Kael's room was dimly lit, a single candle flickering on the desk. He sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at his bandaged shoulder. The wound from the assassin's blade had already begun to close. Faster than it should have.
His fingers trembled as he pulled the bandage away. Smooth, pale skin greeted him, no scar, no mark. Just the faint shimmer of crimson light fading beneath the surface.
It was undeniable.
The Genesis wasn't just power, it was changing him.
The whispers pulsed faintly in the back of his skull.
"Train. Adapt. Hide."
Kael exhaled slowly, trying to steady his racing thoughts. If anyone saw this, I'd be executed as a heretic. The academy doesn't tolerate 'unnatural' powers.
He glanced toward the window. Beyond the dorms stretched the academy's outskirts, dense forests, wild creatures, and places where no instructor dared to linger after dark. The perfect place to test what he had become.
The following night, Kael slipped from his room under cover of darkness. His steps were silent, his breathing steady. Every shadow felt alive, every sound sharper. The Genesis heightened his awareness constantly, and though it unsettled him, it also thrilled him.
He reached the edge of the forest. Branches clawed at the night sky, leaves whispering secrets only he seemed able to hear. Deeper still, faint heartbeats pulsed, small animals moving, hiding. Prey.
Kael crouched low, pressing his palm against the soil. Instantly, he felt it: the tiny tremor of a rabbit scurrying beneath the brush. His eyes narrowed, focusing.
"Sense… connect… command."
The whispers guided him as his blood pulsed with heat. He extended his hand, and the world seemed to sharpen around him. The rabbit froze mid-step, trembling. Kael's heart thumped harder, his veins burning with the urge to act.
But he hesitated. Do I kill it? Is this what the Genesis wants?
The rabbit's heartbeat thundered in his ears. His hand shook. The whispers urged him forward, but Kael forced himself to pull back, releasing the connection. The rabbit bolted into the undergrowth, vanishing into the dark.
Kael collapsed against a tree, sweat dripping from his brow. His body shook, not from fear, but from restraint. The Genesis demanded blood, but he refused, for now.
"Hungry… incomplete."
He clenched his jaw. "No. I control you. Not the other way around."
The whispers quieted, but he knew they would return. They always did.
Two days later, the academy buzzed with unease. Rumors spread quickly, someone had been attacked on the grounds. An assassin, they whispered, though no official report had been given. Students speculated, instructors barked at them to remain in groups, and security tightened.
Kael listened silently, blending in. His mind replayed the assassin's words:
"You weren't supposed to survive the Ritual."
What ritual? He had gone through the Awakening Ceremony like everyone else. Why had he been marked?
During lessons, he found his eyes wandering to the high platforms where the instructors stood. Elder Veylan, the strict overseer of initiates, watched them with calculating eyes. Did he know? Was he involved? Or was it someone beyond the academy walls?
Questions piled in his head, but answers were scarce.
That night, Kael returned to the forest. This time, he was ready.
He drew a dagger across his palm, letting a drop of blood fall into the dirt. The crimson shimmered faintly, alive, pulling the attention of the creatures around him. A fox emerged from the undergrowth, its eyes unnaturally focused on him.
Kael raised his hand. The Genesis pulsed, connecting them. The fox stilled, its heartbeat syncing with his. A strange calm settled over him, not hunger this time, but control. He could feel the creature's instincts, its alertness, even its fear.
He released it with a shaky breath. The fox darted away unharmed, leaving Kael gasping in exhilaration.
A smile crept onto his lips. I can control it. Not just consume, not just destroy. I can bend it, shape it.
The whispers hummed, softer now.
"Control. Mastery. Evolution."
For the first time, Kael felt not just fear of his power, but hope. If he could master it, he could survive whatever forces wanted him dead.
Yet, as he turned back toward the academy, a chilling thought struck him.
The assassin hadn't failed. He had reported.
Which meant… others were already watching.