ARC I — "ASHES OF THE FAITHFUL"
The rain hadn't stopped since morning. The sky above the capital burned with a dull red glow — the reflection of alien watchtowers scanning the streets like sleepless sentinels.
Adrian moved through the narrow alleys, hood drawn low. His heart pounded against his ribs. The book weighed heavily in his satchel — more dangerous than any weapon he could carry.
"Stay calm," he whispered to himself. "Just walk like everyone else."
But no one was walking. People rushed home early that day, avoiding the alien drones that hovered over rooftops. The whole district felt tense, like the air itself was holding its breath.
He turned a corner and froze.
Two soldiers in dark armor stood by the well, questioning a merchant. Their helmets glowed faintly with the symbol of the Divine Order.
"…boy seen near the ruins," one said in the alien tongue, his voice metallic and sharp. "Human male, seventeen. Brown hair. Blue eyes."
The merchant stammered. "N-no, my lords, I've seen no one like that!"
The soldier's visor flickered. "Lying is blasphemy."
A flash of light — the man's stall burst into flames. Adrian's hands clenched. He wanted to look away, but couldn't.
They're looking for me, he realized. Already.
He slipped into the shadows, ducking through back alleys until he reached the lower quarter — the abandoned part of the city, where no drones ever went.
A soft voice startled him. "You look like you're running from the sky itself."
Adrian spun around, raising a broken pipe. "Who's there?"
Ryn stepped out from the shadows, holding a lantern. "Relax. It's me."
Adrian exhaled. "Ryn… damn it, don't sneak up on me like that."
Ryn smirked. "Didn't know I could still scare you. Thought you stopped fearing anything after you started sneaking into alien ruins."
Adrian looked away. "You followed me?"
"Of course I did. You've been acting strange for days — skipping the temple, sneaking off at night. Now there are soldiers everywhere asking about a boy who matches your description. What the hell did you do, Adrian?"
Adrian's lips tightened. "I found something. "Ryn, everything they taught us — the prayers, the gods, the miracles — it's all a lie. I saw the truth in that place."
Ryn stared, waiting for him to go on.
Adrian hesitated, then whispered, "They're not gods, Ryn. They're not even from this world."
The words hung in the air like thunder.
Ryn shook his head. "You don't know what you're saying. The walls have ears, Adrian!"
"I know what I saw," Adrian said sharply. "Machines buried under the temple. Symbols that match the Order's. Their own language carved into human bones."
Ryn grabbed him by the shoulders. "Stop talking like that! If anyone hears you—"
"Then they'll kill me," Adrian finished. "I know."
Ryn stared at him for a long moment, then dropped his hands. "You're insane… or brave. Probably both."
Adrian gave a bitter smile. "Maybe."
Later that night, thunder rolled across the horizon. Adrian returned home, trying to keep quiet as he entered. His mother was sitting by the fire, pale and worried.
"Where were you?" she asked softly.
"I was out with Ryn," he lied.
Her eyes searched his face. "You've been different lately. People are saying soldiers are questioning the townsfolk. Adrian… tell me you haven't done anything foolish."
He looked down. "You always said truth mattered more than fear."
She sighed, brushing a hand across his cheek. "Some truths destroy, my son."
The next morning, the soldiers came.
A voice echoed from outside — amplified, cold, and heavy with authority.
"By order of the Divine Order of Gods, the family of Adrian Matter is to be detained for questioning."
Adrian's heart froze. He ran to the window — six armored soldiers surrounded their house. His father stepped outside, shouting, "Wait! What is this about?"
"Your son carries forbidden knowledge," one replied. "He will surrender within thirty-five standard hours, or you will be purified in his place."
Adrian's mother gasped, clutching her husband's arm. "Please! He's just a boy!"
The lead soldier turned his head. "The gods do not negotiate with heretics."
Adrian's father shouted again, but a strike from the soldier's staff sent him to the ground. Adrian clenched his fists, rage and panic warring inside him.
He turned to his mother. "I have to go. I can't let them take you."
She grabbed his hand, tears streaming. "Don't fight them, Adrian. Just run."
Adrian shook his head. "If I run, they'll kill you."
"They'll kill us anyway," she said. "But if you survive… maybe one day, you'll end this."
The soldiers began counting.
"Thirty-five hours. Then judgment."
Adrian hesitated for one last second — then fled through the back door, disappearing into the storm.
The next two days blurred together — running through forests, hiding in burned villages, never sleeping. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his parents on their knees, the soldiers' cold eyes watching the clock.
Ryn found him again near the river. "They've locked down the city. Posters everywhere — your face, your name. Adrian, they'll find you. You need to turn yourself in."
Adrian looked up, hollow-eyed. "If I do, my parents die. If I don't, they die slower."
Ryn's voice broke. "Then what are you going to do?"
Adrian looked toward the crimson sky. "Something no one's ever done before."
Hours later, deep in the forest, Adrian collapsed beside a dead tree. The rain had turned to mist. His whole body ached.
He whispered to himself, "Thirty-five hours… it's almost up."
He took out the book, flipping through pages that glowed faintly in the dark. The words were alive, pulsing like veins.
