The world didn't move.
It… folded.
Space twisted around Kael like glass bending under pressure.
The city vanished—
Lights. Noise. Everything.
Gone.
For a brief moment—
There was nothing.
Then—
Impact.
Kael dropped hard onto solid ground.
The air was different.
Heavy.
Dense.
Like breathing something thicker than air.
He pushed himself up slowly.
His body reacted instantly—
Muscles tightening.
Instincts flaring.
"…Where are we?"
The stranger stepped forward calmly.
"A place most people never see."
Kael looked around.
And froze.
The sky—
I was wrong.
No stars.
No moon.
Just a dark, endless expanse…
Cracked with faint lines of light.
Like something had been broken—
And never fully repaired.
The ground beneath him stretched out in all directions.
Flat.
Empty.
But not silent.
A low hum filled the air.
Constant.
Unsettling.
Kael swallowed slightly.
"…This doesn't feel like Earth."
"It's not."
The answer came without hesitation.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Of course it isn't."
His gaze sharpened again.
"…So what is it?"
The stranger stopped walking.
Then turned slightly.
"…A threshold."
Kael frowned.
"…Between what?"
A brief pause.
Then—
"…Your world…"
"…and everything beyond it."
Silence fell again.
Kael felt it now.
Something deeper.
Something to watch.
Not close.
But not far either.
"…There are things here."
"Yes."
"Stronger than what you've faced."
Kael's chest tightened slightly.
Not fear.
Anticipation.
The stranger stepped forward again.
"This is where you learn."
"Or you die."
Kael gave a faint breath of disbelief.
"…You really don't do things halfway, do you?"
No response.
Just silence.
Kael's gaze shifted outward.
Into the empty expanse.
"…What am I learning exactly?"
The answer came slowly this time.
Measured.
"…Control."
"…Restraint."
"…And how not to get consumed by that thing inside you."
Kael's hand instinctively moved to his chest.
The core pulsed faintly.
Responding.
Listening.
"…And if I fail?"
A pause.
The stranger didn't look at him this time.
"…You won't need to worry about the Hunters anymore."
Kael let out a quiet breath.
"…Right."
That answered that.
He rolled his shoulders slightly.
Steadying himself.
"…So where do we start?"
The stranger turned fully now.
For the first time—
There was something different in their eyes.
Focus.
Intent.
"…Here."
Kael blinked.
"…That's not very—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Because suddenly—
The pressure changed.
It dropped.
Completely.
The air went still.
Silent.
Too silent.
Kael's instincts screamed instantly.
"Move."
He did.
Without thinking.
His body shifted to the side—
Just as something tore through the space where he had been standing.
Fast.
Invisible.
Lethal.
Kael skidded across the ground, eyes wide.
"…What was that?!"
No answer.
The air shifted again.
This time—
He saw it.
A distortion.
Something moving through space—
Not visible.
But present.
Hunting him.
Kael's breathing slowed instantly.
Focus.
Adapt.
Survive.
"…You brought me here to fight THIS?!"
The stranger's voice came calmly—
From behind him.
"…No."
A pause.
"…I brought you here to learn how to see it."
The distortion vanished.
Then—
It reappeared.
Right in front of him.
Kael's eyes widened—
Too late to dodge.
Impact—
His body was thrown backward violently.
Pain exploded through his side.
He hit the ground hard—
Rolling.
Struggling to breathe.
"…Damn it…!"
The presence didn't stop.
It circled him.
Fast.
Silent.
Waiting for the next strike.
Kael pushed himself up slowly.
Blood at the corner of his mouth.
His eyes sharpened.
"…Fine."
He wiped the blood away.
His stance shifted slightly.
Don't panic.
Not fear.
Focus.
"…Then I'll learn."
The air moved again—
The attack coming—
And this time—
Kael didn't close his eyes.