The Moonlit Garden – Academy's Hidden Sanctuary
Night had fallen over the academy, but the stars above blazed like a thousand watching eyes.
Kael sat quietly in the Moonlit Garden — a secret place only accessible to royal-blooded students and top-ranked cultivators.
And tonight, it was empty.
Empty, except for him… and Althea.
She sat beside him on the stone bench, her silver hair cascading down her back, now free of chains but still faintly shimmering with divine remnants.
"You haven't changed," she said, brushing a finger along Kael's hand. "Not in the ways that matter."
Kael exhaled, eyes lost in the sky.
"I nearly destroyed the universe. Some would call that change."
"You tried to save it. And paid the price for it."
Truths Buried by Time
Althea's voice became heavier — as if centuries of silence were finally breaking open.
"Kael… do you remember the Heartspark Accord?"
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"The day I was branded a traitor."
Althea nodded. "It was a lie. A setup. The other gods feared your theory — the one that would unlock free divinity for mortals. They claimed you sought control… but you only wanted to break the chains."
Kael's fists clenched.
"They said I was rewriting destiny. But destiny… is a cage forged by cowards."
She looked into his eyes.
"And now… you're free. But so are they. And they know you're remembering."
Meanwhile – The Harem Gathers
In Zara's room, the girls had gathered for what Mira jokingly called "an emergency harem council."
Zara paced angrily. "She's his wife. A goddess. How do we even compete?"
Selene, calm and mysterious: "You're competing?"
Rayna, shrugging: "I mean… she's divine, sure. But we've fought beside him."
Lyria was quiet, fiddling with her arrows. "Do you think he still loves her?"
Seraphina, voice cold but honest: "He never stopped. But that doesn't mean there's no room for others."
Silence.
Then Mira, smirking: "You're all missing the obvious."
"He was a god. She was a goddess.Now he's our prince. And I say we make our own destiny."
Zara groaned. "Why do you sound like the protagonist now?"
Back in the Garden – A Gift from the Past
Althea stood, her divine aura briefly flaring.
She reached into the air, and from within a ripple of magic, she drew a glowing fragment: a crystal shard, shaped like a wing.
Kael recognized it instantly.
"My divine crest…"
Althea smiled. "The gods shattered it when they exiled you. I hid one piece before they sealed me. If you collect all seven fragments—"
"—I reclaim my godhood," Kael finished.
"Yes," she whispered. "And when that happens… the real war will begin."
Kael took the shard.
"Then I need to get stronger. Fast."
"You're not alone anymore," she said gently.
"You never were."
The Flame and the Moon
As Kael returned to his dorm that night, Zara stood waiting at his door.
Alone.
"So…" she started, crossing her arms. "You love her?"
Kael looked at her, not surprised. "Yes."
Zara scowled… then sighed.
"I figured. But I don't care."
"What?"
"I'm not giving up just because a goddess shows up and calls dibs on your heart."
She stepped closer, flame flickering in her eyes.
"You saved me. Trained me. Fought beside me.I don't care about your past.I care about now."
Kael raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly. "That almost sounded like a confession."
Zara grinned. "Almost? Guess you'll have to survive the next arc to hear the full version."
Ending Note
As Kael closed the door that night, the divine fragment pulsed faintly from his chest.
Six more to go.
And with every one, he came closer to the truth — and to a war that had begun long before his rebirth.