Kael stumbled out of his room, the pendant clutched tightly in his hand. His head throbbed, and a haze of colors danced at the edges of his vision. The city outside looked familiar, yet distorted, as if he were seeing through the cities naked life . I can't let this control me… he muttered, breathing heavily. He forced himself to focus, trying to see the lines of mana again. The pendant vibrated softly, and for a brief moment, Kael's vision cleared. He saw the glowing threads stretching across the country, connecting buildings, streetlights, energies, even people—but then it all snapped. A wave of dizziness hit him, and voices filled his mind, overlapping and incomprehensible. A cold, unfamiliar voice echoed his mind: "Observation without control, caution, leads to madness." Kael staggered backward, clutching his head. The pendant pulsed violently, almost alive in his hand. He had felt power before, but never like this—never so raw, so wild untamed, demanding of his very effort. Then he heard it: the rough, precise sound of footsteps on metal. He froze. Outside his window, in the alley below, a tall figure cloaked in black moved silently. Its eyes glowed faintly in the dim morning light. Obsidian Order… Kael realized instantly.
Panic surged across his mind, and he dashed. The figure moved with unnatural speed, following him down narrow streets. Kael's heart raced, but he remembered the mana threads. Hesitantly, he focused on them, trying to bend them toward himself. A faint surge of energy erupted from the pendant, enough to create a temporary distortion—a shimmering wall of light that slowed the scout. Kael didn't have time to be in awe of the abilities. He sprinted through the streets, moving between market stalls and abandoned buildings. The Obsidian agent was fast, relentless—but Kael's instincts, powered by the pendant, kept him just ahead. Finally, he went into a abandoned warehouse, gasping for breath. The pendant hummed softly, drained but still alive in his palm. The agent's shadow appeared at the doorway, then vanished as quickly as it came, leaving only a faint noise of its presence. Kael fell to the floor, trembling. The pendant's glow dimmed, but its warning lingered: survival demanded control, and control demanded caution.
He had passed no test yet.
This is only the beginning of what should come.