Twice in one day.
Noctur made a quiet comment, and I stood frozen in place.
A dragon, who turned into a woman.
The thought lingered longer than it should have, settling in my mind like a question I was not ready to answer.
"At least we know something about Mnemos now," Noctur said, breaking the silence. "The real problem is finding him."
"Right," I replied.
I hovered above the clouds for hours, scanning the land below. No ripples in the air. No disturbance in the shadows. Nothing. It was as if he did not exist, or worse, as if he was watching without revealing himself.
"This demon is hard to find," I muttered. "Damn it."
"You are overworking," Noctur replied calmly. "Rest first. Be smart about the limits of your capabilities. Do not drown them."
I listened.
I descended near Mount Vamps and rested beneath the trees. The forest was quiet, branches whispering softly above me. Sitting against the trunk, exhaustion finally caught up to me, heavier than I expected.
"Sleep, Kael," Noctur said. "We will find him tomorrow."
I closed my eyes.
⸻
Something was wrong.
My surroundings blurred even though my eyes were still half open. A thick fog rolled in, heavy and suffocating, pressing against my chest. Shapes shifted in the distance, stretching and bending unnaturally.
Then I saw it.
A cathedral.
"Noctur," I called, unease creeping into my chest. "Are you seeing what I"
"Cut communications," Noctur warned sharply. "We are under attack. No matter what happens, do not listen to anyone but yourself and your instincts"
His presence vanished.
The silence that followed was heavier than the fog. For the first time since gaining my power, there was no voice beside my thoughts.
I was alone.
The cathedral loomed ahead, its massive doors standing open, inviting. Understanding what was happening, I moved forward. The fog made me dizzy. My body swayed as I walked, like I was drunk. I used my blade to steady myself as I approached the entrance.
Inside, a man stood at the altar.
The air smelled faintly of old incense and dust, the kind that clings to forgotten places. Each step echoed longer than it should have, as if the cathedral itself was listening. My shadow stretched incorrectly along the floor, lagging behind me.
He wore a dark maroon suit, so dark it nearly looked black, his hair slicked neatly back. He gestured for me to come closer.
When I did, he smiled.
"You look tired," he said smoothly. "Lost."
I tightened my grip on my sword. "Who are you"
"My name is Mnemos."
I did not hesitate.
I slashed.
⸻
The moment my blade struck, the world collapsed.
I fell to the ground as memories flooded in.
That night.
The night I gained my powers.
But this time, it was different.
I was crying.
The wizard who had granted me my power was struck down by a soldier. His cloak fell away.
It was my father.
He looked at me with burning eyes.
"Your fate is disappointing," he said. "I am ashamed you are my son."
That was the version of the past that still tried to hurt me. Not the truth, but the wound.
The world ignited.
Flames swallowed everything.
⸻
I gasped.
I was back in the cathedral, collapsed on the altar floor, hands clamped over my ears. The dizziness worsened with every second.
Mnemos sat on a throne now, watching me.
The throne had not been there before. It existed because he believed it should.
"So," he said lazily, "that is how you imagined this would go"
He leaned forward.
"Why did you send my brothers back"
"Because you do not belong here," I snapped.
Mnemos smiled. "Then I will kill you. Bring them back. Undo everything you have done. What will you do then"
I forced myself to stand.
"You may have fooled me once," I said, my voice steady despite the spinning world, "but you cannot defeat a man mentally who knows himself."
I dropped my blade.
Shadows formed around my hands, shaping into spikes. I focused, each step deliberate.
Mnemos raised his hand.
The impact came instantly.
My vision went black for a second as his punch crushed into my face, sending me to my knees. He grabbed my head.
"You killed my brothers," he whispered. "For that, I will make you my weapon, my slave"
I struck him mid sentence.
The force sent him flying into the sky.
I launched after him, punching him again, driving him away from the cathedral and the fog. The dizziness faded.
Mnemos rose, wings unfolding as he charged toward me.
I opened a portal.
Veils of shadow wrapped around his wings, arms, and legs. I dragged him into the shadow realm.
"I will send you back," I said coldly, "to where your brothers belong."
He laughed as he stood.
"I have fought angels," he said. "It took armies to defeat me."
"Your arrogance," I replied, "will eat you alive."
I vanished.
I reappeared behind him.
His eyes widened.
"Two minds," he whispered. "No. This cannot be. Are you"
"I am Kael Umbra," I said, "and I will be the last thing you see."
He caught my punch and countered with a red dagger.
"This," he said, "is the blade I used in Heaven."
The battle blurred.
Illusions. Memories. Twisted visions.
None of it mattered.
I stepped back.
"What is wrong," Mnemos mocked. "I thought you knew yourself."
"I do," I said. "That is why this ends now."
Shadows wrapped around him.
He smirked. "You have been fighting yourself this entire time."
Reality snapped.
I found myself kneeling before him in my own realm.
He raised his dagger.
"This is for my brothers."
I closed my eyes.
I felt it then, the difference between doubt and certainty, between being tested and being known.
"Reality can be confusing," I said calmly.
The blade cut.
Nothing.
No blood. No pain.
Mnemos froze.
"How"
"You cannot kill me in my own mind," I said, standing. "I control everything here."
I struck him down.
"Disrespectful," I added. "Getting beaten by your own power."
He coughed weakly. "You tell me."
I raised my blade, shadows burning along its edge.
"You have won battles with people's pasts," I said. "But my future ends you."
I struck.
⸻
I exhaled deeply.
"Noctur," I said quietly, "this was the first fight I have won without you. It feels unreal."
"It had to be," Noctur replied. "This was a battle against yourself, and you did not break."
A portal opened.
Order poured through.
The realm stilled.
Two angels stepped forward.
Michael.
Samael.
Judgment passed.
Then Heaven moved on.
There was no warmth left behind. Only the knowledge that I had been measured, and found standing.
⸻
Later, beneath the moonlight, I returned to the lake.
Aqualis emerged from the water, standing inches from me.
"So," she said softly, "you survived."
"I did," I replied. "Christ strengthened me."
She smiled.
"I hope," she said, touching my arm, "this is not your last visit."
"It will not be."
She laughed softly. "Good."
I nodded once and vanished into the night.
Below me, the world slept, unaware of how close it had come to breaking. I did not feel triumphant. Only steady.
On my way home, hovering above the sleeping lands, I called out to Noctur.
"Noctur," I said, "we might need a throne in the realm."
His voice echoed softly through the shadows. "I can handle that. I will be away building it for now. You focus on your path, Kael. Do not let the realm wait for its master."
I nodded, a faint smile brushing my lips. Even as he vanished, the weight of purpose settled on my shoulders.
When I arrived home, Lunia was already waiting beneath the still surface of the lake. Her gaze lingered on me, her expression sharpening.
"There is another dragon's scent on you," she said. "Did you fight a dragon"
"No," I replied. "But I met one."
Her lips curved faintly. "Interesting." Then her tone softened. "Welcome home, Kael. Rest well."
I shook my head. "Noctur remains in the Shadow Realm. He is forming a throne."
Lunia inclined her head. "Then rest well, Kael."
With a single gesture, the waters parted. The lake obeyed her will, opening a silent path as I descended once more to my hidden home beneath Lunia's depths.