The morning sun cast a pale light over the Everglade estate, spilling through the high windows of a modest room at the edge of the grounds. The space was small, its simplicity a stark contrast to the grandeur of the main manor, but it held a quiet warmth—a reflection of its occupant.
Helen pushed the door open, her steps careful but not hesitant. "Kael, wake up!" she called, her voice bright with morning energy, ready to start the day.
The words hung in the air, unanswered. Helen frowned slightly, glancing toward the neatly made bed. The absence of Kael wasn't unusual—he was often up before her, slipping out without so much as a word. But there was something unsettling about the stillness of the room this time, as though it held a secret it wasn't ready to share.
Her brow furrowed as a thought crossed her mind. "Did the young miss summon him again?" she murmured, sighing heavily. The possibility frustrated her, though she couldn't bring herself to blame Kael. She knew how things worked in the Everglade household.
Shaking her head, she turned to leave, but her eyes caught on something out of place—a folded piece of paper resting on the pillow. Her heartbeat quickened as she stepped closer, her fingers trembling slightly as she picked it up.
The letter was addressed to her, and as her eyes scanned the first lines, a cold dread settled in her chest. By the time she finished reading, her legs felt weak, and tears streamed down her cheeks. The letter slipped from her hands, fluttering to the floor like a fragile leaf.
"Guards!" she cried, her voice breaking as she ran from the room. "Please, help me find my son!"
Her desperation echoed through the halls, drawing the attention of the staff. Faces turned, whispers spreading like wildfire. Something terrible had happened—something that shook even the unshakable Helen.
***
In the grand chambers of the Everglade Manor, Elowen sat before her gilded mirror, her expression distant. The room was immaculate, filled with light that danced off crystal chandeliers and golden accents. Behind her, Aria, her maid, worked meticulously to fasten the final button of Elowen's elegant morning dress.
Elowen barely noticed. Her thoughts were elsewhere, lost in the monotony of her routine. She had long since mastered the art of detachment, her emotions buried beneath a polished exterior.
The door opened softly, and Lyra, her second maid, entered with an air of unease. Her hands were clasped tightly, and her gaze flickered nervously between Elowen and Aria.
"My lady," Lyra began hesitantly, "I have some... troubling news."
Elowen raised an eyebrow but didn't turn from the mirror. "Speak," she said, her tone cool.
Lyra hesitated, as though weighing her words carefully. "It's about Kael. Word has spread that he... that he took his own life early this morning."
The words hung in the air like a sharp, cold blade. For a moment, Elowen froze, her expression unreadable. Her mind raced as she processed the information, and a sinking realization began to take hold. She knew. Deep down, she knew. She was most likely the cause.
Her hands tightened into fists, hidden in the folds of her dress. But she wouldn't let it show. After all, she was Elowen Everglade—vulnerabilities were a weakness she couldn't afford.
"It doesn't matter," she said finally, her words were sharp, dismissive, but her reflection betrayed her. For just a moment, her icy facade cracked, revealing a flicker of guilt and unease. Then it was gone, replaced by the unyielding demeanor that she always wore.
Aria and Lyra exchanged a glance, their silence speaking louder than words.
***
The forest was a ethereal sight, blanketed in lush green grass and large vibrant trees. At its heart stood a tree unlike any other, its ancient trunk blackened and lifeless. The once-strong branches were bare and the ground around it was scorched, as if consumed by an otherworldly fire. a stark contrast to the pristine green grass a few meters away.
Amid the charred remains lay a boy, his black hair tousled, his body still as if asleep. Kael lay on the frozen ground, untouched by the chaos around him. The air around him seemed heavy, charged with an unspoken energy.
The sun rose higher, casting long shadows across the clearing. It wasn't until late afternoon that Kael's eyes fluttered open. Golden irises, glowing faintly, reflected the dim light filtering through the skeletal branches.
He sat up slowly, his movements deliberate, as if testing the limits of his body. His gaze swept over the scene—the charred tree, the scorched earth, the eerie silence. Fragments of memory flickered in his mind, disjointed and incomplete.
"Who am I?" he murmured, his voice hoarse. "Kael... no. Aza... no. That was in the past."
His golden eyes narrowed, clarity beginning to take shape. "Right now, I am Kael. Let the past remain in the past."
The name felt both foreign and familiar, like a distant echo of a life he could barely remember. As he tried to make sense of his fragmented thoughts, a voice interrupted him.
