Lord of Deception

In the celestial plane, where time itself bent and space shimmered like an eternal sea of light, the Archons gathered.

Their domain was beyond mortal perception, a place where the concept of reality existed as shifting threads in an endless cosmic tapestry. The great halls of the Astral Concordance, an infinite expanse of marble and starlight, echoed with the whispers of fate.

Seated upon thrones woven from the fabric of existence itself, the Seven Archons presided over the laws of balance, their forms shifting between states—part light, part divinity, part unknowable.

At their center, a voice rang like the chime of creation itself.

"The mortal king has invoked the Covenant."

The speaker was Azrael, Archon of Order, his form draped in robes of gold and silver, his face veiled behind a mask of shifting constellations. His mere presence bent reality, and his voice carried the weight of absolute authority.

From the throne to his right, Seraphis, Archon of War, stirred. His six burning wings spread wide, his radiant spear humming with power.

"The Empire falters," he said, his voice deep as the rumbling of mountains. "Their king calls upon us not out of faith, but desperation."

Another figure—Elyon, Archon of Fate—smiled, her expression unreadable. Her form was ever-changing, her body composed of infinite possibilities, her golden eyes glimmering with paths yet walked.

"Desperation often births the greatest wagers," she mused, twirling a thread of destiny between her fingers. "And yet… something stirs in the shadows beyond our sight."

The hall dimmed for a brief moment, an unnatural shift in the eternal light.

The Archons paused.

"Kael Arden," Azrael spoke his name with measured tone, as though invoking something that should not exist. "The one who has defied the course laid before him."

A ripple passed through the Astral Concordance. The threads of fate shuddered as if struggling to define him.

Seraphis' wings flickered, unease slipping into his perfect composure.

"He should not be."

"No," Elyon agreed, her smile vanishing. "And yet he is."

A fourth voice—calm, precise, calculating—spoke from the farthest throne.

"Perhaps we should have ended him before he became a disruption."

The speaker was Vaelith, Archon of Judgment, the coldest among them. His form was one of absolute symmetry, his body carved from celestial crystal, his words neither cruel nor kind—only final.

Azrael turned toward him.

"The Covenant has been invoked," he reminded. "To interfere with the world is not our way."

"And yet Kael Arden already interferes," Vaelith countered. "Not as a mere man… but as something else."

The hall fell into silence.

A decision loomed.

Then, another presence made itself known.

A soft laughter, like the tinkling of glass, echoed through the expanse.

From the highest throne, where the First Archon resided, a voice spoke at last.

"Let it be so."

The Archons turned in unison toward the Veiled One. The First, the one whose true name had been lost to even time itself. Their form was shrouded, shifting between male and female, light and shadow, existence and non-existence.

It was they who had watched since the beginning.

And now, they would judge.

"The mortal king seeks salvation through our power," the First Archon murmured. "The rogue seeks dominion through his own will."

Their unseen gaze swept across the stars, taking in the infinite strands of fate, the collapsing futures that twisted around one singular name—

Kael Arden.

A name that should never have existed in their plans.

And yet…

They were curious.

"A test, then," the First Archon whispered, a cosmic decree slipping into existence. "We shall grant the Emperor our blessing. Let his sword rise anew. Let his enemies tremble before celestial might."

Seraphis' eyes burned with renewed purpose.

Azrael merely inclined his head.

Vaelith remained still.

Elyon, however, smiled again—this time, something deeper, something knowing.

The First Archon continued, their voice now carrying a hint of something rare—amusement.

"And let Kael Arden prove to us… whether he is merely another mortal grasping for power."

Their form flickered, and for the briefest of moments, the light of the celestial plane dimmed.

"Or whether he is something more."

The decision was made.

The storm would soon descend upon the world.

To Be Continued...