Darkness.A darkness that weighed nothing.No air.No ground.Nothing.And yet... a tension.Something hanging in the balance.Like a heartbeat that had forgotten its own rhythm.
Kael floated.Or fell.Impossible to tell.He no longer felt his body.
A voice tried to emerge.But it couldn't form.— i… …éait… s… …ut.Disjointed syllables.Distorted.Resonating in his mind like fragments of an ancient language passed through a broken mirror.
A symbol appeared.Floating.Changing shape with each pulse.An eye.An hourglass.A broken circle.A golden thread unraveling with every attempt to focus on it.Like a memory erased before it even existed.
Something... tried to speak to him.Something ancient, crushed by time.But still there.A presence that was neither Thana...…nor him.
— Ka… el… a… w… ake…
A strange sensation overwhelmed him.As if... this wasn't the first time.The first seconds of his bond with Thana.The appearance. The contact.The confusion.That same fragile fog.But this time... too shattered. Too distant.
Then suddenly, a shiver.A warmth.An interference.Something tried to pull him back.Something familiar.
— Kael... Wake up.
That voice... he recognized it.Thana.She wasn't there.But she forced her way through.Her mental presence cleaved the dream, like light through dirty glass.
— Something's interfering. Can you hear me? You—
Then everything spiraled.The voice broke.The darkness cracked.
And suddenly...The fall.A light exploded.White.Violent.Panic.Compression.
His chest tightened.His breath caught.He screamed.But no sound came out.
He jolted awake.Throat dry.Breath ragged.
The ceiling.The room.Silence.
His sheets were a mess.His skin stuck with sweat.He lay still. For a long time.
Then slowly sat up.Placing a hand on his forehead.
— …What was that...
A fragment of a word still spun in his mind.Something unfinished.Something urgent.But shattered mid-flight.
And that voice...Not Thana.Not her.But close.
He looked at his hands.Nothing unusual.But he knew.It wasn't a dream.It was an attempt.And it had failed.For now.
The next morning...
He got up quietly.Maybe to escape the thought.Maybe just out of habit.
The dream clung to his skin.Not in images — those had dissolved as soon as he opened his eyes.But in a feeling.An aftertaste.
He ran a hand over his neck.The touch of his fingers on his skin felt cold.More real than he wanted.
The room was plunged in shadow.Barely cut by a diffuse light, mixed with pale blue and orange.As if dawn hesitated to exist.
He moved toward the kitchen.Steps light.Not to avoid waking anyone.But not to break the silence.
He turned on the water, without thinking.Pulled out two bowls, placed side by side.A knife.A jar.Simple gestures.Mechanical.Comforting by repetition.
He remembered the last time he'd made breakfast.He had forgotten what it tasted like.Not the bread.Nor the coffee.But this routine.This calm... manufactured.
Behind him, hesitant footsteps.The scraping of socks on the floor.A breath still half asleep.
He turned.Lyana.Emerging from the hallway like a grumpy apparition.
Hair tousled.Sweatshirt slipping off one shoulder.Eyes half closed.
She moved like a groggy little animal.Drawn only by warmth... or the smell of toasted bread.
She let herself fall into a chair.Head in her arms.Face still hidden.
— Hmm… what time is it...?
Kael placed a steaming cup before her.
— Too early.Or too late.
She grunted, not raising her head.
He sat beside her, silent.Watching the light slowly change on the walls.
The day was dawning.Slowly.As if it didn't want to rush things.
And for the first time in a long while...Kael didn't try to understand everything.He simply...…was there.
The breakfast table bathed in soft light.Almost soothing.
Lyana, still half asleep, chewed her toast without really paying attention.Her gaze vague, lost in emptiness.
Kael, sitting opposite, nervously fiddled with his cup.Eyes evasive.Heavy with thoughts he'd long repressed.
Thana, silent.Invisible to Lyana.Watched in the shadows.Listening.
— Lyana...
Kael's voice trembled.Heavy with unspoken words.Hesitation.
— I… I need to talk to you.I have to tell you what really happened in the temple.Everything.
Lyana slowly lifted her eyes.Intrigued by this new tone.A worry foreign to their usual talks.
— You can trust me, he added.Even if it's hard to hear.
