The journey was silent at first. Kael lay curled in the back of the drifting skiff, eyes scanning the scarred sky as the makeshift transport sailed along glowing ley-lines toward the horizon. Towering ruins and rusted arcologies passed beneath them, remnants of a civilization fractured by the Rift Wars.
Shao Jinzhen stood at the helm, his silhouette outlined against a flickering aurora overhead. His robes were layered and weathered, stitched with symbols Kael didn't recognize, but the way the old man moved, balanced, deliberate reminded Kael of a warrior.
"What is this place?" Kael finally asked.
"The Sky-Market," Shao said. "A floating trade post just outside Sector Delta's surveillance grid. It drifts between Nexus ley-lines, hidden from the eyes of the Syndicate."
As they rose higher, the clouds parted, revealing a suspended platform the size of a city district. Steel wings kept it afloat, powered by crystal engines and alchemical winds. Lights danced beneath canvas canopies, and voices echoed faintly, traders, scavengers, wanderers. Life beyond control.
They docked quietly. No one stopped them. Shao led Kael through winding alleys of flickering neon and incense smoke until they reached a narrow building built into an old ship hull.
Inside, the room was warm and filled with curious trinkets, relics from dozens of realms: Riftglass blades, stasis scrolls, broken drones, and strange orbs that pulsed like hearts.
Shao motioned for Kael to sit.
"Let me see your mark," the old mystic said.
Kael hesitated, then pulled back his shirt. The Ember Core's glow was dim, but something else had formed around it, a ring of shadow etched like ink into his skin, jagged and unnatural.
Shao's eyes narrowed. "Void Seal."
Kael blinked. "What?"
"You weren't just fused with Emberfire. The Rift… it touched you. Left its brand. This seal is a Riftwalker's Mark, a forbidden link between realms. It means the Void recognizes you."
Kael felt cold. "What does that mean?"
"It means your soul is a bridge. The Ember binds you to this world. The Void tries to tear you from it. And between the two…" Shao's voice grew distant. "You will either become a weapon or a gate."
Kael stood suddenly, panic rising. "I didn't ask for this!"
Shao looked at him, eyes ancient with sorrow. "Then learn to control it. Or others will use it and you for purposes far darker than you can imagine."
A crash sounded from below. Voices. Syndicate scouts, already searching the market.
Shao tossed Kael a cloak. "There is no time. Hide your flame. Your training starts now."
Kael gritted his teeth. The Rift had chosen him. The Ember had fused to him. But if this was his fate, then he'd face it head-on.
And if the Void thought to consume him?
It would burn.