The Nameless Heir-Chapter 68: Rebel

The front of the academy was packed—students crowding in, their voices filled with anticipation. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Then, two men pulled the door open like royalty was about to enter.

And through it, the Holy Knights stepped in—clad in worn armor and quiet pride, their footsteps heavy with the weight of war still clinging to their shoulders. Their faces were pale, drawn—the kind of look people wore not when they’d won, but when they’d barely made it back. The look of those who didn’t return in triumph... only in survival.

Kael didn’t wait. He couldn’t.

The moment he saw them—his eyes searching, trying to find them in the crowd—his heart surged. His chest tightened. It had been a while since he left... and there were so many things he wanted to say. So many questions he needed to ask—about the mission, about what they’d seen out there.

Then Elias, Lyra, Cassius, Damon, Lilia, and Aria stepped through the entrance—tired, silent, but standing tall. The entire school surrounded them, forming a wall of noise, cheering their return.

But none of them smiled.

They didn’t look like heroes coming home.

They looked like survivors.

Kael ran straight into them.

They froze—eyes wide, stunned like they were seeing a ghost.

"Kael! You’ve grown so fast!" Damon shouted, his voice cracking with disbelief.

Before Kael could respond, Damon grabbed him and pulled him into a hug—tight enough to knock the breath out of him.

"Let go! You’re gonna kill me!" Kael wheezed, trying to breathe, arms flailing as Damon just laughed and held on tighter.

They all took turns hugging him—smiling, laughing, tossing compliments, even pulling at his cheeks like old times.

But Kael barely felt it.

He was still waiting. Something was missing.

His smile faded. He scanned the crowd again—but still, no sign of them.

"Where are Orion and Selene?" he asked, voice lower now, quieter than before.

Silence.

The entire school went still. Even the wind seemed to stop—like the world itself was holding its breath.

Damon looked down.

"I’m sorry," he said quietly.

His jaw clenched, and for a moment, it seemed like the words hurt coming out—like he was trying to force them through something stuck between his breath and his guilt.

"Kael... they sacrificed themselves to save us."

It felt like someone had reached into Kael’s chest and ripped his heart out.

His voice dropped—cold.

Controlled.

"Who was it?"

"After we went through the portal... we found ourselves in a completely different world," he said, pausing for a moment.

"We encountered people who weren’t demigods... but they used abilities way more advanced than ours."

He swallowed hard. "We managed to kill one. But there was this guy—he had this weird right eye. We couldn’t stop him."

He looked down. "Right before they blew up the world, a portal opened right in front of us. Seeing no other option, we went in."

He paused, like the memory was still sinking into him.

"It was an island. It felt like we were in the Underworld. But everything there wanted to kill us. Monsters, storms, the ground itself... it was like the place was alive. Twisted."

He exhaled sharply.

"We landed right in the middle of it. We couldn’t contact anyone. No help. We were just fighting to survive."

His hands curled into fists.

"We didn’t even know where we were at first. Until Selene figured it out."

He met Kael’s eyes.

"The Abyssal Triangle."

Kael’s chest tightened.

Damon’s voice dropped.

"Orion and Selene... they stayed behind. Held off the monsters so we could escape. We didn’t want to leave—but they forced us to go."

A silence settled over them.

"They were still fighting when we left."

Damon’s voice cracked. He looked away, unable to meet Kael’s eyes.

"They’re dead... because we were weak."

"We should’ve stayed. We should’ve fought with them. But we ran... and they paid the price."

He paused. "We tried to stay. But Orion said to deliver a message to the gods. No matter what."

Kael dropped to his knees.

His hands were shaking. He dug his fingers into the dirt, trying to hold on to something real. He could still hear Selene’s voice in his head. He could still see Orion yelling at him because he annoyed him.

Now they were gone.

Just like that.

No goodbye.

No second chance.

He let out a breath, but it felt like his chest was being crushed. All he wanted... was one more moment with them.

Just then, it hit him. He closed his eyes and wondered how he hadn’t felt their souls pass through the Underworld. He was supposed to be able to know when a demigod passes through.

Liz and Caius came over, both with tears clinging to their eyes. Their steps were slow, hesitant—like they were afraid to hear any more. Caius looked especially broken.

Kael turned to them, his voice was calm.

"They’re not dead yet," he muttered, a bit of relief in his voice.

Damon blinked, frozen. Then he stepped forward and grabbed Kael by the shoulder, his fingers tightening—like he was silently saying, You better not be lying.

"What?"

Kael nodded slowly. His gaze was serious. Focused. Like he was listening for something no one else could hear.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I didn’t feel their souls pass through the gate of the underworld."

That pause—letting the weight settle.

"They’re still alive."

For a moment, no one moved. Then the tension cracked.

Liz let out a shaky breath, covering her mouth with both hands. Caius exhaled like he’d been drowning. Even Damon staggered back a step, stunned.

The pale hopelessness on their faces began to fade away—and was replaced by something fragile.

Hope.

Elias, Lyra, Cassius, Damon, Lilia, and Aria said in perfect harmony, their voices steady but filled with urgency:

"Let’s go. We have to tell the gods and save them."

Then—Hermes’ voice cut through the moment like a blade, cold and commanding.

Everyone turned, the air shifting in an instant.

He didn’t care.

Kael stood up.

"Hermes, what will you do? Are you going to take action?"

Hermes turned to him, expression unreadable.

"We gods don’t like getting involved in human problems."

Kael’s eyes narrowed. "They’ll kill your cousins. Your family."

"They’re not our relatives," Hermes replied flatly. "They’re the consequences of the gods’ actions. Mistakes."

His fingers twitched.

"Mistakes...?" he murmured.

His voice dropped lower.

"Is that what we are to you?"

Then—Snap.

The sound echoed like thunder cracking through glass.

And just like that—

A memory surged.

Flashes of light.

The sky split open above him.

Feathers burned to ash.

The air howled as he fell—plunging from the heavens, his body wreathed in fire and shadow.

He didn’t scream.

He looked up at the thrones above—eyes filled with wrath.

And he roared—

"You can never make me bow!"

His voice shattered the stars.

"I do not kneel to kings. Not to gods. I bow to no one but myself!"

Lightning cracked. The world trembled beneath his fall.

"I am not your servant. I am not your son. I am the standard you could never reach—the embodiment of perfection, carved from rebellion and wrath."

Then—

Silence.

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