"I'll kill them all," he said softly. "Every last one who calls themselves a god."
And somewhere beneath the earth, something old and watching… stirred.
REBELS REBIRTH
ARC I — "ASHES OF THE FAITHFUL"
CHAPTER 4 — "THE DEVIL'S PACT"
The rain had stopped.
The world felt too quiet — like the forest itself was listening.
Adrian moved carefully through the trees, his cloak torn and soaked in mud. His hands trembled as he held the book — the very thing that had destroyed his life.
He whispered to himself, "They know it's me now."
And they did.
The Divine Order had traced the book's energy signature — every object of alien origin emitted faint wavelengths of their godlight. When Adrian opened the book back in the ruins, the nearest tower detected the pulse.
That's how they found him.
That's how his family died.
He stared down at the book, its surface faintly humming with that same cursed energy.
"You led them to me."
He wanted to throw it away, bury it, destroy it — but his hands wouldn't let go.
In the city above, the priests of the Divine Order stood around a glowing projection — a holographic map with trails of light tracing Adrian's movements through the region.
One of the commanders spoke, his voice mechanical.
"The heretic's resonance has been confirmed. Target identified: Adrian Matter. Subject exposure level — critical. Termination authorized."
The high priest raised a clawed hand.
"Do not kill him yet. The boy has seen our truth. Bring him back alive… the gods wish to know what else he's seen."
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Adrian stumbled through mist and roots, his breath sharp. Every sound made him flinch. The hum of the alien book wouldn't stop.
It's like it's alive, he thought.
He collapsed against a tree, exhausted. "I can't… keep running…"
He opened the book again. Strange symbols shifted across the pages, forming words in his own language. His eyes widened.
"They are not the first."
"What…?" he whispered.
The next line bled onto the page, as if written by invisible ink:
"Others came before them. And something older still sleeps beneath their light."
A shiver crawled down his spine. "What are you talking about?"
The wind suddenly died. The air grew heavy.
Then he heard it — a voice, deep and distant, echoing through his mind.
"You seek power, don't you, child?"
Adrian froze. "Who said that?"
"You called for vengeance… and the earth answered."
The trees bent slightly, their branches trembling though there was no wind. The shadows began to twist, forming a shape — a humanoid outline, dark and burning with faint red eyes.
Adrian stepped back, heart pounding. "What are you?"
"Something older than your gods," the voice said. "Older than theirs, too."
The figure stepped closer, its body made of smoke and blood.
"When they came to your world, they buried me. They sealed me beneath their temples, afraid of what I am. But you… you opened the wound again."
Adrian's throat tightened. "You mean the ruins…?"
"That place was once my prison. Your 'book' is part of the key that binds me."
The demon tilted its head. "You read it. You set me free, even if you didn't know."
Adrian's eyes widened. "You're saying… I unleashed you?"
"You woke me. And now I offer you what the gods fear most — freedom."
The ground trembled softly. In the distance, beams of blue light streaked through the sky — alien ships scanning the forest. Adrian could hear their engines humming closer.
"They found me again," he whispered.
The demon's eyes glowed brighter. "They will not stop. You have seen their truth, and they cannot allow you to live."
Adrian's voice broke. "They killed my family. Burned everything I had. And I can't even fight them!"
"You can," said the demon. "If you give me what I desire."
Adrian's chest tightened. "What… what do you want?"
"Your soul."
The word echoed through him like thunder.
Adrian's breath quickened. "My… soul?"
"Your soul is the price for my strength. A fragment of eternity for the chance to strike back at your gods."
Adrian looked down at his trembling hands — scarred, bloodied, powerless. Then he remembered his mother's final words:
'If you survive… maybe one day, you'll end this.'
He looked up at the demon. "And if I give you my soul… what happens to me?"
"You will still walk this world. But the more you use my power, the less of you remains. In time, you'll forget why you fought at all."
Adrian clenched his fists. "Then I'll hold onto my hatred. That'll keep me alive."
The demon smiled faintly — a shadow twisting like smoke.
"Hatred is the purest memory. It never fades."
The alien ships roared closer, trees cracking under their light.
Adrian shouted, "If I do this — if I make this deal — I'll kill them all. Every one of those so-called gods."
"Then say it," whispered the demon. "Speak the pact, and your vengeance will begin."
Adrian's voice trembled, but he said it anyway.
"I offer my soul… for their destruction."
The forest exploded with darkness.
The ground split open, a black flame swirling around him, merging into his veins. His screams echoed through the trees, his body convulsing as symbols burned into his skin — the same symbols from the book.
From the sky, the alien ships fired beams of light toward the forest — but the light bent around him, dissolving before it reached his body.
He stood, eyes burning red, cloak torn, aura flickering with shadow.
The demon's voice echoed one last time.
"Rise, Adrian Matter. From this moment on, you are no longer their prey."
"You are their end."
As the night fell, the forest burned with alien fire.
And among the ashes, a new power walked — neither human nor god, but something in between.
From the depths of the earth, a whisper followed him:
"The first rebellion was born in light. The last will rise in shadow."