Ch 18 - The One Kael Respects

  Cycle 22,841 of the Dragon Era — Day 128

  Kael’s POV

  Morning came quietly.

  The shrine forest was always silent, but today the silence felt heavier — as if the world itself was waiting.

  The Elder had ordered that he remain here through the night…

  and she had permitted me to stay as well.

  I had fully recovered from the pain she pulled into me — mana had rebuilt my body quickly, as it always did.

  But Yuu…

  Yuu was different.

  His breathing was shallow, uneven — not weak, but overwhelmed.

  His aura flickered like an unstable flame.

  The mana channels inside him had been force-awakened.

  Not guided.

  Not nurtured.

  Forced.

  And when mana carved its way through a body not born for it…

  the mind retreated.

  Senses shut down.

  A living body became a vessel holding only instinct.

  I watched him — silent, still, unmoving except for the faint rise and fall of his chest.

  “…You survived,” I murmured, though he couldn’t hear.

  Most would have shattered long before the Elder intervened.

  Even now, I doubted he would wake soon.

  “Five days…” I guessed aloud.

  “…perhaps ten.”

  The Elder had already seen him once at dawn.

  She said nothing at first — only observed, listened, felt.

  Her expression gave nothing away.

  I sat beside him.

  Exactly where she instructed.

  For the first time in a long while, I stood once more in the Elder’s presence.

  And now… I waited once again.

  “…You survived.”

  A voice floated through the darkness — distant, unreal — yet unmistakably familiar.

  My thoughts felt thick, slow, disconnected.

  Who…?

  “Five days…”

  That voice again.

  Kael? Is that Kael’s voice?

  “…perhaps ten.”

  It was him.

  Fragments of memory snapped back — the burning, the carving pain, something towering and ancient pressing into my mind.

  Something was there… something strong… terrifying. It— it tried to…

  My body jolted awake before the thought finished.

  My eyes flew open and instinct took over.

  “AAAAH—!! D- DON’T KILL ME!!”

  I shot upright with a gasp, breath sharp and uneven, heart slamming against my ribs—

  —only to find Kael sitting right beside me.

  He stared at me with wide eyes, fur raised in pure startled shock.

  “What—?! You’re already awake!?”

  “Kael… where are we?”

  My voice felt strange in my own throat — weak, dry.

  I blinked slowly, taking in the unfamiliar stone platform, the carved runic markings beneath us.

  “And… what happened to me yesterday? It just— happened. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t feel anything.”

  Kael opened his mouth.

  “You—”

  A calm voice cut through his words.

  Not loud.

  But absolute.

  Elder Fenris:

  “The mana inside you was flooding,” she said. “It began carving pathways within you—slowly, but violently. If left alone, you would have died from the pain long before it finished.”

  Her gaze did not waver.

  “I did not allow it to proceed naturally. I guided the carving—harshly. That is what led to channels forming within you. It also caused far greater pain.”

  She shifted her attention briefly to Kael.

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  “He took half of what you endured. Without that, your mind would have broken. His presence allowed me to guide the forced awakening.”

  Her eyes returned to me.

  “Because he brought you here in time… you live.”

  I bowed my head toward Kael.

  “I am truly thankful—for saving me. To think you would take half of that pain—”

  Kael’s voice cut in sharply.

  “That is unnecessary,” he said. “Think of it as repaying a debt. And do not concern yourself with the pain.”

  He looked away.

  “For me, it was nothing.”

  “The pain was nothing?” I asked quietly. “It took everything I had just to think through it—and yet you felt nothing?”

  Kael nodded once.

  “That is correct.”

  I turned, then bowed toward the Elder.

  “And thank you,” I said sincerely. “For saving my life.”

  “I am Yuu.”

  Elder Fenris studied me for a long moment—assessing, weighing.

  Then she finally spoke.

  “All of that aside,” she said calmly, “what exactly are you?”

  Her gaze sharpened.

  “You possessed neither a core nor mana pathways. And yet, you lived.”

  She took a step closer.

  “How are you even alive? I require answers.”

  Kael’s voice echoed inside my mind through the private link.

  *Don’t share too much with her.*

  Before I could respond, Fenris’ gaze shifted.

  “…Kael,” she said calmly, “what exactly did you say to him?”

  Kael straightened.

  “I only asked how he was feeling.”

  Fenris’ eyes narrowed slightly.

  “Strange,” she said. “Because I distinctly heard something along the lines of: *do not share too much with her.*”

  Kael stiffened.

  “…How—”

  Fenris did not let him finish.

  “I can think of one explanation,” she said. “You grew up somewhere devoid of mana—and then arrived here.”

  Her attention returned to me.

  I answered carefully, just as Kael had warned.

  “You are right,” I said. “I don’t know where I came from. My memories are fractured—blurred. I can’t tell you more… because I don’t remember clearly.”

  “When I woke up,” I added quietly, “I was already here.”

  She remained doubtful.

  Then, after a brief pause, Fenris spoke.

  “Very well,” she said. “I expect that, with time, you will remember more. And when we meet again… I hope you will tell me the truth.”

  A chill ran through me.

  *Had she read my mind?*

  That was the only explanation that made sense.

  I nodded.

  “I will,” I said quietly. “When I remember.”

  Fenris inclined her head slightly.

  “Very well. Keep this in mind—I have no intention of harming you.”

  She shifted her attention toward Kael.

  “Nor do I consider you an anomaly or an enemy, should you choose to speak honestly.”

  Kael’s shoulders twitched.

  Then she spoke again, her tone concluding—final.

  “Kael,” Fenris said, “continue watching over Yuu. Rule your territory well. Make our bloodline proud.”

