Kael stood alone.
The training grounds had long since emptied, but he remained where he was, staring into the darkness beyond the facility walls.
Something felt different.
Not outside.
Inside.
The power within him had changed again.
Aetherion was silent.
Too silent.
Kael closed his eyes and focused.
The energy flowing through his body was smoother than before. Stronger. More controlled.
Yet beneath that control...
Something else waited.
Watching.
"You're hiding something."
Silence.
Then—
"I am protecting you."
Kael's eyes opened.
"From what?"
A long pause followed.
For the first time, Aetherion seemed hesitant.
"From knowledge."
A chill ran down Kael's spine.
Before he could ask another question, a loud alarm echoed through the facility.
WARNING.
WARNING.
ALL HOSTS REPORT TO CENTRAL HALL.
Kael frowned.
That had never happened before.
Footsteps echoed through the corridors as dozens of hosts rushed toward the center of the complex.
Kael followed.
The moment he entered the hall, he knew something was wrong.
Everyone was there.
Even the strongest hosts.
The room buzzed with tension.
At the front stood the stranger who had first captured him.
Their expression was grim.
"The outer monitoring stations have gone dark."
Silence filled the room.
Then whispers erupted.
"What happened?"
"An attack?"
"No..."
The stranger's eyes swept across the crowd.
"We received one final transmission."
A large screen illuminated behind them.
Static covered most of the display.
Broken images flashed.
Ruined buildings.
Burning skies.
Bodies.
Thousands of bodies.
Kael felt his stomach tighten.
Then the image froze.
A massive silhouette stood in the distance.
Humanoid.
But impossibly large.
Its eyes glowed like dying stars.
The recording ended.
Silence.
One host finally spoke.
"What is that?"
The stranger answered immediately.
"An Ascended Host."
The room exploded into chaos.
Kael froze.
An Ascended Host?
Someone had become that?
Someone carrying a Core like his?
The stranger raised a hand.
The room quieted.
"Three cities are already gone."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
The weight of those words crushed the room.
Three cities.
Gone.
Kael's fists tightened.
"How strong is it?"
The stranger looked directly at him.
"Strong enough that if it reaches this region..."
A pause.
"We all die."
The room fell silent once more.
Kael felt Aetherion stir.
For the first time in days—
The ancient entity sounded uneasy.
"Impossible..."
Kael's heart skipped a beat.
Impossible?
Aetherion never said things like that.
"What do you mean?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
And somewhere far away—
Something powerful had begun moving.
Toward them.