The silver-eyed boy didn't lower his blade.
Not even slightly.
The tip of it remained steady, angled toward Kael's chest as if the distance between them meant nothing. His stance was relaxed—but not careless.
Controlled.
Every part of him looked trained.
Kael slowly raised his hands.
Not in surrender.
Just enough to show he wasn't about to do anything stupid.
"…I'm not looking for a fight."
The boy didn't respond.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
Three more figures descended from the ridge, their movements quiet despite the loose gravel beneath their feet. They didn't rush. They didn't hesitate.
They approached like people who already understood the situation.
Dangerous people.
Kael's eyes flicked between them.
Adults.
All wearing white and gray cloaks marked with a crest—a circle crossed by three lines. The symbol caught his attention immediately.
Not because he recognized it.
Because something about it felt official.
Authority.
The woman leading them stopped a few steps away.
Sharp eyes.
Composed expression.
The kind of person who didn't waste time.
"Name," she said.
Kael blinked once.
"…Kael."
"Full name."
It came out before he could stop it.
"Kael Veyron."
A flicker crossed her face.
Small.
Gone instantly.
But Kael noticed.
"To you," she continued, "what happened here?"
Kael glanced at the ruins behind him.
The ash.
The silence.
The thing he had just—
"…I woke up," he said slowly. "That creature attacked me."
"And you killed it."
Not a question.
Kael met her gaze.
"…yeah."
One of the men behind her let out a quiet scoff.
"A child."
"He's not lying," the silver-eyed boy said.
Everyone looked at him.
"There's no remains," he continued. "No weapon marks. No external damage pattern."
His gaze shifted to Kael's hand.
"The energy… was pulled inward."
Silence settled over the group.
Heavy.
The woman stepped forward.
Kael tensed—
But didn't move.
She reached out—
And grabbed his wrist.
The moment her fingers closed around him—
She froze.
"…nothing."
The man behind her frowned.
"What do you mean nothing?"
"No relic signature," she said quietly. "No elemental trace. No residual output."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"It's like he's empty."
Inside Kael—
Something stirred.
Liar.
He flinched.
The woman's eyes sharpened instantly.
"…you felt that."
Kael pulled his hand back.
"…felt what?"
A lie.
But it was the only one he had.
She watched him for a moment longer.
Measuring.
Then she turned slightly.
"We're taking him."
Kael blinked.
"…taking me where?"
"The settlement is unstable. Survivors are being relocated."
Kael looked past them.
Back toward the ruins.
"…there might still be people alive."
"We already searched."
"No," Kael said.
"…you did."
A pause.
The woman studied him again.
Longer this time.
Then—
"…five minutes."
Kael didn't wait.
He ran.
The village was worse up close.
The smell hit first.
Burnt wood.
Ash.
Something heavier.
Homes had collapsed inward, their frames reduced to blackened skeletons. The ground was uneven, littered with debris and fragments of lives that had ended too quickly.
Kael moved faster.
Heart pounding.
Too quiet.
No voices.
No movement.
Nothing.
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
Weak.
Kael froze.
"…hello?"
No response.
But he had heard it.
He moved toward the source, stepping over broken beams and cracked stone until he reached a partially collapsed wall.
There.
A narrow gap.
"…hey," he said, dropping to his knees.
"I hear you. Just—hold on."
He started pulling debris away.
Carefully.
Fast.
The structure shifted slightly.
Kael froze.
If he moved too fast—
It would collapse.
"…it's okay," he said quietly.
"I've got you."
A small hand pushed through the gap.
Kael's heart jumped.
He grabbed it immediately.
"Got you."
He pulled—
Slowly.
Carefully.
A little girl crawled out, coughing hard as she inhaled fresh air.
Alive.
Kael let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"You're okay," he said.
She looked at him like she didn't believe it.
"…everyone's gone," she whispered.
Kael didn't answer.
Because he didn't know how.
Behind him—
Footsteps approached.
The group had followed.
The silver-eyed boy watched the scene.
Not just the rescue.
Kael.
Always Kael.
The woman spoke.
"…time's up."
Kael stood slowly.
The girl clung to his sleeve.
"…she's coming too," he said.
The woman nodded once.
"Of course."
But her eyes were still on him.
Still measuring.
Still questioning.
As if the real problem wasn't what had happened here—
But what would happen next.
Far beneath the ruins—
Something shifted.