Kael was in Hell.At least, that's what his surroundings made him feel.
The air was heavy, almost unbreathable.A suffocating heat pressed on his chest.
Then... a sharp pain.A dagger had pierced him. In the back.
He wanted to scream, to turn around—but everything froze.
— Ka... Kael...KAEL!WAKE UP!
His eyes snapped open.
In front of him, Thana.Her gaze mixed feverish joy with barely contained anxiety.
She held him tight. Hard.Maybe too hard.
And yet,he felt no discomfort or resistance.Just... an unexpected calm.
— You think you still need rest, Kael?
— No, I'll be fine.If I don't push too hard, I should hold.
Since the black dimension...I feel like I'm recovering better than before.
— It's not just a feeling, idiot.Your body has undergone a complete restructuring.
Bones, veins...everything has been realigned.
Your blood circulation is much more efficient.
— You seem to know more and more lately.Especially these past few times.
— Of course.Someone has to learn to keep you in one piece.
I can't even imagine the disaster you'd be without me.
— Will you tell me what happened in there?Thana asked, sitting beside him, eyes half-closed, attentive.
Kael was silent for a moment.His gaze fixed on an invisible point.
— I... can't explain it clearly.It wasn't a fight. Not a physical test.
It was... like everything was frozen.Me, the world, time.
Thana frowned,but didn't interrupt.
— There was nothing.And yet, I was seen. Watched.
I felt a presence...vast. Relentless.
She didn't speak,but she... weighed.
Like she could crush you with a single look,without hate,without emotion.Just by her nature.
He breathed slowly.
— And at one moment, I understood.It wasn't an entity like the others.It was... something tied to destiny. To the order of things.
Thana closed her eyes.Her expression grew serious.
— You were confronted by a Primordial Remnant.
They are ancient entities.Weakened fragments, but still conscious,from the Cosmic Axis.
They forged some of the laws of the universe,long before the Tower was built.
They only appear when an event risks alteringthe fundamental balance.
And if they manifest...it's rarely out of curiosity.
Kael raised his head, surprised.
— You know them?
— I've never met one.But I've known what they are for a short time.
— Why me?
— Because you broke something.Or because you're becoming somethingthat Destiny cannot ignore.
These entities intervene only when a major gap occurs.Either to warn it...or to judge it.
Kael remained silent.His gaze a bit lost.
— She tried to speak to me, I think.But... it was like a broken dream.
Everything got blurred,then went black again.
Thana gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
— If she wanted to reach you,it means you are already at the heart of a movement bigger than you.
And believe me:Primordial Remnants never leave things to chance.
She paused.Then added, more softly:
— You're not ready to understand everything yet.But... you have crossed a threshold.
Nothing will be the same again.
Thana fell silent.Not out of embarrassment,but as if the weight of words was enough to fill the space.
Kael, meanwhile, stared at the ceiling—or maybe at nothing at all.
The image of that entity remained imprinted on his retina.
But another thought grazed him.A presence.
He lifted his head slightly.His voice fragile.
— And Lyana?
Thana briefly averted her eyes,as if to measure the weight of her answer.
— She's stable.
She paused shortly,then added:
— I placed her in a deep stasis.
Her body is no longer in danger,and her mind is...protected, for now.
Kael clenched his teeth.He knew that way Thana chose her wordswith surgical precision.
What she said was reassuring.But what she didn't say...was much less so.
— She will wake up, right?
Thana stayed silenta few seconds too long.
— I'm doing everything I can, Kael.But this kind of process...doesn't depend on me alone.
She is between several flows.
And sometimes,to come back,one must choose not to lose oneself.
She lowered her eyes slightly.
— And for that,I think it will be up to her to decide.
Silence returned.Less heavy,but not comforting.
Kael breathed slowly,his gaze fixed on an invisible point.
Thana seemed to search for words.
— Maybe... there is something.
He turned his head slightly toward her, intrigued.
— A possibility,she whispered.Tiny.And distant.
Kael frowned.
— Speak.
She hesitated again,then whispered:
— We're talking about... an Elixir.Of Restoration.
