The Golden Crystal
[Henrique's Perspective]
The morning was born poisoned.
The air carried an acidic stench — like burnt metal mixed with rot. Henrique watched the city from the top of an old commercial building, eyes fixed on the horizon where black smoke was rising. The battle from the night before had left him exhausted, but the golden crystal pulsed in his hand, vibrating with hunger.
[Golden Crystal: Absolute Word]
Use: One word. One altered reality.
Restriction: Must be certain of the wish. Consequences may be unpredictable.
Cooldown: 24 hours.
He hadn't used it yet. He was waiting for the right moment.
— Dad? — Leandro approached. — That monster… did you really kill it?
Henrique looked at the boy. For a moment, he saw his own eyes reflected in his son's face — eyes hardened by the world.
— I did. But I nearly died doing it.
Leandro nodded. He fell silent.
But Henrique noticed something: the boy no longer trembled. Instead, he stared at the crystal with fascination.
— You feel it too?
— I do — Leandro murmured. — Like… like I know what it wants. Like the crystal has a will.
Henrique placed a hand on his son's shoulder.
— Maybe you're right.
Then he discreetly glanced to the side, where, in the shadow of a shattered wall, Kiala remained… invisible to the others.
Only he could see her.
As it had always been.
She stood with arms crossed, silently watching the skies with a restrained expression, as if she already knew what was coming.
— Henrique… — her voice reached only him, a whisper clinging to his soul. — Eyes are upon you. Human ones. A group is coming. And they don't bring peace.
Henrique replied mentally — a skill he had learned after the strange bond they had formed.
"They want to test me."
— And will you let them?
"No."
[Lívia's Perspective]
The Crimson Empress sat upon her throne of cast iron, engraved with fragments of crystals and military plates.
Before her knelt a man with silver hair, cold eyes, and a body covered in living tattoos.
— Your Majesty — he said — the man with the golden crystal has been spotted again. He's… gathering followers.
— He's a symbol now — Lívia replied. — And symbols spark rebellions.
— Should I erase the symbol?
She smiled.
— Not yet.
— First… I want to see how far he gets.
She extended a piece of leather, with a single word written in blood:
"Kneel."
— Deliver this. By hand. And watch what he does.
[Henrique's Perspective]
A group of twenty men marched down the ruined avenue, led by Tobias — a brute marked by scars and arrogance.
— Hey! — Tobias shouted. — You there! Are you the one who killed that beast the other night?
Henrique didn't reply immediately. The crystal on his chest glowed faintly beneath his torn shirt.
— We're recruiting. Join us… or die.
Henrique gave a dry chuckle.
— I've heard that offer before.
From the shadow behind Henrique, Kiala remained still. Invisible to the others, her presence was a veil behind him — a vengeful angel only he could see.
"Are you going to use it now?" — Kiala's voice whispered directly into his mind.
"Yes." — Henrique replied.
[Do you wish to activate Absolute Word?]
[Speak your word. Once. And the world will hear it.]
Henrique closed his eyes.
Felt the power in his chest.
— "Break."
Reality bent.
The ground cracked beneath the group's feet. Weapons crumbled to pieces. Bones buckled. Kneecaps gave out. No screams echoed, because even the men's voices seemed to have been stolen.
[Skill "Absolute Word" activated.]
[Result: Physical collapse of hostile external structures. Duration: Instant. Cooldown: 24h]
[Enemy forces neutralized.]
Henrique walked toward Tobias, who writhed on the ground.
— Still want to recruit me?
The man cried.
Henrique turned to the invisible presence at his side.
— Was that… too much?
— That was just the first step — Kiala said calmly. — Now they'll know you're no longer just human.
— And those who can't accept the truth… will try to force it through violence.
[Sónia and Leandro's Perspective]
Sónia watched her father from a distance, while helping an elderly woman divide dry bread.
She could no longer look at Henrique without feeling the weight of fear.
— He's different now… — she whispered.
Leandro replied:
— Because now… he's lost everything he could lose.
— All that's left is what he's going to destroy.
But Sónia looked further.
At Miro.
Sleeping in the corner.
Trembling.
— And him?
Leandro looked too. His eyes sparkled.
— He… is no longer just our brother.
[Zarak's Perspective – The Red Watcher]
Zarak laughed atop a half-destroyed tower.
— So you are real… the bearer of the golden crystal.
Behind him, two hooded figures knelt.
— Spread the word. Tell the world: the herald of chaos walks…
— And the blood of an empire will be the carpet of his rise.
[Henrique's Perspective]
The emissary arrived at dusk.
Thin, hollow-eyed, covered in living tattoos.
No one saw him approach — except Henrique.
The stranger handed over a leather package. Henrique opened it.
One word.
"Kneel."
Silence.
Henrique burned the leather in his palm. The golden fire rose, slicing through the twilight.
— Tell her… I only kneel to tie my boots before I crush a throne.
The emissary backed away in panic.
Kiala smiled at the edge between worlds.
— War declared.
Henrique turned to his children.
To his new followers.
To the world.
— Come.
— I… am ready.