Kael's eyes fluttered open to a blur of cold stone and flickering shadows. The taste of dust and iron clung to his tongue, and every muscle screamed in protest. His head throbbed with a slow pulse like a distant drum.
Rei was there beside him. Her silver eyes searched his face, worry etched into every line. The glow from the core still radiated faintly through his shirt, a dull red heartbeat beneath his skin.
"Kael," she whispered, voice tight with fear. "Are you alive?"
He tried to speak but his throat felt raw, as if sand had settled inside. His fingers twitched. The core pulsed again, a wave of heat rippling through his veins and lighting every nerve on fire.
"What… happened?" His voice cracked on the question.
Rei swallowed hard and glanced over her shoulder. "The vault collapsed. Something triggered when you took the core. The whole place started shaking like it was about to fall apart."
He tried to sit up but the dizziness slammed into him like a hammer. Rei caught him before he could fall back.
"You're lucky we got out when we did." She looked around the cramped hideout they'd retreated to, a forgotten basement below a rundown tavern far from the estate. "The guards will be swarming the area any minute."
Kael focused on her voice to anchor himself. "The core…" he said slowly. "It felt alive. Like it was watching me. Knowing me."
Rei frowned. "Vein cores aren't supposed to do that. Not like this."
He clenched his fist and the red glow flared brighter. A jolt raced through his arm and up to his chest like the core was trying to fuse with him. Pain bloomed behind his eyes and a roaring flood of images crashed through his mind.
Memories that weren't his. Faces he'd never seen but somehow recognized. Places burning beneath cold starless skies. And voices—whispering secrets, promises, and threats tangled like a knot tightening inside his skull.
"Focus," Rei said firmly, gripping his shoulder. "You're not alone."
Kael blinked against the storm inside. The core pulsed faster now as if responding to her words. He felt the power inside him stirring, raw and unrefined but undeniably present.
"We need to understand it," Kael said, voice steadying. "This core… it's different. Maybe it's why the House kept it hidden."
Rei shook her head. "It's dangerous. Cores are meant to be tools, not living weapons. You risk everything by keeping it."
"But if I don't…" Kael's breath caught. "If I don't control it someone else will."
Rei's eyes darkened with worry but she didn't argue.
Outside the tavern the city was waking. Distant shouts echoed down the cobblestone streets and the clatter of boots on stone. They had hours, maybe less, before the hunt began.
Kael pushed himself upright, the pain a steady reminder of the core's presence. He flexed his fingers and a faint red glow shimmered beneath his skin. The power was there. Waiting.
Rei moved to the small table where a map lay spread out. "We need allies," she said. "Old friends. Scholars who understand cores and their magic. Maybe even a healer."
Kael nodded. "And we need to keep moving. The House will send their best."
The two friends prepared to leave their hideout but Kael hesitated. The core throbbed inside him like a heartbeat that was not his own. He felt its awareness, a silent voice promising strength and danger in equal measure.
The pulse of the core was a new beginning and a whispered curse.
Outside, Varn's red sky cracked open with the first rays of dawn and the hunt was just beginning.