  She turned her gaze back to me.

  “Yuu’s life is not in immediate danger. His channels have formed, and a core may follow in time.”

  She paused.

  “This is the only logical conclusion I can reach—especially since even I am witnessing something like this for the first time.”

  Her voice remained calm, unwavering.

  “It will require discipline and patience. Absorb as much mana as you can. Do not force it. If all goes well, you will eventually form a core.”

  That was all she chose to say.

  “You may leave whenever you wish.”

  With that, the Elder turned away—and departed.

  Kael carried me on his back as we left the Elder’s shrine. For a while, neither of us spoke.

  The silence wasn’t awkward—it was heavy.

  I exhaled, steadying the thoughts swirling in my head.

  “Her aura…” I began slowly. “It felt similar to yours. But you treated her with so much respect.”

  Kael didn’t respond immediately.

  When he finally did, his tone carried weight.

  “Do not judge by aura alone.”

  I waited.

  “She suppresses hers,” he continued. “As easily as breathing. What you felt… was a fraction. If she wished, she could drown this entire forest in her presence.”

  Goosebumps rose along my arms.

  “She is far stronger than me.”

  It wasn’t embarrassment.

  It was honesty.

  Kael spoke again, his voice low—not lecturing, not dramatic. Just stating fact.

  “You already know how aura behaves,” he said. “At rest, it is stable. When you intend violence, it rises. With focus, it can be suppressed.”

  He paused briefly, choosing his words with care.

  “But when one’s aura is truly vast… complete concealment becomes impossible. No matter how much control you have, it leaks. Presence reveals itself.”

  His gaze drifted forward, unfocused.

  “The Elder is different.”

  I listened.

  “She possesses enough control to suppress her aura efficiently,” Kael continued. “So what you sensed was not her true measure—only what she allowed to surface.”

  His voice hardened slightly.

  “That is why it felt similar to mine.”

  He looked at me then—eyes steady, serious.

  “What you sensed… was not her true aura.”

  I hesitated.

  “…Did something happen between you two?”

  His muscles tensed beneath me—subtle, but noticeable.

  “That,” he said in a firm tone, “is a story for another time.”

  Which meant: yes.

  And no—he wasn’t ready to speak about it.

  So I didn’t push.

  Instead, Kael shifted his stance and spoke again, more casually.

  “I underestimated the rate your body absorbed this world’s mana. Faster than any creature I have seen.”

  I blinked.

  “So… that’s a good thing?”

  “It is… surprising,” he corrected.

  Then, without warning:

  “Hold tight.”

  “What—?”

  Wind swallowed my words.

  Kael surged forward—faster than anything I had ever ridden.

  Faster than horses.

  Faster than vehicles.

  The trees blurred into streaks of motion. The world stretched, rushed, twisted past us in streaks of green and gold. I clung to his fur as the wind stung my face and forced tears from my eyes.

  My heart pounded—not from fear…

  …but exhilaration.

  This wasn’t running.

  This was flying across the earth.

  Only when the familiar scent of our territory reached my senses did Kael finally slow, his footsteps returning to a normal pace.

  My breath was shaky, adrenaline still racing.

  Kael glanced back slightly—gold eyes steady.

  “Welcome back.”

  I could sense them now.

  Their auras—warm, familiar, steady—clustered near the den as if waiting for someone.

  For me.

  As Kael and I drew close enough for shapes to form between the trees, something darted forward—fast, silent, purposeful.

  Before I even registered who it was, a blur of white slammed into us.

  “—oof!”

  I was knocked clean off Kael’s back and onto the ground. The forest spun, and when my vision steadied—

  Lyra was on top of me.

  Pinning me down.

  Her ears were flat, her eyes sharp, and her tail flicked wildly—anger, relief, and something else tangled together.

  Before I could speak, the rest arrived.

  Umbra, Grey, Varya, Lucan, Borin, Icelan, Lyra, Fenn—all piling in, pressing against me, nudging, bumping, sniffing—a chaotic mess of fur and weight and voices.

  Then—

  The pups.

  Tiny missiles of energy.

  One bit my sleeve, another licked my cheek aggressively, the third tried climbing my face for absolutely no reason.

  At this point, I was convinced I was being eaten alive by affection.

  Only when Cira’s voice cut through the noise did the chaos freeze.

  “Enough. You’ll crush him.”

  Instantly—as if someone flipped a switch—every wolf lifted off me.

  I lay there for a second, staring at the sky and questioning if survival had been worth it.

  Cira stepped forward, her gaze soft but steady.

  “You have mana channels now,” she said. “So the Elder chose to save you.”

  I pushed myself up slowly.

  “I… think so. Kael told me what happened. He—”

  I looked toward him.

  “—took half of the pain onto himself.”

  Kael turned his head away as if offended by the acknowledgment.

  “That pain was nothing,” he muttered.

  Cira snorted.

  “Stop pretending you’re made of stone.”

  Kael said nothing—which somehow proved her point even more.

  Cira’s expression shifted—no longer playful, but serious.

  “…How was she?”

  “She was the same as always,” Kael said quietly. “Calm. Composed.”

  He paused.

  “But today… I sensed something different. She rarely shows her thoughts—but when I saw her, it felt as though something had shifted.”

  His tail lowered slightly.

  “I don’t know what it was.”

  “She even said she would see Yuu again,” Kael added. “That was… unusual. She almost never involves herself unless it is necessary.”

  Cira’s ears twitched.

  “But for now, Yuu is safe,” Kael said. “And in time, he may form a core.”

  He paused.

  “So for now… we watch.”