A silence.Kael said nothing right away.
He observed her.Scrutinized her features.
— Where?
— Not here.Not for a long time.
It will be...on the tenth floor.
She dared not meet his gaze.
— And you're sure?
Thana didn't answer.
He waited.One second.Two.Three.
— Thana.Who told you that?
She gently pressed her lips.Her gaze evasive.
— It's not important.
— Thana.
She sighed.Slowly.Deeply.
— I heard it...from the Guide himself.
Kael didn't react immediately.A short silence settled.
No hostility.Just... contained shock.
— And how did you get such info from him?You must have paid a price... right?
— Let's say he had... an unusual moment of courtesy.Maybe a form of apology, in his own way.
— That's enough for me.Just having a lead...already relieves me.
— Thank you... really.I needed to hear that.
— Mmh...
Her gaze drifted aside,and something — almost imperceptible —tinted her cheeks.
No words.Just a beat.
And that silence that said too much.
Thana didn't answer anymore.She simply averted her eyes.
Kael gave a faint smile,almost tired.
— You don't need to say more.Thank you... really.
She barely nodded,looking elsewhere.
A light buzzing,discreet but constant,vibrated deep in the air.
Thana slowly raised her gaze.
— Prepare yourself.
— For what?
She hesitated a moment,as if she already felt the chill coming.
— He will speak.Soon.
Kael frowned.
— The Guide?
Thana only nodded.
— This time,it won't be a whisper in the shadows.It will be an announcement.A real one.
Kael rubbed his temple, still shaken.
The discussion about the Elixir had eased a burden inside him,but not the void.
— You should rest a little,said Thana.
You've already gone beyond what many wouldn't have endured.
— Not yet...Just a little longer.
He opened his eyes again.She was watching him—then froze.
Her expression changed.Not fear,but immediate alert.
— Don't move.
Kael raised an eyebrow.
— What?What's wrong with me?
— Your eye.The left one.It just activated.
He blinked instinctively,but she stared at him insistently.
— Absolute black...with an iridescent fractal in its center.
She inhaled.
— It's the Eye of Nyx.
— Should that mean something to me?
— It's not just any skill.It's a fragment of authority, Kael.
A power reserved for those recognizedby the Primordial Darkness itself.
He didn't answer.A dull pain was already risingfrom his orbit to his neck.
— You feel it, don't you?The drain.
He nodded slowly.
— It's like...my blood is burning toward the back of my skull.
— Normal.You activated it without filter,without adaptation.
She stood, passed behind him.
— I can recalibrate the output.Not disable the eye,but redistribute the load.
You'll hurt less.But...
— But what?
— You'll sense the flows you catch more slowly.
— I'm not asking for more.Do it.
She placed her fingers on his temples,closed her eyes.
A faint black light slipped under the skin,tracing temporary patterns.
A minute later,the pain stopped.
— Done.You should be able to use it...without destroying yourself.
— That's already better than I hoped for.
— Where did you get this?Thana asked,eyes still fixed on the dark iristhat pulsed slowly.
Kael frowned.
— I think...during the trial.When everything froze.
He paused.
— I didn't see it coming.I just... felt something graft into me.
A fragment.
It was cold,dense,but not hostile.
Thana stepped back slightly, thoughtful.
— What you describe...
She lowered her voice.
— I recovered a fragment of Authorityin the black dimension of the Temple.
But this one came directly from Darkness,one of my many authoritiesthat I once had.
Kael stared at her,suddenly more attentive.
— You think it's linked?
— I'm not sure.But such transfersdon't happen by chance.
Maybe it's the Tower.Maybe it's you.
She looked at him for a long moment.
— What I know, though,is that the more you use this eye...the more you'll attract its attention.
— Its attention?
— The Authority.It's alive, Kael.
Fragmented,but still vibrant.
And if you make it grow...you'll end up not carrying it.
You'll have to fully bear it.
The room vibrated.Barely perceptible.
Thana slowly raised her head.
— It's beginning.
Kael didn't even have to askwho she meant.
He already knew.