Tess's grip tightened around Kael's arm, her fingers digging into his skin as she yanked him back from the rift. The shockwave that followed was like the cracking of the world itself—a deep, resonant pulse that vibrated through the water, setting every molecule of air and liquid trembling. Kael's body felt as though it was being torn apart from the inside out, the rift's pull still lashing at him, dragging at his very essence.
But Tess wasn't letting go. Her strength was surprising, and it was all that stood between him and the endless abyss ahead.
"Kael!" she shouted, her voice frantic now, as she kicked furiously to keep them both afloat in the turbulent waters. "You can't do this! It's not just a shard—it's a trap!"
Kael's breath came in sharp gasps, his mind clouded with the aftereffects of the shard's influence. His pulse was racing, his thoughts disjointed as he struggled to process what had happened. The moment he'd touched the True Shard, everything had changed. He had been standing on the precipice of something far greater than the petty powers of the shards he had known—this was something that transcended them, something infinite.
But now Tess's voice broke through, like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man. His head throbbed with the pressure, but her words were cutting through the fog. A trap. It wanted to control him.
The rift in the ocean loomed ominously in the distance, its pull still tugging at the edges of his mind, like an invisible tether that refused to let him go. The True Shard—it was a part of the rift, part of this strange new reality. It wasn't just a tool to be wielded; it was a force that bent the very laws of nature, a power that even Kael's shard-laden body couldn't fully comprehend.
For a moment, Kael closed his eyes, breathing through the panic and disorientation, the sensation of the shard still lingering in his veins. He could feel its remnants—its presence—like a pulse just beneath his skin, like a forgotten dream clawing at his subconscious.
"You were right," he muttered, the words thick with both awe and terror. "I felt it... I felt it trying to pull me in."
Tess nodded grimly, her expression hard. "I knew something like this might happen. The Council's been hunting True Shards for years. They're dangerous, Kael. Far beyond anything we've ever known. And now, you've got a piece of it inside you."
Aro, who had managed to close the distance, finally reached them, panting from the exertion. His brow furrowed with worry as he looked at Kael. "You're... you're not yourself. This shard—it's changing you."
Kael didn't know how to respond. The shard had affected him in ways he didn't understand, but it wasn't just his physical being that was at risk. It was his very soul. He had felt it, deep inside, the whisper of something ancient, something vast.
The True Shard didn't just offer power—it offered control.
"Get out of the water," Tess urged, pulling him toward the ship, her tone unyielding. "We can't stay here any longer. Whatever that rift was, it's unstable. And so are you, right now."
"I don't think we can just leave it," Kael said, his voice hollow. He turned back toward the rift, the pull still there, whispering to him, urging him to return. "It's calling to me. I need to understand it. I need to—"
"No!" Tess snapped, grabbing his shoulder. "You don't need to understand it, Kael. It's not your responsibility. And it's not safe. The more you mess with it, the more it'll take control of you."
Kael wanted to argue, to protest, but the words didn't come. Deep down, he knew Tess was right. The rift, the shard—it wasn't just some treasure to be unlocked or understood. It was a force beyond any mortal's control, a force that could reshape reality itself. If he allowed himself to fall any deeper, there might be no coming back.
Aro placed a hand on Kael's other shoulder, steadying him. "She's right. You've felt it. The more you get pulled in, the less you'll be able to fight it. We need to get you back to the ship. We'll figure this out, but not like this."
For a moment, Kael was silent, his thoughts spinning. He could still feel the power of the True Shard inside him, a pulsing energy that was both intoxicating and terrifying. But Tess was right. This wasn't something he could control—not yet, anyway. The rift wasn't just a doorway to power; it was a test, one that Kael had nearly failed.
With a final, reluctant glance at the rift, Kael allowed himself to be pulled away, following Tess and Aro back toward the ship. The moment they were back on deck, the wind seemed to die down. The storm that had once roared through the skies had suddenly gone quiet, as if the world itself were holding its breath. Kael's body still hummed with the energy of the shard, but it was faint now, a distant buzz beneath his skin.
As they climbed back aboard, Tess immediately ordered the crew to set sail, her voice sharp with urgency. "We need to leave the area. Now. Get us to Telmaris."
Kael didn't argue. He knew the danger of staying so close to the rift, and the sooner they put distance between themselves and the waters, the better. As the ship began to move, Kael moved to the edge of the deck, staring out into the churning sea, his thoughts still lost in the remnants of what he had experienced beneath the surface.
He had touched something ancient, something vast. The True Shard had shown him a glimpse of power that no mortal should wield, and yet the temptation to return, to understand it, still gnawed at him.
"Kael?" Tess's voice broke through his thoughts. She stood beside him, watching him carefully, her eyes filled with concern.
He turned to her, the weight of her gaze grounding him, but the question still lingered in his mind. "What happens now?"
Tess hesitated, her expression darkening. "Now, we get to Telmaris. And we figure out what that shard means. We can't let the Council know what you've found. Not yet. We need to understand it, or they'll come for you. They'll come for both of us."
Kael nodded, his jaw tightening. The Council had always been an obstacle, but now, they were the least of his worries. There was something far worse at play, something larger than he had ever imagined.
And it was tied to the rift, to the True Shard—and to him.