When Kael returned to Ætheris, dawn was breaking.
The city glowed in hues of blue and gold, its towers wrapped in shimmering barriers that pulsed faintly with mana. Airships floated lazily between spires, their hulls engraved with glowing runes. The scent of ozone and rain hung in the air—a reminder that even the weather here was partially artificial.
Kael stepped out of the narrow alley that concealed the hidden gate, brushing dust from his jacket. His pale gray eyes reflected the morning light, calm and unreadable.
To anyone watching, he looked like an ordinary student returning from a long walk. Nothing more.
But beneath that still surface, calculations were already moving.
The portal's energy flow fluctuated by two percent. Someone else used it recently. I'll need to relocate soon.
The Azure Cloud corpses won't stay hidden forever. A sect's wrath can spread like wildfire.
He crossed a glass bridge spanning a lower district, blending into the stream of early commuters—mages, artificers, civilians. The glow of magic from their bracelets and the hum of levitating platforms masked his faint aura completely.
He moved like a ghost through the living city.
The world of Ætheris had its own rules—subtle, suffocating ones.
Here, strength was measured not by Qi or muscle, but by influence. The power to alter data, manipulate enchantments, or sway the decisions of the Grand Circles.
Kael knew how to navigate it. He had learned to exist without existing.
At the academy, he was Kael Veyne: quiet, polite, invisible. No records flagged, no affiliations, no mana signature that stood out. He answered questions correctly but never perfectly, joined no clubs, and had no friends.
He had built his disguise with surgical precision.
But even the most perfect masks can draw unwanted eyes.
The lecture hall buzzed softly with conversation as he entered. Dozens of students in uniform sat beneath holographic runes projected across the ceiling—an anatomy of spell matrices glowing faintly blue.
Kael slid into a corner seat.
Moments later, a familiar voice broke through the hum.
"You're late again, Veyne."
Professor Maren's tone was clipped, but her eyes—sharp, amber, predatory—never missed much. Her crimson robes whispered with movement as she crossed the room, the sigil of the Circle of Glyphs shimmering faintly on her shoulder.
Kael offered a polite bow. "Apologies, Professor. I missed the tram."
"Hmm." She studied him a moment longer than necessary, her gaze almost… dissecting. Then she turned away, resuming the lecture.
"Now, as I was saying—transference runes form the basis of inter-realm theory. Though the existence of direct portals remains theoretical—"
Her words hung in the air like bait.
Kael's hand froze over his notepad.
Theoretical, she says.
He almost smiled.
The class dragged on. Runes, theory, discussions of energy flow—all distractions he didn't need. But he took careful notes anyway. Maintaining the illusion required it.
When the bell finally rang, he gathered his things swiftly. But before he could leave, a shadow fell across his desk.
"Hey, Kael."
He looked up.
It was Eren, one of his classmates—a tall boy with bright silver hair and the careless smile of someone born into privilege. Son of a Council Mage. Too friendly, too curious.
"You always vanish right after class," Eren said, grinning. "People are starting to think you're a spy or something."
Kael's lips twitched faintly. "Then perhaps I should disappear more quietly."
Eren laughed. "You're weird, man. Anyway, some of us are heading to the south district tonight. Drinks, maybe a small glyph duel. You should come."
"I'll pass."
"Yeah, yeah, I figured." Eren leaned closer, lowering his voice. "By the way… you ever hear of something called 'The Veil Initiative'?"
Kael's gaze sharpened. "No. Should I have?"
"Guess not. It's a rumor. Supposedly, the Circles are experimenting with—"
A sudden pulse of mana shuddered through the air. Lights flickered. Students gasped.
Kael's instincts reacted before thought. He was already on his feet, scanning the room.
The fluctuation was faint but unmistakable: a spatial ripple.
Not from Ætheris's regulated teleportation grid. Something raw, unstable—like a gate disturbance.
His mind raced.
Impossible. No one should be able to open one this close to the academy…
Then came the sound.
A low hum, like a heartbeat echoing through the walls.
Outside the window, the sky shimmered.
A fissure of light tore open in midair—small at first, then widening, its edges burning with violet fire.
The same color as Tianluo's skies.
Screams erupted as students scrambled back. The fissure crackled violently, arcs of energy lashing out, scorching the air.
Kael's pupils contracted.
A gate… here? That means someone—or something—crossed over without permission.
Through the rift, a shape emerged.
A creature, half-human, half-shadow, its form writhing as if unfinished. Its face twisted, bones shifting beneath translucent flesh. Dark Qi bled into the room, corroding the walls, warping the runes overhead.
Professor Maren raised her staff instantly, glyphs igniting around her. "Containment wards! Now!"
But Kael didn't move.
He watched. Analyzing.
The creature's energy signature wasn't stable—it was collapsing. Whatever crossed the gate wasn't meant to survive in this world.
He could let the professor handle it. Stay hidden. Safe.
And yet…
Something inside him stirred.
The cruel self—the shadow that lived for moments like this—awoke.
He stepped forward.
"Veyne, what are you doing—?!"
Maren's voice barely reached him.
Kael's hand rose, glowing faintly with a pattern no one in Ætheris should recognize. Not a glyph. Not a spell. Something older.
A Qi seal.
The creature screamed as Kael's palm struck its chest. The impact was silent—but the result wasn't. The energy imploded inward, folding the rift shut like a wound.
The creature disintegrated, leaving only a faint mist of black residue. The crack in the air sealed with a hiss.
Silence fell.
Kael exhaled slowly, lowering his hand.
Dozens of eyes stared at him—shock, awe, suspicion.
He met none of them.
Professor Maren's voice came out soft, cold, trembling with a kind of restrained fury.
"...What was that, Kael?"
He looked up. Calm. Harmless. A perfect mask.
"Just… instinct, Professor."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Instinct doesn't close rifts."
He said nothing.
Later that night, Kael stood on the academy rooftop, wind tearing through his hair as the city glittered below.
The portal had been contained. The Council had arrived. They would investigate for days, find nothing, and move on.
But he knew better.
Someone—or something—from Tianluo had crossed into Ætheris.
And worse… someone on this side had opened the gate.
He looked down at his palm, faint traces of energy still glowing where he'd used the Qi seal.
"Seems the game just changed," he murmured.
Then, softly, he smiled.
The cruel smile.
Half light, half shadow.