CHAPTER 123: BONDING WITH A TITAN

The darkness pressed heavy around them, thick and endless. Kael lay there, half-broken, his breath shallow. In the distance, the shadow coiled tighter, holding Typhon down.

The Titan was no longer a towering monster. His body had been stripped down, shrunk, whittled into something small. The shadow made him drift through the void like a mangled beast, no larger than a hound, circling Kael like some cursed pet. His once-mighty coils twitched weakly, bound tight, his heads reduced to snarls too faint to matter.

"What’s up with those weird memories?" Typhon asked, his voice rasping through the small frame but still carrying that mocking edge.

Kael didn’t even look at him. His head rested back against the void, eyes half-lidded. "Can you shut up? I’m drained. I need some rest."

"You’re the one who sealed me within yourself," Typhon hissed, his broken form shifting in the dark like a chained dog.

Kael’s jaw tightened. His body twitched, a bitter sound caught in his throat but never leaving. "Well, that’s the only way I could have won And why the hell did you even try to kill me... why make my life hell?"

"The plan was to break Tartarus free," Typhon muttered, voice still sharp despite his state. "And then have my revenge on the Olympian gods. Especially Zeus. He got lucky last time. Since your father sealed me, I needed his blood to break free. But he died... and you know the rest."

Kael’s hands curled into the shadows beneath him, nails dragging. His breath came rough, his voice low and cracked. "So basically... my life was dragged through misery because of the stupidity of the gods." His lip curled faintly, bitter. "They’re right. A child of Hades never finds happiness."

"I don’t know why you’re sad." Typhon’s small, broken frame drifted lazily in the dark, his finger pointing toward the fragments above. "Those guys up there... looks like they’ve had it worse."

Kael’s gaze followed. The memories swirled, countless faces staring back at him. His voice came quiet, stripped of strength. "Yeah. You are right about that."

"Yeah. Six hundred sixty-six."

Typhon chuckled. "How can you even tell? Are they people you killed? Or souls you shoved into the ground?"

His eyes stayed on the shifting lights. His tone didn’t rise or fall, just flat. "No. They’re me. Every one of them. All my past lives."

Typhon burst out laughing, the sound scraping through the dark. "Damn! I thought my life was shit, but yours? Yours is a disaster."

Kael’s lips twitched, but it wasn’t a smile. More like a grimace pretending to be one. His chest pulled tight. "And the worst part? It’s always the same man. No matter the life. He hunts me and Liz down, again and again. And here’s the thing—" he paused, letting the tension build, "I don’t even know why."

Typhon bent over from laughing, almost choking on it. "So he just woke up one day and says, ’I’m gonna keep killing that bastard over and over’? That’s insane."

Kael let out a faint exhale, not quite a laugh. More bitter than anything. "Yeah, pretty much. And it gets better. My father’s helping him. Gave him power no one else could match."

"Hades?" Typhon’s amusement faltered, his grin tightening.

Kael’s head tilted, eyes lowering. "Nah. Someone much stronger than the Olympians ever will be."

The laughter died. Typhon’s small, warped face shifted, uncertain. "You’re serious?"

Kael’s jaw clenched. His words dropped low, heavy enough to sink through the silence. "I’ve faced him twice. And both times... I lost."

Typhon’s voice rumbled low, almost amused.

"I guess we both have something in common," he muttered.

Kael tilted his head, lips twitching despite the weight on his chest.

"What—daddy issues?"

Typhon threw his head back and laughed, the sound shaking the dark.

"Pretty much. Mine just never gave a damn. My mother birthed me out of spite, and my father?" His grin widened, bitter at the edges. "Tartarus isn’t a man. He’s a pit. A void. You can’t love a void."

Kael’s eyes narrowed, his tone flat. "This life... I was actually happy. I had a mother who loved me. And a father I didn’t know for long, but he chose to sacrifice himself trying to protect me." His gaze cut into Typhon, voice tightening. "Technically, he died because of your shenanigans."

His chest rose unevenly as he stared the Titan down. "I was happy—until you came along."

Typhon blinked, then gave a short snort, almost begrudging. "Tch... my bad. Guess I was going through my revenge phase."

Then his mouth curled, confidence seeping back in.

"Don’t worry. This time you’ve got me, partner. I’ll protect you from that weird stalker."

He let out a rough breath, a half-laugh that carried no humor. His eyes narrowed behind the helm.

"Great. Just what I needed—an overgrown monster for a bodyguard."

