In an underground facility of the Awakened Academy's hospital complex, a well-built young man awoke, a ghostly green light spilling from his shoulders.
On a faraway continent, a handsome blond haired man rose from a dusty pod. The others in his room were empty as he looked around, a lost look on his dizzied face.
At the same time, a sleeping pod in a private care facility shone with a bright light. Its lid slid sideways and hid in a special housing slot. The man inside rose into the air, as if pulled upward by an unknowable force…
Kallen
"You gave that nurse a scare, didn't you, Awakened Kallenir?"
The Saint before him smelled of rot and death. He was tall and gaunt; an attractive man in his fifties, despite the corpse-like aura that swathed from him.
"I did," Kallen said, bowing slightly. "Regardless, thank you, Saint Cor. " The man had arrived after the nurse and Seren had recovered. He was a member of the government, and had paid Kallen a visit to help him rangle in his Awakened Aspect Ability. "Though, I'm sure someone of your capabilities has better things to do than this."
All that the man had done was give him a new armor type memory. When Kallen threw it on, he was able to activate his flaw and get rid of his Awakened Ability. But even so, why had the government needed a saint to do such a thing.
He waved a hand. "Your grandfather is an old friend."
Kallen struggled to read Saint Cor's emotions behind those bleak eyes of his. He was a blank page.
"Besides, it would be inappropriate for someone of lesser status to witness that… state of yours."
There was no humility in the Transcendent's words. Merely fact. Nothing more and nothing less. He truly believed that sending a Master to deal with Kallen was inappropriate.
"May I ask why?"
Cor shifted his posture, crossing a leg over the other. He wore an impressive military uniform and had the insignia of four stars emblazoned on his sleeve.
"You will find out soon enough and it is not my place to tell." He leaned in. "Though if I may, your grandfather is… a powerful man."
Kallen tilted his head at the Saint.
"He has a storied history with Nightwalker, Immortal Flame, Warden of Valor, and the likes. However, there's always been a certain… quality about him that I cannot place."
"What do you mean to say?"
Cor pierced Kallen with that carrion gaze of his. "He is a powerful oracle. But always remember that his loyalties lie to the betterment of the House of Night. Not to you individually."
"I'm not sure I understand why you are telling me this, Sir," Kallen said. "Is this some sort of recruitment tactic?"
"No." Cor ran his hand along the table, searching for a certain spot. Then, he placed his palms on it and rose from his seat. Offering Kallen a hand. "Just offering a piece of friendly advice is all."
Tentatively, Kallen shook his hand.
"Here's to an amicable relationship between the two of us," the saint said. "For now, and in the future."
The two of them parted shortly after. Saint Cor had mentioned that Kallen and Seren would need to meet with someone at the Nightwalker HQ eventually, but first, they had something to take care of.
On the way out of the compound, the two of them were bombarded with thankful and expectant sleepers from the forgotten shore.
Kai, Seishan, Caster, and Gunlaug were nowhere to be found.
But there were only two people the others asked about.
"Where are Nephis and Sunny?"
"Did they make it out okay?"
"Kallen! We heard Sunny go after you, where is he?"
Kallen only gripped Seren's hands and pushed past the wave of expectant people, keeping his head down and eyes low. But he did at least offer the crowd something.
"Nephis and Sunny… they didn't make it."
And with that, he was gone.
~~~
An underground facility was offered for newly Awakened to test their abilities, rest, and decompress, but neither Kallen, nor Seren were in any mood to do so. Instead, they rode on a high speed train, homebound. Kallen pulled out his old communicator and sent a quick message to his parents.
Kallen: On my way! I know the authorities have already notified you guys, but Seren and I are alright.
He swiped out of that chat and opened a group with him and two of his close friends from high school.
There were thousands of messages between the two of Kallen's friends, using the group chat as they would a one-on-one. Kallen had kept up with the two of them while he was training under Master Naeve and Saint Bloodwave, but of course, the past year he had gone M.I.A.
