Against The True Gods

A year and a half. That was how long had passed since his sixteenth birthday—since he began his path.

He had spent three months cultivating from the Bone Forging Stage all the way up to the True Rebirth Stage—an astounding feat considering the depth and complexity of his foundation.

Then, he had devoted a year to the Scion Training Facilities, honing his skills under intense conditions. Afterward, he spent another three months in Void Meditation Mode within the Polishing Heaven Dao Pagoda.

Unknowingly, he had turned seventeen.

'Time passes fast,' he thought.

Caine sat cross-legged on the back of his eagle mount, his posture relaxed but his mind sharp. Bandages wrapped his body from head to toe, hidden beneath layers of thick, white robes. Each movement, though slight, reminded him of the toll his body had endured.

Since leaving the Pagoda, six months had passed. His eighteenth birthday was mere hours away.

'Two years. Two years since I began exploring the world.'

The backlash from his cultivation had been severe. After exiting the Pagoda, he had slept for two entire months, unable to do anything but drift in an exhausted void. Even after waking, his body refused to cooperate. It had taken another four months of wandering the world before he felt anything close to recovery.

But those months were not wasted. Beyond mastering his new abilities and acclimating to his strength, Caine had finally been able to live.

He traveled from city to city, town to town, continent to continent, experiencing the vast cultures and untamed beauty of the world. It was a luxury he had never known before.

In the Three Realms, even after becoming Council Lord, his life had been consumed by war. Endless, brutal war.

He had no one he loved, and no one loved him. He was the First Blight—a figure of fear and hatred. His existence had been an inhumane stretch of brutality lasting thousands of years.

The fact that Caine had not become twisted by such a life was a testament to the strength of his Will, even before its formal manifestation.

'It's a good life. A beautiful life,' he thought, ' I suppose it's something worth protecting.'

Beside him sat Lilith, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon, a radiant smile softening her features. Unlike him, she had spent six months in Endless Samsara Mode. Yet, the moment she emerged, she had sought him out, and they had spent the past three months together.

Even Caine couldn't unravel the mystery of her strength. She had emerged from the Samsara trial unscathed, her power somehow matching his own. The symmetry between them was strange, but not unwelcome.

"You get sadder by the day. What's wrong with you?" Lilith asked suddenly, pinching his cheek with a teasing glare.
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Caine winced but didn't remove her hand. He sighed. "I don't know. It's like the feeling mortals have on the last days of their vacations. The moment is beautiful, but knowing the dread that lies ahead casts a shadow on the heart."

Lilith fell silent, studying his serene profile with a thoughtful expression. "You say this, but I don't see any fear in your eyes."

Caine smiled at her words, his elusive silver pupils glimmering with excitement.

"You're right."

Lilith didn't question his smile or his shifting emotions. Instead, she sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. Together, they drifted through the sky in peaceful silence.

***

"YOU BASTARD! WHERE IS MY SON?!"

Caine sat on his father's obsidian throne, his chin resting on his fist. His silver eyes regarded the man before him with cold detachment.

The man was short for a member of the Heavenly Clans, his bald head covered in rose-shaped tattoos identical to those that had once adorned Soran's face. He wore heavy, dark-brown robes, and his light-brown eyes shimmered with rage. Particles of sand hovered around him, vibrating with his turbulent aura.

His nose was red, a reflection of his fury and anguish.

This was Onoku Celestis, Soran's father and an elder of the Heavenly Celestis Clan.

Behind Onoku, a crowd of elders filled the throne room, their auras thick with hostility, all directed at Caine.

Caine had known this moment would come.

When he publicly "killed" Soran, he had anticipated retribution. But not like this.

'Why did they take so long?' he wondered.

'Did they wait for me to become a Scion? This makes no sense. Or are they just genuinely enraged?'

His gaze swept over the elders, noting that most were from the Celestis Clan, with a few from the Renala Clan. The Renala elders radiated the strongest killing intent, which didn't surprise him.

Caine sighed. "Your son is alive."

Onoku's rage faltered, his eyes widening. His aura wavered, and tears filled his eyes.

"WHERE?! Where is he?! Please! Please!"

The old man collapsed to his knees, clutching Caine's robes, tears streaming down his weathered face.

A pang of regret shot through Caine. Not just for Onoku, but for all the clans whose heirs he had taken. In another timeline, this could very well have been Zao, begging for his own life.

Caine waved his hand. A shimmer appeared to his right, and Soran stepped forth, clad in resplendent golden armor. His aura pulsed with the strength of a Sage.

Soran looked at Caine, his eyes steady. "Your Highness?"

Onoku's breath hitched. He rose unsteadily and approached his son. Tears streamed freely down his face as he looked up at Soran's face. Smiling through the tears, he floated upward to embrace him.

For a moment, Soran was stiff, uncertain. But Caine nodded, and Soran returned the hug.

The elders stood frozen, their shock palpable.

Caine's voice cut through the silence. "Who instigated this?"

The elders turned, their fingers pointing at a member of the Renala Clan. Caine nodded and pushed himself up from the throne.

"Follow me to my personal courtyard," he commanded.

He walked from the hall, the sound of Onoku and Soran's sobs echoing in the vast chamber behind him.