"Fuck." He said weakly, still on the floor and bleeding heavily from a hole in his chest.
He was going to die, he knew it and when he just started loving living, fate had to go and Fuck with him again.
And it was partly his fault, he wished to see how invaders, and now he got to but it was worthless if he was going to die.
Kael lay still, chest wide open, the world dimming around him. The black metal box that had been his heart sparked weakly a few feet away, light flickering like it was dying too.
He tried to reach for it, but his arm wouldn't move. His breathing came in sharp, uneven gasps.
Everything he felt was pain, and it seemed never-ending.
Then, in the quiet, something in his cloak began to glow.
A faint blue light pulsed through the fabric of his cloak. The baton he'd found near the tower slipped free of his pocket and floated in the air, humming softly.
The same rhythm as his heart. His lifeless heart
The metal box nearby crackled again, and a small display flickered to life across its surface.
[Requirement 3 Completed]
[Synchronization Activated]
The words flashed once before the box gave a sharp pop. Sparks jumped across the dirt.
The baton split down the middle, metal shifting and twisting like it was alive. Half of it melted into thin blue lines that shot straight into Kael's chest. The other half reshaped — jagged, heavier — turning into an axe with veins of light running along its dark blade.
Kael arched back as the energy hit him, light searing through his body. The hole in his chest sealed shut, the glow fading into a faint pulse beneath his skin. A symbol displayed openly on his chest. An infinity-axe.
He gasped for air. The bleeding stopped.
The axe beside him pulsed the same way his chest did. They beat in rhythm — one pulse, one sound.
Then everything went black.
Kael floated in empty space. No sound, no ground beneath him, just darkness stretching forever.
A figure stepped out of it, the same being who brought Kael to this world.
"You made it," a voice said, calm, deep and sereneas ever. "Requirement three, complete."
Kael stared, his throat dry. "What happened?"
The figure tilted its head slightly. "You just surpassed my expectations of you"
He blinked. His mind was hazy.
"You didn't die and completed all your requirements." The voice almost sounded amused. "And I must say… you've made good entertainment for us."
Before Kael could answer, the figure raised a hand. The darkness cracked.
"Now," it said softly, "wake up."
"Remember, I'm not letting you die and you're welcome for the gift."
Kael's eyes opened.
He was lying on cold ground again. The hole in his chest was gone, replaced by glowing blue lines that pulsed steadily under his skin. His body felt heavier — stronger.
Next to him, on the ground, the axe shimmered faintly.
He picked it up. It was warm — alive. The same heartbeat pulsed in his hand and chest at once.
It felt connected.
A screech split the air.
The Invader was still there, towering over the ruins, thrashing against a nanite barrier where Tarek and the other scavengers hid. Its black skin oozed acid as it clawed and screamed.
Kael tightened his grip on the axe. The glow flared brighter.
When the Invader turned toward him and lunged, Kael moved without thinking.
He swung.
The blade hummed, cutting clean through the air. For a moment, the world went silent — then the Invader split in two, its body falling apart like it had been sliced by light itself.
Acid spewing everywhere, decaying everything in its touch.
Kael stood there, breathing hard, watching the pieces hit the ground.
Behind the nanite barrier, Tarek and the others just stared. No one moved. No one spoke.
Tarek's mouth opened slowly. "What the hell…"
Kael didn't answer. His chest thumped with a new, heavy rhythm. The axe pulsed in time.
He looked down at it — at the faint glow tracing his arm — and knew one thing for sure.
Whatever he was before, he wasn't that anymore.
But one thing Kael should've known by now—nothing ever ended well for him.
He was only a few steps from the nanite barrier, the others shouting for him to hurry, when the Invader's broken form twitched. The creature glued itself back together, flesh knitting with a wet hiss before it let out an ear-splitting screech.
A flash of movement—its long, acidic-black tongue lashed out, wrapping around Kael's torso and yanking him off his feet.
The Invader dragged Kael toward its mouth, its breath hot and sour against his face. The rush he'd felt when he cut it in half was gone—burned out. Now there was only fear. Cold and real.
He kicked and struggled, but it didn't matter. The creature's tongue held him tight, pulling him closer to rows of jagged teeth—
Then a sharp beam of light slammed into the Invader's side.
It screamed, the sound ripping through the air. Its body twisted, arms flailing, and it hurled Kael away like a broken toy. He hit the ground hard, rolling through dust and pain until everything went white for a moment.
"Ugh." Kael grunted in pain.
When his vision cleared, a woman stood between him and the creature, smoke curling from the barrel of her weapon. She fired again—once, twice—each shot cracking through the air like thunder.
Two of the six who'd arrived with her ran to Kael, pulling him up, half-carrying him toward the barrier. He stumbled, barely holding on, his eyes fixed on the fight ahead.
The others surrounded the Invader, their movements sharp and sure, fighting like they'd done this a hundred times before.
Kael could only watch, chest heaving, heart still pounding.
All he could think was—wow.
Kael stayed on the ground, the others having pulled him to safety. His chest was still pounding, his hands shaking, but he couldn't look away.
The woman kept firing, beam after beam, each one hitting the Invader and slowing it down. Then a huge man stepped forward. He grabbed the creature as if it were nothing, acid sizzling against him but leaving no mark. With a roar, he spun it into the air and threw it as high as he could.
The woman aimed and fired a massive beam. The Invader exploded, smoke filled the sky. The ground shook, debris and acid raining down, but Kael stayed where he was, frozen, watching it all unfold.
Finally, he muttered under his breath, awe-struck
"Gifted."