Kael leaned back in the chair, his demeanor eerily composed.
"No," he said, his tone casual yet firm. "I'm not a Ravager. But I'll say, I'm not entirely sure how you'd expect me to be one."
Levi's gaze didn't waver. "It's possible," she replied, gesturing to her screen. "You may not know, but aside from the ranks we encounter in breaches—E through S—there are six higher ranks of Ravagers. They're only ever found in the Nexus. Among them is the Blood General rank. A Ravager of that level is more than capable of taking human form."
Kael's expression darkened slightly. His memories weren't entirely intact, but he knew enough. He'd seen what Blood Generals were capable of in his past life. Entire worlds reduced to nothing, armies swallowed whole.
These weren't just monsters; they were calamities.
"And you think I'm one of them?" Kael asked, tilting his head slightly, a faint smirk forming on his lips.
Levi didn't answer immediately. Instead, she pressed her palms together, resting her chin on them as she scrutinized him.
"If you are," she said, her voice colder now, "I could kill you right now."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so?"
She gestured to the side of her chair. "The moment I press this button, every elite Lightforged in this academy will bombard this room in seconds. You wouldn't make it out alive."
For a moment, Kael stared at her, then let out a quiet chuckle. It was a low, almost mocking sound that sent a chill down her spine.
"That's a good threat," he said, leaning forward slightly. "But we both know that if I were a Ravager as strong as a Blood General, and I wanted you dead, by the time those Lightforged arrived, they'd find your corpse. And shortly after, they'd join you in death."
Levi swallowed hard, her composure faltering for the first time. "Well... are you?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly on the last word.
Kael's piercing gaze met hers, holding it for what felt like an eternity. Then, with a sigh, he leaned back. "No," he said. "It's a lot more complicated than that."
Her shoulders relaxed, the tension visibly leaving her body. For some reason, she believed him.
"Then what are you?" she asked, her tone softer but still laced with curiosity.
Kael smirked faintly. "Now? Just an outskirts beggar with a chance." He paused, the smirk fading. "What you want to know is what I was. And that... I'm not fully certain of myself. Even if I told you what I do know, you wouldn't believe me."
Levi stared at him, her mind racing. "Usage of Blight by a Lightforged... it's unheard of," she muttered. "I should report this to the Council."
Kael's gaze hardened. "You should," he said evenly. "But will you?"
Levi scoffed, spinning her chair back to her workstation. "Yeah, right," she said. "Biggest discovery ever made, and I hand it over to those old bastards? Not a chance."
A faint smile played on Kael's lips.
Without turning back to him, Levi said, "I'll need to approach your test results differently with this new information. You're free to go for now, but don't stray too far. I may need you at any moment."
Kael nodded, hopping off the chair. As he walked to the door, Levi glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Her brows furrowed slightly before she turned back to her monitors, deep in thought.
---
Kael returned to his dorm, the corridors feeling strangely quiet. When he entered, he found Adrian lying on his bed, flipping through a book.
"Still here?" Kael said, a faint chuckle escaping his lips. "I figured you'd have requested a room change. Wouldn't want to bunk with a murderer, right?"
Adrian snorted. "Please. I've stayed with worse."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Worse than a murderer?"
Adrian reached into a drawer and pulled out a dark, crystalline object. "Found this while snooping around. Any chance it's what I think it is?"
Kael's eyes narrowed as he recognized the object. "It is."
Adrian tossed it to him. "So not only have you killed a kid, but you've also killed a Ravager and gotten its soul core? You're way too strong to be ranked this low. You should appeal or something."
Kael caught the core with ease, studying it in his hand. "You know what," he said with a faint smirk, "you're probably right."
Before Adrian could respond, the core in Kael's palm began to emit a dark glow. Kael's smirk disappeared, replaced by confusion.
"What the...?" he muttered.
The glow intensified, and suddenly, the core shattered into particles of dark energy, swirling around his hand.
In his vision, faint, grey text appeared, the words sending a chill through his spine:
> ◇ Conditions Met.
> ◇ Gateway Opened.
> ◇ Entering The Fractured Nexus.
"No... wait!" Kael shouted, but it was too late.
Adrian watched in stunned silence as Kael's body dissolved into particles of energy, vanishing before his very eyes.
"Kael?" Adrian said, his voice barely audible over the settling chaos.
But Kael was gone.