Chapter 7 – Shadow on the Heel
Kael moved through the alley like smoke.
No cloak. No stealth technique. Just footsteps softened by practice, tension masked by calm.
Behind him, the tail followed.
They were subtle—but not enough.
"Left foot always drags," Pyra noted. "Can't be more than Iron Tier. Probably a hired rat."
"If they're watching me, someone sent them."
Kael dipped around the side of a laundry line and stepped into a dead-end alley that forked into two sharp turns. He stood just beyond the second bend, hidden by shadows and half a rusted cart.
Then waited.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen.
Footsteps.
They crept closer.
Closer.
Then—Kael activated it.
[Void Step – Activated]
He blinked behind the figure just as they turned the corner. In a flash, he had one hand at their throat and the other glowing faintly violet.
"Move, and you lose something important," Kael whispered.
The figure froze.
Small. Hooded. Light armor. No weapons drawn.
"Talk," Kael ordered. "Who sent you?"
"I—I'm not here to hurt you!"
Voice. Female. Shaky but not terrified.
Kael narrowed his eyes and pulled down the hood.
A girl. Maybe seventeen. Auburn hair tied tight behind her head. Her eyes—green, alert, stubborn. She didn't look like a trained assassin.
But she didn't look like a beggar either.
"You're not city watch," Kael said. "And you're not a street thug."
She winced. "I'm not a spy either, okay?"
"Try again."
"I… I saw you leave the wall yesterday. You came back with something different in your eyes."
"So you followed me out of curiosity?"
"No! Well… kind of. Yes. But also no!"
Kael leaned closer. "That's a lot of answers."
"I saw what happened during the Awakening. You touched the orb and it… screamed. Then it shattered. I've never seen anything like that."
"Join the club."
"I thought maybe you were like me."
Kael blinked. "Like you?"
"I awakened something… weird. But not publicly. I faked my orb reading and left early. They think I got a Tier-C wind affinity."
"What did you actually get?"
The girl hesitated. Then slowly raised her hand.
A tiny flame danced on her fingertip.
But it wasn't fire.
It shimmered in translucent colors—green, blue, pink—changing constantly.
"That's a Chaos Flame," Pyra said immediately, tone sharper than before. "Very rare. Unstable. She's lucky to still be alive."
Kael released her slowly. "What's your name?"
"…Talia."
"Talia what?"
She hesitated. "Just Talia."
"Uh-huh."
"She's hiding something," Pyra muttered. "But she's not lying about the flame."
Kael stepped back. "So you followed me because you think we're both… unusual."
"I don't have anyone else to talk to," she said honestly. "And if the city finds out what I really awakened, they'll mark me as cursed."
Kael watched her carefully.
Her flame flickered out as she lowered her hand.
"You shouldn't follow people in alleys," he said.
"You shouldn't light up like a beacon in a monster's den," she shot back.
For a moment, silence.
Then—Kael smiled.
Talia blinked. "Wait. Was that a joke?"
"Don't get used to it."
"I like her," Pyra said. "She's annoying, but not useless."
Kael nodded once. "Fine. You're not an enemy. But we're not friends yet."
Talia grinned. "Yet?"
"You're persistent. I assume I won't get rid of you."
"Not unless you punch me. And maybe not even then."
He sighed and turned away. "Come on. I know a quieter place."
"Wait, are you serious? You're not going to kick me out?"
"I'm not exactly drowning in allies."
They walked together into the heart of Emberlight's southern ruins—a shattered temple no one visited anymore. Here, Kael had once trained as a child with his sister, pretending to fight dragons and gods.
Now it would be his testing ground.
And maybe… hers too.