kael's fingers traced the passage, a deep sense of recognition stirring within him. "This… this is something."
It wasn't enough. The fragments of his past remained elusive, like whispers lost in the wind. Yet every clue, every detail, tightened the grip of déjà vu around him.
Elara leaned forward, her voice hesitant. "Kael… are you afraid of what you might find?"
He met her gaze and said slowly."No. I'm afraid of what happens if I don't."
The weeks blurred into months, their search yielding more questions than answers. Kael's body, though still human, was beginning to feel more accustomed to the weight of mortality. But his power, the vast, infinite force that once bent the universe to his will, remained silent.
Then, the silence shattered.
---
Fifty figures descended upon the city in an instant.
The sky darkened, not from clouds, but from their presence. The Players had arrived.
Each one moved with inhuman precision. Their looks could only be described as outwordly. Each of them seemed to focus on an incorporeal interface that appeared in their vision, processing information faster than any mortal could comprehend. They were programmed to adapt, to learn, to conquer.
And they had one target: Kael.
High above the streets, a single Player stepped forward. His cold, gaze scanned the city before locking onto the unsuspecting librarian below.
"Target acquired."
Kael's blood ran cold from where he was deep beneath a pyramid in Egypt ,the hunt had begun and somehow he knew it.