Veyra moved with fluid precision, demonstrating a control over energy Kael could barely comprehend. She raised her hand, and the shadows in the corners of the warehouse danced and twisted, forming shapes that seemed alive. "The Nexus speaks in patterns," she explained. "Listen, and it will guide you. Resist, and it will destroy you."
Kael tried to follow, feeling the pulse of the Nexus through the mark. Energy surged through his veins, raw and unstable, threatening to tear him apart. The whispers had returned, now clearer and sharper, offering fragmented guidance: Channel. Focus. Control. Balance.
Ryken watched with narrowed eyes, never taking his weapon down. "I don't trust it," he muttered. "Not one bit."
"Trust is irrelevant," Veyra replied smoothly. "Survival is the only thing that matters. You can fight the Null Order with brute force, but to confront what's coming, you will need control—knowledge—understanding of the Nexus itself."
Kael clenched his fists, focusing on the energy thrumming inside him. With a thought, he directed a surge of power toward a nearby crate, lifting it into the air with a force that made it tremble and then explode in sparks. The mark burned brightly, and Kael felt exhilaration and fear coursing together.
"Good," Veyra said, her silver eyes gleaming. "But that was just a taste. Next time, the Null Order will come not as shadows or scouts—but as predators. And they will test not only your strength… but your soul."
Kael nodded slowly, sweat running down his brow. The warehouse felt charged, the air thick with tension and possibility. Outside, the city slept, oblivious to the awakening war that was beginning in its veins.
Aria stepped forward. "We need to move. Plan. Prepare. They won't stop, and now you have another factor in play."
Kael looked at Veyra, the Revenant who was simultaneously a guide, a threat, and a mystery. "I don't know if I can trust you," he said.
Veyra's smile was enigmatic. "Trust isn't a luxury in our line of work. Only power is."