Darkness.
Endless and weightless.
Kale floated in it — suspended between dreams and something deeper. He couldn't feel his body, only the echo of energy humming through him, like a pulse that didn't belong to him.
Then he heard it again.
That voice.
Low, cold, and ancient.
"You bear my flame… but you do not yet understand it."
Kale's eyes snapped open — or perhaps they didn't. He wasn't sure anymore. He stood on a vast expanse of shattered glass beneath a sky of blue fire. Fragments of memory floated in the air like broken stars.
In the distance, a figure stood upon a throne made of ash and bone. Cloaked in tattered robes of deep silver, with long white hair that shimmered faintly, he looked both human and something far beyond it.
Aurelion.
Kale took a step forward. The glass cracked beneath his feet, rippling outward.
"So it's true," Kale said quietly. "You're still alive in here."
Aurelion smiled faintly — a smile that never reached his eyes. "Alive? No. I am only what remains. A whisper carved into mana. But you… you are the vessel."
Kale's fists clenched. "You killed thousands. You burned cities. You nearly tore the realms apart. Why would I carry your power?"
Aurelion tilted his head. "Because destiny does not ask permission, boy. It merely chooses."
The ground shuddered. Shards of light swirled around them, forming images — glimpses of Aurelion's past: a young man standing before the Witch Council, condemned for daring to touch forbidden magic; flames consuming a citadel; a figure screaming as a rift tore open between worlds.
Kale looked away. "I don't want your destiny. I'll change this world my way."
The older wizard laughed — a hollow, echoing sound that made the air tremble. "Change? You think they'll ever let you? You're a curse. A mistake. Even now, those who follow you only do so because they fear what you might become."
Kale took another step forward. "You're wrong."
"Am I?" Aurelion's voice grew sharper. "When the witches find you again, they will burn everything you touch. And when that day comes… you'll call on me. You'll need my power — and you'll give me your soul in return."
Blue fire burst around them as Aurelion's form split into countless reflections, circling Kale like mirrors. Each one whispered his name in unison:
"Kale. Kale. Kale…"
He clutched his head, gasping, the noise pounding through his skull. "Get out!"
Aurelion's voice thundered — not loud, but everywhere.
"You cannot destroy what is part of you!"
A pulse of mana surged from Kale's chest — and the dream shattered.
He jolted awake with a gasp, sweat pouring down his face. Lyra was by his side instantly, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Kale! Hey, breathe! You've been out for hours."
He blinked rapidly, trying to focus. The world was still spinning. "I saw him," he whispered.
Lyra froze. "Who?"
"Aurelion." His voice was hoarse. "He's inside me — not just power. Memories. Thoughts. Will. He's… watching."
Elric, who had been leaning against a wall sharpening his blade, frowned. "Watching or controlling?"
Kale looked down at his hand — the mark now pulsed like a heartbeat. "Right now? Watching."
He clenched his fist. "But I don't know for how long."
Lyra's expression softened, but fear lingered in her eyes. "Then we need to move fast. If that thing wakes up fully, you might not be you anymore."
Kale nodded slowly. "Then I'll wake before it does."
He stood, grabbing his cloak. "Where's Varyn?"
"Outside," Lyra said. "He's rallying the scouts."
Kale adjusted the strap of his sword. "Good. We move at dawn. The Coven's outpost at Ardenvale isn't far — and I think I know what they're guarding."
Elric raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
Kale's gaze hardened. "Aurelion's research."
The firelight flickered across his face, casting twin glows in his eyes — one blue, one faintly silver.
"If I want to break the curse," he said quietly, "I have to face the man I was never meant to become."