The fire crackled softly in the cave, throwing flickering shadows across the stone walls. Kael sat with his back against the cool rock, bandages wrapped tightly around his ribs and shoulder. The pain had dulled to a constant ache, but his body still felt off, like something inside was stretching, shifting, trying to repair itself.
It wasn't just the wounds from the battle.
It was the Spiral.
It had awakened again, just for a moment, but it had burned through him like fire. He remembered Aria's eyes widening in shock as he moved faster than he should have, as power lit his veins and struck down the spy that had nearly ended them.
Now she hadn't asked any questions.
Not yet.
Aria's squad was camped just beyond the mouth of the cave, taking turns watching the trail for signs of pursuit. For now, they were safe.
Kael watched her through the firelight. She sat a few feet away, polishing her blade, her military jacket tossed aside. Without her armor and weapons, she looked younger, less like a soldier, more like someone carrying too much weight too early.
"You saved me," Kael said quietly.
She looked up, surprised. "You saved yourself."
"No. Not really," he said, managing a half-smile. "I saw what that guy could do. He wasn't just strong. He was… something else."
Aria hesitated, then set the blade aside. "He was part of something bigger. I've seen soldiers like him before. Trained, modified, possibly linked to one of the core families."
Kael tensed. "You think they sent him after me?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But you're not just a normal runaway, Kael. You're something they want. Or something they fear."
Kael didn't answer. He didn't know how to explain what had happened during the trial. What the Spiral was. Not yet.
Instead, he changed the subject. "You mentioned the Riftspire earlier. What is it, really?"
Aria's expression softened. She leaned back against the wall, gaze drifting to the stars just visible beyond the cave opening.
"It's a place where everything changes," she said. "The Riftspire is more than just a portal. It's a world of its own. A pocket dimension, maybe. No one's ever truly mapped it. Inside, things… evolve. The land, the creatures, even time seems different."
Kael frowned. "Like a dream?"
"No," she said. "Like a test. A crucible. Beasts roam wild, some natural, others mutated beyond recognition. When you kill one, sometimes it crystallizes into a card. Those cards contain abilities, traits, power. People hunt them to grow stronger."
"Like leveling up?" Kael asked.
Aria smirked. "Pretty much. But it's not a game. People die every day in there. Some shelters are safe. Most aren't. The deeper you go, the stronger the monsters and the rewards."
"Why does everyone want to go there?"
"Because in the Riftspire, status doesn't matter. Gene rank doesn't matter. Anyone can become something more. Or die trying."
Kael let that sit for a moment. A place where anyone could rise... even a Null. If his Spiral didn't recover, maybe this was the only place he had a chance.
And if it did recover…
He felt it stir faintly, far beneath the skin. Not fully healed. But watching. Waiting.
"When do we go?" he asked.
Aria looked at him with a small, knowing smile. "Soon. I need to get clearance. You're not exactly on the approved entry list."
Kael chuckled, despite himself. "Didn't think I would be."
Aria stood, brushing ash from her pants. "Get some rest, Kael. The Riftspire changes everyone who enters. You'll need to be ready."
As she walked toward the mouth of the cave, Kael leaned his head back and closed his eyes. His body was still weak. But something inside him was burning to rise again.
Not as a soldier.
Not as a test subject.
As something they couldn't control.
The Spiral wasn't done with him.
And neither was he.
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End of chapter 10 of volume 2