The dawn was just breaking,but Kael was already awake.
Since what he called that nightmare—that attempt at communication from an enigmatic being—he'd had trouble finding sleep.
He rose slowly,his feet heavy,his mind foggy.
Everything here felt too soft,too peaceful,almost unreal.
As if a life so calm,shared with his sister,was no longer meant for him.
As if he no longer deserved it.
And yet...
Lyana was all he had left.And he knew this:he would do anything,yes, anything,for her.
Before going downstairs,he made a detour to her room.
She was still sleeping,wrapped in her sheets like a little animal.
Once again,her legs hung over the pillow,her head buried where feet normally rest.
How does she manage that...?he thought with a smirk.
She always ended up in impossible positions.
Her soft breathing sounded like a muffled snore.She looked like a peaceful puppy curled up in its basket.
I won't wake her... I like seeing her like this.Peaceful. Safe.I hope it lasts a little longer...
But deep inside, something was off.
Since we left the temple...since I parted from Adam...I don't feel like I accomplished anything.More like I closed the prologue.
Like what's coming... what's approaching...will sweep everything away.Something huge.Dangerous.But also fascinating... and terribly powerful.
Maybe I'm imagining things...It's probably just the lack of sleep.
Thana, lurking in her silence, listened.
She could have corrected him,told him he was wrong on some details.
But she knew.She felt that, despite his doubts...he was right.
The calm life he'd known with her...that fragile everydayness...
It was all about to be broken.And forever.
He had to become stronger.To protect Lyana.
But I want him to grow stronger...because I don't want to lose him.
Kael descended slowly to the kitchen,the smell of warmed wood still lingering in the air.
He heated some water,took out two cups,then grabbed a half-open packet of biscuitsand placed it on the table.
There was something soothingin repeating simple gestures like these,rebuilding that lost routine.
A soft noise caught his attention.
Dragging footsteps in the hallway.
Lyana appeared,wrapped in a blanket too big for her,her eyes half closed.
"Morning..."she murmured in a husky voice.
Kael smiled.
"You look like a little ghost."
She didn't react right away.
She settled into a chair,slowly,as if her limbs weighed too much.
"I dreamed again,"she said, resting her head on her hand.
"Bad dream?"
"No...It's weird...I woke up more tired than when I went to bed."
He looked at her without answering,noticing the slight dark circles under her eyes,her breath slower than usual.
He poured himself some tea,then did the same for her.
"Want something to eat?"
"No... maybe later.I'm not very hungry this morning."
She crossed her arms on the table,and rested her head on them.
"Can I close my eyes for just two minutes?Just... two..."
Kael watched her fall asleepin less than ten seconds,there, sitting, curled in her blanket.
He stayed silent.The steaming liquid in his hands,he stared at the reflections in the cup.
Something was wrong.
But it wasn't physical.
It was more subtle.More... slippery.
Like a soft shadowcoming to wrap itself around her.
He stood up gently,put down his cup,and left the room.
This isn't normal.
It's not normal, and I want to understand.
"Mmhm."
Silence.
"Thana?Something wrong?"
"This fatigue is strange."
Silence.
"What do you mean?"
"I couldn't say.But I have a kind of unease...when I see her like this.
A kind of pressure.A feeling... of a tight heart."
"Mm...Lyana, rest a bit.I have to run an errand.I'll be back soon."
"Why did you lie to your sister?"
"Huh?It's not a lie.I'm going out to get a clear explanation.
And you're going to give it to me."
"But I'm telling you, I don't know.It's just... a feeling of unease.
Something tightens.Like something invisibleis gently pulling on her."
"That's why I made you come out.I feel the exact same thing.
And at this point...it's clearly no longer a coincidence."
Thana watched Lyana,sleeping on the couch.
The silence in the room was oppressive.
"I have an idea,"she finally said,"but you're not going to like it."
Kael looked at her without a word.
"We could use your shadow familiar...the one you're carrying now.
It could...dive inside her.Inspect.From within."
Kael frowned.
"You mean...probe her body?"
"Yes.I don't see another way.We're out of options."
He hesitated,then nodded.
The shadow slowly spread,sliding along the floor like living black ink.
It approached Lyanaand wrapped gently around her,without touching her directly.
It infiltrated, slowly,through fabric,particles,veins.
Deep inside her.
Then...something came back.
A vibration.A tiny wave.
"Wait..."Thana murmured.
She suddenly moved closer,placing a hand in midair,as if touching the air around Lyana.
"No...no, that's impossible..."
"What do you feel?"Kael asked.
"They're... particles of Magia."
A heavy silence settled.
"Are you sure?"he insisted.
"I have no doubt.It's tiny,but it's... increasing.
The atmosphere itself is starting to soak in it.Slowly.But surely."
Thana closed her eyes.
A black light pulsed around her hand,invisible to others.
"I'm going to activate an advanced sensory scan.I need to be sure."
Kael waited,his fists clenched.
