The Vault of Dominion still hummed with lingering energy, the shattered remains of the crystal core flickering like dying embers. The air was thick with static, every breath Kael took crackling with raw electricity.
But his mind wasn't on the vault anymore.
He had seen something—someone—inside the storm. A presence that spoke in echoes of the past, warning him that this power wasn't meant to be controlled… but understood.
And now, standing before him, was the man who sought to control everything.
The Overseer's silver eyes gleamed, his hands clasped behind his back. He didn't look angry. He didn't even look surprised.
He looked curious.
"You have changed," the Overseer said, his voice smooth as ever. "I can see it in your stance. In the way the energy bends around you."
Kael didn't respond. He could feel the shift inside him—the subtle hum of the current, no longer just something he wielded but something woven into him.
"You saw it, didn't you?" the Overseer continued. "The storm beyond the veil."
Kael's fists clenched. "You knew it was there."
The Overseer tilted his head slightly. "Of course."
Anger sparked inside Kael. "Then why didn't you tell me? What are you hiding?"
The Overseer exhaled slowly, as if Kael had asked a naive question. "You assume I am hiding something, when in truth, I am merely guiding you toward what you were always meant to become."
Kael's pulse quickened. He could feel the tension in the room, the weight of the moment pressing down on him.
"You don't want me to understand it," he said, his voice low. "You want me to become something else. Something you can use."
The Overseer smiled, but it wasn't amusement this time. It was acknowledgment.
"You are correct."
Kael's breath slowed. He had expected a denial, a lie—anything but the truth spoken so plainly.
Ryven, who had remained quiet for far too long, finally took a step forward. "So that's it, then? This was never about testing him. This was about shaping him into whatever weapon you need."
The Overseer turned his gaze to Ryven, his expression unreadable. "You see the world in such small, limited terms."
Ryven scoffed. "And you see people as pieces on a board."
The Overseer didn't argue.
That, more than anything, made Kael's decision clear.
"You think I'm going to be your tool?" Kael said, his hands crackling with new energy, the currents inside him burning brighter than ever. "You think you can shape me into something I'm not?"
The Overseer remained still. "I do not think, Kael Ardyn. I know."
Kael's body moved before he could think.
He surged forward, electricity bursting from his palms in an arc of pure force, aimed straight at the Overseer's chest.
The moment his attack landed, everything shattered.
The Overseer didn't move.
Didn't even flinch.
Kael's lightning struck an invisible field, the energy dispersing into thin air before it could touch him.
The force of the backlash sent Kael skidding backward, his heart pounding.
The Overseer sighed. "Predictable."
Kael barely had time to recover before the Overseer raised his hand—and the entire vault came alive.
The walls pulsed with blinding arcs of power, the shattered remains of the crystal suddenly reforming into something new.
Something deadly.
From the remnants of the vault's core, a form began to take shape—a humanoid figure, forged from pure lightning and metal, its presence warping the very air around it.
Kael's pulse spiked.
This wasn't like the Stormborn Ascendant.
This was worse.
The Overseer's voice was almost gentle. "I had hoped you would understand. But it seems you are still too attached to the idea of freedom."
The energy-forged figure lifted its head, crackling with an overwhelming presence.
Kael had no time to process it.
Because the next second, it attacked.
A bolt of raw, concentrated energy exploded toward him, faster than anything he had ever faced before. Kael barely managed to twist his body aside, but even dodging the edge of the blast sent a shockwave of pain through his limbs.
Ryven cursed, flipping backward to avoid another strike. "What the hell is that thing?!"
Kael gritted his teeth. He didn't know.
All he knew was that it wasn't just a machine.
It was alive.
The Overseer had created something designed specifically to counter him.
Kael launched forward, summoning every ounce of energy within him, preparing to test his new connection to the current—
The construct moved faster.
Before Kael could react, it appeared in front of him, its form shifting between solid and energy, and slammed a charged fist into his chest.
Kael flew backward, crashing into the far wall with a thunderous impact. Pain erupted through his ribs, static crawling through his veins, his body struggling to compensate.
He had never felt anything like this.
This wasn't just an enemy.
This was a calculated countermeasure to everything he had become.
He forced himself back to his feet, his breath ragged. He had seconds before the next attack came, but that was enough time to realize something.
The Overseer wasn't just watching anymore.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Kael to do something.
Kael's mind raced. The Overseer had given him a choice before—the crystal or the trial. That meant he wasn't just trying to kill Kael outright.
He was trying to force him into submission.
Kael wiped the blood from his mouth and exhaled.
Then, he smirked.
"Alright," he muttered under his breath. "You want to test me? Let's see what happens when I stop holding back."
He reached deeper than ever before.
Not just into his own power, but into the currents flowing around him.
The very force of the vault itself.
The construct charged forward again, but this time, Kael didn't dodge.
He stepped into the energy, into the pulse of the room itself.
And he took control.
The moment the construct's attack neared, Kael redirected the flow of energy in the air, bending the raw static to his will. The force of the attack warped, turning into Kael's power instead of his enemy's.
The construct froze mid-motion, caught in the shift.
Kael raised his hand.
With a single pulse, he reversed the entire battlefield's charge.
And the construct imploded.
A violent surge of electricity erupted outward, sending ripples through the entire vault, shattering conduits and collapsing structures. Sparks rained down like falling stars, the entire chamber thrown into disarray.
The construct was gone.
Kael stood unscathed, power still crackling at his fingertips.
He turned to the Overseer.
And for the first time, he saw something beyond curiosity in the man's silver eyes.
He saw acknowledgment.
Kael smirked. "Not so predictable now, am I?"
The Overseer said nothing.
Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.
Kael exhaled, the energy inside him still burning brighter than ever.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
But he had finally broken the cycle.
And now, he was ready for whatever came next.