The air felt heavy and tight as Kael, Iria, and Rai moved through the broken buildings of an old Dominion base. Pieces of the past war were all around them—burned metal, smashed weapons, and the bones of people who died fighting. The Dominion had left this place, but Kael felt that the bad feelings were still there.
"Be careful," Iria whispered. Her red scarf moved behind her as she looked all around. "If the Dominion left quickly, they probably set traps."
Kael nodded. His silver eyes glowed a little in the dim light. The Aetherial Force in this spot felt strange. It was like something was pulling at what was real, twisting the energy around them. He squeezed his hands, feeling the Void Nexus inside him start to wake up.
"Something's wrong here," he said quietly. "I can feel it in the air."
Rai, who always doubted things, gave a small smile. "Really? Maybe it's just your weird Aether playing tricks on you. Or maybe it's because this place looks like a graveyard. Either way, let's find what we came for and get out fast."
Tessa had told them about a secret room deep inside the base. This room had old papers about the Dominion's first tries with Aetherial Force. If they could find these papers, they might learn more about where the Void Aether came from—and why Kael had his unusual powers.
As they walked into the main room, a strange humming sound filled the air. Old machines lined the walls, giving off a soft blue light. In the center of the room was a big, shiny thing like a crystal—the Aetherial Core.
Kael stopped breathing for a second. He had seen something like this before... in his dreams. The quiet voices in his head got louder, but he still couldn't understand what they were saying.
"Kael... we shouldn't be here," Iria warned, taking out her sword as she felt the air change. "Something is about to—"
Suddenly, a burst of energy shot out from the core. It sent waves of power through the room. The floor cracked under their feet as a dark shape appeared from the shadows. It looked like a blurry spot in what was real.
"You should not have come to this place," the shape said. Its voice sounded strange and echoed. "The Nexus is not meant to be touched."
Kael felt a cold feeling go up his back. This wasn't just a regular enemy—it was connected to the Aetherium itself.
As the fight was about to start, Kael knew one thing for sure: the secrets that the Dominion had hidden in this place were much more dangerous than they had ever thought.
Kael's steps made quiet sounds in the old underground paths. Each step stirred up old dust that had sat there for a very long time. The soft blue light from the Aetherial Force that was still around glowed on the broken walls, making old designs that no one remembered anymore. He held his hands tightly as he moved ahead, with Iria and Rai staying close behind him.
"These old buildings were here even before the Ethereal Shift happened," Iria said softly, running her fingers over the old markings on the wall. "This writing… it doesn't look like any language that people today know."
Kael's eyes became darker. The Aetherium whispered in his mind, like faint sounds of forgotten people trying to speak to him. His Void Nexus inside him beat faster, and he felt a shiver go through him. The feeling was both something he knew and something completely new to him.
"This place… it feels like it knows me," Kael said very quietly.
Rai looked at him with worry. "That's really not a good feeling, man."
Before they could think more about it, the ground shook deeply. A huge figure came out of the darkness ahead—a Sentinel from the Old World. Its big body looked like it was made of metal that was alive with Aether, and it had glowing eyes that showed no feelings at all.
"INTRUDERS… FOUND," the Sentinel's loud voice echoed in the space around them. "COMMAND: GET RID OF THEM."
The air around them felt thick with power as the Sentinel lifted its arm. Energy gathered and turned into a sharp Aetherial Lance, ready to strike.
Kael's eyes shone brightly. "Iria, Rai—get ready to fight this thing."
The battle started right away, with no warning.
Iria moved so fast she seemed to disappear, using her Aetherial Phantom power to slip between places. She showed up again behind the Sentinel, ready to hit it. But her sword hit something hard, as the Sentinel's Aetherial Barrier flashed and stopped her attack.
"Tch. Of course, it has some kind of shield."
Rai ran forward quickly, his metal arm sparking with Stormcaller energy. He punched the Sentinel's barrier hard, sending out a burst of electric power. The barrier shook, but it stayed in place.
"We need to try something different to beat this," Rai said with a growl.
Kael closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the strong pull of the Void Nexus deep inside him. It seemed to whisper to him, telling him to let its power go.
No. Not yet. He needed to be careful.
Instead, he used his own Aetherial Force, making two blades of bright, shifting energy appear in his hands. He moved quickly, slashing at the barrier. He could feel it getting weaker with each strike. The Sentinel's core inside its body pulsed, and its metal form seemed to change a little, trying to protect itself.
Then, something unexpected happened in the old ruins.
The very stones around them started to react. Old markings on the walls suddenly glowed brightly, as if they were answering Kael's presence. The Sentinel stopped moving for a very short time, as if it was surprised.
"IDENTITY… RECOGNIZED."
Those words made Kael feel a sudden chill deep inside. Before he could understand what they meant, the Sentinel's body broke apart into pieces of Aetherial light, and it disappeared into the old ruins.
Everything became quiet.
Iria put her sword back. "What in the world just happened here?"
Kael breathed out hard, his heart still beating fast in his chest. "I think… I was meant to be here, in this place."
Rai crossed his arms, looking unsure. "Yeah, well, that doesn't make me feel any better."
From the dark corners of the ruins, unseen eyes were watching them. A quiet whisper moved through the air, carried by the last bits of the Sentinel's broken energy.
"The one who left… has now returned to us…"
And deep within the old, broken place, something that had been asleep for a long time began to wake up.