Night settled over the Black Shrine like a velvet mantle—deep, humid, and humming with the whisper of old gods. Inside the courtyard, eight figures stood in a loose circle, their shadows rippling like something alive. They had returned from their mission in the Isles of Circe still carrying dust, claw-marks, and adrenaline. But tonight wasn't for rest.
Tonight, Sensi had said, "You will understand yourselves—or you will die ignorant."
A single torch burned at the centre, its flame blue—a sign that Sensi's presence was already in the air.
Kairo stood slightly apart. His skin a muted bronze, eyes a deep storm-grey, and his hair a messy black that always fell over his forehead no matter how many times he shoved it back. The scar running under his right eye still stung from the Cyclops' strike. But his gaze wasn't on the fire. It was on the others.
On the powers they wielded.
On how easily they used abilities he barely understood.
He folded his arms as Sensi finally stepped out of the shadows—tall, pale, silver-haired like an old ghost, but eyes sharp enough to slice stone. The air around him bent, thickening with invisible pressure. Hades's stolen Aether pulsed beneath his skin.
Kairo felt his stomach twist. He didn't know why… but being near Sensi sometimes felt like standing in a place he had been before. A memory he couldn't touch.
Sensi's voice cut through the night.
"Tonight, you will release your Aether fully. No more holding back. No more pretending you understand your own bodies."
The others straightened slightly.
Sensi pointed at the torch.
"Let the flame witness your origin."
One by one, they stepped forward.
Ayo — The Blood of Ogun
Ayo cracked his knuckles and grinned. When he stepped forward, the ground vibrated as if greeting its son. Broad shoulders, warm brown skin, hair in thick braids tied back. He always smelled like metal and sweat—the scent of a forge.
Ayo inhaled sharply, and his Aether burst outward like molten iron.
Flames didn't appear. Instead, his veins glowed orange, skin hardening into something that looked almost metallic.
Sensi spoke without looking at him.
"Ogun's lineage: Strength in creation, destruction, and endurance. But his flaw—overheating. You push past your limit, you burn from the inside."
Ayo smirked.
"I like heat."
"Then learn to survive it," Sensi replied.
Lysandra — Daughter of Artemis
Lysandra stepped into the circle next. Tall, slender, skin honey-gold, eyes crystal-green like forest light. Her hair—silver-blonde—fell in waves down her back. She carried a bow even when she slept.
Her presence shifted the air. The blue torch flickered green.
She raised her fingers and whispered her chant: "Istra."
A silver ripple burst from her spine. She moved—and suddenly there were three of her, each stepping in different directions before merging again.
Kairo's eyes widened.
Sensi nodded.
"The Huntress Lineage. Speed, perception, duplication. But your flaw—your Aether collapses if you hesitate. Hunters who think too long die."
Lysandra smiled faintly, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder.
Kasai — Child of Amaterasu
Kasai walked forward with calm grace, dark hair cut short, eyes a molten gold that glowed faintly in the dark. His skin carried a warm undertone, and flames danced faintly across his fingertips like playful spirits.
He whispered nothing.
He didn't need to.
Light erupted around him—a miniature sun blooming from his chest, heat bending the air.
Kairo shielded his eyes.
"Damn…"
Sensi's voice cut in.
"Amaterasu's children control holy flame. Pure, cleansing, but fragile under emotions. If he loses balance, the sun consumes its wielder."
Kasai's jaw tightened.
"I'm not losing balance."
"Not yet," Sensi said.
Kaito & Reina — The Twins of Susanoo
Kaito stepped forward first—tall, blue-eyed, with sharp black hair and a smug grin. Lightning crackled faintly around his arms.
Reina followed him, smaller, raven-haired, cold-eyed, carrying a short blade tied with a blue ribbon. Water pooled faintly at her feet.
They looked nothing alike yet moved like one organism.
Sensi nodded.
"Storm twins. One lightning. One water. One mind."
Kaito smirked.
"We're perfect."
Sensi's gaze cut through him.
"Your flaw—if one dies, the other's Aether collapses."
Reina's jaw clenched.
Kairo swallowed. He hadn't known that.
Dagon — Descendant of Sobek
Dagon stepped forward—tall, heavily muscled, dark-skinned with ritual marks on his arms. His eyes were reptilian-green. When he exhaled, the torch flickered.
His body shifted subtly—the muscles tightening, teeth sharpening.
Not fully transformation.
But close.
"Crocodile lineage," Sensi said.
"Brutal strength. Regeneration. Bloodlust. And your flaw—once blood touches your tongue, you lose reason."
Dagon smiled, revealing sharp teeth.
"Reason's overrated."
Kairo stepped back.
Finally, all eyes turned to him.
The latecomer.
The anomaly.
The boy whose clan had died.
Kairo — The Dual-Born
Kairo swallowed. He walked forward, feeling every gaze like weight on his skin.
His heart beat fast.
He didn't chant.
He didn't pose.
He just breathed.
Aether stirred in him—strange, unstable, pulling in two directions.
The flame turned blue then red then white—confused.
His vision blurred for a moment.
And then—
A shockwave burst from him.
Not fire.
Not lightning.
Not wind.
Something older.
Something the others stepped away from instinctively.
Sensi narrowed his eyes.
Inside Kairo, two forces clashed—one cold, calm, ancient… and the other fierce, violent, burning like a star.
The torch twisted violently, nearly dying.
Kairo staggered, grabbing his head.
"What… what is this…?"
Sensi stepped closer, too close.
He studied him like a scientist examining a monster.
"Aether… of two divine lineages," Sensi murmured.
"Impossible… unless…"
Kairo lifted his head.
"Unless what?"
For the first time—very briefly—Sensi's expression flickered.
A crack.
Not guilt.
But recognition.
Then it vanished like smoke.
"Control it," Sensi said calmly.
"Or it will rip you apart."
Kairo clenched his fists as the storm inside him finally settled. The flame returned to blue.
The others stared at him in silence.
Ayo broke it first.
"So the new guy's built different, eh?"
Lysandra smirked.
"Told you he wasn't normal."
Dagon grinned.
"Can't wait to see him lose control."
Kairo rolled his eyes, breath still uneven.
But… for the first time…
He felt like he belonged in this circle.
Even if something deep inside whispered that this belonging was a lie.
Artifacts & Awakening
Sensi motioned to the torch.
"Tonight, you learned what Aether is. Tomorrow—your abilities evolve. Some of you may awaken new branches. Some may die attempting it."
He snapped his fingers.
The flame died instantly.
Darkness swallowed the courtyard.
"Sleep," Sensi's voice echoed.
"Your next test begins at dawn."
Kairo felt his pulse still racing as he turned to leave with the others.
Two lineages.
Two origins.
And a master who knew far more than he ever said.
Something was wrong.
He could feel it.
Like a whisper behind a locked door.
Like a truth waiting with a knife.