He took a deep breath.The weight of words pressing on his shoulders.
— What I'm doing...It's not just a job.It's a series of trials.Trials to understand who I really am...and why I'm still alive.
Despite all the tragedies of recent years.
He described the invisible dangers.The deadly traps.The riddles that challenge everything.The impossible decisions.And above all...The need to stay strong against adversity.
Even when all seems lost.
— It's not just a physical fight.It's a fight to not lose my soul.And I have to keep going.
Because...Because I'm protecting something.Someone.
He lowered his eyes to hers.Searching for strength in her gaze.
— You.You, Lyana.You are what I cherish most.And I can't fail.Not for you.
Lyana's eyes widened.Surprise gave way to dull pain.Tears welled up.Uncontrollable.
— Kael...
Her voice broke.
— Why did you never tell me all this?Why did you keep it all to yourself?
— I wanted to protect you, he answered.Voice cracked.Fists clenched to hold back tears.
— I didn't want to scare you for nothing.Nor weigh you down with all this burden.
Lyana broke.A sob stronger than before.And she threw herself into his arms.Seeking refuge from her fears.From her anguish.
— Promise me...Please...Promise me you'll stop all this.Stop putting yourself in danger.Stop risking your life.
Kael felt his heart tighten.Painfully.Caught between the love he felt for her...…and the weight of the mission ahead.
— I wish I could promise you that, Lyana.Really.But it's not possible.I have to keep going.For you.For us.
Silence fell.Heavy.Charged with indescribable emotion.
A fragile moment of peace...…in the storm.
Thana, ever-present, brushed Kael's hand.A gentle gesture.Almost maternal.
— You're not alone, Kael, she whispered.Barely audible.
Kael nodded.Holding his sister's hand in his own.Aware the road ahead would be harder than ever.But ready to face it.No matter the cost.
That same evening...
The living room was bathed in soft light.Dimmed by the fading sun.
Lyana, sitting cross-legged on the couch, held a controller tightly in her hands.Her eyes shone with passionate concentration.Brows furrowed.Every movement precise on the screen.
Thana, invisible to her, stood in a corner.Motionless.Watching.
This simple moment...This vibrant innocence...Clashed violently with the shadow of trials looming over them.
She saw her laugh softly.Bite her lower lip.Carried away by the joy of the game.Every move.Every decision.Spontaneous.Yet...Mastered.
But suddenly...A hard blow in the game.
Lyana's face hardened.Teeth clenched.A sigh of frustration escaped.
— Seriously?!That doesn't count!This can't be! she grumbled.
She almost hit the controller against her knees.A flash of sore loser crossed her eyes.
Thana blinked.Slightly taken aback.
— She's more human than I thought...
A half-smile touched her mind.
Lyana tried one last move.Failed.Then threw the controller onto the couch.Arms crossed.Pouting.
— Pfff...I can never beat this level...It's so annoying!
From the other room, Kael frowned.
— You're acting like a little kid right now.
— So what?It's not my fault this game is hard! she shot back.
Thana watched her with amusement.Soft.Tender.
— A little girl full of passion.And impatience.
Then her analytical mind took over.
"This holographic interface...Too rigid.Too archaic."
"It doesn't reflect fluidity.Nor responsiveness.Nor the modernity of these games."
"If I really want to support Kael...I need to rethink all of this."
She imagined black windows.Clear.Floating around him.Capable of adapting to his gestures.Responding to his needs.Without delay.Like in a modern video game.
A smile was born.Invisible.
— Mmmh...
Kael looked up.
— You're thinking about something? he asked.
— Yes, she murmured.This interface... lacks flexibility.I want to make it more intuitive.More responsive.Like a game...you've mastered forever.
Kael smiled faintly.
— I'm curious to see that.
Thana nodded.Ready to evolve their bond.To modernize what connected them.In this ever-changing universe.
She spoke softly to Kael.Her voice carried by the silence of the living room.
— You should rest a little.I'll prepare this new interface.When you wake up...Everything should be ready.
Kael, lying in bed, nodded slowly.Tired.
— Thank you, Thana.
A knowing silence settled.The twilight bathed the room in a new softness.Thana smiled gently.
Because it was one of the first sincere thanks...that Kael had ever given her.