Kael was still frozen in place.
The leader hadn't moved a muscle, yet Kael's limbs refused to respond. His spirit burned to act—but the pressure suffocated him like unseen chains.
Then—release.
The force faded as quickly as it came. Kael's body collapsed forward to one knee, his hands catching him from hitting the ground. The moment he looked up—
Pain.
A sharp, precise burst of force slammed into his shoulder. Not enough to kill. Just enough to hurt.
Kael's body lurched. The wound wasn't visible—but inside, something tore.
The figure stood a few feet away, his fingers casually extended like he'd flicked Kael with a thought.
"Let's test something," the leader murmured, walking slowly in a wide circle around him. "How does a creature without emotion handle pain?"
Another pulse.
Kael's ribs screamed. A stabbing heat tore through his side. He didn't fall—but his breath hitched.
"Fascinating," the man whispered. "No scream. No hate. No fear. Just endurance. Are you even alive, I wonder?"
Kael's hands dug into the ground. Rubble cracked beneath his grip.
Another hit—this time to his leg. It buckled.
Then his back.
Then his arm.
Each pulse was precise, surgical, inhuman—not to destroy, but to break him apart, piece by piece.
And still… Kael said nothing.
But inside, something was cracking.
Not his bones.
Not his spirit.
Something deeper.
> "Protect."
> "Stand."
> "Purpose."
His body tensed. His vision blurred.
> System instability… recalibrating...
Then—detonation.
A pulse ripped out from Kael's body, cracking the concrete beneath him in a jagged spiral. His markings reignited, brighter than before—feral, chaotic. Black and violet flames twisted around his body, dancing like they were alive.
His eyes lit up with searing violet light.
The Devourer leader halted.
Kael stood.
He didn't breathe heavy. Didn't shake. He just stood.
The flames wrapped around his fists.
And then—he moved.
Faster than before. Sharper.
This time, the leader had to block.
Kael's first punch cracked the ground behind the man from sheer force. The second forced him back a step. The third—landed. Directly into his chest.
A shockwave exploded outward, toppling nearby debris and blasting ash into the air.
Kael didn't stop.
His body became a blur—fists, legs, elbows, all striking with inhuman rhythm. Not wild. Not rage-fueled. Calculated.
And for the first time—the Devourer wasn't smiling.
He ducked. He blocked. He twisted.
But he was on the defensive.
Kael struck again—sending him through a concrete wall.
The leader emerged slowly, brushing dust from his coat.
"Hm."
Kael charged again.
This time, his hands became claws of violet-black flame. Each strike scorched the very air.
He hit again—and again—and again.
The earth trembled.
The shadows warped.
The ash burned upward instead of falling.
It looked like Kael had it.
Victory.
The Devourer coughed—then finally looked at Kael not with amusement… but mild displeasure.
"I suppose that's enough."
He raised a single finger.
And everything changed.
The sky darkened.
Kael froze mid-strike—his entire body suspended in the air as if gravity itself rejected him.
The black flame on his arms dimmed.
His markings flickered.
The Devourer leader lowered his hand, just a little—and Kael crashed into the ground, forming a crater on impact.
The dust hadn't even settled before the leader was standing above him again—completely untouched.
"You wanted to understand your purpose," he said softly, crouching near Kael's battered form. "But all I see is a program repeating the same line of code."
Kael pushed himself up slowly—blood at the corner of his mouth, light dimming in his eyes.
But the fire inside didn't go out.
The leader's gaze lingered on him. "…Interesting."
He still didn't kill him.
He just stood, watching.