When she opened her eyes again,her face wasn't as cold anymore.
Something had changed.A mix of astonishmentand... sincere worry.
"It's like I feared.
The Magia is spreading.This world is beginning to be affected.
And even more seriously...
She turned to Lyana,her pupils slightly dilated.
"Her body... is compatible.
Perfectly.As if it had been designedto manipulate Magia."
"Is it a gift?"Kael asked, throat dry.
"Yes.But it's also a curse.
Because she never had it before.And she won't handle it at this pace.
It's like...owning a perfect instrumentwithout ever having learned to play.
Her body is trying to harmonizewith what it doesn't control.
And it will kill her."
Kael suddenly straightened.
"You mean...she's going to..."
"If the Magia keeps increasing—and it will—she'll fall into a deep coma.
And she won't be the only one.Other Earthlings will suffer the same fate.
And I can't predictwhat will happen to them afterward."
She turned to him,arms crossed.
"But I have a proposal."
"Speak, Thana.We don't have time."
She took a breath.
"I can force her intoan eternal sleep.
The silence that followedwas broken by somethingneither of them expected:
a thirst for blood.
Violent.Instinctive.Almost animal.
Kael looked up,his eyes bloodshot,as if the air around himhad ignited.
"Calm down,"Thana said.
"Let me finish."
She waited a second.He didn't move,but didn't speak either.
"The difference with a coma...is that in this sleep,I control the transition.
I can guide her.Watch over her.
And I can protect her body...like I didwith the black skeletonin the Dark Dimension."
She stepped closer to him.
"This is not a solution.It's not a miracle.
But it buys you time.
Time to find a cure.Time to find a Guide,someone who can help you understand."
She raised a hand,palm open,as if to swear.
"I do this for you, Kael.Not for her.
I want that to be clear.
Now...make your choice."
She paused.
"Whatever you decide,I will respect it."
Kael said nothing for several seconds.
He looked at his sister sleeping,or at least...what still resembled sleep.
Then he took a deep breath.
"Do it."
Thana didn't answer.She closed her eyes,and everything seemed to slow around them.
A black mist rippled from her palms,embracing her forearms,slowly rising to her temples.
The silence was heavy.Even the air seemed held back.
"Lay her down.There, on the bed,straight."
Kael obeyed without argument.
He lifted Lyana carefully,as if she were made of glass.
She didn't react.Her skin was soft,but cold.
He laid her on the sheet,adjusted her hair,then stepped back.
"There will be no turning back,"Thana murmured.
"There's nothing left to go back to,"he replied.
She approached,and slowly laid her fingerson Lyana's wrists,one after the other.
Then a knee on the bed,she tilted her head,until her forehead touched Lyana's.
A whisper in an ancient languagepassed her lips.
The kind of soundthat seemed to vibrate more in the bonesthan in the air.
A black breath began to escape from her—not smoke,not shadow,but something denser.
Something living.And ancient.
Lyana's veins darkened.
Slowly.
As if the nature of her bloodwas changing.
As if another currentwas taking over.
Kael frowned.He stepped forward.
"Thana?"
She didn't answer.
One heartbeat.Then another.
Lyana began to tremble.Her fingers clenched.Her arms tensed.
Her mouth suddenly opened.
And she screamed.
An inhuman cry.Broken.Sharp.Tearing.
Kael stepped toward her—stopped dead by an invisible barrier.
A black wave had surged around the bed,like a protective bubble.
"Thana!You didn't tell me about this!"
"Don't move!It's... normal!"
"Normal?!Do you hear her screams?!She's suffering!"
Kael hit the barrier,once, twice, three times.
His eyes were red.Not from tears,but from rage.
His voice trembled.His breath quickened.
"She's dying!
You said it yourself,she can't handle the Magia,and now you flood her with your shadow!
You're going to break her, Thana!"
"She's not dying, Kael.She's being reborn."
Lyana's screamgrew even sharper.
Her back arched.Her legs shook.
Then...silence.
Absolute.
Thana stepped back,her hands trembling.
The black misthad completely seeped in.
Lyana no longer moved.But she was still breathing.
The barrier fell.
Kael approached,placed his hand against his sister's cheek.
She was warm.
Her heart beat slowly.But it beat.
"She's not suffering anymore..."he whispered
"No.Because it's over."
Kael straightened,his face still marked by panic.
Thana took a step back,weary.
"What you saw,"she said quietly...
"was me injecting my black Magia."
"For what purpose?"he spat."To burn her alive?"
"To expel the Magia she'd accumulated...and initiate a preservation process.
A system...of magical embalming.
My energy will now protect herfrom outsideand inside."
Kael clenched his fists.
"You should have warned me."
"You wouldn't have understood.Not while you heard her screaming."
He said nothing.
He stayed standing,staring at Lyana's sleeping body.
Peaceful.Silent.But totally out of reach.
Thana continued,in a quieter voice:
"You have time now.The Guide will know where to take you.
But remember...
you only get one chance."