…
Rhun: Hey Alyn, you see the news?
Alyn: Yeah, crazy shit.
Alyn: Something like 500 hundred sleepers woke up after years of being dormant.
Rhun: Do you think he was one of them?
Alyn: I haven't seen anything official…
Kallen: I'm not sure, has anyone heard anything from him?
A few moments passed by as Kallen looked at his phone. A faint smile poked at his face.
Rhun: BRO WHAT
Rhun: OH SHIT!
Alyn: Kallen?
Rhun: YOURE ALIVE??
Kallen: Yeah. Got out a couple hours ago. Still catching up on everything.
Rhun: DUDE. WTH, hold up, lemme call you real quick.
Kallen: I'm on a train, please don't lol.
Rhun: damn
Alyn: Is it really you? Dude, I thought you were dead. Like eaten by a nightmare creature dead.
Alyn: man, we lit candles for you. Rhun even cried and everything.
Rhun: This is false.
Kallen exhaled a soft laugh, rubbing his forehead.
Rhun: But…
Rhun: I guess I did miss you man.
Alyn: Where are you headed rn?
Kallen: I'm going home right now. I have some things to get situated, but i'll visit you guys soon.
Rhun: Take your time… but yeah, you better come visit us.
Kallen: You guys got into the same uni right?
Alyn: Yeah, we're roomates for this year.
Rhun: Alyn even brought a girl home once.
Kallen: You're lying!
Rhun: Forget that tho, when you visit, we're throwing a party. Like an actual house party. For you.
Kallen: Don't you guys live in a dorm?
Alyn: Well yeah
Rhun: We'll GO to a house party then
Rhun: And maybe you could convince some of your Awakened friends to come with us?
Alyn: Dude…
Rhun: Perhaps a girl or two?
Kallen: I didn't make friends with any girls
Rhun: Who's surprised?
Alyn: Not me.
Kallen: Not everyone can be like you Alyn. Practically a female friend magnet.
Alyn: Low blow man.
Kallen: I mean the joke writes itself, doesn't it?
The back and forth went on like this for a few more minutes. When it finally ended and they all said their goodbyes, the screen went dark and Kallen stared at it for a long moment.
Seren was pretending to sleep on the seat beside him, curled up and peaceful as a flower.
Kallen had made friends with a few girls. But none of them made it back out with him. Lyss, Nephis…
It would have been nice—
He cut off that thread of thought as soon as it formed, sighing and leaning his head against the window. He'd be home in moments, but he decided to go into his soul sea. He'd never actually read his new and improved runes.
Name: Kallenir.
True Name: Blessed of the Sea.
Rank: Awakened.
Class: Monster.
Leviathan Cores: [2/7].
Scales: [36/2000].
Memories:
Echoes: [Gilded Warden]
Attributes: [Revenge], [Voice of the Sea], [Amplifier], [Mark of Divinity], [Inheritance, [Illusionist], [Fireproof]]], [Thread of Connection].
Aspect: [Sea King].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Innate Ability: [Tideform].
Tideforms: [Knight], [Bolt].
Aspect Abilities: [Ocean's Wrath], [Eyes of the Abyss].
Aspect Legacy: [Titan Slayer].
Leviathans: [Veilray], [Wyrm of the Depths].
Flaw: [Fish out of Water].
Kallen mentally opened up his aspect abilities and read the description of his Awakened Ability.
Aspect Ability: [Eyes of the Abyss].
Ability Description: [With Eyes tied to the depths of the Abyss, you see the unseen, you know the unknown, and you feel the unfelt. To meet your gaze is for one's soul to remember drowning in the endless pit of the void.]
See the unseen…
Kallen let the thoughts drift in his mind as he floated in his soul sea.
To meet your gaze is for one's soul to remember drowning…
He remembered the moment. The first breathless instant when he'd summoned the Gilded Warden. The instant the world had changed.
