Chapter 7 — The Ruins Don't Stay Quiet
Kael waited.
Nothing jumped out. Nothing screamed. The red sky stayed the same dull color, the dark circle above it beating slow and steady.
He didn't relax.
Places like this didn't go quiet for no reason.
Kael walked toward the ruins. Up close, they looked worse. The stones were smooth in places, melted like wax, then sharp again without warning. Some walls leaned in ways that made no sense, like gravity had gotten bored halfway through.
He touched one of the black stones.
It was warm. Not hot—more like skin after standing in the sun.
"Great," he muttered. "Living rocks."
Something shifted inside the ruin.
Kael froze.
A sound came from deeper within. Not footsteps. More like dragging something heavy across sand. Slow. Careful.
He tightened his grip on the blade and stepped forward.
Inside, the ruin opened into a wide space. Broken pillars lay scattered around a cracked floor. In the center, something sat half-buried in sand.
It looked like a door.
Not standing. Lying flat, like it had fallen from the sky and punched its way into the ground. No handle. No markings. Just a smooth surface, darker than the stone around it.
Kael circled it.
"This is definitely a bad idea," he said.
The moment his shadow touched the door, the sand around it slid away.
The door moved.
Not opening. Turning.
It rotated slowly, grinding against the ground, until it stood upright on its own. A thin line appeared down the center.
Kael took a step back. "I didn't touch you."
The line widened.
Light spilled out—not bright, not warm. Pale and flat, like it didn't care whether he saw it or not.
A voice came from inside.
Not loud. Not deep.
Familiar.
"Kael."
He stiffened.
"No," he said. "You don't get to do that."
The voice spoke again. Same tone. Same rhythm.
"Kael. You made it further than expected."
His chest tightened. He knew that voice.
It sounded like him.
The door opened wider.
Inside wasn't a room. It was a stretch of empty space, gray and endless. And standing there, just a few steps in, was a figure with his face.
Same height. Same build.
Same tired eyes.
The other Kael looked him over and smiled faintly.
"Relax," it said. "I'm not here to replace you."
Kael raised the blade. "Then talk fast."
The smile faded.
"That thing you fought," the double said, nodding toward the outside. "It wasn't hunting you. It was checking you."
"For what?"
"For whether you break," it replied. "Or bend."
Kael didn't lower the blade. "And?"
The other Kael stepped aside.
Behind him, something massive shifted in the gray distance. Not moving closer. Just reminding him it was there.
"Seems the world hasn't decided yet," the double said. "And that's rare."
The door began to close on its own.
Kael took a step forward. "Wait. Who are you?"
The double met his eyes.
"I'm the version of you that didn't survive this part."
The door slammed shut.
The ruin shook.
Outside, the red sky darkened, and the circle above began to open.