The Devourer's Dominion

The moment Aetheron stepped through the gate, the world shifted again.

It wasn't a violent rupture like before.

This time, it was seamless.

Like slipping into water.

The air around him changed, turning dense, almost alive. It felt like stepping into a realm untouched by time, where reality itself bent and stretched according to unseen forces.

Then—

Light exploded around him.

Not blinding, but all-encompassing.

And when it faded—

He wasn't in the fractured expanse anymore.

Aetheron's Awakening

A massive chamber spread before him, stretching endlessly in all directions. The ceiling was lost in darkness, yet the space itself was bathed in a soft, golden glow. The floor was smooth, polished obsidian, reflecting everything like a perfect mirror.

And in the center—

A throne.

Not just any throne.

It was massive, carved from the same black material as the floor, but it pulsed with veins of white energy, moving like liquid fire beneath the surface.

Aetheron took a slow step forward.

Something about this place felt… familiar.

Like he had been here before.

But that was impossible.

Then, a voice echoed through the chamber.

"You have come at last."

Aetheron stopped.

His breath slowed.

The voice wasn't coming from a single direction.

It was everywhere.

He turned, scanning the chamber.

And then—

A figure stepped out from behind the throne.

Tall. Draped in flowing white and gold robes. Face hidden behind an ornate mask, smooth and featureless except for two piercing golden eyes that burned with unnatural intensity.

The air shifted around them.

And Aetheron felt it instantly—

This being wasn't normal.

It wasn't alive in the way humans were.

But it was powerful.

In a way that made even the Sovereign feel… distant.

Aetheron's fingers twitched. His Dominion flickered around him, instinctively reacting.

The figure tilted its head slightly, observing him.

Then, it spoke again.

"You walk the path of Dominion, yet you do not know what it means."

Aetheron narrowed his eyes. "Then tell me."

The figure was silent for a moment.

Then, with a single gesture—

The world changed.

The First Dominion

Aetheron's vision blurred.

And suddenly—

He wasn't in the chamber anymore.

Instead, he was floating above an endless battlefield.

A battlefield that shouldn't exist.

The ground below was alive, shifting between molten rivers and vast, frozen wastelands.

And across this impossible landscape—

Titans clashed.

Not human.

Not even mortal.

These were beings of pure energy, their bodies made of light, shadow, and fire.

And at the center of it all—

A single throne, floating above the chaos.

The same throne from before.

Aetheron's heartbeat quickened.

This wasn't just some illusion.

This was real.

Or at least, it had been.

The figure's voice returned.

"Before the world you know, there was only Dominion."

Aetheron watched as one of the titans collapsed, its form unraveling into nothingness. Another rose to take its place, wielding a power that shook the battlefield itself.

The war never stopped.

The throne never moved.

"The one who sat upon the throne controlled all. He was Sovereign, not by name, but by right."

Aetheron felt something in his chest tighten.

Sovereign.

That word again.

And then, as if in response—

The vision shifted.

The throne room returned.

The battle was gone.

And the masked figure was standing directly in front of him.

"You inherited his Dominion."

Aetheron's breath caught.

His Dominion…

The power he had been using…

It belonged to the one who once ruled?

Before he could speak, the figure lifted a hand.

And for the first time—

The mask cracked.

Just slightly.

But through that small fracture—

Aetheron saw something.

Not a face.

Not a person.

But a reflection of himself.

Aetheron's Choice

His mind raced.

Everything—the prison, the Warden, the chains, the whispers—

It all led here.

But why?

What was the point of showing him this?

The figure's voice was softer now.

"The throne remains empty."

Aetheron's pulse quickened.

"It awaits a ruler."

He understood the implication.

But before he could answer—

The light around them fractured.

The ground shook.

And a new voice, distant but powerful, roared into existence.

"He is not ready."

The masked figure didn't react.

But Aetheron felt it.

Something was coming.

Something stronger than anything he had faced so far.

The fractures in the air widened.

Aetheron clenched his fists.

This wasn't over.

Not yet.