It hadn't felt like sight. There was no light and no edge and no shape to anything. There was only a pressure in his gut. Heavy and personal. A weight that filled him.
And then came the awareness. Not of what was, but of what wasn't.
His soul had reached out and brushed what felt like absence. The hollow in the world. He didn't see where things were, he understood where they were not. Where they refused to be, where they once were, and where they had gone.
The only thing he could liken it to, was like feeling the difference between a puddle and an bottomless abyss.
Sight was like a puddle. A puddle was honest. You could see the bottom, the pebbles, the silt, and the little fish darting through the water. But the sea… it hid secrets. Its surface lied, and all you could do was guess at what stirred in its depth.
Now, somehow, Kallen didn't have to guess anymore. But with that knowledge, came the jarring, unnatural feeling of his mind fighting against the unfathomable. But the more he remembered, the more it began to settle into him. Akin to a truth he had always known.
He was slowly coming to terms with this new ability. And thankfully, with the help of Saint Cor, he understood how to turn it ability off.
It seemed to drain his soul essence, but quite slowly in its most basic form. However, he instinctively understood that he could feed that essence through his eyes and unlock more.
The problem was… Kallen was afraid to unlock more.
He already remembered what had happened to Seren when she'd met his gaze. She'd described the sensation as a soul attack that had stolen her ability to stand on her own.
That kind of thing…
It did not line up with Kallen's perception of his own aspect. It sounded like a true darkness based ability, and not a sea related one like he'd been expecting.
Why would [Sea King] have anything to do with the void?
The naive answer was that water and darkness were both related to the Storm God—of which his aspect was obviously derived.
But the name itself didn't necessarily hint at anything relating to darkness.
Unless it carried a different connotation to what he'd initially assumed? Perhaps the sea in question was more metaphorical in nature?
Would [King of the Abyss], be a better title then?
Kallen didn't know. He couldn't yet read runes, so he had to deal with what the spell translated for him.
Pushing that deeper into his thoughts, Kallen observed the descriptions of his two Leviathans.
Leviathans: [Veilray], [Wyrm of the Depths].
He sent a mental command to expand Puddle's runes.
Leviathan: [Veilray].
Given name: [Puddle].
Rank: Awakened.
Class: Monster.
Hmm. I guess that confirms it, huh?
Kallen moved to the dragon.
Leviathan: [Wyrm of the Depths].
Given name: [Torch].
Rank: Awakened.
Class: Monster.
Kallen waved his hand and dismissed the runes of both his Leviathans. He looked over at Puddle who floated still, his curious eyes looking at Kallen.
There wasn't a much of a change in the Veilray's size, but Torch on the other hand, had nearly doubled in height.
Strangely, he still resembled his Titan form more than the Tyrant that Kallen had fought.
And almost died fighting.
But that wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it was very helpful. Torch was almost the size of an adult elephant… though he probably weighed a bit less.
From snout to tail, he was around 30 feet long, but his wingspan, however, was easily double that.
"You're a lot scarier than Puddle, aren't you?" He said to the dragon, swimming over to the monster.
Its hateful golden eyes regarded him with scorn. He turned his snout away as Kallen approached.
Still an ass, though.
With that, Kallen left his soul sea, feeling a gentle nudge from beside him. They had reached their destination.
~~~
The house Kallen grew up in rest just within his grasp, framed by the soft and comforting haze of golden hour. It was the same narrow two-story tucked behind the hedge-lined path, the same chipped paint on the porch rails, the same slant in the roof.
But something about it felt distant now. Smaller and quieter than his memories told him.
Once, this place had been the whole world. Every shadow on the walls, every creaking floorboard; the scent of home-cooked meals drifting in from the kitchen.
It all felt like a life someone else had lived.
Kallen would walk in and see the markings on the wall where they'd measured his height every birthday. It would stop at sixteen.
He would see that spot on the wall where his old dog used to lay, smudging the paint. After he'd died, no one had bothered to fix it. It was better that way. As if they could still remember his chocolate eyes staring back from that spot. His spot.
