Kael knees buckled.
The strength drained from his limbs, and he dropped, hands sinking into the scorched sand. His vision blurred at the edges, but he forced himself to focus.
"well, that was messy. Isn't that right, ash?'
His gaze flicked across the ruined valley—then locked onto movement. A figure crouched in the distance, hands tearing into the sand.
"Ash?"
Kael frowned. Ash wasn't just searching—he was digging. Fingers clawing, arms moving with an urgency Kael had never seen. Blood smeared across the grains.
Panic.
Kael's stomach twisted.
"What the hell are you doing?"
he himself up. His eyes never left Ash.
Something was wrong.
Something was very, very wrong.
Ash would never act like this. Not unless something was terribly wrong.
Kael's breath slowed.
Then—he felt it.
A pulse. Faint but unmistakable.
His stomach twisted.
'Huh. One Vein energy?'
Realization hit like a hammer.
'Right… We gain Energy by killing now.'
His gaze snapped back to Ash.
