Kael had no sense of time anymore. The Pulse Realm didn't obey the same laws as reality — it bent, folded, and rewound on itself like a living dream.
He walked through corridors that shimmered with light, where the walls whispered and the ground breathed beneath his boots. Every step echoed with faint memories — his own, and those that didn't belong to him.
He caught flashes of Lucien's laughter, the screams of wolves in cages, Selene's voice cutting through chaos. Then silence again. Always silence after the noise.
Kael's breath fogged in the cold air, even though there was no true temperature here. The Pulse had a way of mimicking sensation — like it wanted him to believe he was still human.
"You're still fighting it," said a familiar voice behind him.
He turned slowly.
Draven Vale leaned casually against a flickering column of light, hands in his pockets, smile thin as paper. His form was clearer now — less ghostly, more real.
"I see you've stabilized," Draven said. "Good. The Pulse doesn't like weakness."
Kael's jaw tightened. "You again."
"Me again." Draven took a few steps forward, his eyes glowing faintly red. "Don't look so tense, Alpha. You and I are on the same side — at least for now."
Kael's claws slid out with a low metallic scrape. "I don't do sides."
Draven's smirk didn't waver. "Oh, but you do. You just haven't admitted it yet. The Pulse is rewriting the world, Kael. You've seen what humanity did with its power — the labs, the weapons, the blood spilled in the name of progress. Tell me you haven't thought about wiping it all clean."
Kael said nothing.
Draven stepped closer, voice dropping. "You felt it, didn't you? That urge when the Pulse surged through your veins. That voice that whispered: break everything, start again."
Kael's eyes flashed. "That wasn't me."
"Wasn't it?" Draven tilted his head. "You and I are evolution, Kael. The next step. The Pulse didn't just save you — it chose you. And you think it was a mistake?"
Kael lunged. This time, his claws connected. Draven staggered back, black fluid sizzling where the wounds opened. But instead of blood, streams of digital static bled from his skin.
He laughed softly, almost amused. "Still so predictable."
Kael growled. "You talk too much."
"And you think too small."
Draven raised his hand. The entire world bent — the Pulse shuddered, reality warping as Kael was thrown backward into a glass-like wall.
Instantly, a dozen shards formed around him, each showing a different image: wolves running in chaos, the city in flames, Selene screaming his name.
Draven's voice echoed from all directions. "You're fighting the inevitable. The Pulse connects everything — flesh, code, spirit. You can't destroy it, Kael. You can only become it."
Kael pushed himself up, silver energy crackling through his arms. "Then I'll become something it can't control."
And with that, he drove his claws into the ground. The Pulse reacted — light rippling outward, the mirrors fracturing. Kael roared, channeling every ounce of rage, grief, and defiance into the storm.
The world screamed — an electric wail that shook the air.
Then, silence.
When Kael opened his eyes, Draven was gone. Only the sound of faint static lingered.
In the distance, something glowed — a doorway, faint and flickering like a dying flame.
"The Veil…" he murmured.
The Pulse whispered back, voice soft as a breeze: "Through it lies the world you left behind."
Kael's heart pounded.
Selene.
He moved toward the light. Every step felt heavier, the Pulse tugging at him like invisible chains. "Stay," it whispered. "You belong here."
He ignored it.
"Stay, Kael…"
He clenched his fists, forcing his legs forward. "Not today."
The light grew brighter. His silver aura flared, merging with it until his body was almost consumed by radiance.
And then — he leapt.
---
Meanwhile — in Westpoint.
The rain had returned. Thick, steady, unrelenting.
Selene stood beneath the skeletal remains of an old train bridge, her coat drenched, her eyes scanning the horizon. The city still slept uneasily, its people haunted by ghosts and memories.
Mira jogged up beside her, holding a rusted tablet wrapped in cloth. "You're gonna wanna see this."
Selene unwrapped it. The screen flickered to life, showing a map. Lines of digital interference ran through it, forming strange, repeating patterns.
"What is this?" Selene asked.
"Pulse readings," Mira said. "They spiked twenty minutes ago — from under the city. Right below the industrial sector."
Selene's breath hitched. "That's where the tower collapsed."
"Yeah. But it's not dead. The signal's spreading again — smaller, faster. Like something's trying to break through."
Selene stared at the pulsing map. Her hand instinctively went to her pendant — and froze.
It was glowing.
Brighter than ever.
The rain hissed against it but couldn't dim the light. It pulsed with perfect rhythm — a heartbeat.
"Kael…" she whispered.
Mira blinked. "You think it's him?"
Selene's voice was trembling now, equal parts fear and hope. "I know it's him."
Lightning flashed — and for just a split second, the reflection in the puddle beside her wasn't hers.
It was his.
---
Back inside the Pulse Realm.
Kael fell through the blinding light, his body twisting as reality folded around him. Every heartbeat echoed like thunder.
He hit solid ground — hard. The air rushed from his lungs as he rolled onto his back, coughing. The scent of rain filled his nose.
Rain.
Cold, real, beautiful rain.
He blinked, staring up at the storm above him. The sky wasn't data anymore — it was sky. The real world.
He was back.
For a long moment, he just lay there, feeling the weight of existence again — the ache in his muscles, the rhythm of his breathing, the warmth of his heartbeat.
Then, a faint hum reached his ears — the sound of machines, old generators, and voices in the distance.
Kael slowly pushed himself up. His silver eyes glowed faintly under the moonlight. His claws were gone, replaced by hands — human again, but humming with power.
"Selene…" he whispered, his voice hoarse.
Somewhere out there, she was waiting.
But as he took his first step, the rain darkened — a shadow moving across the sky.
Kael looked up.
High above, something was watching him — a shape too large, too strange to be human. Its eye
s glowed crimson.
Draven's voice drifted down, cold and calm. "Welcome back, Alpha."
Kael's heart pounded. The fight wasn't over.
Not even close.