Seren's hand gripped his harder.
He was home. A place untouched by the nightmares, battles, and blood-soaked choices that had shaped the past year.
Mom and dad stood in the doorway.
Mother wore a thick knit cardigan. Her lovely blonde hair was pulled back in a simple braid, her blue eyes bright with worry and love. She looked just as he remembered her, just, with a hint of weariness that hadn't been there.
Beside her stood his father. Shoulders squared. His arms were crossed loosely over his chest. He wasn't often a person of many words or smiles, but he was a genuine man. Steady and unmoving.
Grief and pride burned within Kallen. He didn't move.
A breeze tugged at his government issued clothes. For a moment, he felt like a ghost watching a scene he no longer belonged to.
Then, Seren's small hand slipped out of his. Without a word, she broke into a run, feet pounding over the cement path as she sprinted toward them.
Kallen didn't move.
Seren slammed into mother, wrapping her in a fierce hug. They both cried.
Their father joined in the hug while Kallen waited. He remained motionless, even as his sister and mother went into the house, leaving the two men outside.
His father stood there, motionless in the doorway, as if afraid that blinking might make his son vanish again.
But there was something wrong.
There were tears dripping from the man's eyes. It was impossible. Kallen had never seen his dad cry… it felt like something that couldn't happen. Like something that should never be witnessed. By anyone.
Kallen froze, the weight of the moment catching him by surprise. His face twisted as he fought the well rising behind his eyes.
His throat tightened. There was this awful, stinging pressure in his nose—the warning of tears held at bay.
But Kallen didn't cry. He wouldn't. He took a step forward, gait uncertain, as if he'd forgotten what solid ground felt like.
His father was solid ground.
"I did it, dad," Kallen's voice cracked. "I kept her safe."
A brief silence followed. But it was both thick and sacred. Then, his father moved, one step, then another, until they met and wrapped their arms around each other.
"You did a damn fine job, son," the man said. He sounded bewildered, but proud and certain. "I'm so proud of you."
Kallen bit his lip, keeping the emotion back. He let out a shaky breath and rested his chin against his father's trembling shoulder.
The stoic foundation of his father cracked. Just a little.
"I'm not proud of how I did it," Kallen whispered. He shut his eyes tight. Behind his lids flickered the faces of his hunters who'd died under his command. The hundreds of sleepers that had perished in the assault of the spire. Lyss. Sunny and Nephis whom he'd mercilessly left behind.
The screams would haunt him at night. Echoes of people dying in the flaming castle. The blood. The crackling. The scent of burning flesh.
"I made these choices dad," he said. "... decisions that made me realize I'm not who I thought I was."
His father didn't let go. For a long moment, the only sound was the quiet bustle of the city beyond their street.
"I don't care what choices you made, Kallen. It doesn't matter if they were wrong or right. You came back, and so did your sister. That's all that matters to me and your mom."
They pulled back just enough to meet each other's eyes.
Kallen shook his head slightly. "It matters to me."
"You have help now, son."
"I had help," Kallen murmured. He opened his mouth to say more. To confess and bleed his sins, but he stopped.
How could he even begin to explain what had happened? That he'd murdered? That he'd stepped on others to survive? That he'd let good people die so that he wouldn't have to?
Kallen had lost himself in that nest, clawing at his skin in the dark and living like a caged animal for weeks.
How could he tell his father that the hands gripping his shirt were soaked with so much blood. Of both friend and foe alike.
How could he tell him that the Kallen that came back, wasn't the same person who had left.
"You don't need to be strong anymore, son."
Kallen swallowed hard. The stinging pressure came back in his nose, sharp and sudden.
"I'm tired," Kallen finally said. The confession was so quiet, it might have been stolen by the wind. "I'm so tired, dad."
His father leaned forward and pulled him into another hug. Strong. Tight. "Come inside then. Come home."