Kael had already decided—
nothing in his life would ever change.
Seventeen. Broke. Invisible.
The kind of person people walked past…
and forgot before they took the next step.
No talent. No future. No reason to matter.
Tonight was no different.
He stood on the rooftop of a half-abandoned building, staring down at the city.
Lights flickered like dying stars.
Cars moved in slow, endless streams.
Everything felt distant.
Muted.
Like he didn't belong to it.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Same as always."
For a moment—
it was quiet.
Peaceful.
Then the sky broke.
At first, it looked like a shooting star.
Beautiful.
Fleeting.
But it didn't disappear.
It slowed.
Then stopped.
Kael frowned.
"…That's not right."
The air grew heavy.
Not wind.
Not pressure.
Something deeper.
Like the world itself was… watching.
His chest tightened.
His heartbeat slowed.
Too slow.
And then—
A voice.
"Finally…"
Kael froze.
His eyes widened.
"…What…?"
The voice wasn't around him.
It wasn't above him.
It was inside his head.
The light pulsed.
Brighter.
Closer.
It wasn't falling.
It was descending.
And it was coming straight toward him.
Panic hit instantly.
"No—stay away from me!"
He tried to move.
His body didn't respond.
Locked in place.
Like something had already decided for him.
The light stopped in front of him.
A sphere.
Small.
Burning.
But not like fire.
It didn't heat the air.
It didn't distort space.
It simply… existed.
And inside it—
Kael saw something impossible.
Stars.
Galaxies.
Entire worlds collapsing into nothing.
"You will carry me."
Kael forced his head to move.
Shaking.
"I won't."
"I am dying."
"You are compatible."
"I don't care—!"
"This is not a request."
The light moved.
And touched his chest.
Pain exploded.
His veins ignited.
His bones screamed under invisible pressure.
His skin felt like it was tearing apart.
"I am Aetherion."
His vision went white.
Then—
Nothing.
…
Darkness.
Kael lay motionless on the rooftop.
The city below continued like nothing had happened.
Unaware.
Unchanged.
But inside him—
Something pulsed.
Alive.
Waiting.
And far beyond the stars…
Something ancient stirred.
"The core… has moved."