The silence after it left—
Was worse than the fight.
Kael didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't even look at the man beside him.
"…Kael."
No response.
"…Kael."
Still nothing.
Because inside—
Everything was loud.
Too loud.
"…This is convergence."
The voice echoed again.
Not from outside.
From within.
Kael's hand twitched.
"…Aetherion."
"…Unstable."
That word hit hard.
"…Define unstable."
No answer.
Just—
A sudden surge.
Kael's body tensed.
Energy pulsed violently through him.
"…What is—"
He dropped to one knee.
"…Something's wrong—"
The man stepped forward instantly.
"…You let it connect."
Kael clenched his teeth.
"…I didn't have a choice—"
"…You did."
That wasn't helpful.
Another surge—
Stronger this time.
Kael's vision blurred.
Fragments.
Not outside—
Inside.
His thoughts—
Breaking.
"…Stop…" he muttered.
But it didn't.
The energy inside him split—
Not physically—
But in feeling.
One part—
Familiar.
Controlled.
Aetherion.
The other—
Different.
Cold.
Watching.
"…You felt it too…"
Kael froze.
That voice again.
Not Aetherion.
Not the entity.
Something else.
"…Who are you…" Kael whispered.
No answer.
Just presence.
Deep.
Rooted.
Like it had always been there.
Waiting.
"…Kael."
The man's voice cut through.
Sharp.
Focused.
"…Focus."
Kael's breathing was uneven.
"…I'm trying—"
"…No."
A pause.
"…You're resisting."
That made no sense.
"…What else am I supposed to do?!"
"…Guide it."
Those words—
Again.
The same lesson.
Kael closed his eyes.
The world faded.
The noise dimmed.
The energy remained.
Wild.
Split.
Unstable.
"…Aetherion…"
"…Responding."
"…Align."
Silence.
Then—
The surge slowed.
Not gone—
But contained.
Kael exhaled slowly.
His body relaxed—
Just slightly.
"…That's better…" the man said.
Kael opened his eyes.
But something was off.
The glow in them—
Was different.
Flickering between two states.
"…It didn't go away," Kael said.
"…It won't."
That answer came too quickly.
Kael frowned.
"…You knew this would happen."
The man didn't deny it.
"…Yes."
A pause.
"…Contact with a stable entity accelerates convergence."
Kael stood slowly.
"…So I'm changing faster now."
"…Yes."
Silence.
"…Into what?"
The man looked at him.
Really looked.
"…That depends on you."
Kael clenched his fists.
But this time—
The energy didn't respond the same way.
It hesitated.
Like it was listening to something else too.
"…That's a problem," Kael muttered.
"…It is."
Back in the facility—
The screens were active again.
More signals.
More activity.
But Kael barely noticed.
Because inside—
The fracture remained.
Quiet.
But present.
"…You're distracted," the man said.
"…I'm aware."
"…That will get you killed."
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Then I fix it."
But even as he said that—
He wasn't sure he could.
Because that presence—
That second voice—
Hadn't left.
It hadn't weakened.
If anything—
It felt closer.
More… interested.
"…You're changing…"
Kael froze.
That voice again.
Soft.
Clear.
Right behind his thoughts.
"…And I'm waking up."
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
But he didn't react outwardly.
Not this time.
He stayed still.
Calm.
Controlled.
But inside—
Everything was shifting.
Because now—
It wasn't just about fighting enemies.
It was about fighting himself.