[System Online: Model M512I-A.R-A5.17 Activated.]
The voice was mechanical yet soothing, a stark contrast to the chaos surrounding him. Kael blinked in surprise, his confusion giving way to curiosity. "What... who are you?"
[System Designation: Model M512I-A.R-A5.17.]
The string of letters and numbers was too cumbersome for Kael's liking. "That's too long. I'll call you... Miara."
[Acknowledged. System Designation Updated: Miara.]
A faint smirk tugged at Kael's lips. "Miara, huh? All right. Tell me what's going on."
Miara answered his basic questions, its responses concise yet deliberately vague, like breadcrumbs scattered along an uncharted path:
[System Activated: Primary function—assist user. Current status: initialization complete. Advanced directives inaccessible. Connect with main server for more info.]
Kael frowned, his frustration mounting with each repetitive response. His questions grew sharper, more probing. "Who created you? What's your purpose? And why are you in my head?"
[Connection required for detailed information. Current location: outside network range. Connection not possible.]
Kael's golden eyes narrowed, his irritation barely contained. "Outside range? Fine. What can you tell me, Miara?"
[Basic diagnostics available. Local environmental data accessible. User vitals stable. Energy output—unprecedented.]
The last word caught his attention like a spark igniting dry tinder. "Unprecedented? What does that mean?"
Miara's response was clinical, almost dispassionate:
[Energy signature detected exceeds all known parameters. Subject exhibits traits beyond standard biological limits.]
He stared at his hands, flexing his fingers as if expecting to feel something—an electric hum, a fiery pulse, anything to explain the strange heaviness in the air around him. But there was nothing. His body felt... normal. "Energy signature? What kind? Something else?"
[Information incomplete. Main server access required.]
That answer again. Kael exhaled sharply, his breath misting in the cold air.
Kael: "So, I'm a walking anomaly, and you're as helpful as a broken compass. Fantastic."
A faint, almost imperceptible hum came from Miara, like the whirring of gears turning in the background.
[Observation: User sarcasm detected. Humor acknowledged.]
Kael let out a dry laugh, more out of disbelief than amusement. "Great. The mysterious voice in my head has a sense of humor. Just what I needed."
He ran a hand through his hair, brushing off the faint layer of dew that clung to it. His frustration ebbed as curiosity took its place. If Miara couldn't give him answers here, perhaps he'd find them elsewhere.
Rising to his feet, Kael stretched, the motion unfamiliar—as if his body wasn't entirely his own. The remnants of his shirt disintegrated into ash, revealing a body lean and well-toned, far removed from the malnourished frame he remembered.
Kael muttered, half-amused, half-annoyed. "Looks like I've been upgraded. Too bad no one thought to include a decent set of clothes in the package."
He glanced down at his tattered pants, relieved they were mostly intact. He wasn't keen on returning to civilization with less dignity than a beggar.
Surveying the clearing once more, his gaze lingered on the blackened tree at its center. Its charred branches stretched toward the sky like skeletal hands, a silent witness to whatever had transpired here. "Miara, what happened to this place?"
[Analysis: Evidence of extreme electro-thermal energy discharge. Epicenter corresponds to user's position at time of event. Assumed to be as a result of Host remnant energy discharge during consciousness transfer, Specific cause unknown]
As if in response to the Miara's words, flashes of memories began to unfold before Kael's eyes. They came in fragments, disjointed and jarring, like a shattered mirror reflecting different pieces of the same image. The memories were not his own, yet he experienced them as vividly as if they were. They were memories of the past, or rather a different being entirely. As more fragments came, more of his questions were answered,
[Warning: Incomplete memory integration detected. Host may experience fragmented recollections and emotional instability until synchronization reaches 100%.]
Finally the memories stopped, but he still had more question. "Guess we'll find out together, Miara. Let's see where this road leads."
He turned away from the tree and began walking, his steps steady and purposeful despite the uncertainty ahead. The air around him seemed to hum faintly, charged with a presence he couldn't yet define.
Kael paused, his golden eyes narrowing as he finally remembered his true name, like a distant memory. "Let the past remain in the past," he muttered, his resolve hardening.
The journey back to the Everglade Manor awaited, and with it, the promise of answers—or perhaps more questions. Either way, Kael was ready to face whatever lay ahead.