The world was split in two.
On one side lay Ætheris, a city of gleaming towers and runes. Magic and modernity intertwined seamlessly. Trains hummed along aerial tracks etched with glowing glyphs, skyscrapers pierced the sky, their façades engraved with wards and protective seals. At first glance, everything appeared orderly, modern, almost banal—but behind every lamppost, every screen, every lock, there was a whisper of arcane energy, a heartbeat of power barely noticed by the citizens.
On the other side stretched Tianluo, a land ruled by strength and the flow of Qi. Towering mountains ripped through clouds, rivers shimmered like molten jade, and ancient sects carved their dominion across valleys shrouded in mist. Here, the strong dominated, the weak were crushed, and immortals looked upon the world with the detached amusement of gods observing ants.
Between these two worlds, an invisible barrier stood, impassable to nearly all.
But not to him.
The alley in Ætheris was quiet, slick with rain. Neon lights reflected off puddles like scattered gems.
A boy walked alone. His uniform—black, unremarkable, slightly damp—hung loosely over his lean frame. A satchel swung at his side, weight seemingly too much for him, yet he moved with calm precision, neither hurried nor hesitant.
His name was Kael.
At first glance, he was ordinary. Hair dark and slightly wet, eyes pale gray, almost translucent. A face you could pass in a crowd and forget moments later.
Yet beneath this façade was something else entirely.
His gaze swept over every detail of the alley. Every shadow. Every sound. Every movement of the few late-night passersby.
Three figures trailing me. Likely surveillance agents.
Left streetlamp flickering—magical interference detected recently.
The woman at the kiosk glances too often—ally, or simply wary?
Kael walked silently. In his mind, he calculated. Always.
He stopped in front of a decrepit building, walls cracked and stained, graffiti etched in runes that pulsed faintly like a trapped heartbeat. To a casual observer, it was just another abandoned ruin, lost among the modern towers.
Kael placed his hand on the cold stone.
A shiver ran through him. The rune responded to the subtle energies in his body, oscillating between Ætheris's arcane magic and a deeper, older vibration—Qi.
The wall split open like a wound. Behind it shimmered a translucent veil of light, rippling like water.
A portal.
Kael's lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. Not warmth, but satisfaction—the kind that comes from knowing a door only a few can pass through is now open.
Same place every time… predictable.
He stepped through.
The world shifted.
The ground beneath him changed texture. The air thickened, alive with Qi, filling his lungs with a potent, almost violent energy. The sky stretched vast and oppressive, clouds heavy and violet. Mountains pierced the horizon like jagged spears, rivers wound through valleys like serpents of jade.
Tianluo.
Kael stopped. He inhaled deeply.
Here, he did not need a mask.
In Ætheris, he was the quiet student, the unassuming neighbor. A boy nobody noticed, let alone suspected.
Here, he could… be himself.
Almost.
A sound snapped through the mist—heavy footsteps, deliberate and threatening.
Five figures emerged, draped in dark blue robes tied with golden belts, the insignia of a minor cultivation sect. Each carried a short sword etched with runes, their Qi flaring faintly around them.
They moved in perfect synchronization, their eyes burning with suspicion.
An intruder.
Unauthorized passage… eliminate him.
Kael lifted his hands, palms open. His expression softened, innocence painted onto every feature.
"Wait," he said, voice calm, even gentle. "I—I think I'm lost."
His tone, his posture, even the slightest tilt of his head—all of it deceived them. For a heartbeat, doubt flickered in their eyes.
A brief moment.
And that was all it took.
Something within him shifted.
Not in the world. Not in the air.
In him.
His gray eyes darkened, the faint luster of warmth vanishing. A smile twisted, sharp and cold, carving shadows across his face. Power radiated off him like the weight of an avalanche, pressing down on the surrounding mist.
The innocent Kael was gone.
In his place stood a predator.
"…Pathetic insects."
His voice had changed—low, resonant, a whisper that carried the threat of steel against bone.
Before the cultivators could react, he moved. Fluid. Precise. Lethal.
The first man's throat was snapped with a single, swift kick.
The second impaled himself on his own sword as Kael twisted it in his hand.
The third tried to channel his Qi, but Kael grabbed his face and smashed him to the ground.
Blood splattered the mist.
The remaining two staggered back, shock rooting them to the spot.
Kael's eyes glinted. Cold. Calculating. Inhuman.
"Run," he said, voice low but unmistakably commanding. "Do try not to get yourselves killed."
They did not hesitate. One screamed and charged forward, the other fled blindly.
Kael remained still, observing, enjoying the fear in their retreating forms.
Then, as the fleeing men thought themselves safe… he struck.
A shadow blurred, faster than the eye could follow.
A dark, low laugh echoed, reverberating against the mountains.
Minutes later, silence fell.
Five bodies lay scattered across the valley.
Kael knelt briefly, wiping his hands on the tunic of one corpse. His gray eyes returned their pale, almost translucent calm. The cruel predator had receded. The quiet, calculating boy re-emerged.
He exhaled softly.
"…Too noisy this time."
He surveyed the bodies. No witnesses—yet. Others would come, drawn by the scent of blood and the fluctuation of Qi.
He slung his bag over his shoulder as if nothing had occurred, walking through the thickening mist.
The boy who could walk between worlds disappeared into Tianluo, leaving only the faintest echo of a smile in the mist.
The boy who walks between worlds… Kael.