They didn't get far.
Kael felt it before anything moved.
That pressure—
Returned.
But this time—
It wasn't distant.
It was close.
Too close.
"Stop," Kael said.
Sera froze immediately.
The corridor ahead opened into a fractured plaza—once a central trade hub, now partially consumed by the Bloom. Sections of the ground had split into layered platforms of organic growth, rising unevenly above what remained of the original stone.
The air shimmered.
Not heat.
Distortion.
"…He's here," Sera said.
Kael didn't answer.
Because he already knew.
The space shifted.
Not violently.
Subtly.
Like the world was making room.
And then—
Valen stepped forward.
No rupture.
No eruption.
He was simply there.
Standing at the center of the fractured plaza, the Bloom rising behind him like a living throne. The organic plating along his body shifted with each breath, faint golden lines pulsing through it in sync with the environment.
His eyes locked onto Kael.
Not surprised.
Not curious.
Certain.
"You changed," Valen said.
Kael didn't respond.
Sera shifted slightly behind him.
But she didn't move forward.
Because this wasn't her fight.
Not really.
Valen took a step closer.
The ground responded.
Subtly lifting beneath his foot.
"You felt it, didn't you?" he continued.
A pause.
"That moment."
Kael's grip tightened.
"Stand down," he said.
Valen smiled.
Not amused.
Understanding.
"You're still trying to stay inside it."
Kael stepped forward.
This time—
He attacked first.
Fast.
Clean.
Controlled.
Valen blocked.
Effortlessly.
The impact barely moved him.
Their blades locked—
And for a moment—
Everything else disappeared.
Kael pushed—
Valen didn't.
He didn't need to.
"You're holding back again," Valen said quietly.
Kael broke contact—
Struck again—
Faster.
Valen moved with him—
Matching—
Adjusting—
Always one step ahead.
Reth would've forced pressure.
Dain would've read the pattern.
Kael did both.
And it still wasn't enough.
Valen stepped inside his next strike—
Redirected it—
And drove his own attack forward.
Kael barely blocked.
The force pushed him back—
Further than before.
"You felt it," Valen repeated.
A step closer.
"That connection."
Kael didn't answer.
But something in his movement—
Hesitated.
Valen saw it.
Of course he did.
"It's already happening," Valen said.
"Stop."
Kael's voice was sharper now.
But Valen didn't.
He stepped forward again—
Not attacking—
Closing distance.
"You think you're resisting it," he said.
"But you're not."
Kael moved.
Struck again—
Harder this time.
Less controlled.
Valen blocked—
But this time—
He shifted slightly.
Just enough.
A reaction.
Small.
But real.
Sera saw it.
"…Kael."
Valen saw it too.
And for the first time—
His expression changed.
Interest.
"There it is," he said.
Kael stepped forward again.
Faster.
More aggressive.
Less precise.
The next exchange—
Hit harder.
Blade against blade—
Force against force—
Valen adjusted—
But not perfectly.
Kael was changing.
Not clean.
But dangerous.
"You're not built for this," Valen said.
Kael didn't respond.
Because now—
That pressure—
Returned.
Stronger.
Closer.
Inside.
The ground shifted.
Kael felt it before it moved.
Adjusted.
Stepped where it would be—
Not where it was.
Valen paused.
Just for a moment.
"…You see it now."
Kael didn't answer.
He attacked.
Faster than before.
This time—
Valen had to move.
Not adjust.
Move.
The strike missed—
Barely.
Kael followed—
Second strike—
Third—
The pattern broke.
For the first time—
Valen stepped back.
Not retreat.
Recognition.
"You're not resisting," Valen said.
A pause.
"You're integrating."
Kael stopped.
That word—
Hit.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Valen stepped closer again.
Slow.
Deliberate.
"You think you're still you," he said.
"But the moment you felt it—"
A step closer.
"You became part of it."
Kael moved.
Not controlled.
Not clean.
Raw.
He closed the distance instantly—
Blade driving forward—
Valen blocked—
But the impact pushed him back.
Further.
The ground beneath them cracked—
The Bloom reacted.
The system—
Shifted.
For the first time—
Valen smiled.
Not because he was winning.
Because Kael was changing.
"Good," he said.
Then—
He stepped back.
The ground surged between them—
Roots rising—
Separating the space.
Sera moved in—
"Kael, we need to—"
He didn't move.
Didn't respond.
Because for a moment—
He couldn't.
Valen turned.
Already leaving.
"This isn't where you lose," he said.
A glance back.
"It's where you start to understand."
Then—
He was gone.
Silence.
Heavy.
Sera stepped closer.
"…What did he mean?"
Kael didn't answer.
Because he already knew.
He felt it.
Still there.
That connection.
Not gone.
Not fading.
Growing.
He turned.
"Move."
But this time—
Even he heard it.
Something in his voice—
Wasn't the same.