The air smelled strange.
It wasn't clean like in GenCore. This was real air, filled with dust, rust, and the scent of old metal. It wasn't fresh, but it felt alive.
Kael fell to his knees just past the fence, breathing hard. Behind him, the GenCore buildings still glowed with lights. But they were far away now, like a nightmare fading behind him.
He had done it.
He was finally free.
Kael touched the ground. It was dry, rough, and warm. For the first time in a long time, no one was watching him. No machines. No tests. No guards. Just the wind and silence.
But then… the pain hit.
His chest burned. The Spiral symbol on his skin glowed hot, spreading heat through his arm. His vision went blurry. He gasped and leaned on a broken pipe.
Something was wrong.
The Spiral inside him wasn't working right. It felt weak, like a fire burning out.
"It's damaged."
Kael could feel it.
During his escape, when he broke through the restraints, he had pushed his powers too far. Now, the Spiral was broken.
He tried to reach for that strange feeling again, that deep power he had touched before.
Nothing.
No voice. No strength. Just a tired, scared 17-year-old boy, hungry and alone.
"So much for being special," he whispered, bitterly.
He didn't notice the drone above until its shadow passed by.
Kael froze.
It was a GenCore drone, quiet, fast, and dangerous. He dove behind a wrecked vehicle, heart racing. The drone flew past him and didn't stop.
They were still looking for him.
He had to keep moving.
In the far distance, beyond the cliffs and ruins, Kael saw a dark line of land. Past that, if the old stories were true… was a place....
"Riftspire"
It was a strange world, full of wild beasts and powerful fighters. Only those who passed the Awakening were allowed to go there. That was where people gained true strength.
And maybe… it was where he could fix what was broken.
Kael didn't know how to reach it. He didn't know if he could survive the next day.
But one thing was clear:
He was not going back.
And whatever dangers waited ahead, he would face them.
He stood up and took his first step into the unknown.
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End of chapter 1 of Volume 2