Kael didn't remember how long he stayed on the warehouse floor.
Time blurred into something meaningless as the aftereffects of the pendant crept through his body. His limbs felt heavy, his head throbbed as if it had been struck from the inside, and every breath carried a faint metallic taste. The glow of the pendant had dimmed, but its presence remained—pressed against his chest like an invisible weight, a weight others failed to understand.
So this is the price…
He pushed himself upright, groaning softly. The warehouse was silent and abandoned, yet the silence felt wrong. Not empty—watchful. Kael scanned the shadows instinctively, half-expecting the Obsidian scout to reappear. Nothing moved.
Still, he didn't relax.
As he stood, a faint shimmer flickered in the air. Thin threads of a mana web surfaced at the edge of his vision—unstable, chaotic, like a tsunami crashing onto a beach. Kael flinched and shut his eyes.
"No," he whispered. "Not again."
The moment he resisted, the threads faded.
Kael froze.
So… I can control it. Temporarily.
The realization hit him harder than the chase. Power didn't have to surge wildly. It responded—to intent, restraint, awareness. Selene's words echoed in his mind.
Observation without control, and control without caution, leads to madness.
He exhaled slowly and focused inward, not on the pendant, but on himself. His breathing steadied. The headache dulled. When he opened his eyes again, the world was normal—quiet, mundane, busy.
For now.
A soft clap echoed behind him.
Kael spun around, heart pounding.
Selene stood near the warehouse entrance, her white cloak untouched by dust or sand, her expression calm but unreadable.
"You survived," she said simply.
Kael's relief flared into anger. "You knew they were coming."
"Yes."
"You let it happen."
"Yes."
His fists clenched. "Why?"
Selene met his gaze without flinching. "Because the Path does not open for those without the correct mindset—those who embrace weakness, who fail to prepare, who lack caution. It opens for those who embrace challenge, who push themselves, and who remain aware."
Kael swallowed. The truth of her words settled heavily in his chest.
"You used the pendant again," she continued. "Recklessly."
"I didn't have a choice."
"You always have a choice," Selene replied. "You chose instinct over control. Fear over awareness. That is why it hurt you."
She stepped closer, her presence sharp and overwhelming.
"Tell me what you felt."
Kael hesitated, then spoke. "It was like… the city was screaming. Too much information. Too many voices."
Selene nodded. "Your Path is awakening. Not all Paths grant strength. Some grant perception. Yours appears to lean toward observation, connection, and manipulation of unseen structures."
Kael frowned. "That sounds dangerous."
"It is."
She raised her hand, and the air between them shimmered. This time, the mana threads appeared clearly—stable, precise, obedient.
"This is control," Selene said. "Not power forced outward by the body, but power held inward—by the mind."
Kael watched, mesmerized.
Then something shifted.
A flicker. A disturbance.
Selene's eyes narrowed. "You're not alone."
A faint cry echoed from deeper within the warehouse.
Kael stiffened. "That sounded like—"
"A civilian," Selene finished. "And judging by the signature energy I'm sensing… a Crimson Veil agent is nearby."
Kael's blood ran cold.
Selene turned to him. "This is where your lesson becomes real."
"You want me to fight?" he asked.
"No," she said sharply. "I want you to choose."
They moved quickly through the warehouse corridors until they reached a collapsed section of the floor. Below, a young man in his twenties was pinned beneath a boulder, blood trickling down his forehead. Nearby, hidden in the shadows, a figure cloaked in crimson outfit whispered into a device, its gaze fixed on Kael's pendant.
"They're baiting you," Selene said. "If you intervene, you reveal yourself. If you don't—" She paused. "He dies."
Kael's pulse thundered in his ears.
"If I use the pendant—"
"You risk exposure. Mental backlash. Possibly worse."
"And if I don't?"
Selene looked away.
The pendant hummed faintly, as if aware of the dilemma.
Kael stared at the trapped man. Ordinary. Powerless. Unaware of Paths, factions, or hidden wars.
This was who I was… yesterday.
His hands shook as he closed his eyes.
A good or bad choice shapes the Path.
He moved.
Kael focused—not on seeing everything, but on one thing. The mana threads around the debris. He guided them gently, carefully, resisting the urge to force them.
The rubble shifted, rising by an unseen force, naked to human eyes.
The man gasped as the weight lifted just enough for him to crawl free.
Pain exploded behind Kael's eyes, but he held on.
The Crimson Veil agent cursed and vanished into the shadows.
Kael collapsed to one knee.
Selene caught him before he fell.
"You chose compassion," she said softly. "That choice will mark your Path—possibly forever."
Kael breathed heavily, vision swimming. "Did I pass?"
Selene smiled faintly. "You survived. That is enough for now."
She helped him stand.
"Rest," she said. "Your Path has begun to take shape. And now…"
Her gaze shifted toward the city skyline, where distant lights flickered ominously.
"…they will no longer ignore you."
The pendant pulsed once.
Not as a warning.
But as a promise.
A promise that next time, they would not observe.
They would hunt him.