Kael stood at the center of the Spirit Hall, the echo of his own heartbeat louder than the distant rumble shaking the realm.
The Spirit Contract had settled—but not peacefully.
Heat surged through his veins like molten fire, followed by waves of sharp, freezing clarity. His knees buckled. Only by planting one hand against the glowing marble floor did he stop himself from collapsing again.
Ryn stretched lazily on his shoulder, tail flicking sparks into the air."Oof. That one hurt, didn't it? Relax, human. First contracts are always messy."
Kael clenched his teeth. "You… live inside my soul now?"
"Temporarily," Ryn said with a grin far too sharp for comfort. "Unless you die. Then I get scattered. So try not to."
That did not help.
Around them, the assembled figures of the Spirit Council whispered among themselves. Kael could feel their gazes like needles—some curious, some cold, some openly hostile.
The crimson-marked man stepped forward again. His presence alone weighed heavily on the air.
"An Ember Chaos Spirit," he said with disdain. "You allowed him that bond, Guardian?"
Eira Lunewarden's silver eyes did not waver. "The Spirit Core chose. Not us."
The ice-haired girl finally moved. Her boots left faint frost patterns on the floor as she approached Kael, studying him like a flawed artifact.
"He's unstable," she said flatly. "The Core pulses irregularly. His soul is human—fragile."
Kael forced himself upright. "I'm standing right here."
Her gaze flicked to him, sharp and unreadable. "For now."
Before he could respond, the Spirit Core in his chest throbbed violently.
Pain lanced through his skull.
The hall darkened.
No—the realm itself darkened.
A deep, resonant sound echoed through the sky, like chains snapping one by one.
Then the alarms rang.
Not bells—war-horns, ancient and terrifying.
A spectral knight burst through the massive doors, his translucent armor cracked and bleeding ethereal light.
"Guardian!" the knight shouted, dropping to one knee. "The Obsidian Gate has fallen!"
The words hit the hall like a thunderclap.
Gasps rippled through the Council.
Eira's face paled for the first time. "Impossible. That seal is guarded by—"
"By corpses now," the knight said grimly. "The Void Cult has breached the lower realm."
Kael's chest burned hotter than before.
Images flooded his mind without permission.
Black spires rising from broken lands.Humanoid figures kneeling before a colossal shadow.A throne chained in divine runes—cracking.
Ryn stiffened, fur bristling. "Yeah… I recognize that feeling. That's bad."
"How bad?" Kael whispered.
Ryn swallowed. "End-of-everything bad."
The crimson-marked man slammed his fist against the floor. "They move faster than predicted. The Sovereign's influence is spreading."
"Sovereign?" Kael echoed.
Eira turned to him, her voice heavy with truth. "The Void Sovereign. A being erased from history, sealed beyond existence itself. The Spirit Core you carry was part of the lock."
Kael staggered back. "You're saying this is my fault?"
"No," she said gently. "But it makes you the key."
The ice-haired girl looked away. "Or the trigger."
Outside the hall, the skies of the Spirit Realm twisted violently. Massive shadows crawled across the clouds—shapes far too large to belong to any known spirit beast.
Something ancient had awakened.
Eira stepped toward Kael and placed a glowing sigil into his trembling palm. The symbol burned briefly, then settled beneath his skin.
"From this moment," she declared, her voice echoing across the realm,"Kael Ardyn is recognized as a Spirit Walker."
The title struck him harder than any blow.
"You will be hunted," Eira continued. "By the Void Cult. By rogue clans. Perhaps even by those who stand in this hall."
Ryn leaned close and whispered, "Told you not to pick a quiet life."
Kael looked up at the darkened sky, fear and resolve twisting together inside his chest.
If this power made him a target…
Then he would learn to survive.
Far beyond the Spirit Realm, deep within a throne of endless darkness, something smiled.
And softly—so softly—it spoke Kael's name.