Remy smacked Kael.
"...Remy?" Kael muttered, shocked.
There was no squeak of response this time, only silence. Instead, Kael found himself staring into Remy's tear-filled eyes, wide and pained. In that instant, Kael realized how terribly wrong he had been.
Remy cared.
He cared about their home, their belongings, but more than anything, he cared about Kael the most. When Kael hurled dust and pebbles at him in anger, it hadn't upset him. When Kael shouted, lashing out his frustration, it didn't wound him. None of that mattered to Remy.
What truly pained him was seeing Kael tearing himself apart. Losing their home was heart-breaking, but watching Kael crumble was far worse.
Kael's heart sank deeper. His chest tightened with the crushing weight of guilt. Remy, cared more about him than he'd ever realized.
"Remy... buddy, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," Kael said, his voice breaking as tears welled up in his eyes.
Without waiting for a response, he turned his wheelchair sharply and wheeled himself away from Remy and Alden, too ashamed to face them any longer.
Remy instinctively moved to follow him, but Alden stopped him with a gentle hand. He shook his head, signaling that it was best to give Kael space for now. Remy hesitated but finally nodded, staying behind as Kael disappeared into the shadows.
*****
Alone, Kael's mind was in turmoil. His heart pounded, and self-loathing washed over him like an unforgiving tide. He had been so selfish, so wrapped up in his own feelings that he hadn't once stopped to consider what Remy was going through.
Remy was more than just his familiar—he was his family. They had been through everything together, yet in his anger and despair, Kael had only thought of himself.
"What's wrong with me?" he muttered bitterly, gripping the arms of his wheelchair until his knuckles whitened.
"I promised to get stronger... and now, look at me. I can't even keep myself together."
He cursed the gods, those mysterious figures, and the cruel world they lived in. But most of all, he cursed himself. Kael cursed his own weakness.
Remy had always been by his side, through every struggle, every battle. But Kael had taken that for granted. Kael had failed him.
Frustration boiled inside him, growing hotter with every thought. He slammed his fist into a nearby tree. Once, twice—he didn't stop until blood stained the bark and his hands throbbed from the impact. He didn't care about the pain. It was a relief, something to distract him from the ache in his chest.
As his bloodied hand dropped to his side, something slipped from his pocket and hit the ground with a soft thud. Kael glanced down and saw it: the talent crystal.
Without thinking, Kael picked up the crystal. A surge of bitter determination filled him. He didn't care about the risks anymore. Whether it worked or killed him didn't matter now. He was sick of being weak, tired of his limitations, and disgusted with himself for the person he had become. Maybe this would fix it all—or maybe it would be the end.
Kael pressed the crystal to his chest and absorbed it.
At first, it worked. The crystal found its way into his origin root and began to glow—a strange energy began spreading through Kael's body.
But then his body convulsed. Kael's stomach lurched violently, and he vomited blood, doubling over as agony wracked his frame.
Kale's talent could not be consolidated, it was too much for his damaged origin root to handle. His body was rejecting his own talent. But Kael still forced it.
His vision blurred, and his muscles screamed in protest. It was as though his body was splitting apart, unable to contain the sheer force of it.
"Come on... Just a little more," Kael gasped, clutching his chest as pain tore through him.
Kael pushed forward. He had to. He couldn't afford to fail, not again. He continued the process despite the blood running down his chin and the waves of nausea threatening to overwhelm him.
"I have to... do this... for Remy," Kael whispered through clenched teeth.
But his strength gave out. His body couldn't take it. He could feel the power slipping away from him, the crystal's energy dissipating as his origin root rejected his talent. He fell to his knees, vision dimming as the last of his strength left him.
"Guess it didn't work after all..." Kael muttered, his voice barely audible as the world around him grew dark.
"I'm sorry... Remy..."
Just as his consciousness faded, Kael felt something stir beneath him. The ground shifted, and then, out of nowhere, a sharp pain shot through his body as a thick plant root burst from the earth and stabbed into him.
Kael's eyes widened in shock, but before he could react, his world went black.