The sky did not heal.
It remained broken.
A jagged fracture stretching endlessly above Astra Prime, leaking a darkness that did not belong to the world.
Not shadow.
Not void.
Something deeper.
Something aware.
Below it—
Silence.
The battlefield where the Echo of Abyssal Sovereign Xal'thur had been destroyed lay in ruins.
Craters.
Collapsed structures.
Fragments of reality itself still flickering in unstable waves.
At the center—
Kael Varyn stood alone.
His aura had faded.
Not gone—
Just contained.
Controlled.
But the pressure he radiated now—
Was heavier than before.
More dangerous.
More… complete.
Behind him, the sound of movement broke the silence.
"…Kael…"
He turned.
Zarek Voidborn approached, supporting a heavily injured Darius Stone.
Not far behind—
Lyra Frost and Eren Shade emerged from the rubble.
Bruised.
Exhausted.
Alive.
But one was missing.
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"…Selene?"
Silence.
Zarek exhaled slowly.
"…She's alive."
A pause.
"…Barely."
Kael's fists clenched.
"…Where?"
"…Medical wing. They evacuated her when the structure started collapsing."
Kael didn't wait.
He moved.
And vanished.
Moments later—
Inside the emergency medical facility on the outskirts of Astra Prime—
Chaos.
Medics rushing.
Hunters arriving.
Voices overlapping.
But everything stopped—
The moment Kael walked in.
The pressure followed him.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
People stepped aside instinctively.
Not out of respect—
But instinct.
Fear.
He ignored them.
"…Where is she?"
A medic hesitated.
Then pointed.
"…Room 7."
Kael walked.
Each step steady.
Controlled.
But beneath that control—
Something violent stirred.
He reached the door.
Paused.
Then opened it.
Inside—
Machines.
Stabilizers.
Energy suppressors.
And on the bed—
Selene Virel.
Unmoving.
Pale.
Her breathing faint.
Kael stepped closer.
"…Selene."
No response.
He reached out—
Stopped.
For the first time since the battle—
He hesitated.
"…She took a direct spatial pierce," a voice said behind him.
Kael turned.
An older man stood at the doorway.
Sharp eyes.
Calm presence.
Authority.
"…We stabilized her, but…" the man continued.
"…the damage wasn't purely physical."
Kael's gaze darkened.
"…Explain."
"…Her internal structure was partially erased. Not destroyed—erased."
A pause.
"…She's fighting to exist right now."
Silence filled the room.
Kael turned back to Selene.
His voice dropped.
"…She won't die."
Not a statement.
A fact.
The man studied him carefully.
"…You're different."
Kael didn't respond.
"…What happened out there?"
Still nothing.
The man sighed.
"…Then I'll say it clearly."
"…That crack in the sky—"
"…isn't closing."
Kael's eyes flickered slightly.
"…We know."
"…No," the man said quietly.
"…You don't."
He stepped forward.
"…It's growing."
Silence.
"…And whatever is behind it—"
"…is starting to bleed into our world."
Kael looked up slightly.
As if he could see through the walls—
Through the city—
To the broken sky above Astra Prime.
"…Then we stop it."
The man shook his head.
"…You don't understand."
"…We've detected multiple energy signatures beyond that fracture."
A pause.
"…Stronger than what you just fought."
The room felt colder.
"…How many?" Kael asked.
"…Unknown."
Silence.
Then—
Kael turned fully.
"…Then we prepare."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"…We?"
Kael walked past him.
"…This isn't just my fight anymore."
He stopped at the doorway.
"…It's a war."
High above—
The fracture pulsed.
And this time—
Something emerged.
Not fully.
Just a hand.
Dark.
Massive.
Unnatural.
Pressing against the barrier between worlds.
Watching.
Waiting.
Back inside—
Kael's eyes hardened.
Because deep down—
He already knew.
The next battle—
Would not be contained.