The Shattered Sky: Only I Do What the Gods Can't

Kael's eyes fluttered open to the sight of a world around him reduced to chaos.

The rocky terrain around him was scorched and fractured, the remnants of his battle with the Skybreakers carved deep into the earth and the trees around where no where to be seen, they had all been cleared. Smoke and dust hung in the air, and the faint scent of burned stone lingered in his nose.

His body ached, every muscle and joint screaming in protest as he forced himself to sit up. His blade lay nearby, its edge cracked but intact.

"Lira," Kael whispered, panic surging through him as he turned his gaze to the desolate expanse. She was nowhere to be seen.

He staggered to his feet, his legs trembling under his weight. "Lira!" he called, his voice hoarse. Only silence answered him.

A voice echoed softly in his mind, startling him.

"She's not here."

Kael froze, his breath catching. "Who... who said that?"

The voice was calm, beautiful and almost soothing. "I am Neo. You've already felt my presence before, Kael."

He swallowed hard, his mind racing. "Neo? You're the voice from the battle... aren't you?"

"Yes," Neo replied, her tone even. "I guided you when you were on the brink of defeat. And now, I am here to guide you further."

Kael's head swam with questions. "Why didn't you speak to me before? Who are you? And why did those Skybreakers have no fragment abilities? They were so strong, but they didn't... merge with fragments."

Neo paused before answering, her voice softening. "I couldn't speak to you until now because my connection to you was incomplete. Goddess Astraea placed me as your companion, though not without risk. My interference isn't something the Celestials would openly allow."

"Astraea?" Kael muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yes," Neo continued. "I am bound to you as part of her will, tasked with aiding you as the Herald of the Celestials. As for the Skybreakers... they are not like ordinary fragment users. Their strength doesn't come from merging with fragments. They shatter fragments and absorb their raw energy directly, tainting their bodies and minds in the process. It's a twisted perversion of the celestial power."

"The machine you so graciously destroyed was what was used to shatter pieces of the constellations and then mine the fragments which would often get attached to the ground upon falling," She added.

Kael let the weight of her words sink in, his fists clenching. "And Lira? Where is she? Why didn't she come back?"

"I don't know," Neo admitted, her voice gentle. "But she would not have abandoned you willingly. It was your fragment power that controlled and convinced her to leave. You must search for her."

Kael nodded, determination surging through him. "Then tell me where to start."

"That is something I cannot do," Neo said. "But you can retrace your steps. Look for signs, use your instincts. She would have left something behind."

Kael gritted his teeth. "Then I'll find her. No matter what."

Kael scoured the area, his eyes scanning for any sign of Lira. The ground was littered with debris, the marks of their desperate escape etched into the rocks. He found nothing—no footprints, no discarded items, no sign of her at all.

Hours passed, the sun creeping higher in the sky and casting long shadows across the barren landscape. Kael's throat burned with thirst, his stomach growling with hunger, but he ignored the discomfort.

"Come on, Lira," he muttered under his breath. "You're out here somewhere. I know you are."

He stumbled upon a shallow indentation in the dirt—a mark left by her boots, faint but undeniable. Kael knelt, his fingers brushing against the earth. It was a lead, but it wasn't enough to tell him where she had gone.

The search took him further from the battlefield and into unfamiliar terrain. The mountains stretched endlessly in every direction, their peaks jagged and unforgiving. Kael paused at a narrow ledge overlooking a steep ravine, his gaze sweeping across the horizon.

Neo's voice broke the silence. "Kael, you need to stop and think. This isn't sustainable."

Kael shook his head, frustration bubbling up inside him. "I can't stop. Not until I find my sister."

"And what happens if you collapse?" Neo asked. "You won't help her by running yourself into the ground."

Kael exhaled sharply, closing his eyes. She was right, but the thought of stopping felt unbearable.

He sat down on the ledge, his body heavy with exhaustion. Neo remained silent, allowing him a moment to collect himself.

As Kael rested, he thought back to their journey before the battle. He retraced their steps in his mind, piecing together a rough map of the area. Lira had the actual map—and their supplies—but Kael had his memory and a self-proclaimed good sense of direction.

He took a small piece of charred wood from the ground and began sketching marks on a flat stone, creating a crude representation of the trails they had traveled.

"I'll find my way back to the village," he muttered. "She might have gone there to look for me."

"A sound plan," Neo said approvingly. "But you'll need to stay alert. The Skybreakers may not be finished with you. Not all of them where at the fight"

Kael nodded, rising to his feet. "Let them come. I'll be ready."

The journey back toward the village was slow and arduous. Kael relied on his memory and the faint markings he left on stones and trees to guide him, each step heavy with uncertainty.

The terrain shifted from rocky cliffs to dense forests, the canopy overhead casting dappled shadows on the ground. Kael's fragment pulsed faintly, its rhythm a constant reminder of its presence.

He passed through a small clearing where wildflowers grew in clusters, their vibrant colors a sharp contrast to the desolation he had left behind. For a brief moment, he allowed himself to hope.

But hope dwindled as the hours stretched on. Kael found no sign of Lira, no trace of her path. He encountered a few scattered settlements along the way, their inhabitants wary and tight-lipped.

"Have you seen a young woman?" he asked a farmer tending his fields. "Dark hair, carrying daggers? She might have passed through here."

The man shook his head, his expression guarded. "Haven't seen anyone like that. Roads aren't safe these days."

Kael thanked him and moved on, his frustration mounting.

As night fell, Kael set up a makeshift camp near the base of a tree. He sat with his back against the trunk, his blade resting across his lap.

"She's not at the village," he said aloud, his voice tinged with despair. "Where else could she have gone?"

"Think, Kael," Neo urged. "Where were you headed before the battle? What was your destination?"

Kael's eyes widened. "The capital. She'd go to the capital. She'd think I'd do the same."

"Then that's where you must go," Neo said.

Kael nodded, a sense of purpose rekindling within him. He would find her. He had to. He would be heading north.

Meanwhile, miles away, Lira stood at the edge of the battlefield, her heart pounding in her chest. The area was unrecognizable, the land scarred and broken.

"Kael," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Where are you?"

She searched frantically, her eyes scanning the ground for any sign of her brother. Then she saw them—markings carved into the dirt.

Her heart leapt. "You're alive," she murmured, her voice filled with relief.

The markings formed a rough path leading away from the battlefield. Lira traced them with her fingers, her mind racing.

"He's heading for the capital," she realized. "He thinks I went there."

Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away. "Stay safe, Kael," she whispered. "I'll find you."

With renewed determination, Lira followed the map, her steps resolute as she began her journey toward the capital in the south.

Unaware that he had steered off course without the map, Kael pressed on, believing he was heading toward the capital. In reality, his path led him in the exact opposite direction—away from the capital and away from Lira, whose trail was growing colder with every step.