The duel had ended.
But the air still shimmered, as if the clash of frost and flame had opened something deeper—something not meant to be seen.
Kael leaned against a cracked wall, watching Thol retreat into the mist.
The system hadn't closed yet.
> [System Delay: Finalizing Observer Trace…]
[Unknown presence remains nearby.]
[Warning: Echo interference detected.]
Kael's eyes flicked to the side.
He saw nothing.
But he felt something—like heat flickering behind his eyes.
Then, it spoke.
A voice not heard with ears.
> "Do not sleep near fire. It listens. It remembers your name."
Kael staggered.
> "Who—"
Nothing answered.
Only the wind, and a sudden silence… too perfect, too full.
He blinked, and a flicker of symbols appeared at the edge of his vision. Not like the system's clean UI, but ancient, carved lines, flickering in and out like a dream.
> [Ë̸̯̞́C̷̯͌H̷̗̒O̶͚̅̎È̴̳ ̸̡̏I̵̥̓̈́S̴̪̋̎ ̵̪̳̔A̸̩̜͂W̴̘̿A̴̖̿͋K̴̀̚ͅĖ̶̦̽]
He collapsed to one knee.
No pain. Just noise inside his head.
Then silence.
> [System Recovered. Memory Sync: 98.3%]
[Note: External echo denied access.]
Kael stood slowly, breath shallow.
Somewhere, buried in his flame... something had awakened.
Something that should have stayed sleeping.