The shuttle door hissed open.
The returning search team stepped onto the academy platform, dust-covered and scratched — but silent. Behind them, limping slightly, was Kael.
He wasn't sure if it was real yet. His head still rang. His wrist still burned.
But the cold concrete under his boots… that was real.
The other cadets gathered around in confusion. Group Two was already there — lined up from the debrief.
That's when Feyla saw him.
Her eyes widened. She stepped forward without thinking, her voice a whisper of disbelief.
"Kael...?"
He gave a faint nod.
She rushed to him, grabbing his arm to steady him. Her touch was cold but gentle — a splash of water in a firestorm.
"You're— You're okay?"
Kael wanted to say yes. But he wasn't sure what okay meant anymore.
"I made it back," he said quietly.
Behind them, another voice cracked.
"...K-K-K-Kael?"
Torrin.
The once-proud gravity user stared with wide eyes, his expression pale.
He took a half-step back, as if Kael were some kind of ghost.
Kael didn't even look at him.
He just walked past.
At the front of the line, Instructor Korr stood with arms crossed, electricity flickering across his shoulders like an untamed halo. The rescue team approached and saluted.
"Found him at the edge of Sector 9," the lead scout reported. "Looked like he fell through a ravine. Cracked ribs. Sprained leg. But alive."
Korr's yellow eyes narrowed. He looked Kael up and down, then muttered under his breath:
"That's one lucky Blank."
He turned without another word and walked away.
Kael said nothing.
Later That Evening
Kael sat alone in his assigned room. Spartan walls. One bunk. A cracked tablet. A half-broken sink.
He stared at his hand in the low light — remembering the fight, the flame, the way his fingers had sparked for that one terrifying moment.
He flexed them now.
Nothing happened.
But they looked… different.
Veins stood out sharper. His fingers moved steadier. His arm felt tighter, more defined — as if something under the surface had shifted.
And then —
[System Update Complete]
Hello, Kael.
Quest 1: Survive the Hunt — COMPLETE.
He sat bolt upright.
Phase I Stabilization unlocked.
Codeline Sync: 12%
Passive skill unlocked: Proximity Pulse (Dormant)
And then the voice returned — clear, firm, familiar.
"You didn't die. Good. Let's begin."
Kael stared at his wrist, the faint mark glowing like cooled metal beneath his skin.
Something had started.
And it wasn't going to stop.