A storm raged inside Kael's body. His blood burned, his senses sharpened. Every breath he took felt different—stronger, deeper, alive with something… unnatural.
The hooded figure studied him, silent, waiting.
"What… did you do to me?" Kael growled, gripping his throbbing arm. His veins pulsed with a faint, eerie glow beneath his skin.
"I did nothing," the figure said. "Your body is merely… adapting."
Kael clenched his fists. This wasn't normal. The Nightfall Syndicate had trained him to master his body, to control every motion, every breath. But this? This was something beyond human.
His eyes flicked toward the cavern's only exit—a massive stone door reinforced with heavy chains. A trap. They never expected him to leave.
He exhaled, focusing. Think. Feel.
A strange sensation rippled through his body—like a shadow shifting beneath his skin. Then, suddenly, the world slowed.
The dripping water froze mid-fall. Dust swirled in sluggish waves. His heartbeat steadied.
What is this?
Kael took a step forward—only to vanish.
No sound. No movement. Just an absence where he once stood.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared—ten feet ahead.
"Interesting," the hooded figure mused.
Kael barely heard him. His mind raced. Shadowstep. It wasn't teleportation—he had moved, but through something… else.
"You're wasting time," the figure warned. "They will come for you."
Kael didn't hesitate. Testing his newfound ability, he stepped forward again—and the world blurred.
One moment he stood still. The next, he was beside the stone door.
His breath was steady. Controlled. His strength had returned—no, it had multiplied.
Gripping the chains, he gave them a sharp tug. Metal groaned and snapped apart like brittle twigs. Impossible.
Yet here he was, standing in the threshold of his own escape.
"You were betrayed, left for dead," the hooded figure said behind him. "Now the world believes you are gone. What will you do with this second life, Kael Veyne?"
Kael didn't answer. He only turned his glowing eyes toward the distant city lights of Vaelstrom.
The hunt had begun.
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