The capital city of Solara was not just a city; it was a blinding statement of arrogance.
Built in concentric circles of white marble and gold, it reflected the sun so intensely that it was painful to look at without squinting. At its center stood the Sun Spire, a tower that pierced the clouds, topped with a massive, perpetual magical flame that acted as a second sun.
High above, Snack the Griffin was panting heavily. His wings beat rhythmically, but he was flagging.
"There it is," Isolde shouted over the wind, pointing down. "The Golden City. The barriers will be up. We need to find a way to sneak in—"
"Sneak?" Cain interrupted, leaning forward in the saddle. "We are riding a ten-foot-tall golden bird. Stealth left the chat an hour ago."
Cain looked down at the massive energy dome covering the city.
"Besides," Cain grinned. "I hate knocking."
He grabbed Snack's neck feathers.
"Dive."
Snack hesitated.
"DIVE."
The Griffin screeched and tucked its wings. They dropped like a stone.
Gravity took over. They accelerated toward the golden barrier at terminal velocity. Isolde screamed, burying her face in Cain's back.
As they hit the barrier, Cain stood up in the stirrups. He didn't use a spell. He didn't use a weapon. He simply engaged his Heavenly Restriction to harden his body into an immovable object and led with his shoulder.
SMASH.
The magical barrier didn't just break; it shattered like a stained-glass window. The impact sent ripples of blue energy across the entire city sky.
They fell through the hole, hurtling toward the Grand Plaza.
"Pull up, Snack!" Cain commanded.
The Griffin flared its wings at the last second, turning a fatal crash into a controlled collision.
CRASH.
They landed directly on top of a fifty-foot golden statue of Solus the Sun God.
The statue crumbled under the impact. Stone and gold dust billowed out, covering the pristine white plaza.
Silence fell over the city.
Thousands of citizens, priests, and guards froze. They stared at the cloud of dust rising from the ruins of their god's effigy.
From the dust, a cough echoed.
"Rough landing," Cain's voice cut through the silence. "Solid 4 out of 10. We'll work on it."
Cain stepped out of the debris. He dusted off his black coat. Beside him, Snack the Griffin collapsed, exhausted, looking like he wanted to die. Isolde crawled out, her hair a disaster, clutching her staff.
Cain looked around.
They were surrounded. Hundreds of Sun Guards in gleaming plate armor had leveled their spears. Mages on the balconies were charging fire spells.
"Halt!" the Captain of the Guard bellowed, his voice shaking. "You have desecrated the image of the Divine! Identify yourself!"
Cain ignored him. He walked to the center of the plaza, his boots crunching on the rubble of the statue's face.
He looked up at the Sun Spire.
He took a deep breath.
"SOLUS!"
The shout wasn't magical, but it was loud enough to rattle the windows of the palace.
"I heard you were looking for me!" Cain roared, spreading his arms. "I brought the girl! I brought the bird! And I broke your front door!"
He paused, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"Are you coming down? Or do I have to come up there and throw you off the roof?"
The guards gasped. Blasphemy of this magnitude had never been heard in Solara.
"Kill him!" the Captain ordered. "Kill the heretic!"
Five hundred spears lunged forward. Fireballs rained down from the balconies.
Cain didn't move. He didn't flinch.
Because the sky suddenly turned white.
A pressure—heavy, hot, and suffocating—descended on the plaza. It wasn't just heat; it was Divine Presence.
The guards stopped. The fireballs fizzled out. Everyone dropped to their knees, bowing their heads to the pavement.
Everyone except Cain.
A beam of light descended from the Sun Spire. It landed in front of Cain, melting the stone floor instantly.
From the light, a figure emerged.
He was perfection made manifest. Seven feet tall, skin like polished gold, eyes of burning white fire. He wore armor made of solidified sunlight. He didn't walk; he hovered an inch above the ground, too holy to touch the dirt.
This was Solus, the First Divinity.
Solus looked at the destroyed statue. He looked at the terrified Griffin. Finally, he looked at Cain.
"You are the glitch," Solus said. His voice sounded like a choir of thousands, beautiful and terrifying. "The empty thing that refuses to die."
Cain cracked his knuckles. The sound was sharp in the heavy silence.
"And you're the lightbulb," Cain replied, dropping into a fighting stance. "Let's see if you shatter."