Kael didn't move.
The figure in the doorway stood in silence, watching him like a predator that had already decided the outcome.
The air felt… heavy.
Wrong.
"You're coming with me."
The words were calm.
Certain.
Kael's instincts screamed.
Run.
Fight.
Survive.
But something inside him—
Something ancient and burning—
Didn't feel fear.
It felt… curiosity.
Kael slowly clenched his fists. Faint sparks flickered across his fingers.
"I'm not going anywhere."
The stranger tilted their head slightly, as if observing something fragile.
"New hosts are always like this," they said. "Confused. Emotional."
A faint smile touched their lips.
"It won't last."
Kael's eyes hardened.
"Who are you?"
The stranger stepped forward.
Each step echoed through the broken room like a countdown.
"Someone who deals with problems."
A pause.
"Like you."
The pressure hit him instantly.
Invisible.
Crushing.
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
"Aetherion…"
"Threat detected."
Kael forced himself to stand straighter.
"You're not normal either… are you?"
A quiet chuckle.
"No."
Then—
They disappeared.
Kael's eyes widened.
"What—?!"
A blur slammed into him.
BOOM.
His body crashed into the wall, cracks spreading through the concrete as the air was ripped from his lungs.
Pain exploded through his back.
"Slow."
The stranger stood a few steps away, completely relaxed.
Kael dragged himself up, breathing hard.
"What… was that…?"
"Movement."
A beat.
"Basic."
Kael wiped blood from his lip and let out a shaky breath.
"Yeah… well…"
His eyes sharpened.
"I'm just getting started."
The heat inside him surged.
Stronger than before.
Electricity crawled across his skin, snapping and hissing like something alive.
For the first time—
The stranger's gaze sharpened.
"Interesting."
Kael moved.
Not thinking.
Not hesitating.
He shot forward, faster than before, fist blazing with unstable energy.
He swung.
The stranger caught it.
Effortlessly.
Silence.
Kael's eyes widened.
"…That's it?"
The grip tightened.
Pain ripped through his arm.
"Too raw," the stranger said. "Too uncontrolled."
They twisted—
Kael was thrown across the room, smashing through rusted metal and broken machinery.
The impact echoed like thunder.
He hit the ground hard, body shaking.
"Why… are you doing this…?"
The stranger approached slowly, unhurried.
"Because if I don't…"
They stopped in front of him.
"Something worse will."
Kael's chest tightened.
"What does that mean…?"
The stranger studied him.
Then spoke—
"Do you think you're the only one?"
Kael froze.
"The only one with something inside you?"
His voice came out low.
"…No."
"There are others."
A pause.
"Some of them lost control."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"They don't stop at one life."
Kael's breath faltered.
"They erase everything."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
"And you…"
The stranger's eyes locked onto his.
"You're heading in the same direction."
Kael clenched his fists.
"I'm not like that."
"Not yet."
The words hit harder than any blow.
The energy inside him flickered.
Wild.
Unstable.
"Host emotional instability increasing."
"Shut up…"
The heat surged violently.
Kael dropped to one knee, gripping his chest.
"No… stop…"
The hunger returned.
Stronger.
Deeper.
Everything around him felt like fuel.
The metal.
The wires.
Even the air.
Energy lashed out from his body in violent arcs.
The stranger's expression shifted.
Serious now.
"…So it's that type."
Kael's vision blurred.
"Host nearing overload."
His body trembled uncontrollably.
The power inside him was no longer rising—
It was breaking loose.
"Enough."
The stranger moved.
Faster than before.
They appeared in front of him and drove a hand into his chest.
Everything—
Stopped.
The energy vanished.
Silence consumed the room.
Kael collapsed forward, barely conscious.
"What… did you do…?"
"Temporary suppression."
His voice was weak.
Fading.
"…Why help me…?"
The stranger looked down at him.
"Because killing you now would be a waste."
A pause.
"And because…"
Their voice lowered.
"You might be useful."
Darkness closed in.
The last thing Kael saw—
Was the stranger lifting him like he weighed nothing.
"You're coming with me."
This time—
He couldn't resist.