Chapter 7: A Glimpse Beyond

Kael's world was white.

Not empty. Not silent. Just white.

He could feel his body, but it wasn't quite… there.

His heartbeat slowed. His breath came in shallow pulses. And then—

A voice.

Low. Hollow. Ancient.

"You have touched the chains of fate."

Kael's vision blurred. The whiteness twisted, shifting like rippling water.

"Now, you will see."

His head pulsed with sudden pressure. And then—

It hit him.

The Vision

The whiteness cracked. Shattered.

Kael found himself standing on an endless battlefield.

The sky above was a swirling mass of black and red, lightning crackling through the clouds like veins pulsing with blood.

Bodies lay scattered across the field, some still twitching, others nothing more than twisted husks.

Kael turned. A mountain of corpses rose before him.

At its peak, a lone figure stood.

Cloaked in shifting shadows.

Eyes like burning gold.

The figure raised a single hand, and the chains returned.

Hundreds—no, thousands of them. Black. Writhing. Hungry.

They lashed out, wrapping around the dead, pulling them up—forcing them to move.

Kael felt his breath hitch.

This wasn't just a battle.

This was a massacre.

And then—the figure turned.

Its gaze locked onto Kael.

And Kael felt his very soul tremble.

"You are not ready."

The world snapped.

And Kael was falling.

Back to Reality

Gasp.

Kael's eyes flew open.

Cold sweat dripped down his back. His chest heaved as he tried to ground himself.

He was back.

The stone chamber around him was intact—no chains, no blood. Just the lingering hum of something powerful.

[System Alert: ??? Has Observed You]

Kael stared at the notification, his jaw tightening.

What the hell does that mean?

He shook his head, pushing himself to his feet.

The trial had changed something inside him.

His body still felt the same, but... something deeper had shifted.

[New Trait Acquired: ???]

A fragment of the unknown now resides within you.

Kael exhaled sharply.

Great. More mysteries.

He turned toward the chamber's exit.

If he stayed here any longer, he might lose more than just time.

The Road Back

Kael moved through the stone corridors, his mind racing.

The Drayven bloodline had a curse. That much was obvious. But whatever he saw in that vision—it wasn't just a curse.

It was something bigger.

The chains. The battlefield. That figure.

Who the hell was that?

As he walked, the tunnel widened, revealing an archway bathed in soft blue light.

Kael stepped through—

And found himself back in the ruins.

The underground chamber had led him here, to the open air.

Night had fallen.

The sky stretched wide above him, stars glinting like shards of ice.

Kael exhaled.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but—

"Took you long enough."

Kael froze.

That voice.

Seraphina.

A Dangerous Encounter

Kael turned sharply.

There, standing near the ruined pillars, arms crossed, was Seraphina.

Her golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight, unreadable.

Beside her stood two figures. One he recognized—Darian, the sharp-eyed rogue.

The other, however, was new.

A man in dark armor, a heavy aura pressing down on the air around him.

Kael's fingers twitched toward his dagger.

Seraphina tilted her head.

"Relax. If we wanted you dead, you wouldn't have made it out of that hole."

Kael didn't lower his guard.

"What do you want?"

Seraphina's lips curled slightly.

"The same thing you do. Answers."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"You don't know anything about what I saw."

Seraphina's smile didn't fade.

"Maybe not. But someone does."

She motioned toward the armored man.

"Meet Verrian."

Kael felt his instincts flare.

This man was dangerous.

Verrian stepped forward, studying him with piercing silver eyes.

Then—he spoke.

"You carry something you don't understand."

Kael clenched his jaw. No shit.

Verrian's gaze didn't waver.

"If you continue down this path, the chains will not let you go."

Kael's hands curled into fists.

He already knew that.

But what he needed to know—

"What are they?"

Verrian studied him for a moment. Then, he exhaled.

"A prison."

The words hit like a blow.

Kael's breath caught.

"A prison?"

Verrian nodded.

"Not for you."

His eyes darkened.

"For something else."

The Hidden Truth

Silence hung between them.

Kael's mind raced.

The chains. The vision. The figure on the battlefield.

Was something trapped within the Drayven bloodline?

Before he could speak, Verrian continued.

"You've taken the first step."

His voice was firm, final.

"Now you have a choice."

Kael's pulse quickened.

"What choice?"

Verrian's gaze didn't waver.

"Leave this alone."

The air grew heavy.

Kael's stomach twisted.

He had the feeling that if he walked away now, he could live a normal life.

Forget the chains. Forget the curse.

But he also knew—that wasn't an option.

Not anymore.

Kael took a breath.

And then—he answered.