Kael had finished his trial.Yet a hesitation clung to him.Was it truly over?Or was it merely the beginning of another cycle of torment?
The pain within his body, though now bearable, still lingered.And yet, paradoxically, he felt liberated—as if a suffering no ordinary human could ever imaginehad finally been extinguished.
Before even trying to rise,he stared into the darkness—a gaze at once wary and curious.Every tremor in the air,every flicker of light,every shift in the silence...he braced for them like harbingers of new agony.
Minutes passed.But nothing came.No quake. No sound. No change in the surroundings.The darkness remained.So quiet.So stifling.Accompanied only by the distant crackle of torches.
Then he noticed movement.Faint.Almost imperceptible at first.A wisp of mist,thin as a breath,formed before him.
It was no threat. No.It danced strangely—a visual phenomenon more artistic than ominous.Like a delicate performance.A suspended piece of art, etched in the air.But something in the regularity of its rhythmcaught his attention.
The mist twisted,coiled,took form—fluid yet intentional.He observed another.Then another.Each more refined than the last.The wisps wove themselvesas though the air itself was becoming a living canvas.
Then, suddenly—the mist froze.Kael tensed.Focused.
It was strange.Mesmerizing.The air thickened around him—a weight of anticipation.
And then—the impossible happened.
The threads of mist began to change.Not into shapes…But into symbols.Letters.As if some calligrapher was painting into the void.
A language he did not know,yet somehow understood.The characters flowed rapidly before his eyes,shifting, evolving, seeking rhythm and balance.At first, he thought it was all chaos.Then—he saw the pattern.Buried beneath the disorder.Every symbol was a test.A probe.An attempt.
The mist was trying.Abandoning signs.Trying others.Then—
He recognized a few.
He didn't know how.Nor from where.But something within him whispered:I know these.
A chill crept down his spine.The mist… was watching him.Reacting to his thoughts.Every flicker of his eyes,every twitch of his face,seemed to guide its motion.
Its adaptability was terrifying.Beautiful.Uncanny.
One word formed:"Tree."
A strange warmth bloomed in his gut.He understood the word.Though no logic could explain why.He stared at the letters.Familiar.As if they'd always lived within him—waiting.
He looked down.His fingers brushed the ash-covered floor.He traced a trunk.Some branches. Crude.
The mist shivered.
Another word bloomed:"Meat."
He raised his head.Again—he understood.Why this word?
He hesitated.Then drew a vague animal in the dust.
The mist trembled harder.
"Eat."
Kael furrowed his brows.The words were simple.Disconnected.Yet they made sense.
A test?
Was it... trying to see if he understood?
Instinctively, he mimed eating.Raised a hand to his mouth.
The response was immediate.
The mist condensed.Then resumed writing—faster, sharper.More focused.
As if it had finally found the right language.
"Me... protect... apple."
Kael blinked.Some of the sentence made sense—but… "apple"?
Confused,he squinted at the characters.The mist wavered.Noticed.
It hesitated.Then erased "apple".Replaced it:
"Me... protect... you."
He froze.No mistake this time.The message was clear.
A shiver ran through him.He didn't know what this entity was.But one thing was certain:
It had been trying to speak to him for a long time.
Then—a sound.Faint.Trembling.Like a child learning to speak.
A voice.Broken.Fragile.
— M-me… pr… pro-tect…
Kael jolted.His breath caught.What had he just heard?
Every cell in his body screamed to run.
Silence returned.Then—
Frantic symbols, scribbled in haste:
"Sorry... me... not... want... fear... you... only... want... talk... long... time... with... you."
The letters wobbled.Clumsy.But sincere.
Kael felt something stir inside him.She was trying.Really trying to communicate.
A twinge pulled at his heart.His reaction had been too harsh.
He hadn't meant to scare her—his body had simply… reacted.
But something told him—deep down—she meant no harm.No proof.No promise.
Just…that overwhelming pressure in his chest.
He took a deep breath.Sat up slowly,trying to appear composed.His trembling hands betrayed him.
He wanted to save face.To act in control.
So he did something he hadn't done in years—something he used to do with his little sisterwhen he wanted to apologize.
He lowered his fists to the ground,and bowed abruptly—
Too abruptly.
His forehead smacked the stone.A small crack echoed.
He froze.Eyes wide.What just happened?
Then—a sound.Soft.
Laughter.
Delicate.Crystal-clear.
He looked up.Stunned.
It was her.
That hesitant, broken voice—now laughing with unrestrained joy.
A laugh pure and childlike.
Kael didn't know if he should feel embarrassed, relieved… or simply lost.But after a few seconds—he smiled.Ran a hand behind his neck.And laughed, too.
He didn't even know why.
But it felt good.So good.
It had been so longsince he had laughed like that.As if a crushing weight had finally lifted.
The laughter faded.A softer silence settled in.
Then, hesitantly,she spoke again:
— Kael… you… important… to… me…
He blinked.Important to her?
He opened his mouth,but no words came out.
— You… talk… or… think… both… hard… me… understand…
His brows furrowed.It took him a moment.
Then it hit him.
He asked, aloud:
— Wait… Can you hear my thoughts?
A giggle answered him.
— Yeees… Since… you… small… me… hear… you… think… voice…
Kael stiffened.— Since I was a child?
His voice barely a whisper.
If she had been hearing his thoughts all this time—then she had been watching himfar longer than he'd ever realized.
The air shivered.As if something unseen was reacting to that thought.
Then—a voice.Worried.Shaking.
— Kael… angry… me…?