The distant rumble of the gods' wrath still echoed across the stars as Mia tightened the straps on her panther-emblazoned armor. Her glowing blue eyes scanned the horizon, shadows of doubt flickering beneath her fierce determination. The weight of her charge—Hope—pressed against her heart with the force of a storm.
Hope's small hand curled tightly around hers, the child's glowing presence a beacon in the gathering twilight. The power within Hope was raw, unpredictable—and deadly. Mia had never faced a burden like this. Never before had she guarded a living spark that could reshape entire realities.
They had fled far from the Celestial Realm, to a quiet world hidden between dimensions. But the gods were relentless. Their hunters would not rest.
Mia glanced back at the forest's edge. She knew the shadows hid more than just trees—they concealed enemies.
Her thoughts drifted to Valen, the man who had entrusted her with this impossible task. A warrior once of the Ascendants, now a fugitive from both gods and men. A man whose choices had shattered worlds.
And then there was Sarive.
Thousands of miles away, in the bustling city of Liora, Sarive gripped the handles of his training weights, muscles burning with effort. His silver eyes glinted with resolve as he pushed himself harder.
At eighteen, Sarive was a protector forged in divine fire—an Ascendant in his own right, shaped by the legacy of heroes before him. He had never met Valen, but the weight of that name lingered in whispered stories. His older brother in legend, but only a friend in truth.
Mia's message had come like a storm, shaking the foundations of everything he knew.
Hope was alive.
Valen was alive.
And the war of gods was coming to their doorstep.
Sarive's team gathered in the dim light of the training hall—seven young warriors, each a child of the original Ascendants. They moved with practiced precision, a family forged by battles shared and bloodlines intertwined.
There was Kael, whose fiery temper masked a heart of gold. Elara, the swift shadow who could vanish in an instant. Bram, the hulking mountain of strength. Lila, the mystic who whispered to the unseen. Joren, whose laughter hid a razor mind. And finally, Diana—the daughter of Chris, Valen's oldest friend and once leader of the Ascendants.
Diana's presence was a quiet storm. Her fierce gaze met Sarive's as she stepped forward, a silent question passing between them.
Their world was shifting. Alliances would be tested, and the gods would decide who lived—and who perished.
That night, as the twin moons rose high, Mia prepared to leave the safety of their refuge. Hope's future depended on finding Sarive—and on the fragile trust they could build.
Mia looked down at Hope, her fierce protector's heart aching with love and fear.
"Tomorrow, we find your uncle," Mia whispered. "And maybe, just maybe, we can change the fate written in the stars."