The door closed behind them.
The air outside was colder.
Heavier.
Kael adjusted his stance as he followed the man down a dim corridor.
"…Where are we going?" Kael asked.
The man didn't look back.
"…Somewhere your kind tends to attract trouble."
Kael frowned.
"…My kind…"
"…Hosts."
Silence followed.
Their footsteps echoed faintly through the corridor.
Then—
A soft hum.
Kael stopped.
"…Did you hear that?"
The man paused.
"…Yes."
The hum grew slightly louder.
Not from ahead—
From the walls.
"…Energy…" Kael muttered.
The faint pulse inside him reacted.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
"…Aetherion."
"…Responding."
The man finally turned.
His expression sharpened.
"…Good. That confirms it."
Kael looked at him.
"…Confirms what?"
The man stepped closer to the wall.
"…There's a fragment signal nearby."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"…Nearby… as in?"
Suddenly—
A sharp crack echoed through the corridor.
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then went dim.
"…That."
The man's voice dropped.
"…We're not alone."
Kael's body tensed.
The energy inside him began to stir.
"…How close?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
He raised his hand slightly.
The fragment energy in Kael's body pulsed in response.
"…Very close."
Another crack.
This time louder.
A section of the wall ahead began to distort.
Like reality itself was bending.
Kael's breathing slowed.
"…That's not normal…"
"…No."
The distortion spread.
A shape began to form inside it.
Unclear.
Unstable.
Then—
A figure stepped out.
Not fully human.
Its body flickered between solid and fragmented.
Its eyes locked onto Kael instantly.
"…Target detected…"
Its voice was distorted.
Layered.
Multiple tones speaking at once.
Kael instinctively stepped forward.
"…Another one…"
The man's voice was calm—but alert.
"…Not stable."
The entity tilted its head.
"…You carry resonance…"
Its presence surged.
The air around it warped slightly.
Kael's energy reacted immediately.
"…It's reacting to me…"
"…Yes," the man said.
"…And it's not friendly."
The entity raised its hand.
A sharp pulse of energy formed.
"…Extract."
It fired.
Kael moved on instinct.
Side-stepping just in time—
BOOM.
The wall behind him cracked violently.
Kael's eyes widened.
"…That would've—"
"…Killed you," the man finished.
Kael clenched his fists.
His energy stabilized.
"…Then I won't let it hit me again."
The entity moved again—
Faster this time.
Its body flickering as it rushed forward.
Kael stepped in.
Meeting it head-on.
Their energies clashed—
A shockwave burst outward.
Kael held his ground.
"…Now!"
Inside him—
Aetherion responded.
Energy surged through his arm—
Focused.
Controlled.
Kael struck.
A clean hit to the entity's core.
The impact echoed.
The entity staggered—
Its form destabilizing.
"…Error—"
Its voice cracked.
"…Containment failing—"
Kael didn't stop.
He pushed more energy into the strike.
The entity's body began to fracture.
"…No—"
A final pulse—
Then silence.
The entity collapsed into fragments of light—
And disappeared.
Kael stepped back, breathing slightly heavier.
"…That was… real."
The man nodded.
"…And that was weak compared to what's out there."
Kael looked at his hands.
"…So this is what we're dealing with…"
The man turned.
"…This was just a signal."
Kael looked up.
"…A signal?"
The man's tone darkened slightly.
"…Which means more are coming."
A pause.
"…And now they know you exist."
Silence filled the corridor again.
But this time—
It felt different.
Not empty.
Not quiet.
But watched.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Good."
The man glanced at him.
"…Good?"
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"…Then I'll be ready."
The faint pulse of energy around him flickered once more—
Stronger than before.