After that, Typhon finally stopped talking. His breathing evened, almost like sleep. But then his eyes snapped open, burning faint in the dark.

"You feel that?" he asked, his tone shifting. "That pressure..." His voice dragged lower. "It’s familiar."

The air itself grew heavy, trembling as though something far above was tearing the veil. Typhon’s head tilted back, his jaw tight. "There are too many of them."

The Helm of Darkness snapped into place over Kael’s face, metal and shadow fusing hard against his skin. The moment it settled, Liz’s voice broke through, strained and hurried.

"Kael, where are you? Those rifts—they’re everywhere, tearing through the academy!"

"Listen to me, Liz." His words were clipped, heavy with worry. "No matter what happens, don’t leave the Underworld. Stay there."

But even as he spoke, he knew it was too late.

"The portals... they’ve opened above the Academy," she said, her voice shaking. He could almost hear the light flooding through.

Kael’s teeth clenched. "Please—don’t go to the surface."

"Sorry, Kael. I have to help."

"No!" His shout tore out, but the link cut. The silence after was worse than any noise.

He turned sharply. "Cyrus—take the Sins and the army. Protect Liz."

Cyrus’s reply was firm. "Understood."

Typhon’s eyes didn’t leave the sky. A pale glow was spreading, faint but vast, pressing down like the gaze of something holy. His voice came low, his teeth grit.

"Why am I angry? I don’t even know who’s coming... but it burns." His fists curled tight, shadows leaking from his claws.

The light above pulsed, too pure, too sharp, pressing down like a weight neither of them could ignore.

Typhon’s lips curled, his jaw tight, the words slipping out low at first.

"I will kill them all."

Kael’s head dipped, shadows shivering around his boots. His breath caught ragged, but his voice followed, rough and cold.

"I will kill them all."

The two voices overlapped, ragged and raw, repeating, muttering again and again. Each word struck harder than the last, rhythm building like war drums.

"I will kill them all."

The darkness trembled with Kael’s vow. The air shuddered with Typhon’s rage. Together the words spilled out, again and again, until they were no longer speech—just a promise.

The sky cracked above the island. Kael’s eyes darted across the rifts splitting open. Too many. He knew why they were here. Not to destroy him. To keep him trapped while they moved as they pleased. He needed to get out.

He shot toward the Academy, wings tearing through the false sky, but slammed against a barrier of pure light. His fist struck it hard, then harder, shadows surging with each blow, but nothing gave.

A voice rolled out, calm, familiar, heavy with command.

"You can’t break that, old friend."

Kael froze. Slowly, he turned.

Out of the blinding light stepped Michael. His wings spread wide behind him—vast, feathered, too pure for this place.

His wings flared, feathers glowing white, the edges tipped with fire. Golden hair fell loose around his shoulders, shining even in this dark place. His face was flawless. Sunlight clung to his armor, every line sharp, etched with symbols Kael didn’t care to read. In his hand burned a sword of fire, humming like it wanted to be used.

Kael’s wings twitched, shadows bristling at the sight. His eyes burned violet through the helm.

"Why are you here, Michael?"

The archangel’s gaze held steady, calm in a way that made Kael’s skin crawl. He moved in a slow circle, eyes never leaving him, like a predator measuring the moment to strike.

"Your once beautiful wings... now look at them. Tainted. Blackened." His voice deepened, carrying authority that pressed like chains. "So tell me—what do you go by now? Raphael? Kael? Or perhaps..." His eyes narrowed. "...the name you abandoned. Lucifer. Dawnbringer."

Michael’s tone sharpened, every word striking like a blade.

"Once the radiant morning star of pride. Now look at you."

Kael’s jaw clenched tight. His chest rose unevenly, but his glare didn’t falter.

"You’ve beaten me. Stripped me of my pride. What else do you want from me?"

Michael’s golden wings shifted, casting ripples of light across the broken sky. For a breath, his expression almost softened, but it hardened again just as quick.

"I came to take you home. To your rightful place." His lips curled, the word heavy with finality. "Hell."

Kael’s grip closed around Shadowbane. Shadows coiled, rising like smoke. His voice dropped, cold and sharp.

"Break the barrier, Michael."

The archangel tilted his head, golden hair slipping across his face. His wings shifted with a faint rustle. His eyes stayed calm, too calm, and it made Kael’s gut tighten.

"And if I don’t?" His voice slid quiet, but it struck harder than thunder. "What will you do, fallen star?"